The background color of the stars

News The Merionite February 13, 20202

On Saturday, January 25, LM’s Class of 2021 held its Junior Winter Formal. Hosted in the cafeteria, the formal was an event where students in any grade could dance, socialize, and snack. Two months prior to the dance, the Junior Class Officers began preparation for the dance. Officer Jackie Munis ’21 said the formal was “planned with a committee of about fifteen juniors.” Together, the committee and the officers decided the theme—winter wonderland—and “discussed how [they] wanted to decorate the cafeteria.” According to Munis, “the committee had a lot of great ideas about how to transform the venue into a space that did not feel like a high school cafeteria.” They spent the Friday prior decorating and finalized their alterations Saturday morning. Their efforts were well received by the student body, with Evie Oliver ’21 remarking “the cafeteria was really beautiful and there were colored lights and snowflakes dispersed throughout the room.”As for obtaining the materials needed—lights, a photo booth, and food—Munis thanked “the [Home and School Association for being] a big help” and parents who donated food and supplies. Some students may wonder about the point of all the effort. Officer Carmen Cheng ’21 says that “while part of [it] is to create a fun night for students, especially as a relief after midterms, its main purpose is to raise money for prom.” According to Officer Emily Shang ’21, the money raised from the dance “goes purely towards lowering [prom] ticket prices for students.” After the flyers were released and the date for the formal was announced, the initial student body reaction seemed negative, with students denigrating the fact that it would be held in the cafeteria. On the contrary, others were stalwart supporters, claiming that everyone should rally behind the class. With these two opposing opinions, did the formal turn out to be a winter wonderland or a deserted dance floor? Despite some negative reactions, around one-hundred and forty students attended the formal. As the DJ mixed various songs, students danced energetically while socializing and eating assorted food. At the end of the night, they could all take a photo at the booth fitted with lights and balloons. Madison Li ’21 said she “had a lot of fun at formal” and that overall, it was a “great night with good food and lots of dancing!” CeCe Rae ’21 commented on how the cafeteria “was very nicely decorated” with “a great atmosphere.” Nothing, however, is without its flaws. Some students found parts of the dance unenjoyable. Claire Sun ’21 says that “while it was fun and all, the formal could have been much better if more people went because it felt extremely awkward at some points.” There were also complaints about the choices of music and food. Aside from those criticisms about the dance itself, many members of the community were upset that it was hosted on Chinese New Year. Officer Elliot Ginzburg ’21 responds to this complaint, saying that “it was unfortunate that the event conflicted with the celebration of the Chinese New Year, however, it was out of the officers’ control.” The LMSD administration had chosen the date since October and would not change the dates despite various emails from parents. After the students all left and the cafeteria was cleaned up, the sum total of money raised was around three thousand dollars, which would knock around seven to ten dollars off each prom ticket. Financial aspects aside, it seemed that many students genuinely enjoyed the formal and everyone is excitedly waiting their senior prom at the Moulin ballroom concluding their final year at LM. Dhaval Sharma ’21 News Editor A formal night to remember

Photo courtesy of Isabel Coopersmith ’21 The decorated, balloon-flled photo booth was revered as one of the best parts of the formal.

As wildfires continue ravishing Australia’s biodiverse forests and lands, millions of animals and twenty-five residents have perished. The initial stages of burnings began as early as September 2019, and have only further expanded since the end of January. They commenced on a miniscule scale as bushfires that only consumed about six houses, but these flames have continued to develop and engulf around twelve million acres of land, destroying nearly all life forms in their path. It has been recognized globally that these wildfires were not only caused by the dry, barren areas of land in Victoria, Australia, but because of the perpetual crisis of climate change transpiring not only in Australia but universally throughout the world. In a recent article written by Matt McGrath for BBC World News titled “Climate change: Australia fires will be ‘normal’ in a warmer world,” he explains, “The signal of human-induced warming has become clearer in different parts of the world with the passage of time. A paper published last year suggests the impact of climate change could be detected outside the range of natural variability in 22 percent of land that’s available for burning.” The environmental shift in New South Wales is quite apparent with a 1.95 degrees Celsius increase from average temperatures and forty percent less rainfall. These drastic adjustments to the environment and ecosystem in Australia facilitate the spread of heat throughout the country, leading to naturally occurring wildfires. Not only are the vegetation and communities of Australia being set ablaze, but the wildlife that resides in regions with violent flames is being brutally destroyed as well. Mihir Zaveri and Emily S. Rueb from The New York Times wrote, “Some 25,000 koalas feared dead on an island being consumed by flames. Ten thousand feral camels expected to be shot and killed. And claims that a whopping one billion animals estimated to have perished across Australia.” With perhaps a billion animals dead, thousands of homes annihilated, and millions of acres of land burnt, many believe that global aid is necessary for Australia. The LM community has taken action to contribute to a multitude of charities in the Australian cities of Sydney, Adelaide, and Victoria. Specifically, the LM club Amnesty International has done its part to provide aid during these unfortunate events by selling koala stickers during lunch as well as accepting any donation willing to be given to the cause. They intend to donate any money raised to the Mallacoota Wildlife Shelter. This refuge aims to nurture sick and injured animals damaged by the wildfires in Victoria, Australia. Principal Hughes has also shown concern on the matter, articulating, “I think the situation is terrible and our thoughts are with their community during this difficult time.” Additional generous clubs such as BARK (Bulldog Animal Rescue Club) plan to assist in the contributions by holding a bake sale. Co-Head of the BARK club, Talia Lehrer ’22, also spoke out about the tragedy, expressing, “I find it awful that some animals that we haven’t even discovered yet may be extinct. I want to shed light on the issue and because we focus on the wellbeing of animals, and I hope we can make a difference.” Many believe there are measures that can still be taken by each student individually through donating to the clubs previously mentioned or giving money to a charity directly. While the devastation perpetuates itself and the flames continue to extend across Australia, it is certain that measures are being taken globally to address the unfortunate situation. LM helps fght Australian fres Graphic by Chris de Santis ’20/Staf Victoria Bermudez ’22 Copy Editor

Sandwich showdown Margaret Monahan ’21

Until February 24, students can visit Di Bruno Bros. in the Ardmore Farmers Market to support LM in a Sandwich Showdown against Harriton. LM and Harriton have each chosen a custom sandwich to back, and 20 percent of the profts from each school’s sandwich will go to their chosen charity. The school that sells the most sandwiches wins bragging rights until the next showdown. This event was previously held in the fall of 2016; it was a close competition, but Harriton’s Chicken Parmesan Sandwich ultimately outsold LM’s Meatball Mac and Cheese Sandwich. This year, LM’s sandwich a bacon mac and cheese grilled cheese with a vegetarian option available upon request. Harriton’s sandwich is the pepperoni pizza roll and they are each ofered for $9.99. Harriton is splitting their donation between the ESF Dream Camp Foundation and the Lower Merion Township Scholarship Fund, while LM has chosen to support John H. Webster Elementary School in Kensington, Philadelphia. Webster Elementary currently has about 900 students enrolled including children from grades K through fve, 97 percent of whom live in poverty. LM frst partnered with them in April 2017 as part of a school-wide service project to raise money for textbooks and additional supplies. The School District of Philadelphia provides teachers at Webster with yearly budget of $100 for school supplies, and many teachers end up spending up to $500 of their own money on additional supplies. In an efort to prevent this, LM students flmed a lip dub with Webster students and created a GoFundMe that raised over $10,000 in 2017. The funds raised from sales of the bacon mac and cheese grilled cheese sandwich will go towards any necessary school supplies for Webster students. Photo courtesy of Sophie Roth ’20