The Merionite
October 19, 2011
Volume 83, Issue 2
The official student newspaper of Lower Merion High School since 1929
Blocked sites at home abound Ma’ayan Doron
Class of 2013
This year, LM implemented a new laptop policy, which blocks many Internet sites open to students last year both at home and at school. This new laptop policy blocks anything that is noneducational, or that would violate the Child Internet Protection Act, which protects minors from sites that contain any obscenity, child pornography, or anything else harmful to minors. The policy also blocks any sites that contain spyware or malware to protect the computers from damaging viruses and bugs. On April 25th of last year, the school board met to discuss the district’s laptop policy. The policies were amended and passed, and letters were sent home in June informing parents and students of the finalized document. Unfortunately, the new laptop policy surprised many students when they logged on at home to find that the sites that were blocked at school were blocked
Many students have expressed their frustration with numerous error screens.
LM’s achievement gap Matthew Chan
Class of 2012 On September 12, the District gave a midpoint review of its Strategic Plan. The plan, created in 2008 and lasting from 2009 to 2014, aims to improve upon student academic achievement. Even before the plan was initiated, the District was already setting high standards for the nation, and achieving significantly higher scores on national tests; the average national SAT score was approximately 1510, while the average SAT score in LM was 1770. Despite the already excellent standards of LMSD, Director of Secondary Education Wagner Marseille and Steve Barbato, the Director of Curriculum Services, strove to further the quality of education in the district by constructing this 2009-2014 Strategic Plan. The plan is designed to fulfill three goals: to lower the percentage of students scoring below basic and basic on PSSAs, to bolster the academic achievements of the Individual Educational Program students—namely, students with learning disabilities—and to close the achievement gap between ethnicities. Based upon statistics, since the District first implemented the plan, the overall performance of students in elementary, middle, and high schools has risen. Across the board, the percentage of 11th grade students scoring below basic and basic on PSSAs plummeted, while the percentage of proficient and advanced scoring students rose. Similarly, the overall academic achievement
of minorities and IEP students escalated in terms of PSSA and SAT scores. In the two years since the plan was implemented, the average SAT score of LMSD students increased even further by approximately 20 points and the percent of students earning an advanced score on PSSAs rose by about ten percent. Previously, there had been a significant achievement gap between Caucasian students and African American students. In PSSA scores, the gap was approximately a 20% difference; for example, on reading, only 7% of Caucasian students scored below basic, while a total of 30% of African American students scored the same. Since then, the achievement gap has closed considerably, with only 12% of African Americans now scoring below basic on PSSAs. In response to the overall benefits of the strategic plan, Marseille, satisfied with the results yielded, commented at the 2011 meeting, “The reduction in number here for below basic and basic is what we’re looking for.” Likewise, math teacher Diane Sweeney comments, “I believe that the Strategic Plan helps level the playing field for students who may not have the same opportunities as others to be tutored for standardized tests like the SATs.” The 2009-2014 Strategic Plan has made an evident impact on the district’s academics in a mere two years and this trend will likely continue in the future.
Photo by Efi Narliotis
See LAPTOPS, page 2
New law gives amnesty to teen Samaritans Nathan Posener
Class of 2012 In past years, young people have often been prosecuted for underage drinking because they sought medical attention for a friend, which resulted in a citation. This discourages underage drinkers from seeking necessary medical attention, a situation that Pennsylvania State Senator John Rafferty intends to change with Senate Bill 488. The bill, called the Good Samaritan Bill, protects underage drinkers from prosecution for possession or consumption of alcoholic if they call authorities
to get medical attention for someone else. There are several stipulations. The caller must provide their real name and remain with the person needing attention until paramedics arrive. The caller must also reasonably belief that he or she is to first to call, so the law would not cover a large group. For the most part, students are supportive of the law, which has the potential to have a tangible effect on their actions. Senior Gabe Nathans agreed with the law. “It’s more important to give some-
See DRINKING LAW, page 3
Photo by Efi Narliotis
Those nervous about the repercussions of calling to help an inebriated friend should no longer worry, thanks to a new bill.