Mercabulary

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Mer•cab•u•lar•y A Glossary of Mercersburg Terms By now, you probably have a sense of some terms that are specific to life at Mercersburg. There are plenty more. Flip through this brief “Mercabulary” list and you will be fluent before you know it!

Adviser | Your adviser is a faculty member who is assigned to you upon your year of entry. This adult will help you navigate daily life at Mercersburg, provide individual feedback and direction, and be a listening ear.

Advisory Group | Comprising all your adviser’s assigned students, this group typically meets twice per week: once during lunch and once at a separate time. Advisory groups also take part in social outings together throughout the year.

Alma Mater | Mercersburg’s official school song, with lyrics by Thomas Crichton and music arranged by Henry Ready, is sung by the student body “with full hearts and loud swelling cheers.”

B & G | An abbreviation for Buildings and Grounds, otherwise known as the Facilities Department. These staff are seen outdoors keeping campus looking its best, and they also work behind the scenes on everything from housekeeping and painting to plumbing and electrical projects. (All members of the campus community do their part by cleaning up after themselves to help B & G keep our campus looking beautiful.)

Baccalaureate | The whole school honors the senior class with a service in the Irvine Memorial Chapel prior to Commencement. Faculty members process in full academic regalia and lead the seniors in. When the service is over, the seniors lead everyone out, symbolizing their readiness to go out into the world.

Block | This is Mercersburg’s term for a class period. Blocks usually last one hour and 15 minutes, and their starting times rotate daily.

Blue Card | Your Blue Card will serve as your school ID and student bank account card. That means your parents can add cash to your account so you can make everyday purchases from places like the True Blue Café and school store. You also need your Blue Card to access campus buildings.

Blue Storm | This is the Mercersburg athletics nickname. Go Storm!

Blue / White Key | Our school colors describe Mercersburg’s chief ambassadors. Blue Keys are student ambassadors who lead campus tours for visitors, while White Keys are parent ambassadors who assist with events and speak with prospective families.

Bumped | When your seat at a family-style meal in the dining hall isn’t available—either because the table isn’t set or because the table is full due to visitors. Regardless, you must find another seat at a neighboring table.

Candlelight Service | An annual Christmas tradition held in the Irvine Memorial Chapel in December prior to students’ departure for winter break. The Chapel is beautifully decorated with evergreens and candles, and the service features holiday music and readings.

Class Council / Student Council | Your Class Council includes an elected president, vice president, and director of student activities, along with your faculty grade dean. (The senior Class Council also includes a director of communications/class historian.) These councils speak for their grade and advocate for student interests. The Student Council includes a president, vice president, and executive member at large, along with a faculty adviser. They work with the Office of Student Life on issues that affect the entire student body.

Commended / Distinguished Scholar | When you finish the academic term with all your grades 85 or above, you are a “commended scholar.” At 90 or above in everything, you’re a “distinguished scholar.”

Convocation | The opening ceremony for the school year features a processional with the faculty in full academic regalia and the flag bearer of each class, as well as a special speaker.

Declamation | The finale of Irving-Marshall Week calls on chosen students, who have been rehearsing for weeks, to memorize and perform monologues in front of the whole school.

Faculty Row | The collection of faculty houses that sit between the baseball and soccer fields and the football practice field and tennis courts.

Family-Style Meals | Weekday lunches and some dinners, including semiformal dinners on Mondays, bring together the entire student body at assigned tables with faculty. (Tables rotate every two or three weeks so you get to know more people.) Students take turns carrying trays of food from the kitchen and then cleaning up after the meal. At each table, an assigned student Table Proctor delegates responsibilities.

The White Coat brings food to the tables; the Blue Coat cleans up after the meal. Mugwumps, on a volunteer basis, are dressed casually since they assist the dishwashers.

The Fifteen | Fifteen English students selected by anonymous application in the senior class are invited to participate in high-level discussions with select faculty.

Front / Back Campus | Front campus is generally considered to be any buildings or grounds near the quad, while back campus includes Faculty Row, most of our athletic fields, and the Masinter Outdoor Education Center.

Irving-Marshall Week | This spirited competition is our most beloved tradition. When you first come to Mercersburg, you join either the Washington Irving Literary Society or the John Marshall Literary Society. At the end of the winter term, the two societies split up and square off in everything from chess and basketball to ping-pong and swimming.

Students proudly wear Irving’s red and white or Marshall’s blue and yellow as they compete or cheer on their comrades. The centerpiece event—Declamation—follows a celebratory dinner. The head of school announces the winning society at a post-Declamation dance.

Late Lights | If you need extra time to finish work at the end of the evening, just ask the faculty member on duty in your dorm for “late lights.”

You’ll get at least 30 more minutes.

Leadership Lab | A series of workshops and activities held prior to the start of school for prefects, Student Council representatives, and other student leaders to collaborate and prepare for new students’ arrival and for the upcoming school year.

Mentor Leadership | Similar to the Peer Group program, new 10th graders are paired with members of the senior class for the fall term to help aid in the transition to life at Mercersburg.

Help Center | There are three Help Centers on campus: Writing, Language, and Math and Science. They’re staffed by faculty and students who have strong skills in that discipline.

Moving Up Ceremony | At the end of every school year, the Chapel is the setting for this symbolic ceremony. The seniors, about to graduate, vacate their front-row seats, and all of the classes move up. It marks the first time that the 11th graders are recognized as seniors, and the newly elected class president takes over from their predecessor.

Inbound | Every new student arrives on campus early to participate in group activities with other new students. Led by current students, Inbound provides a smooth introduction to your new classmates, the campus, and starting your life at Mercersburg on exactly the right note.

Paint the Numbers | The senior class bonds together in a nighttime gathering at the beginning of Spirit Week by putting their own unique stamp on the driveway of the main entrance to campus. Copious amounts of blue and white paint are involved.

Head’s Holiday | A rare surprise day off from classes announced by the head of school.

Peer Group | Every incoming 9th-grade class breaks into small groups, each led by two 11th or 12th graders. During the first half of the year, the groups get together to talk and see how everything is going. It’s an easy way to answer questions, learn traditions, work on study skills, and transition into life at Mercersburg.

PG | Every year, 12 to 15 students who have already graduated from high school enroll at Mercersburg for a postgraduate year to gain independence, strengthen their study skills, retake standardized tests, and/or compete in a sport for another year.

PGA | Short for Performance Group Activity, this required after-school commitment lasts about two hours and includes varsity and junior varsity sports, dance, theatre, community engagement, campus internships, Mercersburg Outdoor Education, and more. Students get to select their PGA, and the options change at the beginning of each academic term.

Prefect | These are select seniors and a few 11th graders who are chosen to be student leaders.

You can turn to your prefect for conversation or advice, and they can be found on each dormitory floor.

Pretzel Pie | One of the most popular dining hall desserts that’s sure to satisfy your sweet and salty cravings. A pretzel crust on the bottom, a layer of vanilla ice cream in the middle, and chocolate drizzle on top. Often finished with sprinkles and/or whipped cream.

Quad | Short for the Prentiss-Zimmerman Quadrangle, this grassy lawn is bordered by the Irvine Memorial Chapel, the Burgin Center for the Arts, Traylor Hall, Lenfest Hall, Keil Hall, and Irvine Hall. The quad’s many sidewalks see their share of foot traffic in between class blocks and offer the chance for faculty, staff, and students to interact.

Regent | Mercersburg’s governing body is the Board of Regents, composed of alumni of the school and parents of current or former students. They meet three times per year.

Room Check | A prefect or dorm faculty member performs a daily room check Sunday through Thursday—usually in the evening—to make sure rooms are generally tidy. Beware of unmade beds and too much clutter.

SAC | The Student Activities Committee plans fun events on and off campus throughout the year, like dances, pool parties, trick or treating, and excursions to New York City and Washington, D.C. Senior Trip | The week of Commencement, all seniors hit the road for a fun multiday trip with faculty chaperones. Activities may include swimming, whitewater rafting, bowling, hiking, paddleboarding, mini-golf, and more.

Snack Closet | Need a late-night snack to refuel?

Every dorm dean keeps a closet stocked full of tasty treats.

Step Songs | On the Friday evening of Family and Alumni Weekend (Mercersburg’s version of homecoming), the student body assembles on the Main Hall steps to belt out a traditional mix of school songs and enthusiastic cheers to entertain the gathered alumni and parents and drum up excitement for the next day’s athletic contests. An all-school bonfire follows.

Stony Batter Players | Named for the birthplace of U.S. President James Buchanan just a short drive from campus, Stony Batter is our student theatre organization and the school’s oldest continually active student group.

Tippetts Beach | We may not have sandy dunes, but that won’t stop you from hitting the beach— specifically, the grassy expanse behind Tippetts Hall. On a nice day, you can join fellow students hanging out and relaxing in the sun.