February 14, 2013
Volume 84, Issue 4
LM locks down on security Haorui Sun
The official student newspaper of Lower Merion High School since 1929
A day to serve, a month to remember
Class of 2014
In light of the recent shootings in Connecticut and Atlanta, Pennsylvania Public School District One has created a security committee composed of parents, teachers, and administration. The committee is meant to both review and revise security measures. Among the proposals that the committee has discussed is the possibility that students use entrance identification cards like the ones that teachers have. The IDs would be necessary for re-entrance to the school and the school would have a log of which student returned at what time. With this system, there is also the possibility of the security committee considering open campus for students. Principal Douglas Arnold noted that LM has improved its already excellent security: the parking lots are constantly monitored, visitors are randomly stopped in the hallway for a visitor’s pass check, and campus aides have been reassigned to areas with greater security risk. There is also someone watching the school’s thirty-two doors on security screens from the beginning of the school day to the end of after-school activities. There are many policies that have always been in place, but the school is becoming stricter in enforcing these rules. For instance, all doors must be locked at 7:30 A.M. and everyone entering the building later than 7:30 must enter through the front door. Students who open a door to let outsiders in receive detentions, and repeat violations may result in a suspension. Students who leave and return receive detentions, and may be searched upon return. While some students are unaware of these rules, those who are aware have varying opinions on the severity of the discipline. Junior Will Levin stated, “I think it’s good that they’re being cautious. I don’t, however, think it’s necessary to give out detentions.” Junior Natalie Koch disagreed, “I don’t understand why I can’t open the door for someone I know. It’s another matter if it’s a man I don’t know, but if it’s someone I know, I don’t understand why it’s a problem.” Arnold emphasized that these changes are proactive measures, and are in the students’ best interests. He also said, “One thing I’d like to say is that having a secure campus is everyone’s responsibility. The administrators and teachers can support these measures, but if students, parents, and staff don’t follow them, then we’re going to have a problem.” Security is not the only area where Lower Merion has become more severe; Academic Recovery is also taken more seriously than before. In late January, students who had gone weeks without signing up for AR and without receiving repercussions suddenly found themselves receiving multiple detentions for not signing up. Junior Jack Kane was one such student, and said that he has “almost never used an AR to see a teacher,” and that “it is cruel and unusual to discipline students so harshly for forgetting to sign up.” When asked, Principal Scott Kilpatrick replied that he does not enjoy assigning detentions, but that it’s an effective method. In two days, in fact, the pages of people who had not signed up went from six to fewer than two. He also noted that there is “a possibility” of Academic Recovery being taken away in a few years, and of “an additional lunch being added in its place.” Until then, students are going to have to remember to sign up every day.
Photo by Efi Narliotis/Staff Lily Weinrieb’s paintings of famous African Americans decorate the courtyard windows.
E. Bonta/T. Siegler
Class of 2014
Of course, Martin Luther King Jr. Day has always been a day of great importance to this nation. This past MLK Day, however, held an even greater significance than it usually does. Not only was it a day of community and volunteering, but it was also one which will be remembered forever as the day our first black president became inaugurated for his second term. Barack Obama gave his inauguration speech on a day that recognizes the man who fought for his right to stand amongst whites as an equal. This phenomenon is, above all else, inspiring. However, the fact that only twelve years ago did MLK day became a nationally recognized holiday in every state should be taken as a warning that Martin Luther King Jr.’s fight, not just for blacks, but also for minorities in general, is not over. Obama reminds us that “Today we continue a never-ending journey to bridge the meaning of [the] words [of the constitution] with the realities of our time.”
He reminds us that “ […] while these truths may be self-evident, they have never been self-executing […].” That is why it is our responsibility as Americans, not just on MLK Day, but every day, to continue Martin Luther King’s fight for equality. Along with Barack Obama’s second inauguration, there were many other meaningful events promoting equality and community that took place throughout the country - specifically, here in the Mainline. Because of the importance to honor the National Day of Service, the residents of Lower Merion united for several reasons throughout the day to give back. The Penn Wynne Fire Company served as a collection point for clothes and other needed items for disadvantaged children in support of Candles to Crayons, a nonprofit organization providing essential items for low income and homeless children in the Greater Philadelphia district. Area residents were asked to bring in new and nearly new infant’s and
See DIVERSITY, page 2
The Great Food Fight returns Divya Arya
Class of 2015 The Great Food Fight is back! LM’s buildOn is collecting non-perishable food items including canned, boxed, and packaged goods, and financial donations that will go directly to Philabundance. Philabundance provides food to approximately 65,000 people a week through both its direct services and network of 500 member agencies. These agencies include emergency food kitchens, food cupboards, senior centers, and more. Philabundance serves lowincome residents at risk of hunger and malnutrition, of which twenty-three percent are children and sixteen percent are senior citizens. For almost a million individuals suffering from food poverty and hunger, the services Philabundance provide are essential. Every year, Philabundance teams up with Shire Pharmaceuticals, a company located in Wayne, Pennsylvania that focuses on developing treatments for mental disorders, to organize the Great Food Fight competition. Sixteen high schools through-
out Bucks, Montgomery, Delaware, Chester, and Philadelphia counties compete to collect the most amount of food by weight for the Philabundance cause. In 2011, eighteen high schools in this area raised sixty-four tons of food. The following year in 2012, twenty-one schools collected an incredible seventy-one tons of food, feeding over 130,000 families. In 2012, LM itself raised five and a half tons of food, winning the $1,000 prize for collecting the most amount of food in Montgomery County. This year, Philabundance is hoping to exceed last year’s totals. Their goal is to raise 100 tons of food, and they are offering several incentive prizes to encourage schools to collect food. The $10,000 Golden Can Award is presented to the school that collects the highest total of food measured in pounds. The $5,000 Silver Can Award is given to the school that collects the highest total of food measured in pounds per student, which is a very difficult
See FOOD DRIVE, page 3