President during the Civil War

This year’s Choir Festival took place in Springfeld Township High School in mid-January and District Orchestra followed shortly after at Hatboro-Horsham High School. The Band Festival will take place at Upper Merion High School from February 13th to 15th. A series of competitions, that, unlike PMEA, excludes larger ensembles, is the annual springtime events hosted by nonproft, “Cavalcade of Bands.” This Philadelphia-based organization provides high school jazz bands with the opportunity to perform their best work, compete in solo competitions, and receive feedback from judges. Schools from the Greater Philadelphia Area and South Jersey participate in this weekend-long event every year to present their marching bands and jazz bands. Soloists and individual instrumental sections of each ensemble also will receive distinctions and ratings in this highly competitive environment. Students have shown excitement for this bonding experience. As Fiona Pollack ’21 said, “I really enjoy competing in the Cavalcade Circuit because of the relationships that diferent bands form with each other.” She continued, “it’s technically a competition but it often doesn’t feel that way because the energy between the competing jazz bands is really positive and Cavalcade is a great community for schools.” All three main ensembles of LM—Choir, Orchestra, Band—participate in various independent adjudications throughout the year to allow judges to evaluate the quality of performance and ensemble of each group. The purpose of these adjudications is to allow students to receive professional feedback from musicians outside of teachers of the Lower Merion Music Department and to get a better understanding of what there is to improve on and how others interpret their performances. Junior Teresa Lu-Romeo recalled, “It was a great experience because it allowed us to get helpful feedback on our technique. Additionally, we got the chance to play on a diferent stage and to hear a few other groups play, which were both a lot of fun.” On February 18th, Choir will begin the 2020 adjudication process at an invitational at North Penn High School. The Concert Band and Wind Ensemble will perform for judges at Phoenixville Middle School. On February 26th, LM’s orchestra groups will attend an adjudication at Upper Dublin High School. Every year, each LM group receives excellent feedback from highly dedicated and experienced judges who help to motivate the students to improve at all aspects of their music. The LM Music Department continues to work for its well-earned recognition throughout the entire state. With its students practicing for hours on end, this year’s competition season promises to be eventful and will surely end in success for each group. Continued from AN OVERTURE INTO MUSIC on page 3

Not-so trivial pursuit Eric Yang ’22 An overture into music

We all love those days when our teachers take a break from lecturing us and let us, the students, entertain ourselves by partaking in the intense and ever-popular trivia game, Kahoot. And we all know the kid who beat us to the first place podium even though we answered more questions correctly! In fact, some of our peers in student government are so familiar with this phenomenon that they created a fundraiser around it. The Kahoot fundraiser took place right after midterms on Friday, January 24, where students from all grades came together in the LGI to compete for prizes, eat Chick-fil-A, and generally have a good time. The original idea behind the fundraiser arose in late November/early December. A Kahoot was chosen in lieu of a more traditional fundraiser as the organizers believed trivia to be enjoyable to the attendees, so it was considered a safe bet for fundraising. All the money spent on food or drinks came from the purchase of tickets, as did the prizes. The fundraiser also did not require an initial investment as all that was needed to be done was to make a Kahoot. As stated by class officer Leo Solga ’22, “we wanted to make it so there was not a possible risk for the situation.” From the Kahoot, Class Officers hoped to increase LM spirit and to raise money for the prom of the class of 2022. After the inception of the idea, Class Officers needed the green light from Mr. Stroup and Mrs. Shalon, the athletics and activities directors. Both of whom were very helpful, supported the idea, and suggested that the event be hosted in the LGI on the Friday of midterms as there were few after school activities and the need to study would be at a minimum. After the idea was in place, the planning stage began. Class Officers focused on fundraiser promotion, because in comparison, the logistics behind acquiring Kahoot(s) were meager. In order to spearhead the operation, a team was created and dubbed simply as “The Team.” “The Team” included three subcommittees—the “Hype Committee,” the “Announcements Committee,” and the “Visual Arts Committee.” The former handled social media outreach, such as maintaining an Instagram page, and drafted emails intended for the entire school. The Announcements Committee’s intent was the creation of a promo-video for the morning announcements members. Matthew Eichen ’22 and Colin Thomas PhilGraphic courtesy of Eric Yang ’22

Beloved custodian remembered Jonathan Xu ’22 Copy Editor

Photo courtesy of Sean Hughes

On the morning of January 10, one of LM’s most beloved and cherished staf members, custodian Rodney Henry, passed away. During his tenure at LMSD, spanning over thirty years, Henry was one of the most stalwart and dedicated members of the district, committing himself to assisting other teachers and students throughout the school. Global studies teacher John Grace personally remembers him for always being there to help clean up after PLAYERS, “[I] routinely encountered [him] every afternoon and evening, every day Monday to Friday, every month from September to May, for nearly 18 years.” Custodian Nat Porter was a constant friend of his as well for close to two decades, remarking, “I started here in August of 2000 and we became friends at that point and had been friends ever since.” Henry was always there for anyone who needed him, and always made everone smile. To all those who knew him in the district, Henry was much more than a conscientious custodian; he was a person with immeasurable goodwill and a rich sense of humor, a heartwarming and unwavering friend, a scintillating radiator of joy and optimism, and a man of unfettered kindness and love for the people around him. Principal Sean Hughes described Henry as “a fantastic human being who always had a smile on his face,” adding that he was “a colleague and a friend and he will be greatly missed by all of our LM family.” Spanish teacher Sean Capkin fondly recounts, “I met Rodney when I frst started working here nine years ago, and he and I bonded over our love of family and sports. We loved talking about the Sixers, the NBA, and the Eagles, and he was such a good-natured, optimistic person it was easy to stand in the hallway and talk for half an hour at a time.” Art teacher Russ Loue refects on him being “a gentle soul who went about his tasks, always taking a moment to say hello and have a conversation.” Further, Grace remembers the life and pure joy that emanated from him at every moment, noting that “the more time every PLAYERS coach enjoyed time spent in Rodney’s company, the more every one of us came also to beneft from his wisdom, his humor, his gentle spirit… and, always, his laugh.” Rodney Henry will be sincerely missed here at LM for the work he undertook so tirelessly over the course of decades, as well as the profound impact he had on all those whose lives he touched. His eforts to make the school a better and brighter place will always be remembered, and the legacy of the man who was Rodney Henry will continue on in the hearts, minds, and soul of Aces Nation. After nearly two decades of serving our school, Mr. Henry’s spirit will always be remebered.

lips ’22 partook in the acting while member Jessica Eichen covered the editing of the clip. The team also handled writing messages which were read on the morning announcements. Finally, the Visual Arts Committee aided in the design and painting of the posters, flyers, and banners. The day of the event arrived, with around 40 contestants ready to compete. Before the trivia began the competitors enjoyed an assortment of pizzas and Chick-fil-A snacks, and by 11:30 a.m. the Kahoot competition commenced. The trivia was composed of 44 questions ranging from politics to music history to our very own Lower Merion Township. Questions included “When did Lower Merion School District start using school buses? “Who was Hillary Clinton’s running mate in the 2016 presidential election,” and “Which is not considered a starter Pokemon?” Solga stated “the event itself was abundant in enjoyment, there was [a] spirited atmosphere, lots of playful smack talk, and a great competitive audience. You could tell the Kahooters were having a sterling time just by walking in; the excitement was almost palpable at halftime amd there really were some enthusiastic contestants present.” At the end of the day, Jonathan Goldstein ’20 reined victorious against dozens of other competitors. After the success of their fundraiser, the class of 2022’s officers hope to host another Kahoot Fundraiser sometime in the near future, and hope everyone in LM comes again for food, fun, and a fantastic time!