March 2013

The Merionite

March 20, 2013

Volume 84, Issue 5

The official student newspaper of Lower Merion High School since 1929

LMSD nominated for Sustainability Award Galen McMullen

Class of 2014

Last week, the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) announced that LMSD has been nominated for the state’s first-ever District Sustainability Award. This award is part of the U.S. Department of Education’s (USDE) Green Ribbon Schools program, which recognizes schools that are working to reduce environmental impact and costs, provide effective environmental and sustainability education, and improve the health and wellness of students and staff. The Green Ribbon program initially only recognized individual school buildings for such efforts, but this year the program expanded to school districts as well.

A district must meet many qualifications in order to be considered for nomination as a Green Ribbon School District. The district must demonstrate progress towards the goals of all three Green Ribbon School Pillars.

This criteria states that the district has reduced its environmental impact and is working towards net-zero impact, has a positive impact on the health and performance of students and staff, and that they provide an effective environmental sustainability education, incorporating STEM, civic skills and green career pathways. Based on these guidelines, Pennsylvania Secretary of Education Ron Tomalis has submitted LMSD as Pennsylvania’s nominee.

When the district was planning the construction of LM and Harriton, being environmentally friendly was a high priority – and it seems to have paid off! From reducing paper and waste to increasing emphasis on recycling, the district had it covered. Its main emphasis has been implementing a strategic energy plan, knowing that saving energy has a tremendous impact on the environment. By reducing the use of electricity, natural gas, and fuel oil, LMSD diminished its contribution to green house gas emissions while saving the district money. In addition, LMSD was the first school district in the state to use vehicles fueled by compressed natural gas, replacing some 22,000 gallons of gas annually. Different roof systems also contribute to LMSD’s eco-friendly status; Harriton’s roof harvests rainwater for use on its grounds while Penn Valley’s rooftop solar panels harvest sunlight energy.

LMSD’s goal was to attain a gold level of LEED certification. Principal Sean Hughes said that this was “one of the most important components to building the two new high schools.”

LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and is used in the U.S. and other countries around the world. The LEED green building rating system is designed to

See AWARD, page 3

Photo by Efi NarliotisEntrance to The Francenia Emery Collection resource center, where students can educate themselves about diverse cultures.

New wing of library dedicated Ma’ayan Doron

Class of 2014 On March 11, 2013, a collection of multicultural literature was donated to the LM library.

The dedication ceremony took place in the LM library, and in attendance were the LMSD cabinet, elementary and secondary school supervisors, Board members, LMSD librarians and other guests.

The Francenia Emery Collection, which previously belonged to Rosemont College, was donated to LM because of LM’s central location within the district. LM also had the spare room required to house books, estimated to a total of about 2,000.

The space where the collection will be featured, in the rear of the library next to the Merionite office, was specially prepared. The space was enclosed and shelving was added for the collection.

Preparation also included the cataloguing of these 2,000 books. The LMSD Board officially accepted the donation in the spring of 2011. “Librarians and library aides worked

all summer and year processing the books and displaying them on the shelves,” said Curriculum Supervisor Lorraine De Rose, who is in charge of the librarians in LMSD. The Francenia Emery Collection includes books of varying genres and grade levels, including everything from children’s literature to adult literature and will be available to both the student body and the public. Former Philadelphia Principal Francenia Emery first started the collection in 1993. She now works to make this collection of literature available to others. It is important to her that the community’s knowledge of various cultures does not end with “heroes, foods, fashions, and holidays,” but rather that they learn to understand it through cultural issues, concepts, events, and themes.

In other words, Emery hopes her collection will aim to “reduce prejudice, discrimination, and inequity in the child-nurturing institutions of our nation and to foster the integration of multicultural competence into all aspects of our children’s lives from infancy through young adulthood,” according to The Multicultural Resource Center’ss website, an organization Emery has worked with for many

See DEDICATION, page 3

Julia K-G recognized for service

community.” With her family, Julia founded Emily’s Entourage, a nonprofit organization that supports awareness and fundraises for research for a cure for cystic fibrosis.

Because of her work with Emily’s Entourage, Julia is one of ten Distinguished Finalists and one of eight State Honorees in Pennsylvania for the Prudential Spirit Award.

Julia’s sister, Emily, suffers from cystic fibrosis, a genetic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system. It causes thick, sticky mucus to build up in the lungs, which leads to life-threatening infections. Thirty thousand people worldwide suffer from cystic fibrosis, and average life expectancy for an affected person is thirty years. There is currently no cure. Julia and her family have always worked to support research on cystic fibrosis, whether it is by raising awareness or fundraising for research. It started out as a small-scale fundraiser for a local cystic fibrosis stair climb, and eventually grew into Emily’s Entourage, an organization that has raised more than $200,000 to support awareness and research for a cure for cystic fibrosis.

Emily’s Entourage donates all the money raised to the Julia (right) and her sister Emily sporting Emily’s Entourage gear Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the world’s leader in the search for the cure of cystic fibrosis.

Photo courtesy of Julia Kramer-Golinkoff Besides being a co-founder of Emily’s Entourage, JuDivya Arya lia’s involvement in the organization includes managing Class of 2015 all the social media and planning fundraising events.

The LM community offers congratulations to senior “I participate in all aspects of Emily’s Entourage,” said Julia Kramer-Golinkoff for her nomination for the presti- Julia. “I help advertise and sell apparel, make our annual gious Prudential Spirit of Community Award! The award videos, and manage our social media websites. Addiwas founded in 1995 by Prudential Bank in partnership tionally, I give speeches and presentations that increase with the National Association of Secondary School Prin- awareness of our mission.” cipals (NASSP), an organization that provides information Even at school, Julia is often seen spreading awareness and resources to principals. It honors students in middle about Emily’s Entourage and cystic fibrosis by selling and high school for “outstanding volunteer service to their

See PRUDENTIAL, page 2

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March 20, 2013

The Merionite Course selection over for 2013-14 Madelyn Schaeffer

In Memoriam: Officer Sean Quinn

Class of 2015

request specific teachers for the forthcoming year.

Most of the courses that students choose from don’t really change year to year. However, for the upcoming school year, AP Economics has been added to the long list of AP courses available to LM students.

The AP Econ course will be taught by one of the AP Social Studies teachers, Eric Lynn or Sean Flynn. When asked about the differences between AP Econ and the Honors Economics course currently taught, the teachers said, “The AP course is a college level, yearlong Photo by Efi Narliotis/Staff course that allows a fuller investigaStudents gather to meet with counselors. tion of a broader array of topics than During the week from February 22 the half-year honors course.”

“I am sure that AP Economics will be to March 1, LM students decided on the courses that they will be taking a very popular course in the 2013-2014 for the 2013-2014 school year. While school year as it brings new opportuniincoming freshmen burst with excite- ties for students,” said Hughes.

Mr. Flynn and Mr. Lynn encourage ment over the idea of high school, the students currently in school feel all students who have questions about the course to come and talk to them slightly different.

“It’s stressful to think about the during Academic Recovery.

For most current sophomores and next year and try and decide all of the different courses and their difficulty juniors, course selection is a time to level when I still have to focus on my experiment and branch out with AP classes this year,” said sophomore courses so they can take themselves to a higher level of learning.

Kirah Cahill.

Advanced placement courses are Although students report that their stress level rises during course selec- based on a nation-wide curriculum tion, Principal Sean Hughes says, “I instead of district-wide curriculum. wouldn’t use the word stressful— At the end of the year, students in AP [course selection] is more of a busy courses are encouraged to take the AP time of year for all of us. It requires a test for that specific course. This test is a nation-wide test and if students lot of time and logistics.”

During course selection students do well on it they can receive college were told to go to their teachers and credit for the course. The AP testing get a recommendation for each of the has a grading system out of five. Stusubjects that they will be taking next dents must get at least a three in order year. These recommendations are meant to get college credit, depending on the to help students decide between Col- college.

“I think that students at high school lege Prep, Honors, and if available, level need to learn how to balance out AP classes.

When deciding between classes, their academic course work with evstudents are encouraged to explore all erything else they are involved with. It options and new topics in order to pick is important for students to challenge courses that will be challenging yet themselves, but it is also just as important for students to enjoy the learning enjoyable for students.

Although students are able to choose processes without having an enormous their courses, they are not allowed to amount of pressure,” said Hughes.

Julia Kramer-Golinkoff honored From PRUDENTIAL, page 1

NEWS

Emily’s Entourage T-shirts for the cause.

Not only is Julia thoroughly involved with Emily’s Entourage, but she also is involved with community service in any way she can. Last year, she raised $3,665 to travel to Haiti with 17 other LM buildOn members to build a school. She has been a member of buildOn since freshman year and is an officer this year. She has joined the 100 Hours of Service Club because of her active participation in buildOn and her contribution to the community.

“It is an honor to be chosen for this award,” said Julia. She has earned a $1,000 award, an engraved silver medallion, and a special bronze medallion because she is a Distinguished Finalist. She also earned an all-expense-paid trip to Washington D.C. for several national recognition events. From May 4 to 7, she and 100 other state honorees will be honored in Washington D.C. by visiting U.S. senators on Capitol Hill, a festive dinner cruise on the Potomac River, and a gala dinner and award ceremony at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. In addition, ten of the 102 state honorees are named “America’s Top Youth Volunteers of the Year” at a formal luncheon at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. They will also hear from many notable public figures. Past speakers include Jimmy Carter, Magic Johnson, Whoopi Goldberg, Peyton Manning, Condoleezza Rice, Eli Manning and numerous U.S. senators. Julia will also be honored for her award at the School Board Meeting on March 18 for her nomination.

Students can help Julia’s cause by donating to Emily’s Entourage at emilysentourage.org. They can also contact Julia about purchasing an Emily’s Entourage shirt or tank in white or purple to show their support.

Photo courtesy of Main Line Media News On the morning of Monday, February 11, Officer Sean Quinn of the Lower Merion Police Department shot and killed himself in his own vehicle at FDR Park at the corner of 15th Street and Pattison Avenue in South Philadelphia. Born in Delaware County, 46-year-old Quinn served with the LMPD for 25 years. He was also a CPR instructor, a certified Internet safety instructor, and a 911 receptionist.

His absence was first noticed when he did not show up for duty at 7 a.m. on February 11. He had last been seen an hour and a half before in Ardmore, and his last known interactions with his family were at 6:37 a.m. Shortly after, the LMPD began searching for him.

The Philadelphia police located Quinn a few hours later in his car.

No suicide note was found, and according to Township spokesman Tom Walsh, “The only thing we really know for certain is he had an argument with his wife last evening and left his residence.”

Many LM students may remember Officer Quinn as the D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Program) instructor that all LMSD fifth grade students completed. He educated thousands of elementary schoolers about the impacts of drugs, alcohol, and methods of resisting peer pressure. In an email to Main Line Media News, Doug Young, LMSD Director of Communication, wrote: “Officer Quinn served as Lower Merion’s D.A.R.E officer for nearly a decade and had a profound, positive impact on thousands of children in our community… Our thoughts and prayers are with Officer Quinn’s family and friends at this difficult time.” As a DARE officer, Officer Quinn clearly had a huge impact on the entire LM community and the students in it. He instilled important values regarding the consumption of drugs and alcohol in so many young people. Whenever we lose a member of the LMSD community, it is always devastating, especially when he invested so much time and energy in protecting and educating us. Noah Bender, class of 2015, “remember[s] Officer Quinn as a charismatic and kind DARE instructor who seemed to understand us. He was easily approachable and relatable. I will surely miss [him] and I send all my regards to his saddened family and friends.” Officer Quinn’s death has certainly not gone unnoticed.

Quinn was a member of the Fraternal Order of Police, which issued statements regarding his suicide shortly after LM officials released the tragic news. As a member of the FOP, he volunteered frequently and organized the memorial mass that takes place at St. Coleman’s Church every year. Officer Quinn will be remembered “as a very hard working and highly productive police officer,” according to Gavin Goschinsky of the Fraternal Order of Police.

Officer Quinn rarely, if ever, generated personnel complaints, and was very civil to everyone he encountered. By the time of his death, Quinn held 32 Letters of Commendations, one Unit Commendation Letter, one Outstanding Agency Commendation, and the Philadelphia 76ers Hometown Hero Award.

Officer Quinn’s funeral was held on Saturday, February 16 at Our Mother of Good Counsel in Bryn Mawr. He was buried at Calvary Cemetery in Villanova. He had a wife and three grown children.

Officer Quinn will always be remembered for his dedication to the Lower Merion Police Department and the Fraternal Order of Police, and for his commitment to education and safety.

—Emily Manin, ‘15

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March 20, 2013

The Merionite

NHL ring found by LM students Maddy McFarland

Class of 2014

When LM and Harriton’s hockey teams were offered the chance to compete against each other on the Flyers’ home ice, the Wells Fargo Center, the LM Hockey team was thrilled. Due to the National Hockey League’s lockout, the Wells Fargo Center had enough rink time to allow high school teams to play in exchange for selling hockey tickets to a game between the Pennsylvania State University and the University of Vermont. However, as the NHL reopened its doors, the high school rink time was cut. And although initially the team could have been disappointed by the shorter game, the January 20, 2013 game actually turned out better than anyone expected.

Before the game, junior right wing Brett Katz found a white gold wedding ring on the sitting ledge in his stall in the locker room.

It had an inscription on it: “Don’t Stop Believing 7-17-10.” He almost neglected it, but sophomore Evan Wolf pushed them to take notice of it.

Unsure of whom it belonged to, but knowing they were in the away team changing room which the Pittsburgh Penguins had used the night before, Katz and his teammates began searching the wedding date of the ring on their phones. Junior center Will Levin and junior right wing Jacob Fleisher at first found only “some random hockey player” who was unfortunately not a Pittsburgh Penguin.

Eventually, after more iPhone research, the boys came across a Pittsburgh Penguin named Ben Lovejoy who was married on July 17, 2010. Once the man was identified,

the boys found Lovejoy’s Twitter and began to tweet at him asking if the found ring was his. He responded with direct messages to both Levin and Fleisher including his phone number with a request to call him. The players turned the ring over to Levin’s father, an assistant coach, who called Lovejoy and told him where to find the ring before giving it to the Wells Fargo management. This turned out to be less of a disaster than expected: Lovejoy’s wife went to the Agnes Irwin School so he is familiar with the area and he sheepishly told Mr. Levin that this was actually the second ring he had lost.

No other teammates had attempted to take the very valuable ring and no reward was given to the juniors except the experience itself.

Of course, throughout the whole adventure LM continued to play Harriton and ended up winning 7-2. Levin said that the distraction of the ring did not bother the team but that “the knowledge just made us beat Harriton even more.” He also said that “just knowing that we were actually sitting where the pros sat last night and that we were holding one of their rings was an awesome realization.”

Katz noted, “It was just so cool and it made the game even more exciting.”

Fleisher added, “This was a once in a lifetime experience and I’m glad that I could make someone’s day, especially a role model like Ben Lovejoy.”

The boys have been interviewed by the Main Line Times and made it on to the LMSD website for their heroic efforts. Overall, the game of January 20 was a success for both the LM hockey team and Ben Lovejoy.

Addition to library dedicated From DEDICATION, page 1

years. Administrators hope that the Collection will do just that: benefit the student body by expanding knowledge of varying cultures.

“It is a great honor to house the collection at LM and a reflection of our leadership role in promoting cultural proficiency,” commented Director of School & Community Relations Doug Young. “This is a valuable resource for students who are interested in exploring gender, race, sexual identity, ethnicity, and may other topics regarding identity within society.”

When asked whether the books in the collection will be integrated into the LM curriculum, De Rosa responded, “As of now, they will strictly be available for lending. However, as the curriculum is revised, titles may be suggested to further the curriculum.”

Young agreed: “Librarians will work with teaching staff to maximize the use [of the collection].”

The Francenia Emery Collection, now located in the LM library, is available to both students and the public.

LMSD nominated for award From AWARD, page 1

promote design and construction practices that increase profitability while reducing the negative environmental impacts of buildings and improving occupant health and well-being. The different rating levels (gold, silver, etc.) depend on how green a school is. Hughes remembered spending “many hours with community members, teachers, parents, and architects talking about being an environmentally friendly building and what that would look like.”

They discussed issues like utlizing sun light to water drainage to lights that turn off when no one is in the room. The 1:1 laptop initiative was chosen to spark environmental conservation as well by reducing paper use. In both high schools, waterless urinals save close to 40,000 gallons of water annually.

The USDE will make an official announcement of winners on April 22, 2013.

However, having an environmentally

friendly building doesn’t necessarily imply a sustainable school. Although winning an award would be amazing, we cannot rely on the building itself for having a green district. It is up to the student body to be the change. Mr. Hughes said that “students can be the biggest help—from not wasting paper to recycling—just thinking before doing something that is not environmentally safe.” And it really is that easy. Do you need to buy bottled water at the cafeteria or can you use a refillable bottle? Do you really need to print that file? Everyone should try his or her best to reduce, re-use, and recycle. Close the doors to save wasted heating and air conditioning. Walk past a room with the lights on and no one’s in it?

Go ahead and turn them off. If everyone has this type of attitude, LM could be so much more than it already is. Mr. Hughes believes that this is “very important to [him] and it should be important to everyone.”

NEWS

NEWS IN BRIEF Televisions installed around school Over the past few months, television sets have been placed outside of the guidance office, gym lobby, auditorium lobby, and in the cafeteria. This is the doing of LM’s Tech Department. The primary motives of the TVs are to improve communication throughout LM for students, faculty and community members, and to inform them of any changes that may occur in various departments. The TVs will display information such as the district channel, morning announcements, bell schedule changes, and special events. Students participating in various clubs or sports can also find out if a practice or game has been cancelled or postponed. Additionally, more television sets are expected to be placed in the serving line. Those sets are going to display menus and food prices making it easier for students to purchase food items quickly. Communication will improve through the use of the TVs along with the use of student email accounts and daily bulletins. Although the activation date for the sets are not yet known, administration has confirmed that more will be placed in popular areas around the school.

—Shreya Dundemalla, ‘15

Student Against Stressful Situations receieves grant Sophomores Lisa Gardner and Liam Rossman have created a brand-new program, S.A.S.S. (Students Against Stressful Situations) with the help of LM and Harriton’s health and wellness counselor Stephanie Brett. The group won a $500 grant from Aevidum, which is Latin for “I’ve got your back,” a group that focuses on educating students about mental health issues. Aevidum was once a high school program but has expanded into a national organization. The process of receiving the grant wasn’t difficult but was pretty competitive for the newly-formed group.

Gardner and Rossman decided to focus on the specific mental health issue of stress, which Gardner said they viewed as a “more prevalent issue in LM.” The group is not planning to have a set membership but will just host activities that people would be interested in attending.

“The goal, ultimately, is to create a place where students can explore ways to stay more stress free by participating in fun activities with their friends during AR,” explained Gardner.

Ideas include yoga, meditation, zumba, quiet zone and nap time, health professional talks, and maybe a time for creative expression and drawing. The group is open to ideas from students.

S.A.S.S. will meet hopefully two or three times a month during Academic Recovery, with possible expansion after school as the group grows. It will meet in room 121 and will be entirely student-run. Interested students should listen for announcements about upcoming meetings.

—Maddy McFarland, ‘14

Vatican welcomes new Pope On March 13, the Catholic church elected its 266th pope, Jorge Mario Bergoglio. Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina, he is the first pope from South America and the first Jesuit pope for the church. He is 76 years old and fluent in Spanish, Latin, Italian, French, German, and English. Bergoglio chose the papal name Francis, after Saint Francis of Assisi, the Italian friar known for abandoning his inherited wealth for a life of poverty. In Buenos Aires, Pope Francis lived a simple life — often riding the bus and visiting the poor. Many referred to him casually as “Father Jorge.” Only time will tell how Pope Francis plans to impact the Catholic church.

—Jane Urheim, ‘13

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March 20, 2013

The Merionite

EDITORIAL

EDITORIAL/LETTERS

Dawg Pound puts women on leash

How is it that women are in the process of becoming combat soldiers and yet girls still aren’t allowed to be a part of “The Real Dawg Pound”? The Real Dawg Pound is a self-proclaimed group of senior guys that is given the front row of the Dawg Pound and gets special Real Dawg Pound shirts once the season starts (this year they are orange). The Real Dawg Pound, in theory, is a cool idea. Its name implies that the members of the Real Dawg Pound are the loudest, most spirited, committed members of the Dawg Pound and have committed themselves to cheering for Aces basketball for the past three years. In practice, however, we see a corrupt, sexist system that rewards a clique of senior guys as opposed to people who actually deserve recognition and membership.

Surprisingly, not every girl is upset about The Real Dawg Pound. These girls feed into the submissive concept that The Real Dawg Pound has always been exclusively male and girls “shouldn’t interfere with tradition.” Furthermore, The Real Dawg Pound argues that girls are less intimidating and have softer voices than guys, so only guys are deserving of the first row. Tradition for the sake of tradition is not a valid argument for keeping girls out of The Real Dawg Pound. As to the point that girls aren’t intimidating, since when are ten 17 and 18-year old boys wearing superhero costumes menacing?

There are girls who are equally, if not more, dedicated to Aces basketball than many of the guys who are deemed Real Dawg Pound members. Even in this year’s crop, there is at least one guy who doesn’t own any other Dawg Pound shirt besides the one he received this year. If he’s so committed to cheering for the team, why couldn’t he swing the $13 for a “dawg pound?”

There are at least five games every season in which the attire is dawg pounds.

If you don’t wear a dawg pound to those games, you look extremely out of place.

The times have changed, but our Dawg Pound hierarchy system has not.

The spirit heads are not party bosses. High school is a ladder that you work your way up through the years. Dawg Pound members should not be allowed to bypass this progression because their friends are in The Real Dawg Pound.

More importantly, LM students should not be banned from being in the Real Dawg Pound solely because of their gender. It’s disturbing that this is even an issue in 2013.

Unsigned editorial on this page reflects the general opinion of student editors, not the views of individuals.

The Merionite Editors-in-Chief

Aviva Mann, ’13 Rebecca McCarthy, ’13

Managing Editor

Margaret Meehan, ’13

Content Manager

Noah Levick, ’13

News Editors

Ma’ayan Doron, ’14 Maddy McFarland,’14 Haorui Sun,’14

Op-Ed Editors

Itai Barsade, ’13 Duranya Freeman, ’14 Andrew Scolnic, ’14

Features Editors

Ilana Nathans, ’14 Nicole Wang, ’13 Robbie Warshaw, ’14

Copy Editors

Darby Marx, ’13 Jane Urheim, ’13 Jacob Van Houten, ’13

Sports Editors James Johnston, ’13 Sigmund Lilian, ’13 Blayne Yudis, ’13 Arts & Kara Boutselis, ’13 Entertainment Moriah Kofsky, ’14 Editors Photo Editor Efi Narliotis, ’13 Layout Editor Robert Zhou, ’13 Web Editor Kei Nakagawa, ’13 Business Haydn Hornstein-Platt, ’13 Managers Daoud Schelling, ’13 Advisor Mr. Chad Henneberry Business Advisor Mr. Sean Flynn

The editors believe all facts presented in the newspaper to be accurate. The paper acknowledges that mistakes are possible and welcomes questions as to accuracy. Inquiries regarding accuracy should be directed to the editors of the paper. Editors can be contacted via e-mail at merionite@gmail.com or in Room 200A. To represent all viewpoints in the school community, The Merionite welcomes all letters to the editor. Letters can be sent via e-mail or dropped off outside the Merionite office. The Merionite reserves the right to edit letters to the editor for length or clarity.

Letter to the Editor

In the article entitled “Modify your opinions on food!” in the February issue of The Merionite, Sigmund Lilian completely misconstrued genetically modified (GM) food and did a better job at insulting the reader than making a valid argument for GM foods.

Not only was I insulted that the author repeatedly called people who opposed GM foods names like “nincompoops,” “morons,” and “nitwit protesters,” but I was annoyed at how Lilian failed to fairly represent the dangers of GM foods. The article did not include many facts about GM foods. According to a study on mice done by Dr. Don Huber and Dr. Joseph Mercola, some of the most well-respected GM specialists in the world, GM corn was found to lead to multiple sclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease, and multiple forms of cancer. The article also failed to mention that many people (especially children) are allergic to some of these GM foods and these allergic reactions can pose major health risks to a child’s body such as dysbiosis and leaky gut syndrome, both of which can lead to death. Now it is a lot easier to see why these “ignorant members of the public” oppose these artificial products.

Another negative aspect of GM foods are the effects that they have on small-time farmers. Small farms are destroyed when large corporations force farmers to grow GM crops year after year. This can lead to them producing massive yields of crops while driving down the price. This then forces the hard-working middle class farmers to sell crops for less and therefore make less money.

Finally, there were many factual misconceptions in Lilian’s article. First, he stated that, “The size of the population and average lifespan increased since the 90’s, when GM foods were introduced.” This “argument” is laughable because it doesn’t take a scientist to see that GM foods aren’t the only characteristic that impact life span.

The article also implies that Zambia is worse off than it was before it refused genetically modified food aid from the US. This could not be further from the truth. In reality, Zambia’s life expectancy has gone up a whopping 15 years since they refused GM food aid (according to The World Bank). The amount of people without a steady source of food is also declining as well as the poverty rate. That is why, unlike the author, I do not worry that “countless humans will go hungry” if they follow Zambia’s path.

Despite all this research, some questions still need to be addressed. First of all, why aren’t we all getting sick from these foods? The answer to that question is that we are getting sick. Studies by the aforementioned Dr. Mercola show that the premature death rate is far above the average, clearly showing that these foods are dangerous.

The reason that we don’t see this process everyday is because it takes time to get sick from genetically modified foods. Besides sickness, the greatest concern may be the unknown. There needs to be far more studies done on them before we put them on supermarket shelves.

Genetically modified foods are clearly not superior to the food we eat now. We need to ask and answer more questions before they can play a vital role in society. So I urge you, protect yourself, and encourage others to not buy genetically modified foods.

-Nicholas Barnes-Batista ‘16

March 20, 2013

5

The Merionite

Question of the Month

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OPINIONS

What is your primary news source and do you see it as biased? Do you ever explore different news sources and do you see a difference in bias between them?

BBC World News and I wouldn’t say it’s biased at all. It’s surely less biased then the American news sources I use. I do often venture away, watching the nightly American news and reading newspapers like the New York Times. I’d say that the news sources in this country are slightly more biased towards the western nations while British news is more equal.

-Jon Adams, ‘16

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Online media, which can be very biased. I venture off to television or written news sources sometimes; these sources have less bias than the Internet.

-Oliver Henry, ‘14

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My primary news sources are CNN and The New York Times, and while I do see them as biased, they both make an incredible effort to correct that when possible. If and when I venture away from those organizations, it’s usually in favor of international sources such as BBC or Al Jazeera, who offer vastly different perspectives. I think among the four sources there are big differences in bias and point-of-view, but I personally view them as the most trustworthy sources around, which is why I turn to them.

-Maddie McComb, ‘13

The main source for me is Reuters, an old well-known news agency that was made in the 1850s. It is very powerful in that it can sometimes leak documents out of governments. Some times it is little biased, most likely when it comes to comparing domestic agencies in several countries. After all, the countries’ agencies know their own ountries better!

-Mahmoud Hallak, ‘14

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I’m not really a die-hard fan of any one news source because it usually is biased e.g. Fox, MSNBC, and CNN. I use Google News, which aggregates articles from many different news sources. I like it because when I’m signed in (which is always) I can personalize it to choose what I see.

I can increase coverage for things I care more about, like science and the conflict in Syria, and decrease coverage for things I’m not as interested in, like business and entertainment. I feel like I’m getting decent, unbiased news coverage because I get it from a balanced variety of sources.

-Steven Hoffman, ‘14

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Honestly, its Facebook, which can be biased.

Whenever I log in, I see the news feed from my friends. If something major has happened you can bet someone or some page will be commenting within minutes.

-Daniel WIilson, ‘16

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My primary ones are CNN and the New York Times, and I think they’re both a little left-leaning. I don’t typically watch other networks, but I do see that Fox is very Republican biased.

-Zay Smolar, ‘15

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To be quite honest, my main news sources are Twitter and Facebook . They tell me when something major happens, otherwise I’m not too bothered. If I were to actually care about the news, I’d go to CNN. Of course there’s bias on social media, but I only really use it to figure out when something’s happened and the basic facts of it. Then I’d google whatever it is.

-Amanda McKnight, ‘13

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The Daily Beast, and yes, yes it is biased.

It’s a left-wing, liberal, and socially progressive extravaganza, but it’s the point of view that I, personally, would like to hear. But with respect to news-related journalism, bias, like speaking two languages or having worked in the fashion industry, is just another professional asset. If the same legitimate facts are being presented by both the Onion and Fox (this is highly unlikely), there is no reason as to why the credibility of either should be judged by their varying degrees of sociopolitical bias.

-Lily Weinrieb, ‘13 Primary news source: MSNBC - Politics Nation with Al Sharpton. It is absolutely biased, but I think Al Sharpton is hilarious so I’m willing to accept that. The only other place I regularly end up reading news is on Reddit. There is clearly a difference in bias if you watch both MSNBC and Fox, or if you read the journal and the NY Times. I don’t see much of a difference between Reddit and MSNBC because they both tend to be liberal.

-Alexander Hatza, ‘13

I usually check out CNN because I think it’s pretty in the middle, not too far to the right or left. Sometimes I find it interesting to look at news sources like Fox or ABC, that are obvious to favoring one side. Sometimes the news stories are reported differently; reporters take only the interviews and information that supports their stations opinion, which can be over all destructive to the story as a whole.

-Brett Rapkin-Citrenbaum, ‘15

“

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The Wall Street Journal. I feel that there is bias in every part of the media. Every news source has their own agenda.

-Adam Holtz, ‘14

” ” ” College tuition: reduce cost, raise intellect

Class of 2015

Though Americans often talk about advancing the country through better higher education, it’s becoming impossible for many citizens to get a high quality, four-year, “classic” university education. On the other hand, I’ve seen increasing support from President Obama toward technical and vocational schools, new and very worthwhile ways to prepare students for future American jobs. How can we truly value higher education in this country when we’re making it too expensive for almost everyone?

Many of the historically “top-tier” schools do a subpar job of preparing today’s students for America’s high-tech job market. These are the schools that cost up to $60,000 per year to attend and the same schools that send many students into a life of paying off loans and subject parents to huge financial worries. Historically, private universities like these were a viable option for the wealthy and the middle class, but as time has progressed, the middle class has slowly been phased out of these top schools.

Some top schools offer financial aid, but this aid is often merit-based as opposed to helping the kids who need it the

most. I understand why colleges like to attract the smartest kids with financial aid, but it feels unfair to me that less wealthy kids suffer as a result of this practice. Perhaps there should be more money set aside for need-based scholarships in addition to merit-based scholarships. This debate is one that reflects the opposing views of our country’s economy, whether the rich should pay a little more than the middle class or should the two classes pay equal amounts.

Zay Smolar

Art by Dan Clark The government-based financial aid system also happens to be one of the most cumbersome and confusing processes in existence. There’s an endless number of documents to be filled out and complicated questions about one’s family finances. It’s ironic that our government has been working separately on “stream-lining” itself and making college easier for students to afford, but the combination of these tasks has made little progress. There are simply too many hoops to jump through

and too many opportunities to make mistakes within these incredibly important documents.

Despite colossal debts they could face, many students around here are still laser-focused on some of the top-tier universities.

To be fair, I’ll probably be just as stressed out and obsessed as every other kid during the college application process. While many people choose a different education from a four-year college experience, there’s still quite a bit of emphasis on a four-year university education. Many students apply to top-tier schools partly because of the big names or because they have “legacy” there, despite the fact that a less prestigious school could be the best place to learn for students who want to make the best of their educational opportunities.

The fact is that in our current slow paced but high-tech economy, a vocational education may be the most helpful in finding a job. Not only does the shorter length of a vocational education make it much more affordable than most universities, but a huge portion of our job market revolves around computers and programming. How can we better prepare ourselves for a high-tech economy than by attending a technical college?

The inaccessibility of our colleges is a serious problem that needs to be fixed quickly. While creating a better financial aid system may be helpful for many, vocational schools may be a big part of our future if we want to be a successful nation.

These schools are not only much more affordable, but prepare students for the modern work force in many ways that other universities can’t. Whether it’s through college finance reform or more use of vocational schools, I hope change is coming soon for the good of American education.

6

March 20, 2013

OPINIONS

The Merionite

Guantana no-mo

Censor guns, not games

David Bloom

A politician broke his promise; no surprises there. However, unlike the vague Class of 2015

Class of 2014

The entertainment industry, more specifically the video game and movie industry, receives far too much criticism from the media for the violent acts carried out by crazy people. Immediately after every tragic shooting, fingers are pointed at the latest R-rated movie or firstperson shooter game. Everyone is blaming them for glorifying the violence and making it appealing for someone to carry it out in real life and calling for censorship. That’s just ridiculous. To pinpoint a movie or video game as the primary cause of a violent act, instead of focusing on any of the numerous other factors that are more directly related, is unreasonable. It’s mindboggling to me that there are many people out there who think that banning movies would be more helpful in solving violent crimes than banning shotguns.

One argument that advocates for censorship I’d like to bring up is that kids who play these games or watch these movies are more aggressive. I’m not denying that someone who goes and plays Call of Duty for five hours may be a little hostile, but it does not tell the whole story. Just because someone is a little more edgy and uptight after playing a game, doesn’t mean that they will go open fire on a school. Emphasizing this falsety is unfair to the gaming companies, as many studies claim that people who play violent games are no more likely to commit violent acts than people who don’t play. Furthermore, anyone who is psychotic enough to hatch a plan that involves walking into a school or movie theater and opening fire clearly has many things driving them to act, not just the violent film they saw last week.

Regardless of the conflicting data on whether or not violence on screen correlates to violence in real life, censoring movies or games would only be a bad thing.

Banning a movie for being too violent would surely set a dangerous precedent here in America. Let’s say violent movies are banned. Presumably, violent acts in real life would not just magically stop immediately; they would still occur. Where would we turn after the first school shooting? Would we ban music that preaches violence?

Burn books that have violent scenes? Censor the news, and prevent them from showing graphic images, even if they occur in real life? Probably not, but it does emphasize the fact that there are many outlets in our culture that portray violence or have a violent message, and in trying to censor all of them, the line between protection and free speech would get blurred.

Obviously, there is no easy fix for this problem, and I don’t have any new, revolutionary solutions that will make everyone happy. Censorship of movies and video games would not work. With no concrete evidence that shows a link between mass killings and violent movies, censorship would be more of a violation of the first amendment than a helpful act protecting our nation.

Lisa Gardner promises made to improve education or create more jobs, President Obama’s broken promise to close Guantanamo Bay suppresses the rights of individuals.

Guantanamo, a United States detainment facility located within the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba, has imprisoned 779 alleged enemy combatants since its establishment in 2002. George W. Bush’s administration created the prison camp to hold people accused of association with United States’ enemies first in Afghanistan, and later in Iraq. But since its founding, the center has met outstanding criticism on the grounds that it has restricted and even violated the rights of the individuals housed within it.

The rights of said individuals, contained in the Common Article III of the Third Geneva Conventions (1929), include the right to medical treatment, humane conduct, and protection from torture, degradation, and conviction without trial.

Both the United States and Cuba ratified the agreement, yet Bush’s administration denied the detainees protection under the Geneva Conventions, which resulted in the prisoners’ allegations of abuse. Matthew Alexander, former leader of an interrogations team in Iraq responded to the injustices saying, “Torture and abuse cost American lives,” after he observed that “the number one reason foreign fighters flocked there to fight were the abuses carried out at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo.

Our position of torture was directly and swiftly recruiting fighters of al-Qaeda in Iraq.” The United States’s oppression of its prisoners helped to feed the fire of al-Qaeda’s resolve.

The United States, a supposed symbol for justice and equality, counteracted its own attempts to promote safety for

its people because it was blind to the effects of its actions. After the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001, the country reeled from loss and overstepped its boundaries, influenced by these feelings. The government struck out on those they could enact revenge on— the detainees believed to be associated with terrorist organizations—while the people responded by discriminating against Middle Eastern citizens. Both of these practices deny peoples’ rights to fair judgment and safety. Major General Antonio M. Taguba concluded that “there is no longer any doubt as to whether the current administration [G.W. Bush administration] has committed war crimes. The only question that remains to be answered is whether those who ordered the use of torture will be held to account.” The government’s allowance of these injustices to continue solidifies their incompetence to defend the rights granted in the U.S. Constitution.

The Bush Administration itself noticed its violations of the rights of the detainees and attempted to try its prisoners in front of military tribunals at the base, so they would have the right to a fairer

A poll taken around the time of Obama’s election revealed a slight majority that wanted to close it. Another poll taken in 2010 showed that 60 percent of Americans wanted Guantanamo to stay open.

It was no longer in Obama’s political interest to act.

Guantanamo’s proponents advocate for it to remain open because its abuses are “one of the ugly but, unfortunately, inevitable, aspects of warfare,” according to Bradford Berenson, a lawyer who helped the White House form policy on the capture and imprisonment of detainees. He continued to defend his position by saying, “I cannot be confident that every single person at Guantanamo is a terrorist. I can be confident that…whatever the error rate is in our capture and detention of suspected terrorists, and surely there is one, it can’t be terribly high.” His blasé reaction to the possible imprisonment of innocent civilians should not just be shocking, but also worrisome. Our representatives who defend our rights in government simultaneously deny other people their rights. All people, criminals or otherwise deserve the right to fair trial. As a result of these appalling injustices, we lost our credibility and people began to ask how the United States can break rules that it establishes, and then point fingers at other nations that abuse their people. Today, President Obama has acknowledged this issue and released an executive order that will give the convicts more protection from the Geneva Conventions.

For now, Americans will have to be content with small steps towards fair treatment.

The injustices of Guantanamo Bay need to be addressed in the near future, not just to maintain the public’s opinion of President Obama, but more importantly, to give the detainees of Guantanamo the justice they deserve. John Hutson, a former navy lawyer, claims,“The difference between us and the enemy is how we treat the enemy.” The United States needs to balance its emotional response to the potentially evil crimes of its detainees and its obligation to extend the rights it values to everyone. Now is the time to define the line between equality and injustice, because without making a clear-cut decision, the government will continue to invite international controversy when it most needs the support of other nations.

The injustices of Guantanamo Bay need to be addressed...to give the detainees of Guantanamo the justice they deserve. trial (although the fairest trial would be in civilian criminal courts). The combatants of this proposition, however, were members of the Supreme Court, whose rulings on cases filed by prisoners prevented these trials from being brought into play. Instead, harsh interrogations, various tortures, and innumerable injustices continued. More recently, at the beginning of his first term, President Obama recognized the need to close Guantanamo, and he launched an executive order that would begin the process of shutting down the camp and releasing its victims. The response of his adversaries was overwhelming, causing him to reverse his decision, and continue the use of the prison. The people had also lost interest in the issue, with more terrorist threats amassing in 2009 and 2010.

Canning the College Status Conundrum Class of 2013

Early decision, early action, rolling, regular decision and early notification are all terms that most seniors have come to understand. All these terms tell the applicant one thing: when you need to apply to a college and how soon after you will know your admission decision. At this point most (if not all) of these application deadlines have come and gone. Our applications are in the hands of the many admissions officers who are trusted to decide if we are worthy to attend the schools they work for. Many students who applied early or rolling have already heard back from schools. Early decision notification days were a huge stress for some, waiting to hear from their top choices or wishing their friends luck as they heard. As a class we had many successes but an equal amount of disappointments, just a small sample of what is soon to come as regular decision mailings go out.

April 1st, the day the majority of colleges release their decisions, could not be a more unfortunate date. Finding out decisions that may affect the rest of your life on April Fools’ Day is by no means ideal, but it is what seniors endure every year. As this year’s major notification date approaches, I want to urge seniors to be more considerate of their classmates especially when discussing decisions over social media.

Efi Narliotis

This fall many students heard back from places like Pitt and Penn State, which usually draw large numbers of LM applicants each year. As my Facebook news feed was flooded with “PITT!” and “Got into PSU, good to have a safety” statuses, I could not help but wonder if these people had even considered the audience their status was reaching. Yes, it may have reached family members who would be interested in knowing how their “favorite niece’s” year was going, but more likely it was reaching their peers, fellow seniors who may not have the credentials to get into places like Pitt or Penn State so easily. Not only are these type of messages inconsiderate to those who really want to go to Penn State and aren’t sure if they can get in, but to be quite honest… NOBODY CARES. To be fair, that statement is not entirely true. We do care. We care because the competitive nature of LM and genuine curiosity will always leave us questioning, “Who got into Penn early?” But this knowledge is much better passed through the grapevine instead of through the Twitter-verse. It should be told to family members and close friends who have been with you through the grueling application process, not all 1283 people that you are “friends” with on Facebook.

In closing I would like to boil my rant down into one simple, easy to follow rule to make the college decision process painless for everyone: Seniors, you get one Facebook status. Count it, ONE. When you absolutely, positively, 100%, have found a roommate, made the housing deposit and are sure of where you are attending school next fall, then you may post on Facebook and count the amount of likes that represent the people who are happy for you. Until then, nobody wants to know. So keep your own college decisions confidential.

7

March 20, 2013

OPINIONS The Merionite Redefining journalism the wrong way

Arielle Anderer

of the news. Aside from reading the morning paper or talking to other people, this was their main source of what was going on in the world. It was these familiar faces that told America that President Kennedy had been shot, the events of the current war, or about the trials and tribulations of astronauts first arriving on the moon.

These were the people Americans turned to for advice and for reassurance. In a poll taken in 1972, Cronkite was found to be “the most trusted man in America,” a man Americans trusted more than their President or party leader. Americans knew that their news sources would not knowingly give them false information or try to cover up a failure for something else. They trusted in the candor of the stations that brought them the news every night at a comfortably reliable time.

It was a ritual, an American tradition, for many families to sit together and watch the news. There was no race to stay updated on the latest story; as long as you were in front of the television at the same time every night, you would be well-informed.

The entire family was also able to hear news at the same time.

Children didn’t simply absorb overheard tidbits, headlines, or fractured pieces of news. They learned the whole story. A true report is worth more than a headline or a 140-character tweet.

These reporters made sure to be thorough, exploring multiple

Anti-“Triumph” for cruiseline

Class of 2015

It seems like cruise ship mishaps are always in the news. From the Carnival “Splendor” mishap in November 2010 to the Costa “Concordia” crash in January 2012 to the most recent Carnival “Triumph” catastrophe this February, it appears that Carnival Cruise Lines, the world’s largest cruise company, is consistently getting into disasters. Yet after every single misadventure, the cruise line bounces back with minor cancellations and even increased sales. People, enticed by refunds and credit for future cruises, need to stop encouraging this huge corporation from ignoring its lack of safety.

Both disasters of November 2010 and February 2013 were caused by fires in the engine room that disabled power and left the ships adrift for days. The ships, carrying thousands of passengers, also lost power for air conditioning, kitchens, and even bathrooms, requiring passengers to sleep on the deck, use plastic bags as toilets and stand in line for hours for food.

Some people are disgusted and have vowed never to step on a ship again. “I don’t think that I will ever take another cruise,” said Carol Brouse, whose sister-in-law Janie Esparza was a passenger on the Triumph. “One close call is enough.” But others realized that these kinds of things happen and were not turned away by the experience. “She said it was awesome,” said Mike Padilla, whose wife was a Triumph passenger. “She said it was like a tent city, that it was like a big camping trip for her. She said they were still having fun and still trying to make the best of it.”

Even the executives of the company do not take these misfortunes as seriously as they should. “For people thinking about trying a cruise for the first time, the Triumph incident may persuade them to stay away,” said Michelle Fee, chief executive of Cruise PlannersAmerican Express Travel.

She continued, “But veteran cruise vacationers won’t be frightened off.” In fact, the Carnival “Splendor,” involved in the fiasco of November 2010, was back and sailing three months later at over 100% capacity, according to federal records.

Carnival said that it will start offering several discounts for Carnival Cruise Line Art by Galen McMullen vacations, including a 50% cut in deposits for select sailings through December 31, plus discounts of up to $200 per stateroom on cruises six days or longer. For European voyages this summer, Carnival is letting a third and fourth guest sail free in the same cabin.

Rather than offering full refunds, future discounts, and other attractions, Carnival Cruise Lines needs to get its act together and fix these problems. The fact that a small fire, put out in less than an hour, can cripple a whole ship is frightening and dangerous. Rather than continuing this tradition of a cruise mishap every two years, Carnival Cruises needs to ensure that fires in the engine room stop happening! Unfortunately, Carnival Cruises itself has no incentive to make any changes. Obviously, our governmental regulation of cruise ships needs to be strengthened to include better responses to fire and power outages.

Many have tried suing Carnival, but legal analysts have doubts whether the lawsuits will be successful. In the fine print of the contract, passengers unknowingly signed off that they would not be able to sue for emotional distress, only physical injuries, of which there were few. Additionally, the contract also prohibits class action suits in which defendants would come together to sue the company.

Maritime trial attorney John H. Hikey said, “Do these people want to take what Carnival is offering and get on with their lives, or do they want to get into a long legal struggle that may not yield the results they want?” Here, governmental regulation can make it easier for passengers to get legal satisfaction by allowing them to sue Carnival Cruises. Not only is this just for the passenger, but it will also force Carnival Cruises into ensuring that cruise ship accidents do not happen. It will be an incentive for them to invest in increasing cruise ship safety.

Overall, the victims of these cruise events will not get any compensation other than invitations to more cruises. What is more disappointing, however, is that many are happy with these results. Because of increased sales and lawsuit protection, Carnival Cruise Lines is able to move along without any serious consequences. From the BP oil spill to HSBC’s drug trafficking scandal, huge corporations in any situation are able to manipulate governmental regulation and get away with little punishment. It is critical that the government increase regulation on cruise ships to ensure that passengers get legal satisfaction and that our cruises are safe. These cruise mishaps are becoming a regular occurrence, and something must be done to prevent them.

Divya Arya

sides of the story.

Today there is still good reporting to be had, if you know where to look for it, but you have to search pretty hard. There is a myriad of often-conflicting information floating around out there that it can be overwhelming and confusing to sift through.

We trust our news sources less and less because of biases found in almost every major program. Sure, our news is received more quickly, but what we’re sacrificing is quality. We are sacrificing the integrity of our news programs in exchange for immediacy.

Today’s journalists—anchormen and women working for big corporations—need to remind themselves of the long line of great reporters who came before them. They need to reexamine the ways they approach their work. They need to strive toward a higher standard of news, no matter what the cost to their ratings or the poll numbers of their particular candidate. If they were able to focus on one broadcast a day, instead of these fractured, drawn-out stories where the true facts only slowly trickle in, there would be less error and the news could truly soar to new heights.

Unless we move a little bit closer to the more old-fashioned but more in-depth and reassuring form of journalism we used to have, things are going to continue to get lost in the shuffle. There will be no one there to tell us “how it is” – and worse, we’ll never be able to completely count on him or her.

Dennis wrong-man

Dennis Rodman and Kim Jong-Un are probably the most paradoxically logical odd couple ever. Rodman, a former NBA player known for his brash behavior, provocative piercings, and dramatic demonstrations of outright craziness, met Jong-Un in North Korea earlier this month. Most famously, Rodman arrived at a book signing dressed in a wedding dress. Jong-Un, a young North Korean leader known for his ruthless ruling, preposterous privilege, and legendary legacy, enjoyed his time with Rodman; they bonded over a mutual love of basketball. Un’s deceased father, Kim Jong-Il, perpetuated policies that repressed and devastated the North Korean people. On a lighter note, the North Korean media reported that, along with many other godlike accomplishments, Jong-Il had 11 holes-in-one in his first ever round of golf. I personally think the absurd regime in North Korea, with its ridiculous propaganda and ludicrous leaders, is hilarious. I also, upon closer inspection, find it an abomination of basic human rights, a cruel and surreal world that evokes images of 1984 and Fahrenheit 451, where the government presents a twisted truth to indoctrinated citizens who either blindly follow or pragmatically do whatever they need to survive. I don’t criticize Dennis Rodman for his substance abuse, neglectful fathering, or immature motives, as he continues on a perplexing journey that seems to involve traveling the world solely in search of women, drugs, and attention - I despise Rodman for inadvertently condoning an unfathomably selfish, restrictive government and making a serious issue appear to be a joke.

After Rodman became the first American to ever meet Jong-Un, conveying that the supposedly vengeful leader didn’t actually want war with the United States, just a call from Obama, it looked like Rodman might actually have some diplomatic proficiency. Following Jong-Un’s declaration on March 8 that his enemies should “prepare for all-out war,” it’s difficult to continue interpreting Rodman’s sojourn as a reminder that everyone can get along, provided they have an open (empty) mind, a positive (clueless) disposition, and a common (irrelevant) interest. Contrary to Rodman’s puzzling reports, Kim Jong-Un is not “a great guy.” I don’t need to have watched a Harlem Globetrotters game with him to know that Jong-Un is determined to intimidate his rivals and censor his own people. His threats of nuclear warfare and manipulation of the media illustrate his character much better than Rodman, who, despite being 6’ 7’’, is a bit short in the credibility department. Dennis Rodman simply does not deserve to be in the news anymore. When he was starring for the Chicago Bulls and leading the NBA in rebounding, his ferocious effort merited attention, as did his bizarre personality, since Rodman was on a big stage. But now Rodman’s antics have grown old. He’s no longer naturally in the spotlight, yet he cannot help craving attention. In the context of Rodman’s tough childhood, during which he was abandoned by his father, who had dozens of children, and kicked out of his house by his mother, his immaturity is understandable. Psychologically, Rodman still seems like a child trying to prove to his parents that he is important and worthy of their adulation. He is both rebellious and pitifully lost. That internal struggle is certainly compelling, and Rodman’s tearful Hall of Fame acceptance speech was no doubt fascinating, but none of that excuses Rodman’s portrayal of his visit to North Korea.

Dennis Rodman and North Korea are inherently ridiculous. But Rodman’s desperate need to feel important doesn’t mean he had any right to spread a disgusting message about a person and country that are even more despicable than him.

The fact that people are talking just as much about Rodman as Jong-Un is fundamentally wrong. The millions of North Koreans who have been imprisoned or executed should at least be collectively receiving as much attention as Rodman.

Though torture might not be as interesting or funny to read about as Rodman sharing a 10-course meal with Jong-Un, the atrocities in North Korea are a prevalent and grave issue. It’s challenging to discern what is real when sensational stories and unbelievable rumors comprise the majority of the stories in the national consciousness. Well, here’s the undiluted truth: Both Dennis Rodman and North Korea are jokes and neither have a punch line.

Class of 2013

Class of 2014

Journalism has changed tremendously since the age of the good old half-hour nightly news broadcast. News travels at faster speeds than ever before, and by the time these late-night broadcasts roll around, almost everything being reported has already been splashed all over the internet, albeit as a shortened or compromised blurb. There is no longer as much time to investigate immediately pressing news because of the demand placed on networks to get information out as soon as possible. This technology revolution has come in handy, as more people are able to stay updated to the news in real time, even when the issue of interest is happening in a time zone across the Atlantic. Still, it feels as if this hurried outpouring of information is sweeping something very important away with it.

It used to be that every night, at 6:30 p.m., families across America would sit down and turn on their television sets to watch Walter Cronkite, or some other familiar reporter, deliver coverage

Noah Levick

8

March 20, 2013

FEATURES

LM’s Very Own Internet Celebrities

The Merionite

Photo by Marielle Halper

Graphics by Efi Narliotis/Staff

LM students seem to always find their ways into the spotlight, especially on the Internet. Across many social networking sites, students have expressed their talents, creativity, and sense of humors. Many have found success and have received the recognition they deserve. Some have even garnered celebrity recognition and substantial fan following. Here is a feature of two of LM’s most popular Internet personalities: sophomore Nathaniel Bitton and senior Rachel Levin!

Nathaniel Bitton (also known as @TEEN_GHOST) is known across the United States for his hilarious Twitter and truthful teen tweets.

Q: When did you make your Twitter?

A: I made my Twitter fall of last year, but didn’t really use it much until a few months later.

Q: How long was it before you had your 7,000+ followers?

A: I hit 7000 followers around two months ago.

Q: Where does the name TEEN_GHOST come from?

A: I honestly don’t know, I just thought it sounded cool. Everyone else made their username something involving their name, but I wanted mine to be different I guess.

Q: Do you have a central theme for your Twitter or is it just whatever you’re thinking?

A: I used to just tweet things I thought were funny, and I guess others have the same sense of humor as I do. Now I just tweet whatever’s on my mind. A large percentage of my tweets are complaints about school-related activities such as waking up early, being trapped behind a slow walker in the hallway, or waiting in the panini line for half of my life.

Q: What was your reaction when huge stars like Britney Spears and Kendall Jenner noticed your Twitter?

A: I’ve always freaked out whenever a celebrity followed me, but it was especially insane when Kendall Jenner tweeted me. Everyone (except for my mom) knows who she is, and it’s crazy that she replied to a tweet that I never meant for her to see. I was about to delete the tweet but then I got a notification on my phone that she replied to it and I almost died.

Q: Everyone who follows you sees your communication to Lana Del Rey, can you explain when you started tweeting at her and when she responded?

A: She’s my favorite singer and I pretty much idolize her, so it was a huge deal for me when she followed me. Since she doesn’t use her account that often I was really surprised when she messaged me back in November. She said that she reads all of my messages and they make her feel better, and hearing that was the best feeling in the world. We’ve talked back and forth 7-8 times since then. I feel very lucky that I can talk to a celebrity I really admire.

Q: What is your favorite Twitter account?

A: I don’t have one.

Q: Have you ever been recognized outside of school for your Twitter account?

A: Yeah, I’ve been recognized a few times. Although it can be really awkward, it’s nice meeting someone who thinks my tweets are funny/entertaining. A girl who follows me let a few friends and me budge up in line at a concert with her. However, the occasional whisper of “Teen Ghost” while walking around the King of Prussia Mall can be slightly unpleasant.

One time at Chipotle I literally had my Twitter name screamed at me from a moving car. I felt violated and I just wanted to eat my burrito.

Q: Are you different on your Twitter then you are in real life?

A: Not really. Sometimes I’ll think of something I want to say, but it would be a better tweet.

Or vise versa.

Q: Can you describe the ideas behind your tweets?

A: I’ll just think of random stuff at times and if I think other people would think it’s interesting or funny I would tweet it. Accidentally telling my bus driver “I love you” or falling down the stairs in front of a large group of seniors would typically be something I would tweet about after it happens to me.

Q: You only follow about 100 people. How did you select this group?

A: It’s a combination of friends, celebrities I like, and accounts that make me laugh. I used to follow a lot more people from school but I hated how fast my timeline went. People think that just because I won’t follow them on Twitter means that I hate them or something, which is really not true.

Q: A lot of people love your Twitter for your humor would you call yourself a naturally funny person?

A: I don’t think that I am particularly funny, but I may be good at detecting what others think is funny. I like making people laugh, but a lot of the time I just say weird/stupid things that no one but I think are funny.

Q: Do you view yourself as a celebrity?

A: No I don’t. There’s a big difference between people who are well known for doing/creating something and people who make posts on a social network site. Actual celebrities have millions of fans, while I only have a few thousand people who follow me.

Rachel Levin (also known as rclbeauty101) is famous for creating YouTube videos about makeup, hair, and fashion. She has uploaded over 70 videos, gained more than 90,000 subscribers, and has received almost 3 million total video views.

Q: When did you create your YouTube account?

A: I created my account December 16, 2010.

Q: How long did it take to hit 1,00 views, 10,000 views, 100,000 views, 1,00 subscribers, 10,000 subscribers?

A: It took me a little under two months to hit 1000 subscribers and two days to hit my first 1000 views. A week to hit my first 10,000 views and about a year and a half to hit 10,000 subscribers! And about 6 months to hit 100,000 views, and I’m currently at about 92,000 subscribers.

Q: Do you make any money off of your channel?

A: Yes. I make a general income from Stylehaul (a YouTube based network) and then every once in a while, a company will sponsor a video (or something similar) and pay me for it. I’m also signing with a new manager, so we’ll see what that does for me!

Q: Is there anything cool or unusual that has happened to you because of your channel?

A:I was featured in the Wall Street Journal and had an article written about me in the City Suburban!

Q: Who is your style icon and why?

A: I really like Kendall Jenner’s style, because it’s so cute, but it doesn’t look like she’s trying too hard.

Q: What’s the number one makeup mistake you’ve seen girls make?

A: Girls caking on bronzer like it’s their job.

Q: Do you want to pursue a career in beauty?

A: Everyone seems to think that I want to be a makeup artist or something like that, but I just really want to be a filmmaker or a director.

Q: What is one beauty item you can’t leave the house without?

A: Chapstick, if that counts.

Q: Do people recognize you because of your channel?

A: Yes, sometimes I’ll go to the mall and people will stop me and ask “Are you rclbeauty101!?”

Q: How did you start making your videos?

A: Well, I used to make (embarrassing) music videos and put them on YouTube and then when one of the people whose music videos I watched made a beauty channel, I thought, “Yep. I can do that!”

Q: What’s your number one makeup rule?

A: Don’t sleep with your makeup on. I promise you, you will regret it later.

Q: Tell us some helpful beauty tips.

A: -If you layer your mascara, your eyelashes look really long.

-If you line your lips with the same color lip liner as lipstick, then your lip color lasts longer.

-If your lips get dry, just scrub some sugar on your lips or use a toothbrush to scrub them.

-If you messed up dying your hair, just use baby shampoo, because it fades hair dye.

-Use a blow dryer to heat up your eyelash curler before you use it, because then the curl will last longer.

-You can use lipstick as a blush if you don’t have any blush with you.

Q: What would you say to people who want to create YouTube videos?

A: Definitely go for it! Honestly the worst that can happen is you find out that it’s not your thing!

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: I’m not sure that I really have a specific style! I personally am into CRAZY leggings. I guess you can say that they’re sorta my “ish”. My style with makeup is pretty much just a natural look, since I don’t really wear eye shadow or face makeup.

I usually just put on concealer, eyeliner, and mascara and call it a day!

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March 20, 2013

FEATURES Wanna rave?

A fashion guide.

by Colby Berman ‘13

The Merionite

App center: Ruzzle

by Jamie McGee and Anna Skillings ‘14

their husky biceps they’ve been working on. These tanks show other guys that you’re “super bro” and “mad chill.” Needless to say, frat tanks boost your cool factor a whopping 3 points on average so you don’t want to mess with a dude wearing one of these bad boys.

6. What NOT to wear Long sleeves, neutral colors, and any shoes you have a slight interest in keeping clean.

You will be hot, you will look boring, and you will be disappointed when your brand new white Converse turn brown. Avoid these positions at all costs.

There you have it! Your all-inclusive guide for how to dress the part of a true raver. Follow closely next time you’re contemplating your outfit for an upcoming rave.

Graphic by Efi Natliotis/Staff

Are you looking to get “crunk” and dance your heart out? For the low price of fifty dollars, you can go listen to a laptop play prerecorded music at ear-damaging volumes. Who doesn’t love to feel gangsta’ after being driven into the big-bad city in your mom’s white Acura? But before you hit the town, you need to plan the outfit. Don’t know what to wear to the Main Line’s biggest slop fest of the year? No need to fear! Here are a few essential articles of clothing to make you the life of the party from head to toe: 1. Fanny pack Once regarded as the nerd’s version of a handbag, this cute little hybrid of a belt and bag provides practicality and (shockingly) style to a once-plain outfit. It’s ideal for holding your phone, money, concert ticket- you name it! If you want to be especially on point with the fanny pack trend, be sure to wear one that is neon or studded.

2. Lots and lots of color Let’s face it- when else are you going to be able to wear that hot pink boa or that green top hat you got from a bar mitzvah in public without getting looks from strangers? Color is one of the ways to help you standout from the crowd while also fitting in; you know someone is a serious raver judging from the amount of color they’re wearing to an event.

3. Tutu While it may sound juvenile, tutus are another great way to revamp your outfit in a spunky way. Steal one from your younger sister or that little girl on the swings at your local park! A fun staple for any rave outfit, a sparkly or multicolored tutu is always a winner.

4. Spandex Leggings, shorts, crop tops- no matter how you wear it, this stretchy fabric is perfect for dancing the night away with all of your BFFs. Bust a move while feeling like you’re wearing no clothing whatsoever in this thin, movable material!

5. Frat Tanks Originating in London circa 1812, frat tanks are a great way for guys to rave and show off

Word-Nerds unite! Have you seen people sneakily swiping their fingers furiously around their phone screens under the desk in class, and wondered what they were doing? You too can join the 30 million users that are engaging in the new Words with Friends: Ruzzle! This addictive game works your brain as you discover words you never knew existed. How does it work? Unlike Words with Friends, Ruzzle is fast-paced, with only three two minute round games. Like Scrabble, some letters have special point values and similarly, to Boggle, words are made in any direction as long as the letters are adjacent. You can download this fun app for free or you can pay $2.99 and get some cool extras. Up until recently, the free version just had the game and the messenger to talk to your friend/opponent, while the paid version had extras such as a practice mode to improve your speedy-finger-swiping skills along with seeing all the possible words for each grid, your best word and your highest round score. Due to the new update, the practice mode is now available on the free version. So grab your dictionaries and get ready to work out those finger muscles with this exciting new app!

Mr. LM: an unforgettable experience

Marina Forster

Class of 2013 Once a year, between the winter and spring, we decide to honor a select group of upperclassmen boys through an event known as Mr. Lower Merion. Mr. LM is a four-year-old tradition that supports the senior class, the LM Scholarship Foundation, and the ABC House.

As a freshman watching AJ Schiffrin crowned, I remember thinking, “How are we crowning him when we just saw more than I really wanted to in those tights?”

What I didn’t realize then was that our student body likes to celebrate the weird, unique, and talented boys who light up the stage. Some guys are more shy and some we all know very well, but every year we are continuously surprised and thrilled by the spectacular show they put on for us.

This year I had the pleasure escorting my AP Biology buddy, senior Chris Lu. Although he was not crowned, we had an awesome time, first struggling to learn the dance moves, and finally peeking over each other’s shoulders to mimic the other couples. After many scheduled practices and a few forced pre-event practices, we were able to get the dance moves down with ease.

When I asked some of the guys what their favorite part of getting ready for Mr. LM was, senior Wayne Phillips replied, “Stripping through the hallways for the making of the intro movie. The dance practices were fun as well ‘cause no one knew how to dance!” Although we all danced outstandingly by Thursday night, the one individual who stood out was senior Robert Walker, this year’s winner.

The way he was able to move his body so precisely during his personal talent… words cannot describe how I felt- though I’m sure most girls in the crowd felt the same way! Although there were some great performances by our runner-ups, senior Parker Laren and senior Dan Clark, which should not go unnoticed, Robert stole the crowd with his silky moves. After the event I asked him how he felt when his name was called, and he explained, “I wasn’t really nervous because I had so much adrenaline from dancing, but I was still anxious. When I heard my name and all of the cheers I was relieved. But as everyone could tell from my huge grin, I was ecstatic! However, any of the contestants could’ve won it. They’re all

really talented and I had a great time being around all of them.”

In reflection, there were many amazing performances across the board from contestants like senior Dan Barnes-Batista with his Mario Smash Bros. video game rendition to Josh Metzman’s classic foodie how-to make a burrito. After the show, I talked to senior class treasurer Kara Boutselis who said, “Aside from the perfect prom proposal by Hejin, I would have to say [the best part was] seeing my friends in such different ways. It’s been a lot of fun watching their creative sides come out.”

To sum things up, a big thanks to physics teacher Nora Christman, who coordinated the entire event. And congratulations to our new Mr. LM, Robert Walker!

Graphic by Efi Natliotis/Staff

This year’s Mr. LM contestants constituted : “The Perfect Ten.”

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March 20, 2013

The Merionite

Aces of The Arts Kei Nakagawa - Class of 2013

Photo by Efi Narliotis/Staff How are you involved with the arts at LM? I’ve been taking chorus since freshman year, but my favorite arts experiences have been with Players, Ace Harmony, and with “LM” Improv (in no particular order). I’m in players’ spring comedy, “Moon Over Buffalo.”

Come see it! It’s hilarious!!

Who inspires you?

My main inspiration is Stephen “Snoopeh” Ellis. He is a true role model and has helped shape my work ethic tremendously. The posters around the school are a close second, though.

If you could skip school for a day what would you do any why?

I would probably just try to catch up on all the TV shows that I’ve wanted to watch but have never had the chance to; Dr. Who, Fringe, Battlestar, Lost, Prison Break, the list goes on. So realistically I’d have to skip school for a while.

Nicki Diacik - Class of 2015

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT The Veggie Tales:

Vegans, Vegetarians & Meat Eaters at LM D. Behar/M. Kofsky

Class of ‘16/‘14

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word “meat”? Is it the mouth-watering flavor that so many of us crave, or is it a pang of repulsion and disgust? Most students enjoy a good beef burrito from Chipotle or a Five Guys cheeseburger, but what some people forget is that there are people out there who choose not to indulge in such foods. They are the vegetarians and vegans of the world. Vegetarians do not eat meat, while vegans do not eat meat or any other animal products, including eggs, cheese, milk, etc. You can find people who follow these different types of diets right here at LM. Last year I, Moriah, quit eating 70 percent of the supermarket cold turkey. I decided to eliminate all animal produced products from my diet by becoming a vegan. I did my fair share of research before making the executive decision and in the process only came across positive anecdotes. I knew that keeping up veganism would take a sufficient amount of work but I will was willing to make the commitment. I wanted to experience healthiness at it’s fullest and veganism seemed like it would enable me to do so. However, my experience was cut short when my iron supply started lacking. I became anemic and felt it necessary to incorporate a wider range of foods back into my diet. After eight months of being vegan I became a vegetarian. As I said before, I only saw people discussing the benefits of veganism. Now that I have a better understanding of how to properly maintain veganism, I sometimes contemplate reverting back to it.

Removing meat and all other animal originated foods definitely had its benefits. I found myself snacking less and eating three meals a day. When executed correctly, I think that veganism can bolster one’s health and overall way of living.

Many well-known celebrities are vegans, such as Ellen DeGeneres, Brad Pitt, and Russell Brand.

However, because meat is a good source of protein and iron, vegans have to make sure they get these dietary essentials another way. If they fail to, it could result in a multitude of health problems such as anemia and calcium deficiency. So before trying vegan life you should make sure you like

soy products and alternate protein sources such as beans and tofu.

For those less intent on following a completely animal-free diet, there is the vegetarian option.

Vegetarians don’t eat meat products but do consume animal products such as dairy and gelatin.

We asked freshman Amelia Carpenter why she chose to become a vegetarian and she told us, “In 2008, we were in Korea and they eat a lot of meat and I just didn’t want to eat it anymore.” When asked if she would ever consider abandoning her vegetarian diet, she responded: “No, not really.

Being vegetarian isn’t that hard unless there’s something that looks really good but has meat in it or we’re having a meal that’s basically all meat and I have to make myself something else.” When becoming a vegetarian at the age of 11 senior Efi Narliotis ran into similar problems. From the time she was 11 until around freshman year she was a carb-atarian more than anything. She ate carbohydrates and some dairy products and not much else. Efi knew she didn’t like the idea of eating meat but she also didn’t particularly like vegetables or vegetarian alternatives. Once she had been meat-less for longer she started to enjoy the taste of meat substitutes and foods like tofu and beans. As Efi learned how to cook and discovered easy meat substitutes, being a vegetarian became infinitely easier and much more healthy.

Conversely, along with the majority of the world, I Dena, love to eat meat. It is a part of my everyday life and it provides me with the protein and iron I need to survive. Sure, beans and eggs can do that too, but there really is nothing like a juicy, palatable filet mignon. Meat-loving freshman Will Rieke said that he would never become a vegetarian because “he would be hungry all day and there are no good restaurants without meat.”

This is a common struggle among non-meat eaters.

Differences aside, diets are not all about what you exclude from your meals, but what you include in them. They are a way to keep us strong and fit, while also giving us the nutrients we need to live a long and vigorous life. I leave you with the wise words of Rieke: “I eat food because it tastes good!”

Elvish tattoos make their mark Maddy Cosgriff

Photo courtesy of Nicki Diacik How are you involved with the arts at LM? I am currently taking Art 1 Honors with Mr Hazel, and am part of the Art Forum club. I also participate in Players after school, and take classes at Tyler School of Art at Temple University on the weekends.

Who inspires you?

I’m inspired by anyone who has something that they love to do and who does it well.

If you could skip school for a day what would you do any why?

If I could skip school for a day, I would probably go see a dance performance with my mom in Philly. This may sound weird, but we used to go a lot when I was little and being in high school has made it harder to make time to go.

by giving people tattoos of their names. Eventually someone asked for a specific phrase, and from that The art of handwriting has always intrigued me. point on people had super silly requests for their In 7th grade I took up calligraphy and bought all the ink. A few even told me that they wanted to get a fancy pens, but they never got much use. It faded permanent Elvish tattoo down the road, which I into the recesses of my mind until recently; in my too have been seriously considering. When the last Art 3H class earlier this year, Mrs. Pierce gave us Hobbit film is over I plan to get “not all those who each a hubcap and said to do with it what we will. wander are lost” wrapped around my ankle because My first impression upon seeing my hubcap was that not only do I love that Tolkien quote, but also I it would make a perjust think Elvish fect Captain Amerlooks so gosh ica type shield, so darn elegant I took the idea and and beautiful. ran with it.

I thoroughly Because I am a enjoy giving diehard Tolkien fan these tattoos, and had just seen so please don’t The Hobbit, I was hesitate to ask inspired to adorn for one. Now my hubcap with an that I’ve memoElvish inscription rized the alphalike those found on bet, a couple the swords in the of minutes and film. As usual, the my calligraphy internet held the pen are all that Photo courtesy of Maddy Cosgriff I need. The best key. I quickly found a poem for my project as well as an part is that you Inspired by the “Lord of the English to Tengwar (the Elvish al- Rings” series, “Elvish swag,” a can tell people it means whatever phabet) letter-by-letter conversion. term dubbed by Cosgriff, is taking you want them to think, making it Upon finding this I began slowly over LM. This tattoo says ‘Not all an endless source of amusement. translating names and experimentSo hit me up if you want one— those who wander are lost.” ing with calligraphy styles. I printthere’s a good chance you’ll find ed out the alphabet and practiced me in Pierce’s art room.

Class of 2013

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March 20, 2013

The Merionite

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Interview with Wildabeast

A&E sat down with multitalented musician Down” by Kimbra last year on Youtube and sent senior Will Brown, also known as Wildabeast, to me a message saying she’d be interested in coldiscuss the recent release of “Wildabeast Mix- laborating. Working with her was a breeze, I tape Vol. 1.” just sent her a rough mix of what is now “Dirty When and how did you first become inter- Magazines” and she wrote lyrics to it, recorded ested in music? the vocals and sent them to me to mix into the I started playing the song. She has an awesome drums when I was five voice and we’re working and while taking drum on a new track that will lessons I also went probably be out before the through phases taksummer. ing piano, violin, and Are you doing anyguitar lessons during thing fun over spring elementary school. break?

Can you tell us a Henry Grenier and I are little about your newworking on a music video est mixtape? What idea for a song I put out should we expect to called “The March” that hear on it? will be out sometime this Earlier this year I spring. finally nailed down the Do you plan on pursu“sound” I wanted to go ing this passion in the for and decided to refuture? lease a body of work Well, ideally, I’d like Photo courtesy of Will Brown based on that – hence, the Wildto be in the music technology abeast Mixtape Vol. 1. It’s a mix program at NYU because it’s of hip-hop instrumentals and some more pop-ish the bomb as far as I’m concerned. I’m still waitsongs that have my vocals on them along with ing to get a decision, but I’m hopeful. Whether features from Avery Super and Jenny Mayhem. or not I study at NYU or anywhere else, I plan How did you meet Jenny Mayhem? What on finding some sort of success in the music inwas it like collaborating with her? dustry. I love music too much to not pursue it Jenny, who is a singer/songwriter from as a career.

Toronto, found a remix I made of “Settle

Upcoming Events March 23: AWOLNATION, House of Blues, Atlantic City, NJ March 24: Tyler, the Creator, TLA, Philadelphia, PA March 28-April 27: Phila International Festival of the Arts, PA April 3: Green Day, Liacouras Center, Philadelphia, PA

Although the English band Bastille has been around for about two years, their music only recently evolved into an epidemic. Bastille’s fame hasn’t yet reached the United States but is flourishing in their home country and flooding over into the borders of other European nations. The album cover for their newest record, Bad Blood, can even be found on buildings and bus stops throughout the streets of London. With their YouTube video of “Pompeii” having over 5 million views, Bastille is a force to be reckoned with that will soon hit the United States.

Bastille’s eccentric sound doesn’t lend them to easy categorization. Some of their songs, such as “Pompeii,” are light and catchy, sure to put any listener into a good mood.

“Oblivion,” which was featured in the hit show, “The Vampire Diaries,” is a bit darker and solemn. The songs, although varying in tempo, all have a somewhat dark undertone in them. Some of them make you want to dance in your room, while others make you want to curl up and fall asleep. Both types, however, hit number one on the charts in England.

The x-factor that makes Bastille unique and gives them a wider audience is their duality. In addition to making catchy and rich original tunes, they double as a new breed of remix group. Instead of the typical remixes, Bastille covers versions of famous songs with fresh twists while simultaneously mixing them with other songs. The result is an ear-pleasing blend of new and old.

Their most recent album, Bad Blood, is available on iTunes and their two remix albums, Other People’s Heartache PT I and II, are available online.

April 13-15: The Philadelphia Antiques Show, Philadelphia, PA April 27: Flavors of the Avenue Festival, East Passyunk, PA April 28: Fairmount Arts Crawl, Fairmount Avenue, PA

April 5: Meek Mill, Tower Theater, Upper Darby, PA

In Review:

“The Science of Sleep”

No, it is not a documentary about your sleep cycles, as much as the title might lead you to believe. The Science of Sleep, directed by Michel Gondry, is a whimsical and tragic love story of a man who struggles to discern his dreams from reality and the woman who weaves her way into his dreams. The film contains three languages and contains elements of stop motion and magical realism, helping create a dream-like state for the viewer.

By taking the reader into the mind of Stefon, the viewer also struggles to distinguish between which scenes are dreams and which scenes are reality. The film is remarkably good at representing dreams in their sporadic, evolving, and strange nature. These dream sequences take the viewer on a magical mental trip that is disjointed and confusing, yet still holds a purpose behind it all.

This is why I want to praise the acting in the film. It is almost as if each actor had to play

Class of ‘13/’14

April 11: Hoodie Allen, The Electric Factory, Philadelphia, PA

April 5: Matt & Kim, House of Blues, Atlantic City, NJ

Class of 2013

I. Barsade/M. Kofsky

April 6: Fleetwood Mac, Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA

April 4: Maroon 5, Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA

Evan Bowen-Gaddy

Bastille: A band worth listening to

two roles: the real life version and the dreamstate version of themselves, where the former is subtler and the latter is more of a caricature. It is even more impressive as well that they acted in English, French, and Spanish, having to understand the proper intonations and nuances of each language.

Aside from acting, the film was visually stunning. Utilizing simple child-like crafts such as construction paper, cellophane, and cardboard, Gondry was able to create beautiful stop motion scenes that weave themselves in throughout the film. He also shot the film in a sort of noisy, grainy style that contributed to the dream-like quality of the film.

Watching films like this all the time would eventually become mentally tolling, but it serves as a nice change from many of the Hollywoodaction blockbusters that have been saturating the film industry lately. The film is a creative and experimental journey that is not necessarily for everyone, but is still worth a watch.

March 20, 2013

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March 20, 2013

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March 20, 2013

SPORTS

The Merionite

Volleyball seeks to ace opponents

Young Baseball team aims to strike out competition Dan Wilson

Class of 2016

This is a level of play that clearly wants to be achieved quickly according to Matt Wasson considering he stated: “Over the last couple of years we have had good stretches and played well for the second half of the season. If we could get off

The 2013 LM varsity baseball team, although young, expects to be successful in a tough Central League. Many young players will be asked to step into bigger roles this season; however, this should not be a problem with the leadership and abilities of seniors like Geoff Warrington and Matt Wasson. Head Coach John Hyman is looking for key hitting and fielding from Warrington in addition to a triple threat from Matt Wasson, which includes hitting, fielding, and some stellar pitching.

So what does this all mean for the team? Well, it just makes everything that is done in each and every game that much more critical. The young Aces must take Photo courtesy of Lifetouch Photography advantage of every opportunity that they get, whether it be an at-bat for Warrington Outfielder Geoff Warrington warms up with long toss. or a day on the mound for Wasson. When you have a team with little seniority, every deci- to a good start, we would be in a great position to sion and action throughout the course of a game make the playoffs. There are not many returning players this year, but even so everyone is capable becomes very important.

Despite the team’s youth and inexperience the of playing well.”

Of course, having a young team now isn’t all goals and expectations of the team are still very high. Geoff Warrington expressed this when he bad. A team with underclassmen now is just the told me: “As a team we are very young and inex- beginning of a cycle, which will put many expeperienced, nonetheless we have the potential and rienced varsity players on the team in the near necessary pieces to the puzzle for success, and future. This just means that however far their hard we wont willingly settle for anything less than work and dedication may take them this season, look for some serious improvement from the ten wins and a playoff berth.”

With so many key players from last season young Aces in the coming seasons as this year’s having graduated, such as Danny Moyer and young roster matures. With a young team, players Peter Siciliano, there are many vacant spots on often ask themselves, “How far can we really get this year’s squad. Coach Hyman said that he will considering we lost so many seniors last year?” be looking to fill key varsity spots with many This attitude is not one the Aces want to take into of the returning JV players such as junior Jordi the season. The players, as well as the coaching Avalos and sophomore Zach Yodh, in addition staff, have to always be on the same page, in to varsity players like seniors Aaron Bowen and addition to always believing 100 percent in the Mac Melman. The only thing he has to do now success of this team.

Lastly, if this team is going to be a successful is see who brings the hard work and dedication to opening week practice and who really wants the one, players are always going to have to know open varsity spots, as well as revaluating returning what their role is. If they are being sent up to upperclassmen to see how big of a role they can the plate to move a runner over, they certainly shouldn’t be seen swinging for the fences. If the play on this years team.

But the hard work and dedication surely will seniors don’t take charge and step up as leaders not be stopping there. Any young team in the right away, the team may unfortunately run into history of sports has always had to work a little some disorganization problems. This may be a harder and dedicate themselves a little more than transitional year for the Aces, but a successful the surrounding competition to get themselves on baseball season is certainly an achievable goal the level of the teams that they will be playing. for this team.

Mitchell Gladstone

Ricky Figelman

Class of 2013

A new-look volleyball team is roaming the LM hallways, full of new players, a new coach, and new promise. Though last year’s season was seen as a disappointment to some as the team won just one match, others saw it as a positive learning experience. Senior Alex Marino thought the team “really played hard” and “definitely had the potential to do much better.”

Photo courtesy of Lifetouch Photography The Volleyball team takes a quick break from a tough practice to take a team picture.

This year will be different. The team, fresh out of their first week of practice, has been playing hard and soaking up the experience of their new coach, Mathematics and Computer Science teacher Thomas Swope. Mr. Swope “really brings in a new style of coaching” and “will be the coach to turn this team around,” in the words of senior Aaron Weiner. Swope has been implementing a grueling practice system, intent on flipping around last year’s record. While the juniors and seniors of last year’s team are the team leaders, the team is also looking to freshmen to step up.

Perhaps the most important addition to the team is actually the return of senior Josh Harper, who was lost to Players last season. Harper is a strong candidate for the Most Valuable Player award according to some, and his return will help offset the loss of last season’s MVP, Senior Shane Votto.

Men’s Volleyball began their season on March 15 with a battle against Central League foe Haverford High School. The first three games of the season are at home, followed by six straight road games, with the season concluding with a pair of home games.

Volleyball has games in the Kobe Bryant Gymnasium after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays (when the basketball team is finally done with the KBG) and hopes that a significant fan section will be present to support them. Marino truly summed up the need for support with his eloquent statement, “We could really use some Dawg Pound support this year. It goes a long way. You guys were great for the basketball season and now it’s our turn to make you guys proud. Volleyball games are also right after school and are a great place to relax with your friends!”

As the Aces continue to battle and fight for their rightful place at the top of the Central League, they will be led by strong upperclassmen, a wise new coach, and a determination for victory.

W h a t ’s n e w w i t h c r e w

Class of 2015 With the Aces Crew team hitting the waters of the Schuykill River for yet another intense season, let’s take a preview of some of the teams key elements and what to expect for this season: In the revolving door that is high school sports, team leaders come and go, therefore making it vital that new upperclassmen leaders step up each season. On the boys’ side, senior Alex Hatza has emerged quickly as vocal leader of the squad. He spoke in great detail about his role on the team as well as his expectations for the upcoming year. That is not to say, however, that he will be alone leading the team; joining him on the senior echelon will be Dan Clark, Naomi Batzer, Maddie McComb, Brinna Ludwig, and Marina Forster. Forster, of one the most decorated rowers in LM history and a Drexel rowing commit, explained her college decision over many other top schools from across the country. “I was fortunate enough to receive a great scholarship offer and be able to stay close to my family. The team is on the upswing and in getting to know the rest of my recruiting class, I’m really excited to see how we do.” Each of these members should be key if the team’s top boats are to have success.

Both the girls and the boys will dive quickly into their seasons as they started with the Manny Flick series of races on March 17, doing five regattas in five weekends. The season will continue with the championships: The Cooper Cup, Philadelphia City Championships, and Mid-Atlantic Championships, all leading up to the year’s most anticipated event, the Stotesbury Cup Regatta on the Schuykill River in

Philadelphia. “Stotes,” as most team members affectionately label it, is the world’s largest high school regatta, featuring over 1,000 crews from the United States and Canada. Hatza described the electric atmosphere as, “a little bit like the Quidditch World Cup from Harry Potter with all of those

Photo courtesy of Michael Leslie Photography A girls’ eight sets out on the water. tents.” The team, which has struggled at times, is looking to regain form and compete once again at the varsity level in the Stotesbury Cup. Their season will then be rounded out by a national championships competition to be determined, but all in all, the Aces are looking forward to a rigorous season and are ready to tackle it head on.

For a team that’s been improving considerably year after

year, the bar has been raised once again as far as expectations go. While it is to be determined which boats will fare well amongst their competition, look for juniors Gabe Lane and Alex Kane to have big seasons on the varsity level. Lane was described by Hatza as “what a rower should look like” and after much offseason preparation, Hatza expects him to be a force in the varsity. Kane, on the other hand, is participating as a lightweight this season and although his role is yet to be determined, he is viewed as one of the team’s most consistent members. A hard worker in practice, he will likely be another impact player. On the girls’ end of things, coach Dan Hingley hints that the girls’ varsity 4+ may have a chance to place in the top half at Stotes. For seniors Marina Forster and Naomi Batzer, as well as the entire team, this would be a major accomplishment and a prime example of the Aces’ high hopes.

Of course, a majority of the team’s chances hinges on the ability of their coxswains, important pieces of the squad that while small in stature, are far from that in their role. Crew outsiders who view coxswains simply as tiny athletes who just sit in the front of the boat and yell for when the rowers to stroke are clearly misinformed. The coxswains control not only the direction of the boat, a task hard within itself, but also the rowers themselves. For a 5’5”, 95 pounder, to gain the respect of four or eight other strong rowers, takes much hard work, and star junior coxswain Isaac Marlowe has done just that. Hatza says, “He definitely knows how to do the job right,” and if you get the chance to see any of LM’s crew teams in action this season, take a close look at the coxswains and learn to appreciate how vital they are to the leadership of this team.

15

March 20, 2013

Alex Koch

SPORTS The Merionite Runners on Track to success

Class of 2016 With spring right around the corner, the boys’ and girls’ track teams are preparing for another competitive season in the Central League. Despite the loss of a strong senior class that sent multiple runners to states last year, the current squads are looking forward to continuing the success that they have now grown accustomed to earning each season.

“Last year we broke six school records, which is the most that an LM girls’ team has broken in one season. Although we lost some stand out seniors like Eliana Yankelev and Becca Winkler, I think we have the opportunity to break all these records again,” says senior Gabby O’Leary, who is one of the three captains for the girls’ team. Along with all the broken records, last year’s team finished the season in 4th place with a 7-4 season. They also sent all three of their relay teams to districts. Even with the loss of many athletes due to graduation, the returning runners are not fazed by the setbacks.

Girls from all grades lead this year’s team. O’Leary looks to improve on her school record time in the 300 hurdles. Junior captain Duranya Freeman is expected to thrive in distance after having outstanding cross country and winter track seasons. Also, sophomore Tori Klevan who was a part of the record-breaking 4x400m and 4x800m relay teams hopes to succeed as one of the team’s top sprinters. A strong freshman class who has made an impressive turnout during the indoor track season rounds out the team that hopes to succeed in years to come.

With tough practices looming in the near future, sprinting and head coach Sandy Hoopes, distance coach Dennis Hagan, and hurdlers/jumpers coach Matt Stinson look to push the team to achieving its goals. Also, the team is excited to welcome Coach Beach, LM’s head football coach, as the newest member of the coaching staff. Beach will be in charge of all throwers. “Our biggest weakness is physical strength. We will be focusing a lot on improving this over the course of the season,” says Hoopes. The team has already spent more time in the weight room during the winter than they have in any season prior.

“Each Central League meet is extremely important to us. The most competitive teams, however, will be Strath Haven, Upper Darby, and Penncrest. Districts will also be one of our biggest

meets and we believe that many of our runners will qualify,” Hoopes explains. The team started practicing on March 4th and expects to be more than ready for their first meet of the year against Harriton and Upper Darby on April 3rd.

Unlike the girls, the boys are relatively equipped with the same athletes as they were last year. The only major loss is senior Gilad

Photo courtesy of Lifetouch Photography

The boys warming up on the track.

Doron, who led the team and went to districts in the 3200m and 1600m,. A smaller turnout of runners is expected for the team, so the focus for this year is on personal goals and improvement.

“Team depth and a deciding lack of throwers and jumpers has prevented us from achieving goals as a group that we know we are capable of reaching,” says senior captain Itai Barsade. Even with the incapability to fill a complete roster for each meet, returning and incoming runners will strive to meet personal records and district qualifying times throughout the season. Senior captain Jacob Van Houten addresses the lack of personnel that is a necessity for a winning season: “As a team we hope to compete more fully in league meets across the board of events. This requires a deep, committed roster that we are working to build.”

Whether it’s spring or winter track, or even cross country, it is hard to avoid the name of one of LM’s best: sophomore Jon Perlman. Last year, Perlman destroyed freshman records left and right. He made it aware to everyone in the track community that he was going to be a stud for years to come. Now in the midst

Tenacious Tennis Jonathan Avershal

Class of 2015 As winter ends, a new tennis season begins. The senior-packed varsity team looks to come back from an exceptional 11-4 season, losing in the District 1 playoff round to Unionville last year.

The 2013 season is already proving to be more impressive with vigorous tri-weekly workouts comprised of zealous newcomers and polished seniors. Senior Blayne Yudis comments, “Whether it’s a returning senior or a freshman trying out for the first time, I am seeing 100% effort from everyone in workouts and practices which will only benefit us in the season.” A noticeable increase in team dedication and commitment is evident this year, explains senior Alex Fuchs: “Last season we kind of picked up our dedication as a team. That difference in dedication has been reflected in our off-season workouts and training—something the tennis team hasn’t had in a long time.”

Not only does the team have superb returning Photo courtesy of Lifetouch Photography players, such as the Vernier and Yudis brothLarry Robinson ‘14 prepares to return a shot. ers, Alex Fuchs, Greg Levy, Sam Kozak, Adam Bergere and Larry Robinson, but two new highly skilled athletes as well. Senior Alex Fennell, who is currently ranked 55th in national college recruits, and Andrew Legg have also made their way into the picture. Both newcomers are experienced, and “have added incredible depth to our team, while taking us to a whole different level,” explains captain Thomas Vernier.

For the first time in recent history, the team has been taking advantage of the cardio and work out rooms at LM last summer and the entire winter season. This has really brought the team to a whole level above last year. “To have these workouts so early in the season was unexpected,” says sophomore Simon Vernier, “Everyone is hitting well.” Everybody seems to be more serious than last year, as the chance to compete at a state level is becoming more realistic: “There’s just a whole different motivation and vibe to the team that I’m very proud to say Alex Fuchs and I have helped instill over these years,” added T. Vernier.

Even the head coach for the Aces has changed. Coach O’Connell, who coached the junior varsity team last year, has moved up as head coach for varsity. He hopes to get the team to a higher level of play this year. Sophomore Sam Kozak explains, “I think we’ll do great with O’Connell.

He knows the team and knows how to win matches.” Coach O’Connell hopes to get the best players for the program and wants tryouts to be as competitive as possible while maintaining positive energy throughout the season.

The team faces off against rival Radnor March 19th for their first central league match of the season. Two days later the Aces play defending state champions Conestoga. They proved to be a difficult match for the Aces last year but with a stronger team, LM is intent on winning. According to “team favorite” junior Larry Robinson, “We have an extremely difficult non-conference schedule, which includes Unionville, North Penn, and also Haverford.” Robinson explains how their schedule last year gave them a disadvantage: “Last year we got cheated out of a better district seed due to our weak non-conference schedule, but this year we we’re sure to arrange better matches in hope that it will pay off come playoff time.” The team hopes to “ace” the competition this year and sustain the tradition of playing great tennis.

Will Levin

of his sophomore season, Jon has already improved immensely and failed to disappoint anybody who hoped he would continue his great success. He placed in almost every cross country meet, while he ended the winter track season with a personal record time in the mile. After qualifying for districts in the mile, he went on to post a time of 4:32, missing the state qualifications by 4/10 of a second. Jon hopes to continue his excellence and carry the team throughout the season.

Sprinting coach and English teacher J.B. Haglund and distance coach David Van Houten are prepared to work the team to its fullest capability. During the winter season, Haglund emphasized explosive starts to the sprinters. He put them in the weight room twice a week to improve their strength and it clearly paid off when runners were breaking away from the competition early in races.

DVH, as the team refers to him, has led the team’s distance runners for the past few years. There is no doubt that he is capable of steering this group of runners towards greatness.

When asked about their views on this spring being their last opportunity to run with an LM team, many seniors responded by saying that track and field had been extremely important to them over their high school careers. “I have made so many great friends and the team has been like a family for me,” says O’Leary, who will be continuing her running at Bates college next year. Evan Bowen-Gaddy, who has run cross country and both seasons of track for the past three years explains how he wants to give it his all before he steps off the asphalt for the final time. “It’s been great watching everyone improve over the last three years. I hope to see all of the seniors running an intense final season, departing with no regrets.” Senior runner Brock Ladenheim is excited to finally put forth his leadership. “This season will be one for the ages; goals will be met, records will be smashed, and fun times will be had. We seniors are looking to lead the way just like we have always seen fit. All of the best attributes and characteristics the previous year’s leaders brought to the team and sport will be put forth into action.”

Both boys’ and girls’ 2013 track teams aren’t messing around this year. Strong leadership and pure talent will propel them throughout the season, and it will be exciting to see just how far their legs can carry them.

Lax to the max

Class of 2014 The Lower Merion Aces lacrosse team is highly optimistic for the 2013 season. After a disappointing 7-12 record last spring, the team looks to greatly improve in order to win the central league. Junior Defenseman Jack Kane spoke about last year, “Our season was a bit disappointing and at times we didn’t have a huge sense of unity whether it was due to losing players or injuries. This year I know we are already more united.” The Aces saw some highpoints and a few low points last year. They took down Churchill 10-7, a team that would eventually post a 14-3 record. The aces lost their goalie Eli Newschaffer, leaving the position up for grabs to either Senior Griffin Remick, Junior Connor Whitby, or Freshman John Brody.

The Aces are led with their strong defense where Senior Lucas Johnson is joining Jack Kane, Alex Simpson, and Rasool Smith.

With these strong upperclassmen on the back end, the Aces can certainly be optimistic.

Photo courtesy of Lifetouch Photography Alex Simpson “defense wins games and we certainly have a defense this year Daniel Buckman ‘14 breaks past defender. capable of doing big things”. Most of the defensemen played together last year. Simpson also told me that “last year we really started to mesh as a team on defense and any mistakes we made last year, we certainty learned from and won’t make them again.” Keep an eye out for Rasool Smith who will certainly add speed and prove to be a wildcard for the Aces this year.

The Aces will certainly be contenders this spring especially with our strong class of sophomores, consisting of Aaron Jaffe, Evan Wolf, and Paddy Black, who look to make a serious impact on varsity. Wolf thinks “we have an elite team in the central league. It’s going to come down to strong leadership and winning those close games.” Wolf went on to tell me that “The leadership has been developing over the entire school year.” The team has played lacrosse in the winter and fall and has recently started lifting in the weight room. Junior Daniel Buckman told me “We are a legit contender for the Central League title. We have been working hard as a team all year and I know it will pay off.”

The barrage of students committed to play college lacrosse is a key factor in the Ace’s optimism. This list includes Junior Jack Kane who will be a part of the Lafayette Leopards for the 2015 season.; Senor Chris Daly, who will be playing for the Monmouth Blue Hawks, a brand new division one program, next spring, and Senior Tony Fisher, will be playing for Catholic University next spring. So far the aces have three commits, but keep your eye out for many more.

With a strong Defense, an explosive offense, and a strong leadership the 2013 Aces look to grab the central league title and make a statement about Lower Merion Lacrosse along. The team is certainly confident in their chances, so go support them during the spring season.

16

March 20, 2013

The Merionite Segev Yarden

Got ‘Heem!

Wrestling Wraps up Season

Class of 2013

March Madness is finally upon us and the anticipation is bubbling over the surface. Everybody is ready for his or her favorite team to repeat last year’s magical run. Throats will be sore, voices will be gone, and faces will be (partially) painted black. Some have waited all year for this, while others have waited longer. IT’S TIME FOR STATE PLAYOFFS AND LM IS READY FOR BATTLE. First, let us rewind and take a look at yet another dominating season by the Aces. With a regular season record of 21-2, the team enjoyed great success. They finished with a 17-0 mark in the Central League for the second straight year. We have become accustomed to going undefeated in the Central League, but that is no piece of cake and should not be taken for granted. Hours of preparation went into every game, no matter whom the opponent was. Let us not forget that the Aces also beat two nationally ranked teams in Bishop O’Connell (VA) and St. Frances (MD), and two other highly acclaimed opponents in St. Raymond’s (NY) and St. Joe’s Prep (PA). As co-captain Bryan Shapiro will tell you, the Aces received key contributions from many players all season: “I think that people are stepping up whenever they need to be called and they are doing a nice job,” said Shapiro, possibly referring to the likes of senior Greg “Golden Arm” Levy, a force from beyond the arc and always a fan favorite.

“Working hard in the gym, making my arms as golden as the sun, I was able to earn a spot on the roster this year and sink Photo by Efi Narliotis/staff some threes along the way,” chirped “Golden Arm” himself.

Raheem Hall ‘13 rises up for a Senior Yohanny Dalembert seemed to improve every time he dunk as Greg Levy ‘13 looks on. stepped on the court. Sophomore Corey Sherman had a nag for sinking clutch shots all year. Unfortunately, the contribution of these men have been overshadowed at times this year by dynamic plays by senior BJ Johnson and junior JaQuan Johnson. The regular season seemed like warm-ups to some fans, but playing that consistently for that long may just be the hardest thing in sports.

The Aces did not stop there. They tore through district playoffs, overpowering Conestoga, Penncrest, Coatesville and Great Valley to reach the Districts Championship against growing rival Chester. Despite a tough and highly competitive loss to the Clippers, the Aces once again earned a berth in the State Playoffs. Sound familiar? Yes, the 2012-13 Aces have gone on a very similar run to last year’s team.

However, ask anyone on the squad and they will tell you the same thing. “The positive [aspect] about this year’s team is that the chemistry is better,” said Dalembert with a smile (as always). The feeling was echoed by others such as senior Baird Howland, an aggressive presence off the bench. “Our whole team plays hard because we’re playing for each other, you can’t take a play off when you see your teammate diving for a loose ball. We all have each others backs and that carries onto the floor,” said Howland. This year’s team has already made it past the first round with a thundering demolition of Carlisle. Senior Raheem Hall constantly weaved in between the opposing defenders, finishing off with a resounding two-handed slam. BJ Johnson also joined in on the fun with back-to-back dunks before heading to the bench for some well-deserved rest. The Aces displayed overall hustle and passion throughout the game, which was a positive sign heading into the toughest games of the year.

As you can see, this squad is full of heart and desire. Comparisons to last year, however accurate, have no influence on this year’s tournament. The Aces have Hershey (the site of the State Finals) in their sights and will not let anything get in their way. “If we are lucky enough to get to the final, we will go in fully expecting to win,” exclaimed Howland. So move past 2012, cherish the good memories that are unrolling right now.

Freshman Abby Ritterband What sports do you play?

I play soccer, winter track, and spring track.

What are you looking forward to?

This spring I’m looking forward to nice weather and being able to feel my toes when I’m running outside.

What are you doing for spring break?

This spring break I’ll be parachuting and bungee jumping with the Obamas (just kidding, my life is really boring).

What other activities do you do?

I like to play sports and walk my dog.

What is the best pump up song?

Too Close by Alex Clare. shout out to LMGS!

SPORTS

Sophomore Adina Harris What sports do you play?

I play soccer and lacrosse.

What are you looking forward to?

I’m really looking forward to lax season!!

What are you doing for Spring break?

The lacrosse team has to stay home for some of spring break because of games and practices so i’ll be doing that. We do get part of break off so I will be visiting family in New York.

What other activities do you do?

Well I’m starting guitar and I really like it so far. Other than that I just like hanging out with my friends!

Noah Levick

of supreme confidence, yet each individual put Class of 2013 in substantial time and effort to grow as wrestlers LM wrestling enjoyed one of their best years and as people. in recent history, with senior captains Eli ZimVestal and Chieu also have career plans in mer, Scott Chieu, and Steffen Vestal displaying common-- both hope to soon join the Navy. exceptional dedication that culminated in im- Undoubtedly, their years wrestling for LM will pressive postseason performances. The captains have instilled the perseverance and toughness all qualified for the District One and Regional needed for the job. Zimmer is still determining tournaments, and fellow senior Mason Wilson his post-high school plans, and says that he may and promising underclassmen Robbie Hazard indeed end up wrestling on the collegiate level. and Brodie Brush joined them at Districts. As Regardless, he will leave LM as one of the most Vestal says, “Wrestling is a mentally and physi- decorated wrestlers in the program’s history, with cally draining sport,” and LM’s grapplers have a Central League Championship and Radnor and battled through their share of obstacles, from Cumberland Valley Tournament Championships Chieu’s scary bout with hemiparesis last year, to his name this year alone. If the underclassmen which momentarily paralyzes a side of the body, improve as consistently as Zimmer, Vestal and to Vestal’s black eyes, signs of the inherently Chieu, all of whom have steadily upped their win punishing nature of the sport. Though the seniors’ totals since freshman year, LM wrestling should high school careers have ended, they carry with be in excellent shape for the future. them both their wrestling talents as well as endurSpeaking of being in great shape, it should ing life lessons about leadership and preparation be noted that one of the more challenging tasks that will serve them well for years to come. wrestlers have to accomplish before every The younger wrestlers would do well to match is making weight. Chieu, who wrestled evolve as the seniors have, developing their at 138 lbs. this year, admits, “it wasn’t easy to technique and practicing diligently, maintaining keep my weight down.” Just a look at the lean, focus on reaching their goals and becoming strong Chieu shows that his struggles were cerbetter. Zimmer has particularly worked on tainly not due to poor discipline, but instead to “the finesse side of wrestling,” honing techni- the demanding, unforgiving nature of the sport. cal moves, whereas “when I was a freshman I just tried to brute people.” Vestal believes that wrestling has helped him mature, since he is now capable of “staying calm and just wrestling the best I can,” adapting on the fly to his opponent and mentally finding the zone that lets him perform optimally. The close, intense personal combat of wrestling is unique, as athletes must have the fortitude to face their opponent head Photo courtesy of Lifetouch Photography on, alone. But LM’s wrestlers gradually gain the Mason Wilson ‘13 and Steffen Vestal ‘13 confidence to excel in these encounters, as Head head to the mat.

Coach Jim Perri stresses that “you have to trust in what you practice,” according to Vestal. Scott There is indeed a stunning finality to much about Chieu has put in long hours practicing, and it has wrestling, from the number on the scale to the paid off. Facing experienced, superior wrestlers wave of the referee’s hand when he declares a emboldened Chieu, making him realize that, pin. Unfortunately for LM’s seniors, their careers with the long hours he was putting in, he could are now over, but they all can leave proud of compete with anyone. In essence, when wrestlers their illustrious accomplishments, and with the feel that the outcome of a match is in their control important lesson that Zimmer takes away from and that their abilities are good enough to beat Perri to “keep pressing on no matter what, to anyone, the degree of difficulty for attaining a press through your pain and all the obstacles to win seems infinitely easier. LM’s star seniors all reach your goal.” took unique routes to reaching this critical point

Junior Gabe Lane What sports do you play?

Senior Craig Markman

What sports do you play?

Crew.

Lacrosse and soccer.

What are you looking forward to?

Long walks on the beach with the gentle sea What are you looking forward to? breeze.

Laxing it up with my bros.

What are you doing over spring break?

I’ll be going to the gym in the morning, then What other activites do you do? rowing after that, and then shortly after that I engoy taking my dog for long walks some more rowing. Rinse and repeat. in the park.

What other activities do you do?

What is the best pump up song?

I row...In the off season I like to work on “All gold everything” by Trinidad my car though.

James.

What is the best pump up song?

Fort Minor “Remember the Name.”