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The Merionite

LM loves Lunar New Year

Emmi Wu ’23 Graphics Editor

Lunar New Year marks the first new moon of the lunar calendar. Because the holiday follows the lunar calendar, the date varies from year to year. This year, Lunar New Year fell on Tuesday, February 1. To celebrate, practices range from food, dance, and gifts. Most importantly, all emphasis is on the discarding of bad luck and the bringing of good luck. Although most commonly known as Lunar New Year, the holiday goes by many different names, such as Chinese New Year, Spring Festival, Tết, Losar, and Seollal. Customs, such as eating traditional food, also vary in different cultures. For example, dumplings are eaten in China, dodol keranjang is eaten in Indonesia, bánh chưng is eaten in Vietnam, and tteokguk is eaten in Korea. While the specifics of certain customs may differ from place to place, all festivities have a common thread: reuniting with family. While outside of school, this entails dining on festive meals, opening red envelopes, or watching performances. Students may also celebrate within the LM community, especially within the Asian Culture Club (ACC).

One of the most well-known Lunar New Year traditions is the gifting of the red envelope, usually from elders to young children. In China, the money is given when children “拜 年/ bài nián”— offering words of gratitude and longevity to their elders in exchange for the red envelope. The new year’s money, otherwise known as “money to anchor the year” in Mandarin, passes on a year of good fortune and blessings.

On February 1, ACC hosted a red envelope fundraiser, organized like a typical Valentine’s Day candy gram event. Students could write notes to their fellow peers and teachers, and then these notes were distributed by the ACC student leaders. Officer Yaya Wang ’22 emphasizes, “Asian Culture

Club wanted a fun way to get the school hype about Lunar New Year while also raising money for a great cause.” All of the profits for the ACC red envelope fundraiser are being donated to Asian Americans United, a youth organization in Philadelphia that focuses on community building and social justice. Such advocacy has become part of

ACC’s mission. Anika Xi ’23, another officer, states, “For the past two years, hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have drastically risen due to COVID-19. For this reason, we’ve felt it is necessary to include social justice in our club as well.” The fundraisers that the Asian Culture Club are hosting not only serve as a fun method of allowing the LM student body to learn more about Asian culture but also as a form of social action. Lunar New Year is one of the most important holidays for many Asian communities, so spreading awareness and celebration at LM is an important effort that can lead to greater inclusivity in our school community.

Photos courtesy of Anika Xi ’23/Staff Graphics by Emmi Wu ’23/Staff

Mock Trial is on the case!

Shaine Davison ’23 Opinions Editor

Even though the spike in Omicron cases is slowly decreasing, clubs at LM are still taking precautions despite the fact that the student body is still learning in person. Sports teams, like basketball, swimming, diving, wrestling, and squash, all have the opportunity to compete in-person in a somewhat normal way, but other clubs have different limits. Their competitions and events that were once lively and exciting have been held through a computer screen. Students have waited for nearly two years to return to their normal club activity, but unfortunately there is no sign of normalcy in the future. LM Mock Trial has faced their fair share of obstacles these past years. Members express that trials that were once in-person and intense experiences are now unspirited and dull. Mock Trial President Aniah Gagliano ’23 shared her thoughts about virtual competitions: “Mock Trial going virtual for the second year in a row has no doubt been difficult. The biggest parts of Mock Trial are the presentational skills that are developed and brought to the courtroom.” Over Zoom, it has been incredibly challenging for the team to make sure they are being loud enough, using hand gestures for emphasis, and properly enacting what would normally be so easy in-person. She has had to adapt, even in regards to making courtroom guidelines and processes proper for Zoom, but the team has still been incredibly successful. Despite their setbacks, their dedication has allowed them to become a strong team. Gagliano’s experience from the virtual competitions last year have undoubtedly helped her when competing. Sadie Liebo ’23, the club’s secretary, admits that “it’s been a little different with the virtual format, but the season’s been going really well.” The team just started competing officially on Tuesday, February 1. In the future, Liebo is looking forward to both the JV and Varsity teams making it to regionals and states. Even though there have been setbacks, Gagliano remains optimistic: “We have a long way to go, but I’m extremely hopeful about what the future holds. Hopefully, next year we can be back in-person–at least one last time for the rising seniors–but whatever happens, we plan for the team to go far!” The Debate team also must compete online. Luckily, the club is able to meet in person and get valuable face-to-face time, but they are still debating through screens. However, Debate President Jack Shapiro ’22 voiced that the club’s format “translates very well to a Zoom call, so debates with other schools are as competitive and rigorous as they were in-person. Unfortunately, other extracurriculars don’t function quite as well virtually.” But, this does not mean that it’s smooth sailing. Maria Dymek ’23, the club’s secretary, expressed that “it’s obviously harder on Zoom to communicate, especially during practices or during competitions, but you are also not able to talk over other people online. It’s impossible to hear anything unless only one person is talking at once. Let’s be honest–it’s fun to talk over other people.” Hopefully, club activity will return to where it was years ago pre-pandemic, but for right now they are pushing through these challenging times. Luckily, students are still able to do what they love.

STEM spotlight

Jonathan Xu ’22 Editor-in-Chief

Last year, trekking through the deserted hallways of LM after school, you might fnd the only sound to be the lone echo of your voice. Fast forward to a year later, and those same hallways are buzzing with life. LM STEM clubs are back in business, eager to make up for lost time and reach new heights. A virtual Regional Conference was the last thing students in the Technology Student Association (TSA) had been looking for, but amidst a surprise snowstorm over competition weekend, LM TSA members came prepared to give their all from the warm comfort of their homes. Following a day of interviews, presentations, and project demos, LM TSA emerged victorious, earning 42 event placements and nine frst-place fnishes in events such as Architectural Design and Tech Bowl to soundly dominate the conference. Through hosting a series of robotics workshops for students at local elementary schools, LM TSA members also hope to inspire the next generation of young learners, while “having fun with these tech-savvy kids” in the process, as club ofcer Eric Yang ’22 fondly recounts. TSA’s perennial partner-in-crime, Science Olympiad, has also been grinding hard throughout the last few months in preparation for competition. “Scioly” members compete in events ranging from Anatomy and Physiology to Codebusters, bringing together a community of aspiring scientists, engineers, and problem-solvers. In their competitions so far, they have had stellar results: in addition to a litany of top ten placements at several invitationals over the past few months, the team placed frst and second in Cybersecurity at the virtual BirdSO Invitational among 160 challengers. If Scioly members thrive in the sciences, then LM’s Math Club excels when it comes down to the numbers. Despite weathering an early loss to their Radnor counterparts, Math Club members keenly look forward to continuing their season with a matchup against Marple Newtown. Now, LM’s best and brightest—Nathan Donagi ’24, Andrew Slattery ’25, and Bole Ying ’25—take on the nation’s most prestigious math test in the form of the American Invitational Mathematics Examination. Wish these boys luck! An update on STEM clubs wouldn’t be complete without the Dawgs—or, more formally, FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) Team 1712. This past fall, during the ofseason, Dawgma reached victory in the winning alliance at the Ramp Riot competition among 40 FRC teams. Dawgma is now going full steam ahead with their robot for this year’s game, Rapid React, which involves shooting oversized tennis balls into diferent-sized goals. On January 8, Dawgma hosted their kickof meeting at LM to introduce the game and commence their build season. Director of Operations Macy Donahoe ’22 notes Dawgma has also been busy spreading their passion for robotics at Judith Creed Horizons for Achieving Independence (JCHAI), an organization that provides vocational needs to adults with disabilities. Dawgma isn’t the only club in town taking a deep dive into robotics. As part of their annual Program.IT event in 2021, the LM Computer Science Club brought in faculty from the University of Pennsylvania’s IoT4Ag research center to give up-and-coming LM coders insight into the advanced applications of their feld. Heading into the spring, Computer Science Club is now focused on preparing for its biggest events, Girls. hack(“LM”) and CodeLM, which will unite students from across the nation to compete for the chance to win enticing prizes. Amidst the ongoing success of LM’s established STEM clubs, a new contingent of LM students dedicated to business fundamentals is on the rise. LM’s DECA chapter, led by junior brothers Cam and Eli Gordon, is a club focused on preparing students in marketing, fnance, hospitality, and management. At DECA’s most recent showing at Districts in January, the club captured four district championships and seven placements in events such as Financial Services and Entrepreneurship. The DECA team now enthusiastically awaits its return to the State competition in Hershey on February 17, where they’ll be sure to put on a show.