April 2015

The Merionite

Ardmore, PA, 19003

April 8, 2015

Ardmore, PA 19003

The

official

student

newspaper

of

Lower

Merion

High

School

since

1929 www.themerionite.org Volume 85, Issue 5 The official student newspaper of Lower Merion High School since 1929 www.themerionite.org Volume

Superintendent replacement search underway Tori Klevan ’15

fidentiality

throughout

the

first

interview

stage.” However, once the Board narrows down

the

group

of

candidates

to

finalists,

“it

becomes

difficult

to

maintain

confidentiality.” Durtan stated that the reason for the

confidentiality

is

because

“all

of

the

candidates are current educators.”

However, it is known that Dr. Marseille, who is overseeing a school district for the first

time

in

his

current

position,

is

among

those being considered. In support of Dr.

Marseilles,

Student

Council

Treasurer

Adrienne Rose explains that “[he] has made such

an

effort

with

the

[Student

Council]

officers

this

year,

and

he

really

tries

to

foster

a connection with us and do whatever he can to make our experience at LM better.”

She asserts that Dr. Marseille would do an exemplary

job

if

chosen.

Former student body President Arman Hassan ’14 also believes that Marseille is a great candidate, stating that “a big part of the

superintendent’s

job

is

to

be

in

touch

with the community,” and that “it’s cool that everyone knows Dr. Marseille.” Marseille has the support of some LM faculty as well.

Features Editor

I

n

a

letter

addressed

to

the

LMSD

Community, Dr. Robin Vann Lynch, President of the LMSD Board of School Directors, announced that the Board is considering seven superintendent candidates, including current Acting Superintendent Dr. Wagner Marseille. The Board will conduct

the

first

stage

of

interviews

immediately and continue them through April.

In the initial executive session, the appointed

search

firm,

BWP

&

Associates,

met

with the Board and presented 38 candidates from 16 states, 21 of whom had previous experience as a superintendent. The Board narrowed the list down to seven.

“All of the [seven] candidates that were brought forward have had prior experience as a superintendent,” said one of the BWP search team members, Dr. Stan Durtan, in an interview with The Merionite.

When asked whether the identities of the seven candidates will be available to the public, Durtan said, “I don’t think so.” He explained that

BWP

&

Associates

“protect[s]

the

conPhoto by Julia Bell/Staff

LMSD goes green

GLC returns

Deepika Jonnalagadda ’17

In January, LMSD launched its first istrict-wide

Energy

and

Resource

Conservation

Program.

This

two-year

campaign,

initiated by Patrick Guinnane, the district’s Director of Operations, aims to reduce energy consumption throughout the district.

Guinnane’s hope is for “all LMSD students to better understand their role in energy usage and sustainability” and to realize that “what each of us does on a daily basis has an impact on our earth.”

As a recipient of the US Department of

Education’s

Green

Ribbon

School

District Sustainability Award, the district has long made attempts to reduce its carbon footprint. Over the last 12 years, all of the LMSD schools have been reconstructed or

renovated

with

updated

eco-friendly

technology and infrastructure. Since the buildings are not the only factor in the district’s

energy

efficiency,

the

objective

of this program is to alter the attitudes and regular habits of students and staff.

It motivates everyone—teachers, students, administrators,

office

personnel,

kitchen

staff, and custodians—to make a difference by focusing on simple tasks such as turning off lights and shutting down computers, printers, laminators, shredders, coffee pots, and other electronic devices when not in

NEWS An inside look at the LM Jazz Band

Learn about one of LM’s very talented clubs and its recent competition and read part of their breathtaking haiku. page 4

OPINIONS Achieve 3000

Sophie Rolling explains why Achieve 3000 , a

part

of

the

9th

grade

English

curriculum,

is ineffective. page 6

use. In addition, it encourages members of the community to rethink some of their daily activities by making sustainable decisions such as using reusable water bottles or carpooling with friends.

Supplementing initiatives taken by students and staff the campaign is supported

by

Practical

Energy

Solutions,

a

local consultant. This organization, whose vision

is

to

reduce

the

use

of

finite

energy

resources, is also involved in other school districts

nearby

including

West

Chester

and

Downingtown.

One

of

the

objectives

of

the

program

is to observe a downward trend in energy use that extends beyond the end date of the program. The immediate target is a ten percent decrease in electricity usage and long-term

reduction

of

at

least

ten

percent

of the amount of copy paper used for printing. The district can monitor paper use by tracking the number of pages printed, copied,

and

printed

out

double-sided,

the

preferred method.

Another main focus of the program is how it is adopted by staff and students.

Recently,

teachers

and

students

joined

together at the elementary schools to learn about how each Please see Environmental Policy on page 3

Simone Burde ’17

On Saturday, February 28, about 150 girls from both LM and Harriton attended the Girls Leadership

Conference

(GLC)

at

Harriton

High School. This is LMSD’s second annual

The

conference’s

main

objectives

were

to

help

girls identify their own leadership style so that they

can

plan

their

post-high

school

goals;

to

teach

skills

to

help

girls

gain

confidence,

advocate for themselves, and understand basic

financial

matters;

to

educate

girls about gender issues that are relevant to their success in school and

the

workplace;

to

discuss

ways

to handle gender discrimination and inequities in schools, the workplace, and

society;

and

to

connect

girls

to

female college mentors who share their experiences and views about gender

jobs.

The

Girls

Leadership

Conference

was divided into events in which girls participated in small group workshops. There were also three Photo courtesy of Paula Singer hour-long

conferences

throughout

the day for girls to attend. Many girls Anna Skillings ‘15 and Margo Urheim ‘16 woke up praised the activities as informative at 5 a.m. to prepare for the GLC. and interesting.

Deepika Jonnalagadda, ’17, says Girls

Leadership

Conference.

her favorite part was the documentary Miss This year’s conference was sponsored by Representation,

because

“it

does

a

great

job

Bryn

Mawr

College

and

led

by

college

men- addressing the main issues of gender inequality tors, recent LM and Harriton graduates, and in a motivational way that female professionals from the LM community.

Please see Girls Leadership Conference on page 3

SPORTS Madness of March According

to

junior

David

Maniloff,

there’s no method to the madness of making predictions. page 17

Renewed promise

Please see Superintendent Search on page 2

LM’s baseball team is back in business after

an

off-season

of

hard

work.

Sophomore Kelly Harrigan details their goals for the upcoming season. page 19

A&E Shoe-in for success

Senior

Adrienne

Rose

sells

her

Instagramfamous

self-designed

shoes. page 12

FEATURES Uncommon App Read

confidential

and

never-before-released college essays written by graduating seniors! page 10 and 11

2

NEWS

April 8, 2015

The Merionite

LM Flower Show Club blossoms in Philly

Searching for superintendents

Dora Nathans ’18

Continued from SUPERINTENDENT SEARCH, page 1

All 13 LM participants placed in one of the top three slots of their events.

This past month, the LM Flower Show Club competed and placed in the Philadelphia Flower Show, held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center from February 27 to March 8. This was the culmination of months of hard work by the Flower Show Club.

Every year, the Philadelphia Flower Show, the world’s oldest

and

largest

indoor

flower

show,

attracts

more

than

half a million visitors. All of the proceeds from the Flower Show go to the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, or PHS, an organization that focuses on beautifying the streets and buildings of Philadelphia by adding more greenery. About 20

years

ago,

LM

became

one

of

the

first

high

schools

in

the

area to enter a competitive exhibit in the Flower Show, and they have entered a display every year since.

The Flower Show Club, sponsored by English teacher Lynne Freeland, meets approximately once a month to plan its exhibit and grow its plants. Several weeks before the show, the exhibit is brought to the Convention Center and assembled. This year, the theme of the Flower Show was “Celebrate the Movies.” Each exhibit had a different movie theme.

LM built a garden with a beach theme. LM students began the building of the exhibit in the beginning of the school year and dedicated many hours to growing the plants and designing the display. Their exhibit placed third with an impressive score of 93 out of 100.

Art teacher Harriett Ackerman’s students in metal arts 3H and 4H now enter pieces of their artwork for the show too. When asked about the connection between jewelry and elements of nature, Ackerman pointed out that “in ancient civilization, people would adorn themselves with natural ornamentation.” The metal arts students entered in the category

of

“Animation

Imitation,”

which

is

defined

as

“a

broach

or medallion that a character from a Disney/Pixar movie would wear.” All visible pieces of artwork must be made out of plant material, so the students had to start collecting supplies back in the fall. There are many rules about what materials can and cannot be visible, and all the artwork must be approved before being allowed in the show.

Amanda Trautmann ’17, who created a piece of art for the show, explained that “it can be really stressful, because everything needs to be painted at home, and there are a lot of rules and restrictions.” The hard work did pay off though: all thirteen entrants placed in one of the top three slots.

Trautmann, Emily Murphy ’17, Jillian Rothstein ’17, Emily Goniea ’17, Maya Laincz ’17, and Sarah Wilson-Leslie ’17 received third while Mariana Doughtery ’15, Hana Holquist ’15, Yael Dormont ’15, Arielle Herzberg ’15, and Lauren Breslow

’15

placed

in

second.

In

first

place

were

Jen

Crainic

’16 and Alyssa Pollack ’17.

The art pieces can be found in a display case outside of Ackerman’s classroom, and many of the plants can be found in LM’s greenhouse. If you are impressed with the products and want to take part next year, the Flower Show Club will be meeting in May to discuss possible exhibits for the Flower Show of 2016.

In the words of LM physics teacher Nora Christman, “He has a very exciting vision for the district, and I think he’s passionate and really believes in what he’s trying to do. His focus is education above all else, and so I think that’s a good shift for the focus of the district.”

The district facilitated over 70 focus groups and forums including over 1,000 district stakeholders.

After

spending

five

days

in

LM

and

observing

the

focus groups and forums, Durtan concluded that “while experience was a frequent characteristic that was valued by [the LM] community,” it wasn’t the biggest concern.

The School Board plans to announce its decision in May.

1

-Emily Manin ’15

Cayman Naib A

five-day

search

for

missing

13-year-old

Cayman Naib of Newtown Square came to a close on March 8 when members of Greater Philadelphia Search and Rescue found his body near a creek by the Naib family’s 17-acre property. Naib, an eighthgrade student at the Shipley School in Bryn Mawr, left his house Wednesday night after receiving an email from school that he would fail if he did not turn in a tardy homework assignment. Investigators believe that because of this email, Cayman left home in the middle of a storm. His death was the result of a self-inflicted

gunshot

wound.

Hundreds

of

students,

parents, and members of the community gathered the night of March 8 at the Shipley School to memorialize Cayman.

1. LM’s beach garden placed third at the Flower Show.

Photo courtesy of Harriet Ackerman 2. Robotics had a successful competition with its robot, “Kaylee.”

Photo courtesy of Haley Zuritsky

PA budget reforms impact LM On March third of this year, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf revealed his 2015-2016 budget plan, through which he aims to address issues faced by all Pennsylvanians, particularly senior citizens and members of the middle class.

This involves implementation of reforms in the areas of jobs, government, and – perhaps most relevant to the LM community – education.

In terms of education, the main goal of the potential tax shifts

is

to

relieve

some

of

the

financial

responsibility

for

funding public schools from property owners in districts to the state government. While that involves tax reductions for property owners, Wolf intends to increase the rates of income taxes and sales taxes to compensate. Other plans are to increase funding for public schools by 50 percent, to take a step in the goal of pre-kindergarten for all children in Pennsylvania, and to restore cuts to institutions of higher learning within two years. These reforms mean big changes for LM’s budget: an approximate increase of 276,506 dollars, to a total of 6,834,966 dollars.

-Nina McKay’17

3

-Olivia Johnston’16

On Friday, March 27, Helen Saracina, the perennial secretary

for

the

ninth

grade

office,

retired

her

service

to the district. She has worked within LMSD for 28 years, over half of which have been at LM. She will be greatly missed. In the words of Mr. Sean Hughes, “It has been an honor to work with Helen... She has made so many positive connections with students, parents, and staff.” Congratulations and best of wishes to Ms. Saracina!

-Emily Manin ’15

LM technology club hosts Jr. First Lego League event On Saturday March 21, the LM technology club ran a Jr. First Lego League event for kids ages 6-9 to learn about robotics. At the event, participants brought Lego models and posters that they had created showing a “learning place,” like a museum, library, or park. The projects were then judged and all students left with an award. Coordinated by Olivia Johnston ’16, the event was attended by ten teams and over 40 kids. Although the LM technology club has volunteered at the Jr.FLL event in past years, this year

was

the

first

time

that

it

was

completely

student

r un-

from team sign-ups to fun robotics activities for the kids.

The event was a great success in its goal of introducing young kids to technology in a fun and educational environment.

Helen Saracina retires after 16 years

3. Kids show off their Lego models at the Jr. First Lego League expo.

Photo courtesy of Vivian Klotz

2

LM Robotics successful During the weekend of March 14-15, LM’s newest robot

“Kaylee”

took

part

in

its

first

regional

robotics

competition of the 2015 season. The 2015 “FIRST Robotics Competition,” or FRC, is played in three-onthree alliance style matches composed of teams from high schools across the Mid-Atlantic; each alliance trying to outscore the other.

On

Friday,

during

the

qualification

portion

of

the

competition,

LM’s

Dawgma

Robotics

Team

ranked

fifth

out of the 34 teams.

The next day, Kaylee made Dawgma history! Dawgma’s alliance of three robots made it through the quarterfinals

and

semifinals,

ultimately

placing

second.

Dawgma

received

recognition

as

a

finalist

and

was

awarded

the

Industrial Design award for its dedication to a rigorous design process and intensive work in AutoDesk, a program that helps with the robot designing process.

Dawgma hopes to continue its success at its next competition at Upper Darby High School on March 28 to 29. Because of its high ranking and the awards it received, Dawgma expects to continue to the Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships at Lehigh University.

-Haley Zuritsky’15

NEWS

April 8, 2015

3

The Merionite

LM students plan lunch protest against racism Olivia Johnston ’16 News Editor On Wednesday, March 11, LM was home to a protest speaking out against racial profiling and police brutality. The protest, organized

by Yael Dormont ’15 and Brett Rapkin-Citrenbaum ’15, was held during lunch. During the event, students were able to approach a table at the front of the cafeteria and write their completion of the phrase “I stand up against police brutality and racial profiling because…” on a whiteboard. The responses were photographed and put on Aces Nation.

Dormont and Rapkin-Citrenbaum thought of the lunch protest when they were discussing the current conflicts over race taking place throughout the country. Rapkin-Citrenbaum noted that it is “unfortunate that people are being murdered, largely due to the threat they are branded with simply by their race.” She said that, “The protest was simply a way to spread the word about why every life is important.”

They wanted the protest to be about the racial profiling of all races, not just African Americans.

The two organizers, after first thinking of the protest, spoke to Saleema Smith, the sponsor of the Becton scholars program. Her positive reaction to the idea led them to move forward with organizing the protest. The event, when first advertised, was met with some skepticism from people who felt that a discussion about race should not be led by Caucasian people and should be spearheaded by people of color.

Smith’s involvement dispelled these worries for Dormont and Rapkin-Citrenbaum.

Students of different races participated in the event. Each brought a unique perspective to the event, sharing their experiences with racism.

Some remarked on how they felt targeted by police; others commented on being perceived as a terrorist.

The protest, although it was first met with some reluctance and shyness, turned into a success and drew in students from different races. Overall, Rapkin-Citrenbaum remarked that, “It warmed my heart to see students leave their comfort zones.”

Campus aid Verne holds up the whiteboard with an uncompleted phrase written on it. Surrounding baords show some of the ways that LM students completed the phrase “I stand up against police brutality

and

racial

profiling

because...”

Graphic by Kyra Kwak/Staff

Second annual GLC Continued from GIRLS LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE, page 1 inspires you to get up and start changing the are expected to conform to media standards, and, world.” for this reason, it is our job as young ladies to start Alfred-Levow’s favorite part was learning how to informing other young ladies about their self-worth SING, which “is an acronym for how to get away in order to build self-esteem and confidence.” from someone who is grabbing you from behind.

Poe said, the idea that the most important takeYou jam your elbow into their Solar plexus, then aways were that “part of the reason that women stomp on their Instep, then jab at their Nose, and receive less money than men for the same job is then go for the Groin. It felt [good] to know that because they do not advocate for themselves, bewe had SING and a few cause they are glad other moves to defend they got the job, and ourselves if we needed they don’t want to to!” push their luck. But Skillings enjoyed “the women have every self-defense workshop right to neg otiate taught by a professional for a higher salary taekwondo instructor.” just like men.”

She explained, “since More generally, I’ve never taken a class many girls such as Photo courtesy of Paula Singer O s a z u w a l e a r n e d of that kind before, I GLC participants display their hopes for women in the future. learned a lot, and it “how to be a leader was my favorite workand how to have a shop.” The girls also took many important and voice.”All the girls were very satisfied with the serious ideas away from those workships as well. conference and have set even higher goals for the Through planning and attending the conference, next year’s conference.

Urheim realized that “each person has a unique As Sayoc said, “Who knows how many girls style of leadership that is good for different situ- we will have at the conference next year? I can’t ations, which highlighted even more for me the wait until next year’s conference and I hope… reason why it’s so important to show girls that that this conference really empowers these girls their leadership skills are just as needed as guys’ to aim high and achieve their own goals with no leadership skills.” fear of failing.”

Along that same vein, Foote added that “women

Environmental Changes Continued from LMSD goes green page 1 individual’s efforts can contribute to making a difference in the environment. Students are also trying to motivate the community. For example, at Cynwyd Elementary School, the Green Council students performed a thermographic energy study of the school, measuring the energy waste from electronic devices that were left running. Then, they presented their findings to the rest of the school at an energy conservation assembly and created plans to plant a garden and build a small wind turbine in order to make the school more environmentally friendly.

Since the program is centered largely on the individual actions that people can take rather than major physical changes to the school, the environmental clubs are taking the lead in the high schools. LM’s Environmental Club partakes in activities that relate to environmental issues both in the community and worldwide such as making holiday ornaments out of plastic water bottles in order to draw attention to the large number of bottles wasted every day. During its meetings, the club aims to raise awareness and inform members about environmental issues in a fun way. Junior Sophie Bennett, an officer of the club, believes that these meetings are important, because “knowing how we impact the earth early means that we are more aware of how we can make changes to create a better and more environmentally friendly community.”

Inspiring efforts made by the LM community have already helped reduce the District’s electricity consumption by more than 170,000 kilowatt hours and eliminated 200,000 pounds of carbon emissions, the equivalent of planting about 215,000 full-grown trees! Add to these growing numbers by reconsidering the ways your daily activities affect the environment.

4

NEWS

April 8, 2015

The Merionite

St. Charles Seminary sale could impact LMSD Catherine McFarland ’17 Over the past few months, a seemingly minor issue has caught the community’s attention, and it could greatly impact LMSD. The Archdiocese of Philadelphia decided to sell a portion of the land of St. Charles Seminary in Wynnewood. The result could be an influx in the Township’s population and could cause LMSD to undergo substantial institutional changes.

The Seminary is located at the intersection of Lancaster and City Line Avenues near the Overbrook SEPTA station. This makes this property prime real estate for developers looking to expand into Lower Merion Township; the Seminary has received numerous offers for this 42 acre parcel of land. Developers have different plans for the land, such as the construction of apartments, condominiums, a retirement community, a luxury sports club, single-family

homes, a hotel, or a community-shared open space. Single family homes, a sports club, or a hotel would have little effect on the schools. According to the current zoning laws, developers could only put 110 homes on the 42 acre property. These single family homes would not send enough kids into the district to make a large impact. However, if apartments are created on this land, it could cause huge problems for the district—specifically LM. The creation of apartments could send an influx of students into our district, dramatically increasing the size of the surrounding schools such as Merion Elementary School, Bala Cynwyd Middle School, and LM. Even creating a 55 and older community could increase the number of students as older residents who already live in the township might move into the community,

leaving their homes to be filled with families of school-aged children.

Susan Guthrie, president of the Coalition for Neighborhood Character and Quality, warned that “the redevelopment of such a very large piece of land could easily greatly increase the number of school-age children in the Township. We all need to recognize that new development can have a significant effect on our schools.”

A larger population of students could mean larger class sizes, which could disrupt student learning. It also poses a problem in terms of the limited number of classrooms; many schools might be forced to expand, an endeavor that is both costly and difficult. To account for the surge of students, the Township would probably have to raise taxes.

Besides the foreseen St. Charles

Jazz band blows hard!

Jazz band shines bright at the Cavalcade of Bands jazz competition.

Isabella Dumitrescu ’17 Copy Editor On March 14, LM hosted a jazz competition in conjunction with the Cavalcade of Bands Annual Jazz Competitions. LM’s own jazz band won awards for Best Saxophones, Best Trumpets, and an overall Superior rating, and Zay Smolar ’15 received an honorable mention and an award for Best Soloist. They excelled again on March 21 at a festival at West Chester University, winning Best Saxophones and Trombones with another Superior rating.

“Three hours each week Going up on a Wednesday to bring you this jazz We’ve good rhetoric But even better music Slam, crash, bang, pow... JAZZ!” Haiku by LM Jazz Band

LM’s jazz band is directed by Charles Andrew Neu, an internationally renowned saxophonist, woodwind player, recording artist, composer, and arranger—a man, in the words of his students, “just too famous” to be reckoned with.

Senior Dylan Siegelman, a trumpet player, says, “Under the savory direction of C. Andrew Neu, the LM Jazz Band has achieved a ‘work hard, play harder’ outlook on life.” This hard work certainly has paid off.

In the words of Karli Clark of Upper Moreland High School, “Lower Merion’s sax section is too good. So is the rest of the band.”

Smolar commented, “While we played very well (on March 14 and 21) and I love playing jazz, the best part of being in the band is getting to hang out and mess around with everyone at rehearsals and at every festival.”

LM’s jazz band rehearses once each week for three hours, in addition to participating Charlie Johnson ’15 performs at a recent Jazz Festival.

The jazz band has had a successful season this far.

Photo courtesy of Livia Davis-McCabe

in late night festivals or competitions every weekend. The group can be found at most community events in our area, such as last year’s 16th Anniversary Penn Wynne Summer Hummer Concert, where they presented jazz to local music fans of all ages. Other events, like the Annual Villanova Jazz Festival, have offered them the chance to play in the presence of Jazz virtuosos like Randy Brecker and Denis Diblasio.

LM’s jazz band is described as providing students with a “highly musically challenging environment, using standard jazz repertoire while encouraging stellar performance,” but they are also open to other art forms, including haiku writing. They are very proud of their jazz band haiku, which is read as an introduction before performances.

If you are interested in joining in on the fun, the band has an open-audition policy for any member of the LM music department. If you are not musically inclined, be sure to attend one of their performances. As Ben Epstein ’17 noted, “I have been practicing Shakti meditation for the past 15 years but never have I experienced anything as enlightening or awakening as the Lower Merion Jazz Band Festival!”

apartments, the creation of 2,500 other apartments within LM has already been approved in the last three years, an addition that could increase Lower Merion Township’s population by 10 percent.

In the words of Brian Gordon, an LM commissioner, “The School District is going to have to expand the size of the schools, because the township commissioners have approved thousands more apartment units and increased the zoning laws for height and density to a point where thousands more will come.”

There is a potential solution that could benefit LM. If the Township buys the property, it could transform it into a community space such as a park, or even sports fields to which LM might have access. As of now, nothing is definite, and it could be years before LMSD is affected.

Gun rights group files lawsuit against district Julia Bell ’15 News Editor

On the blustery afternoon of March 15, several dozen protesters took to the Bala Cynwyd Park centerfare to admonish LM officials

for

an

ordinance

that

regulates

guns in public. Several dozen men and women descended to the park to peacefully display their right to bear arms, arriving with

signs,

flags,

and

holstered

weapons.

The contested ordinance, Chapter 109, decrees that only police

officers

and

those

with

“exemptions,”

licensed

carriers, can carry guns in public. The law does not ban guns from public parks, but the protesters rallied around the fact that townships cannot regulate guns because of the state’s precedent, the Pennsylvania Uniform Firearms Act. The groups have further issue with the ambiguity of the wording in the law, which they claim confuses the issue and impinges their federal and state rights. They claim that the ordinance has been illegal since 1974, and that the township has not repealed it.

“Our rights don’t end at the sidewalk, or the boundaries of the park,” Joe Sweeney, rally organizer said “Criminals don’t obey the boundaries of the park, and we are left defenseless inside a park, because a criminal is not going to follow the rules.”

The protest was rallied by community organizers like Joe Sweeney and Steve Piotrowski of the Citizens for Liberty to send

red

flags

to

the

township

of

their

impending

lawsuit

if the law is not changed. “I would rather live in a dangerous freedom than a peaceful slavery,” Piotrowski said to The Merionite.

After listening to rousing speeches, the protesters mingled in the park, swapping stories and picking up litter to “give back to the community.” There were grumbles of anti-gun advocates jamming the park with their cars and putting nails on the street to disrupt the activities. To assert their rights, many of the participants wore unconcealed weapons or brought them in cases and carried signs with sayings like, “I carry a gun because a cop is too heavy.”

In response to the dissenters that believe guns are unsafe in public, Sweeney asserts that “in the right hands of a lawabiding citizen, guns are perfectly safe. Guns don’t go off by themselves.”

On March 20, the gun’s rights group Firearm Owners Against

Crime

filed

a

lawsuit

against

Lower

Merion

Township, led by attorney Joshua Prince, one of the spearheads and a speaker at the Bala rally. The township commissioner has said that the suit is baseless, and the code is consistent with state law.

OPINIONS

April 8, 2015

5

The Merionite

EDITORIAL

Letter to the Editor

A threat we all can acknowledge

To

t he

E ditors: A

c ompelling

e ditorial

a ppeared

i n

t his

s chool

year’s

first

issue

of

The Merionite:

“Perpetual

Inequality:

O ur

own

r ole.”

A s

a n

L M

p arent,

I

was

s truck

by

t his

i mpassioned

e ssay

a nd

h ave

been

t hinking

a bout

i t

e ver

s ince.

The

editors

write

of

the

impact

of

reading

Jonathan

Kozol’s

indictment

of

the

inequities

of

the

American

public

school

system

and

reflect

on

the

role

that

LMSD,

a

high-achieving

suburban

s chool

d istrict,

p lays

i n

t he

p erpetuation

o f

a n

u njust

s ystem

o f

e ducation

f unding.

The

funding

formulas

in

place

since

the

passage

of

the

No

Child

Left

Behind

Act

ensure

that

d istricts

w ith

a mple

r esources,

s uch

a s

o ur

own,

will

continue

to

get

more

funding

to

reward

our

high

scores

on

mandated

tests

while

schools

i n

u nderfunded

d istricts

w ill

p ost

l ower

scores,

f urther

r educing

t heir

s hare

o f

t he

p ie.

The

editors

of

The Merionite

go

beyond

reflecting

on

this—they

courageously

challenge

those

of

us

who

are

part

of

the

LM

family

to

“do

m ore”

t han

r ead

a nd

t hink

a bout

t he

p roblem.

They

urge

taking

action,

despite

the

lack

of

any

“clear

or

easy

solution.”

The

lack

of

such

a

c lear

o r

e asy

s olution

keeps

m any

o f

u s

from

entering

the

fray

on

this

issue,

but,

perhaps,

if

we—students,

teachers,

parents,

and

administrators—can

come

together,

we

can

find

ways

t o

work

t oward

changing

t he

c urrent

funding

system

and

to

support

Philadelphia

Public

S chools.

T he

f act

t hat

L M

i s

a

d esirable

p lace

t o

l ive

and

e ducate

o ur

children

i s

d irectly

t ied

t o

o ur

proximity

t o

P hiladelphia—where

m any

L MSD

parents

work

in

healthcare,

business,

law,

education,

or

the

arts.

Can

we,

as

a

community,

find

ways

to

stand

alongside

the

Philadelphia

Public

S chools,

t o

s upport

t he

r ight

o f

a ll

children

to

the

kind

of

respectful,

safe,

and

highquality

e ducation

t hat

we

h ave

c ome

t o

e xpect

in

L M?

Respectfully, Rachel

M cKay Mother

o f

N ina

M cKay

’ 17

On

Sunday

March

15,

gun

supporters

rallied

in

Bala

Cynwyd

Park,

sporting

handguns

on

their

hips,

protesting

the

ambiguity

of

the

township

ordinance

regarding

gun

laws.

They

were

arguing

that

state

law,

which

says

that

no

municipalities

can

pass

gun

laws,

supersedes

the

LM

township

law

that

prohibits

guns

in

public

parks.

The

ordinance

reads:

“No

person

except

authorized

members

of

the

Police

Department

shall

carry

or

discharge

firearms

of

any

kind

in

a

park

without

a

special

permit,

unless

exempted.”

However,

the

law

also

says

that

if

your

firearm

is

licensed,

you

are

exempt.

Frankly,

their

protest

was

senseless

and

without

reason.

The

protestors

defended

their

actions

by

saying

that

public

parks

which

are

gun-free

zones

are

more

vulnerable

to

gun

attacks,

therefore

allowing

people

to

arm

themselves

would

greatly

decrease

the

threat

that

these

attacks

pose.

But

how

can

we

be

so

sure

that

everyone

with

a

licensed

gun

knows

how

to

operate

it?

What

if

he

or

she

accidentally

misfires

and

shoots

the

child

they

were

trying

to

protect?

In

a

township

such

as

LM,

where

shootings

are

almost

non-existent,

the

argument

of

unsafe

public

parks

is

completely

irrelevant,

making

it

seem

as

if

they’re

trying

to

make

a

problem

out

of

nothing.

“But we, as students, know all too well the threat that gun violence brings to schools.”

They

are

also

suing

the

township

to

overturn

the

ordinance

mentioned

above.

“The

gun

group

is

seeking

damages,

legal

fees,

an

overturning

of

the

ban,

and

an

injunction

to

prevent

the

township

from

passing

any

future

laws

regulating

guns,”

says

Jessica

Parks

of

Philly.com.

We,

as

an

editorial

board,

are

not

the

only

people

who

feel

threatened

by

the

rally

and

the

legal

action

ensuing.

Many

LM

citizens

were

disturbed

to

hear

that

people

who

don’t

even

live

in

the

district

came

into

our

township

to

protest

something

that

doesn’t

necessarily

concern

them.

Who

knows

if

all

of

the

people

at

the

rally

are

experienced

with

firearms

and

could

fire

it

safely

and

accurately?

This

concern

alone

is

enough

to

condemn

the

rally.

But

we,

as

students,

know

all

too

well

the

threat

that

gun

violence

brings

to

schools.

It

seems

as

if

we

are

often

hearing

about

tragedies

at

schools

not

so

unlike

ours,

where

students

pack

their

backpacks

with

handguns

instead

of

textbooks,

or

mentally

disturbed

strangers

kill

helpless

kindergarteners

for

no

apparent

reason.

The

issue

could

not

be

more

serious,

and

to

hear

that

people

are

protesting

for

their

right

to

carry

these

destructive

weapons

only

three

miles

from

our

school

is

insensitive

and

counter-productive.

The

protestors

do

not

and

will

never

have

our

support

when

it

comes

to

gun

rights

in

public

parks

or

any

other

place

that

children

occupy.

Protesting

something

as

trivial

as

an

ambiguous

law

should

not

trump

the

safety

of

children

who

play

and

learn

in

the

area.

Their

rights

are

not

in

jeopardy—our

lives

are.

Unsigned

editorial

on

this

page

reflects

the

general

opinion

of

staff

editors,

not

the

views

of

individuals.

THE MERIONITE Official

newspaper

of

Lower

Merion

High

School

since

1929 www.themerionite.org Columbia

Scholastic

Press

Assocation

Silver

Crown

2013

Editors in Chief Divya

Arya

’15 Zay

Smolar

’15

Managing Editor Madelyn

Schaeffer

’15

Advisor Chad

Henneberry

News Editors

Arts and Entertainment

Photo Editors

Julia

Bell

’15 Olivia

Johnston

’16 Emily

Manin

’15

Julia

Carstens

’15 Aine

Dougherty

’15

Lily

Taffet

’15 Sloane

Woerdeman

’15

Op-Ed Editors

Sports Editors

Layout Editors

Mitchell

Gladstone

’15 Andrew

McKinney

’15 Daniel

Wilson

’16

Kyra

Kwak

’15 Dylan

Siegelman

’15

Copy Editors

Emily

Morris

’15

Isabella

Dumitrescu

’17 Todd

Gilman

’16

Business Advisor

Dena

Behar

’16 Jonathan

Perlman

’15 Morgan

Perlman

’15

Features Editors Dana

Handleman

’16 Victoria

Klevan

’15 Anna

Skillings

’15

Web Editor

Sean

P.

Flynn,

Esq.

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. All unattributed images are courtesy of WikiCommons.

6

OPINIONS

April 8, 2015

The Merionite

Who really benefited from the lip dub video? need to know about the organizations CvC listed for reference. These organizations have facilitated huge advancements for cancer research, but they have a direct connection to patients. THON is a prime example of this, as hundreds of pediatric cancer patients are invited to the event each year. CvC’s video lacks this direct connection to patients and can be viewed as an attempt to be supportive without really Coaches vs. Cancer (CvC) Committee.

Although social media sites such as YouTube and Face- knowing the depth and seriousness of the situation.

The organizations CvC listed also take direct donations, book are littered with “lip-dub” videos of schools “supportwithout going through a middleman such as PayPal. When ing

the

fight

against

cancer,”

this

is

one

of

the

worst

things

a donation is made through PayPal, a surcharge of 2.2 perfor a cancer patient to see. CvC’s signs of “be brave” and cent

p lus

3 0

cents

is

taken

out.

In

a

fight

where

every

penny

“be strong” are not what a cancer patient wants to see. Becounts,

I

t hink

we

can

find

a

better

way

to

collect

money.

ing diagnosed with cancer is often the scariest moment of I encourage CvC to create a project with a more serious a person’s life and sometimes a patient does not want to be tone, such as a PSA that advocates for cancer patients and “brave” or “strong.” CvC’s signs are not inspiring; they are asks people to donate.

Stand Up 2 Cancer is a great organizademeaning. A cancer patient needs a community to lean on, tion that produces PSAs throughout the year starring celebnot a clueless student body dancing around school hallways rities standing up to cancer.

While these videos are entertainto an upbeat top 40 song. A cancer patient needs to be recing, there is an underlying serious tone, a tone that CvC’s ognized as a person, not a sob story. video lacks.

CvC’s video should not highlight the students In a 2005 book titled Help Me Live: 20 Things People With and

o rganizations

o f

L M

b ut

t he

c ause

it

is

fighting

for.

CvC

Cancer Want You to Know, author Lori Hope highlights that says that its video will encourage patients, but if you were a cancer patients want to “feel heard, respected, understood, teenager with cancer, would you be encouraged by hundreds and valued.” CvC’s video focuses on the students of LM, of happy high-schoolers jumping and singing while you are not the issue at hand. Though there obviously is no intenconstrained to a hospital bed and I.V unit? tion of celebrating cancer from CvC’s video, it is not free of I hope CvC takes my thoughts into consideration and beoffense. The way CvC publicized the video was completely comes more informed on the topic of cancer research, how inappropriate. I think trying to inform the student body on patients feel about these kinds of projects, and what we can what CvC’s does is a good start because “basically Coaches do to make cancer patients feel better, not just physically but vs. Cancer raises money for cancer research throughout the emotionally as well. year” is not cutting it.

As a survivor of childhood cancer, I know more than I Photo by Amelia Carpenter ’16 Gus Daly raising money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, an organization dedicated to

fighting

blood

cancer,

at

the

Mr.

LM

performance

on

Februrary

26,

2015

in

the

LMHS

auditorium.

Gus Daly ’15 Last year, many of you participated in a school wide “lipdub” event, which was an effort to raise money and awareness about cancer. Before the project was started, I voiced my concerns anonymously and received a response that I felt was apathetic to my concerns. A response I received from Coaches Vs. Cancer cited fundraisers such as THON and Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure as comparisons to the lip dub video. The video LM produced does not come close to the efforts of these organizations.

The following is adapted from a letter I wrote to

More languages: a worldly pursuit guage that they have been exposed to since a young age. have interests in learning about the unique, and sometimes Around 1.2 billion people speak some form of Chinese less common, native languages of immigrants. as their primary language. With such a large percentage of In addition, many students,who may consider majoring in the world’s population speaking Chinese, there is a high like- languages

or

linguistics

in

college,

would

benefit

from

having

lihood that LM students will meet people who speak one of multiple language choices in high school. many Chinese dialects.

It

would

benefit

the

LM

community

to

have

greater

opLearning Chinese would, even on a very basic level, give tions both in a 4-year format as well as in semester electives. an LM student an understanding of Chinese culture and the These classes could include multi-media and multi-sensory skill to better interact with the Eastern World. There exists experiences such as foreign foods and potentially exchange a disconnect in our process of learning about the world at students from other countries. This will not only make the LM. optional language classes more enjoyable, but it will also give Many students learn about foreign countries in history students a chance to study certain cultures that they otherclasses but never get exposure to the countries’ languages wise would not have the opportunity to explore. and cultures. In African and Asian Studies, a course that all Through having a larger variety of languages, LM stufreshmen are required to take (prior to fall 2015), we learn dents will be more accepting of and knowledgeable about in depth about the history of different types of people India, yet we rarely hear what and cultures. The more peoHindi,

one

of

India’s

official

ple are educated about other languages, sounds like. We languages, cultures, and traShuli Weinstein ’18 are sometimes introduced to ditions, the more respectful When there are approximately 6,500 spoken languages commonly heard words that they will be of other people, around the world today, why does LM, one of the most pertain to learning about Inand they will be better prehighly regarded schools in the Commonwealth of Pennsyl- dia’s culture, but we rarely pared for the tomorrow’s vania, only offer four? Spanish, French, and Japanese, three have the time to delve into working world. of the languages offered at LM, are common languages linguistic nuances.

We are no longer able spoken throughout the world today. Latin, another language If Hindi were offered as a to operate in a purely local offered, is also a helpful language to know, because many language at LM, there is the environment. The internet English words are derived from Latin although it is, generally possibility that many students has connected us all. From speaking, not used orally today. Though most people agree who enjoyed learning about building cars, conducting that these four languages are useful languages to know, there India would choose to enroll business, and collaborating should also be options for students to take other, additional in a semester elective or peron medical treatment, our languages. haps even a more advanced generation will constantly Adding extra language electives is important because class in the language. be using technology to contechnology has opened up the possibility to worldwide colMy grandparents’ generanect. laboration in a number of careers. LM students would bene- tion, a time period following While English may be fit

in

the

long

r un

by

being

able

to

communicate

with

others

World War II, saw an uptick our primary language for across the globe without language barriers. of interest in Central and communication, it is vital While some LM students may have exposure at home or Eastern European languages to know the basic terms in through religious schools to other languages, not all students such as German and Rusother languages as it can be receive this opportunity. Additionally, even with exposure to sian. Many schools across the critical to building successful other languages, students will not have the chance to develop country changed their curricpartnerships. the

tools

to

successfully

and

fluently

communicate

in

these

ulum to offer these languages.

It is important that we respective languages.

Similarly, today, many people take

the

first

step

by

broadDrawing by Andreas Blobel ’17 For example, many students at LM have learned basic immigrate to the U.S. from ening the already excellent Hebrew vocabulary and grammar skills at religious school as Spanish speaking countries, language programming at young children, but they have not had the chance to contin- and many schools are offering Spanish.

LM. This can best be accomplished by offering other lanue their learning of that language as they have matured into But there are also many immigrants from East Asia who guages such as Chinese, Hebrew, German, and Italian as their teenage years. Many of them never even learn how to we could take more interest in. There has always been a curi- electives. Through these electives, LM students will be able write and speak in the language in an intelligible way, learn- osity with other cultures during periods of large immigration to better connect and interact in the global world. ing just to read it for their bar or bat mitzvah. If LM offered to the US. Just as our grandparents had an interest in Eastern Hebrew, students could expand their knowledge of the lan- European languages following WWII, many students today

OPINIONS

April 8, 2014

7

The Merionite

We don’t achieve with

Sophie Roling ’18 This year, the LM freshmen have endured countless hours of staring mindlessly at their computer screens.

We have skimmed through mundane articles about a variety of topics and quickly answered questions about what we have read. The prime objective is that we score above 75 percent on the short quizzes that follow the article, so we can move on with our lives. For the freshmen, these activities seem unnecessarily time-consuming.

Achieve3000 is an online education program designed to prepare students for standardized testing. The curriculum is designed to help all students reach the same level of education set by the Common Core standards. Included in an Achieve3000 lesson is an article, questions relating to the article, and an optional thought question. Each quarter, the freshman class is required to complete a minimum number of articles, and for

many classes, the questions have to be answered with a minimum percent of accuracy.

At LM, we strive to be above average with our academics. We have a four-day cycle, and we meet in English class three times out of those four days for fifty-five minutes. Since the beginning of this year in my English class, we have spent one out of every three classes working on completing the achieve articles.

I asked my English teacher, Bill Quinn, why it was necessary for us to do these articles. He responded that the English department implemented this mandatory change in curriculum to prepare us for the tenth grade literature Keystone exams.

All of the time spent preparing for these standardized tests could be used in much better ways. Without these exercises, we would be able to read more books and other literature. This would help improve our vocabulary just as much, if not more, than reading any of these articles. Reading more in English would lead to more intellectual discussions, which are not only interesting but also educational. We would also have more time to write. Although Achieve3000 includes free-response writing questions, it does not offer the constructive critique and feedback from classmates and teachers that could benefit a developing writer. If less time was spent focusing on preparing for standardized tests, we could live up to the LM tradition of surpassing the standards of the education system and focus our time on more reading and writing.

Along with lost class time, completing the Achieve3000 articles has other downsides. How is it beneficial when the articles are completely unrelated to

the rest of the English curriculum? Many of them are uninteresting to students, so they tend to spend less time reading the articles and focus more on answering the questions. Reading is an important skill, but the website makes it fairly simple to bypass reading the article and move straight to the questions.

Shuli Weinstein ’18 feels that, “the articles do not help us expand our knowledge in English class, and it would be more beneficial to read anything that relates more to what we are currently learning.” Other students have told me that they have younger siblings in middle school who are required to complete the same articles we read. Not gaining any meaningful knowledge from these uninteresting articles is unfortunate considering we are devoting such a large amount of class time to them.

We are now three quarters into the school year, and soon it will be time to evaluate what we have learned throughout the course of the year. The mandatory obligation to complete these Achieve3000 articles has made freshmen feel as though they have actually achieved less and less in their English education. Instead of escalating our educational career to more advanced levels, the constant use of this website has in fact lowered the intellectual level to focus on the ideals set by the Common Core. At LM, we shouldn’t strive to be just what is expected from some arbitrary guideline. We should strive to exceed the expected level, and Achieve3000 appears to be a barrier holding our school back. Hopefully, the incoming freshman class next year will not have to face the same requirements with this website, and the LM community can continue to advance education.

Cheerleading is a sport: is dance not?

Lindsay Shapiro ’15 Two teams, very similar goals. LM Cheer and LM Dance Team have the same responsibilities of showing off their skills and hyping up the crowd. If the groups are so similar in concept, why are they seen so differently?

Lower Merion Dance Team (LMDT) was created in 2006 by a small group of senior girls. Since then, the team has grown to be a major part of LM extra-curricular activities.

“One of the main reasons I came to LM was because of the Dance Team,” sophomore LMDT member Morgan Naiberg said. “I had watched videos and heard of how amazing they were and I couldn’t wait to be a part of something so awesome.” Similar to LM Cheer and many other sports, LMDT starts every fall with auditions and then practices twice a week and every day leading up to big performances such as the Radnor pep rally, Maroon Madness, and Mr. LM. Because of their athletic essence, LMDT has been asking for more recognition. Past Captain Lila Murphy ’14 explored why PIAA has not considered making Dance a sport when Cheerleading has been a sport for decades.

Murphy said, “The biggest disadvantage of not being a sport is not receiving varsity credit especially when applying to college.”

Junior LMDT member Meredith Anderer explains how this has affected her, “Since I’m a junior, I’m dealing with applying to National Honor Society.” NHS requires a certain number of points to be eligible, and varsity sports can

get you 10 while clubs can only get you 5. Anderer continues, “While we don’t practice every day of the week, dance team runs through both the fall and winter season, so we put in at least as much time as effort as a varsity athletes put in for a single season. Dance, along with being a form of art, is athletic, so why do sports players get more credit for the same amount of time dedication?”

Although there are certain advantages to being a club instead of a sport—like unlimited use of school facilities and only one tryout—many believe that LMDT members’ dedication renders them worthy of being considered a sport.

The cheerleaders have a very similar schedule to the dance team. They practice three times a week to work on their routines sand cheers. The squad has dance routines and special tricks just like the dance team. Captain Jill Cameron explains where the differences lie. “I think cheerleading is a sport because we’re doing stunts and stuff like that and that requires a lot of athleticism.

Also, in the past the cheerleaders have competed at big competitions.”

The cheerleaders do have a larger catalog of tricks and gymnastics, which add an extra level of athleticism.

However, being a gymnast is not required when trying out for the squad. Cheerleaders at LM also do not compete. As five-year

cheerlead-

ing coach Kim Shalon explains, “Cheerleaders are more in it for the fun.” But, as dance team sponsor Nora Christman has pointed out, “If the football team decided to stop playing games, would they still be considered a sport?”

If you look at the current state of both teams, there are very little differences other than the labels. Dance teams are growing in interest and have been seen in a college and professional level, participating alongside the cheerleaders.

High schools in other states have taken advantage of their dancers’ talent and allow the two teams to coexist alongside each other each with equal athletic recognition. In the future, dance team members would like to see more acknowledgements for their hard work rather than be considered as just another club.

Lindsay Shaprio believes that performances such as during Mr. LM, should allow LMDT to be considered a sport.

this

one

Photo by Tori Klevan/staff

OPINIONS

April

8,

2015

8

The Merionite

Nature: a new approach to education at LM

Morgan Perlman ’15 Op-Ed Editor You sit among your peers on the rickety, rock-hard stools waiting

for

the

teacher

to

introduce

the

class.

You

stare

at

the

creative and exaggerated depictions of cells and molecules.

The projector turns on and the teacher opens the day’s lessons

with

another

PowerPoint.

The

brightly

colored

graphics

complemented

with

a

few

dry

words

are

no

surprise.

You

are

a

seasoned

LM

Student,

going

through

this

same

routine

at

least

three

times

a

week.

Your

teacher

reviews

your

textbook

reading and then defaults to her lecturing on the anatomy of the

plant

cell

or

the

optimal

placement

of

a

sewage

treatment

plant.

Many

LM

students

probably

have

had

experiences

like

that in their biology, environmental science, or other natural science

class.

It

is

the

same

controlled

curriculum

in

the

same

controlled environment controlled by the same controlled teachers controlled by the same administration. There is a major

flaw

in

the

education

system

for

LM’s

natural

and

earth

sciences,

perpetuated

by

LM’s

ridged

and

homogenized

approach to academics.

Education is a dynamic and diverse thing. You can’t ap-

ply the same teaching methods to environmental science that apply to mathematics or history. But that appears to be the pedagogical

approach

of

LM

and

most

other

high

schools.

Much of the learning in a history or mathematics is done in

a

classroom

with

a

lecture,

and

students

can

ask

questions

and problem solve. And outside of class, it is often complemented by textbook reading, and for math, more problem solving.

That

is

the

common

paradigm

for

pedagogy

at

LM

and

works

well

for

those

areas.

But

when

that

paradigm

is

applied

to

biology,

environmental science, geology, meteorology or other natural sciences class, it misses a fundamental learning component essential to

the

natural

sciences

—

in-the-field,

hands-on

experience.

As

an

avid

birdwatcher

and

nature

enthusiast,

I

am

fully

convinced that some of the best learning is accomplished outside

the

concrete

confines

of

a

classroom.

I

have

taken

both

biology

and

AP

environmental

science

here

at

LM

and

have

realized

that

my

experience

seeing

a

white-winged

crossbill

snip

away

at

the

seeds

of

hemlock

cones

teaches

me

more than any classroom lesson on evolution, competition, or

adaptation.

I

can

go

five

minutes

away

from

LM’s

doors

and observe all of the natural phenomena that are discussed in

a

week’s

classroom

lesson.

I

can

even

learn

what

could

never be understood seated at a desk.

In

the

field,

a

student

could

experience

for

himself

the

habitat an oak tree provides a caterpillar that feeds the oriole,

which

builds

the

nest

and

lays

eggs

that

feeds

the

snake

that

feeds

the

hawk.

All

of

these

interconnected

parts

to

the

natural

world

that

a

student

may

learn

in

classroom

can

be

experienced

and

better

understood

in

real

life,

in

the

field.

A

student

is

able

to

formulate

his

own

judgments

and

ideas

about

nature

when

it’s

experienced

and

lived.

Learning

in

the

field

has

a

way

of

enhancing

one’s

life

that

a

classroom

experience cannot.

In

APES

(AP

environmental

science),

there

is

a

unit

on

biomes.

It

is

instilled

in

the

students

that

we

live

in

a

“temper-

ate

deciduous

biome.”

A

question

relating

to

that

often

manifests itself on a classroom test and in a classroom lecture. But students

never

really

know

what

that

term

truly

means.

Few

LM

students

really

learn

or

understand

what

birds

are

in

their

own

backyard

during

each

season

or

what

trees

surround

their

house,

and

how

they

shape

the

community

we

live

in.

Truly

understanding

what

a

“temperate

deciduous

biome”

is

in

Lower

Merion

requires

that

the

teacher

and

student

take

the

leap

out

of

the

classroom’s

concrete

walls

into

nature and see the juncos by fall and orioles by spring.

It

should

not

go

without

notice

that

my

ninth

grade

biology teacher, Elliot Burch, realized the value of moving the class

into

the

field.

Within

the

constraints

of

the

curriculum,

he

found

time

to

take

us

on

bird

walks

through

the

neighborhood

surrounding

the

school.

He

replaced

PowerPoints

with

binoculars

and

our

desks

with

our

walking

feet.

Many

of

his

students

engaged

with

nature

in

ways

they

never

had

before. They began to identify the local birds by both sight and sound

and

understand

how

some

of

the

textbook-learned

biology

manifests

itself

in

real

life.

If

we

incorporated

this

more sensible approach to the natural sciences in our curriculum,

teachers

like

Burch

would

have

the

freedom

to

teach

biology

in

its

most

natural,

enjoyable,

and

effective

way.

A

part

of

living

in

a

biome

and

giving

it

its

label

is

knowing

what

surrounds

you.

Taking

notice

of

the

old

beach

tree

that sits in your backyard, the bedrock formation that creeps out

of

the

ground

up

the

hill,

or

the

local

stream

where

you

can

see

the

kingfisher

perch

for

its

afternoon

meal

enhances

your understanding of the community you live in and in turn your everyday life.

Perhaps

there

is

an

opportunity

for

LM

to

go

beyond

the

arbitrary restraints of the AP curriculum and our limited approach to education. Teachers and students alike can enjoy together the surprises and beauty of an unbounded classroom in nature.

Why nonprofits are hurting our schools The School District of Philadelphia, the eighth largest school district in the country, is facing a dire

financial

situation. Many Philadelphia schools have had to cut their budgets, so there are no extracurricular activities, 35-40 students in each class, and no security personnel or nursing Will Rieke ’16 staff available to keep the students safe. These dreadful conditions make it very difficult

for

students

to

learn.

These

problems

are

the

result

of

their

inability

to

stay

afloat.

I

will

explore

the

reasons

why

they

cannot

sustain

themselves

financially.

According to the Fiscal Year 2015 Budget, the School District of Philadelphia is 400 million dollars short of the necessary funds to meet its educational goals. What is keeping the school district from obtaining the funds necessary to succeed?

I

found

that

a

number

of

very

large

“not-for-profit”

organizations are in part responsible for this problem, because they deprive the District of property taxes. According to a 2013 Philadelphia Controller assessment, a tremendous 24 percent of all assessed property value in Philadelphia is tax exempt “not-for-profit”

real

estate.

The

University

of

Pennsylvania,

Drexel

University,

Temple

University,

La

Salle

University, the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Jefferson University,

the

Barnes

Foundation,

and

the

Philadelphia

Art

Museum

are

a

few

of

the

“not-for-profit”

institutions

that

own

huge

and

expensive

tracts

of

land

in

the

city.

However,

these organizations do not pay a single cent to the District— not one penny.

The

University

of

Pennsylvania,

with

its

302-acre

cam-

pus

in

West

Philadelphia

and

network

of

hospitals

scattered

across the city, is perhaps the biggest culprit. According to UPenn’s

website,

the

University

has

a

rapidly

growing

9.6

billion

dollar

endowment

fund

and

a

7.25

billion

dollar

annual

budget.

As

their

endowment

and

budget

grow,

so

do

their property-tax-exempt facilities; they recently bought a

42-acre

tract

of

prime

real

estate

in

the

city.

UPenn,

like

most

“not-for-profit”

institutions

in

the

city,

has

a

positive

revenue stream and could easily afford to pay property taxes.

But

the

position

the

University

has

taken

appears

to

be

that it is more prudent to spend money on other things, like UPenn

President

Amy

Gutmann’s

2.8

million

dollar

salary.

In

the

past,

critics

have

been

assuaged

with

voluntary

PILOTs

(Payments

In

Lieu

of

Taxes)

financed

by

universities.

But

a

few

years

ago,

UPenn

and

nine

other

area

universities

abruptly stopped the program.

UPenn

is

the

prime

example,

but

are

others

too.

Philadelphia

has

an

unusually

high

number

of

profit

generating

businesses

that

qualify

as

“not-for-profits.”

“Not-for-profits,”

like

the

ones

mentioned

above,

are

not

little

charities

with

a

clear,

benevolent

mission

helping

people

“at

risk.”

Rather,

they

are

large,

moneymaking

institutions,

which

function

more

like

“for-profit”

entities

than

“not-for-profit”

institutions.

The School District of Philadelphia has an opportunity to

decrease

its

400

million

dollar

annual

deficit

by

a

whopping

276

million

dollars.

All

the

city

has

to

do

is

tax

the

nonprofit’s

aggregate

37.4

billion

assessment

property

value

at

the

standard

tax

rate

and

send

55

percent

(standard

allocation

rate)

of

that

revenue

to

the

School

District.

In

this

proposed

scenario,

it

is

important

to

realize

that

the

“not-forprofits”

that

really

do

assist

those

at

risk

would

be

minimally

affected

if

at

all,

because

they

do

not

own

a

large

portion

of

the exempt real estate.

The citizens of Philadelphia are essentially being robbed by huge organizations that characterize their lucrative busi-

nesses

as

“not-for-profits.”

The

“not-for-profits”

use

public

resources

like

streets,

highways,

sewage,

and

water

infrastructure

financed

by

taxpayers

but

do

not

provide

any

relief

by

paying their fair share for the public utilities themselves.

You

probably

are

wondering

if

this

exists

in

Lower

Merion

Township

too?

The

answer

is

yes

but

not

with

the

same

severity

as

in

Philadelphia.

LM

is

home

to

“not-for-profits”

such

as

Bryn

Mawr

College,

Haverford

College,

the

Haverford

School,

the

Baldwin

School,

the

Shipley

School,

and

a

multitude

of

religious

organizations

with

expansive

tracts

of

real

estate.

However,

according

to

data

from

the

Fiscal

Year

2015

LM

budget

and

the

Philadelphia

2013

controller

assessment, the total assessed value of the exempt property in

LM

is

close

to

1.1

billion

dollars

compared

to

Philly’s 37.4

billion dollars.

“Not-for-profits”

such

as

universities,

private

schools,

churches, museums, and hospitals are taking advantage of an antiquated

taxation

system.

To

fix

this

system,

we

need

a

new

definition

for

“not-for-profit”

organizations.

True

not-forprofits

should

be

defined

as

the

small,

truly

charitable

homeless

shelters

and

food

banks

with

limited

resources

whose

mission is to help society’s underprivileged. We cannot have a

ridiculous

loophole

giving

relief

to

these

“not-for-profit”

cash-generating

institutions

run

by

executives,

CEOs,

and

presidents

who

are

paid

millions.

I

acknowledge

that

there

are

terrific

organizations

out

there

like

food

banks

and

homeless

shelters,

which

should

be exempt. But this rule has been taken advantage of by profit-generating

enterprises

and

inefficient

organizations

that

could

survive

without

a

tax

break.

Unfortunately,

this

moral

and

good-intentioned

law

has

done

more

harm

than

good.

If

the

government

is

going

to

regulate

organizations

through

taxes

they

should

do

it

fairly

on

a

level

playing

field

or

else

the

School

District

of

Philadelphia’s

situation

will

continue

its

unjust,

unwarranted,

and

painful

deterioration

towards

bankruptcy.

Graphic

by

Dylan

Siegleman/staff

FEATURES

April, 8 2015

9

The Merionite

BY ISABELLA DUMITRESCU ’17 Copy Editor Imagine if, when looking at the end of a hallway, instead of seeing crowded nooks of

students

on

the

floor,

you

saw

comfy

couches, collaboration tables, and even a coffee machine. Those are among the improvements that LM’s Student Council is brainstorming right now, and, with the help of Principal Sean Hughes and the central administration, these ideas may soon become reality.

Currently, the largest idea in the works is reconfiguring

the

library

with

additions

like

individual cubicle spaces, large whiteboards, projectors, and presentation TVs. Student Council President Tori Klevan ’15 commented that “LM lacks spaces for students to collaborate, and I think that the initiatives we’re pursuing will give students just that.”

The student body received the ideas warmly. Will Horn ’18 says, “The issue with the library is that, a lot of the time, a large section of it of is reserved for a class that never shows up, so that space can’t be used.

Having more spaces around the school where we could get our work done would be great.”

Another potential change, which Hughes calls the “Hour of Power,” has gained traction. The “Hour” consists of a period-length mix between frees, AR and super lunch. The new schedule including the “Hour of Power” could be implemented as soon as next

STUDENT GOVERNMENT REVAMP

school year.

Student

Council

officers

have

proposed

giving students the opportunity to subscribe to a text-alert service to inform students of special schedules, weather alerts, sports, and spirit updates. Ideally, students would be able to adjust the settings of the text-alerts to personalize the categories of messages they receive.

While these projects seem extremely beneficial,

there

are

a

few

logistical

setbacks.

The “Hour of Power” could encourage students to leave campus, and AR could be overcrowded for the students who choose to

stay.

In

addition,

it

would

be

difficult

for

teachers to know when they could eat lunch,

so meetings with students would need to be scheduled

in

advance

or,

at

least,

confirmed

earlier in the day.

All these little changes will add up in cost.

Fortunately, LM has a large alumni network, and Hughes hopes to get donors excited about the upcoming renovations.

“We could be talking about, for example, the ‘Sean Hughes Quiet and Collaborative Zone.’ Right now, we have a brand-new 21st century building that is great but can be even better. So many technological and educational developments have been made even in the

five

years

since

the

building

was

planned,

so we have to update ourselves to make sure our students are getting the best,” Hughes

noted. This plan should raise enough money to introduce, experimentally, couches and tables in the hallways as soon as the end of this year.

Given their costs, the other changes are expected to take a bit longer, but minor construction of collaborative spaces may begin next year. To quote Mr. Hughes, “We’re looking at all possible innovative opportunities to implement our strategic plan. It’s very futuristic right now and mainly focused on teacher-student collaboration. We want to have self-direction in learning goals and work on a greater sense of community here at LM, and I’m hoping that some changes will help get us there.”

Photo by Lily Taffet/Staff

Club spotlight: Page Turners

BY PHILIP MANCUSO ’15 Page Turners, a new and exciting group at LM, is on the rise. The purpose of Page Turners is to explore, discuss, and dissect literature with peers, similar to a book club.

There is a new club creating quite a pulse club has been very popular among juniors, LM librarian Pam McGlone, created the

BY MATT D’AQUILA ’17 in room 327. During AR and continuing unbut has not gained a whole lot of attention group hoping to gather a closely-knit group til 3:30 p.m., there are brilliant minds ready within the other classes. When asked if AP of roughly ten students who have a pasto make some dough. LM’s fresh and excit- investors coming in to present, Rieke hopes Economics was a necessary course to have sion for reading. Members meet once every ing Investment Club helps its members ap- that

the

nuances

and

the

terminology

of

fi- taken before joining the club, Rieke says, two weeks to talk about the assigned text. ply real-world knowledge to investing and nance and investing can be made clearer and “AP Econ is helpful to take but by no means Examples of books Page Turners read are can even help enhance members’ stock port- more user friendly to members. He believes necessary.” He goes even further to say that The Help and Jumped. Although McGlone folios for the years to come. that Investment club “is a great place to most of the club’s members have not actu- and other instructional aids help moderate Will Rieke ’16, President of the Invest- start, because almost everyone is a beginner, ally taken the course. and direct discussion, the group is mostly ment Club, came up with the idea after his and we all learn together.”

Since Rieke is greatly interested in the student-run. Charter members—two-year cousins brought an investment club to their Expounding more upon the goings-on at stock market, learning from actual investing members of the group—remind new memown school. Because of his cousins’ success, the Investment Club, Rieke says that, usually, experts, and running the Investment Club, I bers that they are expected to take initiaRieke looked into starting something simi- the meetings feature a professional investor asked him about some of the companies that tive and keep up with the assigned reading. lar at LM. Since he is interested in the stock in

a

particular

field.

The

club’s

last

meeting

are on the rise and worth investing in. Rieke Charter Members are experienced with the market himself and enjoys learning about featured Tower Bridge Advisors, who came said that he is especially bullish on the secu- dynamics of the club and are expected to the

way

the

economy

works,

Rieke

figured

in to teach the group’s members on how to rity sector. He revealed that companies like lead and help other members of the group that LM could use a club for people like him. analyze a particular stock. Rieke says his goal “Fireye, Cyberark, and Palo Alto Networks” with their reading.

LM’s new Investment Club is a discussion- is to have his members become comfortable are up and coming. He says, “as cyber-attacks McGlone appreciates when students based club where one can learn the “ins” enough to put their money in the stock mar- rise in volume so do these companies’ rev- approach her with young adult books they and “outs” of the market, and how to invest ket rather than the bank. enues and stock prices.” Business analytics would like to read. For example, Page Turnwith real money.

“Since 1900, the annual return on the to- software is another area on which Rieke is ers members asked if Divergent by Veronica “There is no online game in our club, and tal market index (compilation of all stocks, bullish. “These guys have great margins, and Roth would be an acceptable book for disthe ultimate goal is for everyone involved to percentage in fund based on market cap) their revenue growth is through the roof.” cussion. The library purchased ten copies become

confident

in

their

investing

skills,”

is nine percent and the bank is only one No

matter

what

field

of

work

you

want

of the book and the students were thrilled. says Rieke. “To teach investment skills, we percent. That is the difference between be- to go into, skill and knowledge in investing “We want the students to enjoy their reading have

financial

and

investment

experts

come

coming a multi-millionaire and not having can be important. We live in the country with and make new connections that they otherin and present to our members.” enough money to retire,” said Rieke. Never- the biggest economy in the world. The U.S. wise would not have made,” says McGlone.

Not just any investors, but investors theless, Rieke did disclose the multitude of has lots of booming sectors, especially in Reading texts like The Help gives memfrom Boenning and Scattergood, the largest risks with putting your money in the market, technology, real estate, and in different com- bers perspective and force us to deal with brokerage

firm

in

Philadelphia,

visit

the

club.

rather than a bank. modities. If you are looking for the shrewd- real life moral issues. Hence, being involved Rachel Perlman, the Senior Vice President Now that the club has started, it is look- ness to be able to play the market to your with this group has not only made me a betof Fixed Income Sales at Boenning will be ing for new members. Rieke says that the advantage, then the Investment Club will ter writer, but also a better individual and coming to speak on March 25. With expert provide you insight to do just that. the man I intend to become.

Top investment professionals speak at new Investment Club

Photo courtesy of WikiCommons

Art by Andrea Barnes

10

SPECIAL FEATURE

April 8, 2015

The Merionite

Some students have a background or story that is so central to their identity that they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.

Two hundred sixty one days ago… …And from the blue corner. Weighing 150 pounds. She hails from

the

w ealthy

streets

of

Lower

Merion.

She

has

been

fighting

since

birth, born two and a half months early. Conceived by a high school diploma and college education, Gabrielle is the product of a dysfunctional village. She is rated by many as a bright, effervescent star…

FIGHT! My opponent came at me, and I two stepped to the right,

once

to

the

back

and

dodged

the

first

punch.

A

little

cocky

and

arrogant,

I

began

to

smirk,

but

before

I

finished

–crunch- life’s right hook caught my chin. The news of my aunt’s uterine cancer stung my cheek. Within four weeks she was gone.

Sore,

I

put

my

arms

back

up,

fists

tight

prepared to defend myself. Life came at me once again. My parent’s custody battle hit me with a three-jab combo. I crouched for relief, but it was

too

late,

my

mom

had

no

job,

my

step-dad

was

fired

from his, and suddenly the weight of the world was placed on my shoulders. I screamed, hoping to get a moment of relief, but life came back. It threw a bolo punch. My grandfather, was in the hospital. His heart was failing. Trying to

GABRIELLE RICHARDSON

claw my way out of the ring, I heard life laugh behind me followed by a tap on my shoulder. I turned, and then came the knockout. A text from my father that read, “ I am removing myself from your life. We have nothing left to offer each other anymore. [...] I have wasted 17 ½ years with my child.[...] Congratulations!” For

the

first

time,

I

was

alone,

drowning

in

pity,

my

strength, gone.

In my darkness, I was taken back to kindergarten. The only black child at an all white Catholic school, pre-K through 8th, it was my week to be shining star, meaning I was line leader, and in charge of snack for the class. My mother, too preoccupied with her own success, forgot to buy snack and I went to school empty handed. That night, I cried in the arms of

my

aunt,

and

she

said,

“You

are a falling star today.”

Over the course of the past 261 days, I have once again felt like a falling star. I had worked so hard to always shine, I had forgotten the importance

of

occasionally

dimming.

In

becoming

a

figure

of

academic strength and leadership, I had become weak. I lost the

fight

that

had

g otten

me

so

far.

Instead

of

attacking

life,

“...life’s hook caught my chin.”

TOMMY GUO Some students have a background or story that is so central to their identity that they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.

Afterword If my life were made into a picture book, with each page illustrating the most important moment of that day, you would discover page 3887 to be mysteriously blank, apart from a small insignificant

note

from

me,

the

author:

an

apathetic

apology,

similar to one a child would give for eating an off-limits cookie.

The

message

would

simply

read:

“Page

3887

is

intentionally

blank. Sorry.”

The

truth

is

that

not

one,

but

two

equally

significant

events

unfolded on Day 3887, thus breaking the one image per page rule. If I were to depict both of them on one page, I would need to justify this infraction with an explanation that simply wouldn’t

fit

in

a

picture

book-but

what

if ?

In

the

first

illustration

on

page

3887,

I

am

watching

the

2008 Beijing Olympics. Reclining to the right is my undoubtedly

American

friend

with

an

eagle

brazenly

flying

across

his

shirt

and a star spangled bandanna knotted around his forehead. My Japanese

friend

is

also

flaunting

his

national

pride,

but

in

the

form

of

an

“I

love

Tokyo”

shirt.

And

there

I

am

sandwiched

in the middle and uncomfortably aware of my surroundings.

Wearing an unconvincingly neutral t-shirt, I have a jarring realization about my cultural identity-or rather my lack of one.

My

dilemma:

I

don’t

have

a

nation

to

root

for

in

the

Olympics. What seems like a perfunctory problem, however, strikes

much deeper; it is actually an admission of alienation. Raised in three different countries, I have been constantly on the move.

For me, the attachment to their culture and country that most people experience has been diluted to the point of irrelevance.

In

this

first

illustration,

I

concede

that

I

am

a

nomad,

wandering aimlessly without an anchor, a home to call my own.

The second picture on page 3887 is almost an exact copy of

the

first,

leaving

the

reader

to

wonder

if

it

is

a

printing

error. However, upon closer examination, you can see that this time, the illustrator has annoyingly caught me mid-blink and the minute hand of the quartz clock on the wall has inched forward. What you can’t see is that I have come to terms with

and skin color of people. Even in an inherently nationalistic arena such as the Olympics, I ignore these traits that have no bearing on character and cheer on athletes who display merit, courage, and integrity. In this second illustration, I begin to appreciate my lack of national identity, which has not ditanced me from others, but has allowed me Is it possible to condense 17+ years into to appreciare asked to do just that for their college ate all people, supplemental essays required by most sch cultures, and sions

o fficers.

I t

is

the

applicant’s

opportu who I am. beliefs with than nu Trying to reject my previous conclusion, I again ask myself an open mind.

Through word-of-mouth, we sought which country I would be supporting. After a long period of I

finally

underand then chose a variety from the ones contemplation,

my

brain

gives

a

surprisingly

different

answer:

stand that being a small sample of the extraordinary e not

the

ever

ambiguous

“I

don’t

know,”

but

a

satisfactory

“ev- nomad isn’t all that In addition, the Merionite wil ery one.” This time, I recognize that my answer is no longer bad:

the

world

is

my

received on themerionite.org. If an admission of belonging nowhere; it is an admission of neu- home and everybody is published on the web trality. family. merionite.feature As I am sitting on the couch in my indifferent t-shirt But alas this explanation wedged between my friends, I realize how remarkable it is is too long and so like my idento be released from any personal obligation to support a tity, this page is left bare. Hopefully side. Having lived in Japan, China, New Mexico, Florida, and this afterword will make up for the halfPennsylvania,

I’ve

come

across

various

cultures

and

learned

hearted

apology

that

still

remains:

“Page

3887

is

from these experiences to look past the nationality, ethnicity, intentionally blank. Sorry.”

“...I have come to terms with who I am.”

Some students have a background or story that is so central to their identity that they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.

adopting them. I also had some wonderful, caring special education teachers who helped me understand how to better perceive social cues. Strategic problem solving was very helpful in working through many of my social issues. As

I was 12 years old when I read the letter addressed

to

my

parents,

a

confidential

report

that

would

define

most

of

my

adolescent

life.

It

was

the results of a psychological assessment administered at school. Even though I was only a 6th grader, I was still old enough to understand the gist of my diagnosis of Asperger’s Syndrome. I was devastated. Suddenly just a pair of words differentiated me from my peers, isolating me in my conception of myself. On the other hand, some things started to make more sense to me.

I had always felt exceptionally different from my peers and often struggled in social situations.

Sometimes I would unintentionally rub people the wrong way, and I spent a lot of time alone.

While other kids would be socializing in the cafeteria, I would sit alone reading about such topics as the geography of Scotland, the history of poaching, or the Loch Ness Monster.

At

first

I

was

crestfallen

and

confused,

but

then

this

realization

became

a

“wake

up

call”

to

work

on

the

deficits

inherent

in

this

condition. I worked to overcome my social ineptness by studying the social tendencies of others and

“I no longer view it as a disability, but as a gift.”

M I C H A E L S TA H L E R

I was on the defense, allowing my heart to chill and tear ducts to dry up.

But no more, I am getting back in the ring. While I never responded to my father, I have a response now…

“Congratulations

Dad!

You

have

a

wonderful

daughter,

filled

with

resilience,

strength

and

power.

A

daughter

who

is pure, and focused on landing among the stars and not in a bed of sins and distractions. Because of you, my future is bright. Because of you, no one will ever make me feel less than my worth as you so easily did. Because of you, I have once

again

found

my

strength

to

fight.”

I

choose

to

fight

for

my

sisters

who

deserve

the

world.

I

choose

to

fight

for

my

father,

because

while

misery

loves

company,

happiness

loves

it

more.

I

choose

to

fight

for

those

who

are

afraid

to

fight

themselves.

And

lastly,

I

choose

to

fight

for

myself:

my

wins

and

my

defeats,

my

pain

and

my

happiness, and a life full of experiences, spontaneity, exploration and most importantly, love The bell rings once… The bell rings twice…. And right before the third ring, my hand twitches, my head shakes and

I

bring

myself

back

to

my

feet.

T he

fight

is

long

from

over.

an

“Aspie

kid,”

I

don’t

just

think

outside

the

box,

I

live

outside the box! When something strikes a neurological chord with

me,

it

catalyzes

a

fire

that

makes

me

consume

virtually

all the available information about the subject.

It has not been an easy path, and I continue to work hard

to

overcome

the

difficulties

that

most

of

my

peers

“I live outside the box!” take for granted. As a way of facing disability and to challenge myself not to hide from the social spotlight, I have embraced public speaking I realize I will never overcome my condition—I accept it and realize it will always be a part of me. In fact, I no longer view it as a disability, but as a gift.

UNCOMM

ESSA

JAKE MARGOLIS Answer one of the following questions in a half page or roughly 250 words (Please select the prompt you are responding to): What’s your favorite word and why?

My favorite word is daydream, because for me it represents a break from reality. Daydreaming may have a bad connotation, because it is often associated with not paying attention. At the right time, daydreaming is my most prized activity. Daydreaming constitutes a moment in my day when I pause and actually have

time

to

reflect

on

something

for

an

extended

period.

It

is

a moment when I feel one with myself, thinking about things important to me. I appreciate the indulgent act of daydreaming because it releases me from the constant stresses in my life.

When I daydream about my favorite things like skating fast down the ice, jamming at a concert, or bathing in the bright sun on a beach, I leave where I am and go to some place better. The idealistic thoughts that cross my mind while entranced enable a catharsis necessary to maintain my drive. Daydreaming is my motivation. The process is not just to get away from the taxing activities of high school life, but also to imagine what the future holds.

I

can

fulfill

a

dream

in

a

few

short

moments.

I

daydream

about who or what I aspire to be in the future. Although at seventeen I do not know the answer to these provoking life questions,

daydreaming

allows

me

to

stay

afloat

while

I

attempt

to

figure

them

out.

April 8, 2015 UNC

Professor

Barbara

Fredrickson–an

expert

in

positive

emotions–has

defined

love

as

“micro-moments

of

connection

between

people,

even

strangers.” Tell us about a time when you experienced a “micro-moment of connection.” What did you learn?

L I LY TA F F E T

Liminal spaces have always fascinated me. To be in two places, two cultures, two thoughts, but essentially in neither, seemed impossible.

But

I

was

wrong,

for

when

I

“crashed”

a

traditional

Cambodian

wedding,

I

was

in

every

sense—liminal.

Deep in the Cambodian countryside, our guide insisted that we pull over. The location seemed desolate, but he was persistent. I peered out the van’s window and saw a small tent draped in curtains so brightly colored and richly textured, as to appear surreal when juxtaposed with the muted earth tones of the countryside.

Following the guide’s instructions, I stepped out of the van and continued into the tent.

In that moment, two worlds collided, each undeniably distinct, yet paradoxically indistinguishable—disparate, yet overlapping.

One foot on the dirt path, the other in the carpeted tent, a foreign intruder, yet a welcomed guest.

Seamlessly, I was part of a festive, traditional wedding.

I

was

enveloped

in

a

vibrant

pastiche

of

silk

flowers,

saturated

tapestries,

jeweled

garments

and

intricate

furnishings.

I was Lily the American tourist.

I was Lily the accidental Cambodian bridesmaid.

A clueless observer, an active participant.

Both.

Neither.

The events that followed seemed hurried and rehearsed, and I, having strolled in mid-service, was unprepared, yet entirely at ease.

Everyone tacitly assumed their roles.

My mother and father were the photographers.

I was the ritualistic barber, cutting the couple’s hair and carefully misting their necks with perfume--a high honor usually

entrusted

to

the

ceremony

officiant.

It was a whirlwind of unbridled laughter.

A cornucopia of rich pigments.

I was part of something greater than myself.

I was liminal.

I was the end of the individuals’ past, the beginning of the couple’s future.

I was the barber, closing my shears onto frayed ends and reopening them to crisp lines, a symbol of the couple’s new beginnings.

It was here, on this threshold, that I found love.

I was welcomed as a participant and honored beyond reason.

But that was the power of the love. It was unconditional. Who I was and who they were was unimportant. For that moment, we disregarded the boundaries that separated our two worlds and allowed ourselves to be enveloped in a sense of togetherness.

The community that allowed for our intrusion found the same joy in our presence that we found in their acceptance.

Amid two worlds, our love for the moment, for each other, for the twist of events, was mutual. o 650 words? Each year, high school seniors With the advantage of hindsight and increased maturity, I have come to understand

the

significance

of

the

love

I

felt

that

day. e essay. These essays, along with several What I’ve learned is love is a force that triggers and bridges ourliminal hools, humanize the applicant for admisspaces, alerting and connecting us to the duality of our separate, yet unity

to

define

themselves

in

words

rather

aligned worlds. umbers.

Love is a medium through which our worlds, our cultures and our out seniors willing to share their essays thoughts become one. s we received. The chosen essays are a It is a common ground. efforts of all college-bound seniors.

It is the middle ground. ll be posting all of the essays we Between the dusted pathway and the sumptuous carpet you would like your essay to be The tourist and the bridesmaid bsite, please send it to The individuals and the couple espages@gmail.com.

The past and the future The unfamiliar faces and the community Between them all, in the liminal space, connecting the disparate and making them one, if only for a moment, There was love.

MON APP AYS

AMY BOUTSELIS

E M I LY M O R R I S

Some students have a background or story that is so central to their identity that they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.

I am the youngest of four siblings. My oldest brother, Sam, is a Marine Colonel. I’ve shared a bedroom with the other two, Milton and Basilia, for the past seventeen years. We haven’t always gotten along— they made fun of me all the time and I frequently pretended they didn’t exist. But now we’re ok. I mean, we don’t talk much because they’re stuffed platypi and all, but I’m quite fond of them. And I think they’re quite fond of me, too.

You

see,

in

my

family,

it

is

illegal

to

take

yourself

seriously.

And

if

you cannot accept that you have three stuffed platypi for siblings, and that the one once left in a motel in Massachusetts is actually a Marine helicopter pilot, then you are taking yourself far too seriously.

Our

family

has

a

good

reason

for

this

rule:

you

can’t

be

a

happy

person if you can’t laugh at yourself and your mistakes. And so we laugh. A lot. There has not been a day in my life when we three (six) haven’t at least snickered at each other. I’ve snorted quite a bit of milk from my nose.

“...it’s important to be funny.”

In a family of this much laughter, you can probably guess that it’s important

to

be

funny.

We’re

definitely

a

little

ridiculous.

My

father

is

a

commercial lawyer Monday through Friday; but on the weekends he is a revolutionary war reenactor who dons a musket, a red coat, and a kilt to

fight

for

King

George.

My

mother

is

an

actor,

choreographer,

and

one of the original Dirty Dancers (yes, from the movie)—we still have her metallic miniskirt in the house somewhere. It’s great having them as parents; but with these goofs running my life, there’s a whole lot of pressure here to be silly. Especially for someone like me.

Realize that I am a quiet person—I like my room and my craypas.

I like studying and biology. I love science. I would play guitar and paint all

day

if

I

had

the

time.

Weird,

coming

from

that

pair,

right?

But

they

decided a while ago that, quiet as I am, I still have to be a Getz Morris.

That I, too, have a duty to be ridiculous. So what else could they possibly

do

but

haze

me?

Initiation rights were extensive. To make a funny gal, I could never be punished—only mocked for my mistakes. Ballads were written about

any

major

screw

up.

Pun

wars

have

been

frequent

and

r uthless.

My own mother has pantsed me, twice. They have never gone for the solid, child-services approved parenting choice—always for the funny.

What my nutjob parents have really been doing all this time, though, is so subtle you might miss it if you blink. Or maybe not. By giving me an obligation—nay a duty to be funny, they have made me enjoy my failures. They have made my darkest moments into great dinner party stories. They even gave me siblings—cuddly ones that don’t poop —for when I get lonely. In a world like this one, those goofballs managed to give me all the tools to be happy. And for a teenage girl, happy’s a pretty rare thing to be.

I’ve had a pleasant life—no dead relatives, no poverty, no interesting

flaws

or

adventures.

I’ve

never

faced

much

adversity

and

the

most

exotic place I’ve been is Canada. There is really no one story or experience

that

defines

me.

But

you

know

what?

I

have

funny

parents;

and

if they have done one thing, they have made certain that I will never be dull.

the time might not be so healthy for our relationship or for our individual growth.

As freshmen, we were somehow scheduled together in all but one class. I struggled with Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked this because, although I love spending time with my sister, your transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, com- the atmosphere between us became extremely competitive. munity, or family.

Math quizzes morphed into screaming matches, Biology tests into crying bouts, culminating in the house-wide rule “I’m

seeing

double!”

“Wow,

there

are

two

of

you!”

and

that grades could not be shared. Tensions that had always “Are

you

a

clone?!”

are

all

reactions

I

have

received

from

bubbled

under

the

surface

were

finally

coming

to

a

head.

For

people when they see my sister and me together. Growing years, I had to tolerate people asking the most insensitive up as an identical twin, I was constantly grouped with my question

that

anyone

could

ask

a

twin:

“Who’s

the

smarter

sister,

Christina.

Our

friends

never

just

said,

“Hey

Mom,

one?”

T his

was

usually

paired

with

“Who’s

more

athletic?”

I’m

g oing

to

g o

hang

out

with

Amy.”

It

was

always,

“I’m

g o- or

even

just

the

simple,

“Who’s

older?”

T he

answer

to

these

ing to go hang out with Amy and Christina.” In fact, I was questions always seemed to be Christina. Feeling like the so

used

to

the

ring

of

“Amy

runner up, I knew someand Christina” that being inthing had to change. troduced without her seemed Frustrated with conunnatural. I felt a little hollow stantly being compared to inside

when

“This

is

Amy”

her, I took the initiative to was

not

followed

by

“and

her

join different activities, in twin sister, Christina.” Howand out of school. I beever, prior to high school, an came

a

certified

lifeguard

opportunity to be introduced and worked a summer without my sister would never job at the local township have arisen. Chances are, no matter where Christina was, I pool; I was elected treasurer of my class, and I revived my was right by her side—even if it meant getting my shins school’s defunct cooking club, as the new president. Distinwhacked while she played Skip-It in the driveway. But once guishing myself from Christina has helped me gain more we reached high school, we realized that being together all self-confidence.

By

choosing

separate

paths,

we

are

no

lon-

“...the atmosphere between us became extremely competitive.”

11

ger compared to each other.

Overcoming that rough period when life felt like a constant competition truly helped me grow. By diverging from my twin, I was able to explore my passion for cooking and become a class leader at the same time. When summer came, I escaped into a world where I could completely express myself since the people at the pool did not know Christina.

“...I am no longer defined by my twin...”

Through this process of breaking away, I have come to feel that

I

am

no

longer

defined

by

my

twin,

but

rather

by

my

own accomplishments as an individual.

Now that I am my own person, the childish questions have faded into the distance. However, there is one question that

I

will

always

enjoy

answering:

do

you

like

being

a

twin?

The answer to that one is easy. Having a built-in best friend, a

confidant,

a

mind-reader,

and

a

sentence-completer

is

the

greatest gift I could ever ask for. The fact that I love being a twin

is

what

made

my

separation

from

her

so

difficult.

Yet,

establishing my independence over the past four years has been a major achievement that has allowed me to transition from childhood to adulthood. I look forward to entering college, a place where, for the next four years, I will not be referred

to

as

“Amy

and

Christina”

but

as

simply

“Amy.”

12

April 8, 2015

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT The

Merionite

a

cramped,

dark

basement

in

Wynnewood—if

you

surrounded

yourself

with

people

who

made

you

laugh,

you

surely

made

some

wonderful

memories,

especially

if

you

went

Molly’17 Gonzales ’17 Molly

Gonzales

outside

and

enjoyed

a

little

sunshine.

During and after spring break, the spread

of

the

disease

FOMO

(fear

of

missing

out)

multiplies

exponentially.

You

can

easily

catch

it

by

viewing

your

friends’

Snapchat

stories

of

the

beaches

in

Puerto

Rico

or

your

friends’

Facebook

pictures

from

Florida.

T here

are

many

ways

to

g o

about

dealing

with

the

terrible

tragedy

of

FOMO,

even

though

you

will

undeniably

go

through

the

classic

stages

of

anger,

denial,

and

more.

You

could

decide

to

delete

your

social

media

like

Snapchat

and

Instagram

so

you

never

have

to

see

another

exotic

#tbt

again,

Artwork

by

Xinming

Jin or you can accept that your friends had the time of their lives and try to make the most of your time from now

on.

For

instance,

if

your

friend

tweeted

a

picture

of

a

delicious

ice

cream

cone

with

white

sand

in

the

background

last

week,

then

top

that

with

your

own

activity,

like

baking

a

thousand

funfetti-flavored

cupcakes

and

blasting

cheesy

If you’re anything like me, then your grandma doesn’t have a beach house in Flor- pop

songs

from

the

mid

two-thousands

when

the

Black

Eyed

Peas

were

still

a

thing.

ida,

and

your

flight

to

Costa

Rica

was

never

booked.

You

were

stuck

in

the

Main

Line

There

will

always

be

something

going

on

that

you

aren’t

involved

in,

so

don’t

let

for

spring

break

with

half

of

your

friends

away.

Everyone

wants

to

have

a

fun

spring

your

happiness

depend

on

other

people.

Your

week

of

freedom

may

be

over,

but

you

break (maybe not as fun as James Franco in Spring Breaker),

but

there

were

so

many

fun

can

still

do

things

that

make

you

happy

to

make

up

for

the

time

you

spend

sulking!

things

you

could’ve

done

in

the

area

that

don’t

involve

sleeping

and

binge-watching

Go

on

a

bike

ride

with

your

older

sister;

plant

a

g arden

with

your

g randma;

g rab

some

“Grey’s

Anatomy.”

It

might’ve

seemed

impossible,

trying

to

have

a

fun

spring

break

friends

and

visit

a

spring

farmers

market

in

Rittenhouse

Square;

ask

an

old

relative

to

in

a

desolate,

cold,

suburban

area

with

a

limited

budget,

but,

with

a

little

creativ- tell

you

a

joke

(everybody

has

that

weird

uncle

who

would

be

happy

to

oblige).

After

ity,

you

can

learn

to

appreciate

a

“stay-cation”

and

even

learn

from

the

experience.

all,

if

it

makes

you

smile,

then

who

cares

if

it’s

not

a

wild

party

in

the

Bahamas,

right?

There’s

always

a

lot

of

hype

for

spring

break,

due

to

its

portrayal

on

MTV

and

the

Whatever

you

did

this

spring

break,

whether

you

travelled

or

kept

it

local,

I

hope

wild

film

previously

mentioned

starring

James

Franco,

so

it’s

easy

to

feel

as

though

you

valued

the

laughter,

good

music,

and

friends

from

the

week,

because

those

are

your

break

was

worthless

because

of

your

lack

of

tropical

air.

However,

as

Sarah

Pax- the

elements

that

constitute

a

great

time,

no

matter

where

you

are

in

the

world.

ton in the movie Aquamarine

once

said,

“It’s

not

where

you

are;

it’s

who

you’re

with!”

Now,

your

next

step

is

to

harness

your

jealousy

and

use

it

to

plan

your

own

fun

It

doesn’t

matter

if

you

spent

your

time

on

the

bleachers

in

Narberth

Park

or

in

times

that

will

inspire

equally

enviable

Instagrams

in

the

coming

weeks.

Good

luck!

Tori Klevan ’15

Shoe U

Features Editor Most

o f

senior

Adrienne

Rose’s

p ersonal

b elongings

fall

v ictim

to

h er

colorful

Sharpie

p ens.

Her

bedroom

desk,

her

coffee

thermos,

her

iPhone

case,

and,

most

recently,

her

shoes.

After

posting

a

p icture

o f

h er

l atest

creation

o n

I nstagram—a

pair

of

plain

white

Vans

shoes

d ecorated

with

various

p op-art

d oodles— she

received

f loods

of

comments

a nd

t ext

m essages

a sking

f or

a

personalized

p air.

M any

o ffered

t o

p ay

h er.

“As

soon

a s

I

s aw

Adrienne’s

Instagram,

I

wanted

to

b uy

a

p air

o f

my

own,

b ecause

they’re

so

unique,”

said

s enior

M adelyn

S chaeffer

a bout

the

s hoes.

It

all

started

with

the

i dea

to

s end

h er

s ister

a

creative

a nd

t hrifty

birthday

p resent.

Since

t hen,

Rose

h as

o nly

made

two

pairs

but

says,

“I

want

to

start

selling

them

s oon,

b ecause

they’re

easy

a nd

fun

to

make,

and

I

have

m ore

f ree

time

n ow

that

s chool

i s

ending.”

The

designs

on

the

shoes

are

specific

to

the

owner’s

interRose’s customized kicks.

ests.

For

example,

on

Rose’s

pair,

s he

i ncluded

a n

elephant,

the

Philadelphia

skyline,

a

rose,

and

the

University

of

Michigan

logo.

“The college logo is important, because most of the people I’ll be

selling

to

are

seniors

or

already

in

college.

I’m

also

planning on making entirely college-themed shoes because people have

asked

for

them,”

announced

Rose.

She

plans

on

calling

her

new

business

“ShoeU.”

“The

U

can

mean

‘you,’

referring

to

the

personalized

aspect

of

the

designs,

or

University,”

she

clarified.

Rose

has

taken

honors

art

classes

all

four

years

of

high

school and considers it to be a “fun, stress-relieving passion.”

She

even

wrote

her

college

essay

about

Sharpies.

Rose’s

next

step

is

to

make

an

Instagram

account

for

her

shoes.

“I

will

probably

start

selling

them

through

the

account

in

April,”

said

Rose.

“However,

I

don’t

know

how

much

I’m

going

to

charge

yet.”

Keep

an

eye

out

around

school

and

on

social

media

as

LM’s

upcoming

artistic

entrepreneur

continues

to

promote

her

unique

creations.

Photo

by

Tori

Klevan/Staff

Wondering what to wear this spring?

Molly Kaiser ’18 As

this

snowy

blur

of

a

winter

comes

to

a

close,

we

begin

to

launch

into

spring

and

all

of

the

fashion

that

comes

with

it

here

at

LM.

This

past

winter

was

full

of

oversized

sweaters,

cardigans

with

summery

shirts,

infinity

scarves,

and

much

more.

In

the

fashion

world,

we

now

shift

from

primarily

comfortable

clothing

to

fresh,

fun,

and

stylish

spring

styles.

Check

out

some

of

the

new

and

recurring

trends

that

I

am

predicting.

First

of

all,

even

though

it’s

different

than

the

fitted

dresses

we

might be accustomed to, the shapeless shirtdress is a comfy and versatile

addition

to

your

closet!

A

fairly

new

trend,

shirtdresses

are

simple

to

accessorize

and

can

be

easily

paired

with

almost

any

pairing

of

boots

and

high

socks,

cute

sneakers,

or

sandals.

Find

them

at

Brandy

Melville,

American

Eagle,

Urban

Outfitters,

Gap,

Old

Navy,

Forever

21,

or

thrift

and

consignment

shops.

Next

up,

let’s

look

at

the

traditional

Japanese

garment

that

has

taken

a

modern

twist

over

the

past

couple

of

years.

A

fun,

flowing,

unique

outerwear

item,

the

kimono is sure to make a comeback this spring and be a

fabulous

addition

to

every

outfit.

Cotton

On,

Garage,

Brandy

Melville,

Express,

American

Eagle,

and

Urban

Outfitters

all

offer

great

options.

A

wave

of

skinny

jeans

swept

the

21st

century,

but

now roomy denim

is

returning

to

stores.

As

comfortable

as

pajama

pants

and

as

stylish

as

classic

jeans,

a

roomy

pair

of

jeans

(i.e.

boyfriend

or

cigarette)

is

an

investment

you’ll

want

to

make

this

spring.

Some

of

the

best

places

to

shop

for

them

are

Lucky

Brand,

Gap,

Old

Navy,

Freshman Molly Kaiser pairs military green with loose jeans and trendy Converse.

H&M,

Forever

21,

Nordstrom,

Brandy

Melville,

Urban

Outfitters,

and

thrift

and

consignment

shops.

A

semi-new

and

widespread

trend,

military green

has

been

present

in

many

wardrobes over the past couple of seasons and continues

to

live

on,

whether

in

army

jackets,

shorts,

jeans,

denim

shirts,

or

more.

Army

green

goes

great

with

floral,

or

almost

any

pattern,

as

well

as

with

solid

colors.

You

can

find

great

examples

of

it

at

Urban

Outfitters,

American

Eagle,

Brandy

Melville,

or

thrift

and

consignment

shops.

For decades, overalls and rompers have been consistent spring trends.

Light

and

comfortable,

they

are

the

ultimate

effortless

options

for

your

spring

wardrobe.

Cardigans,

denim

shirts,

and

jean

jackets

make

great

additions

to

these

outfits.

Shop

for

them

at

Urban

Outfitters,

Lucky

Brand,

Pacsun,

Garage,

Brandy

Melville,

Thrift

and

consignment

shops,

Etsy.com,

or

Lulu’s.com.

Finally,

adapted

from

the

Middle

Eastern

traditional

harem

pants,

genie pants

have

been

becoming

more

and

more

popular

recently.

Whether

you

wear

them

out

to

dinner

or

during

a

day

on

the

beach,

they

are

guaranteed

to

satisfy.

With

their

flowing,

loose

fit,

genie

pants

will

definitely

be

back

in

style

this

spring.

Fun

places

to

purchase

them

include

Pacsun,

Brandy

Melville,

surf

shops,

Etsy.com,

Polyvore.com,

Urban

Outfitters,

El

Quetzal

in

Suburban

Square,

and

Forever

21.

As

for

spring

footwear,

Converse,

Oxfords,

Mary

Janes,

gladiator

sandals,

trendy

loafers,

and

Vans

are

all

great

shoe

options

for

the

upcoming

season.

I

hope

these

tips

and

predictions

help

you

in

all

your

spring

fashion

endeavors!

Photos

by

Aine

Dougherty/Staff

Freshman Alexa Kaminsky models patterned genie pants just in time for spring.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

April 8, 2015

13

The Merionite

The Districts take the stage Roxanna Pasquier ’17 With a unique style described as “folky garage rock,” The Districts more than make up for the recent drought of true rock bands. Despite their humble beginnings in rural Pennsylvania, the band captures an original spirit and energy that has broad appeal and belies any previous misconceptions about their talent. Their music brimming with passion and soul, The Districts stand out as a band you have to hear.

Hailing from Lititz, Pennsylvania, a small town known for chocolate and snack food, lead singer Robbie Grote paints a picture of depression yet resistance in a small town. Their song Suburban Smell includes the lyrics: “There’s 16 homes on every street/ They all of course lie in the neatest rows/ Cradling broken homes and dinner prayers/ Rocking us all to sleep in bones,” which creates a haunting image of a bleak, colorless town and uses their personal stories of classic small town frustration to their advantage. Lyrics like these paired with killer melodies propel The Districts forward to a larger, appreciative audience.

While listening to these lyrics and melodies is fantastic, their live performances are what make them really amazing. From the moment The Districts walked on stage to a sold-out show at Union Transfer last month, the crowd was hooked. When they started the set with their song “Rocking Chair,” it was clear that it would be a night to remember. Lead singer Grote took the audience on a roller-coaster journey

through upbeat dance songs to melancholy ballads and everywhere in between without missing a beat. He slashed around on stage flopping his curly hair through hits like “Peaches” and “Lyla,” but showed his youthfulness and tender side while singing “Chlorine” and “Suburban Smell.”

The main set managed to find the perfect balance between edgy fun and chaos. The band really let their hair down, however, during the encore. Starting with a stunning solo performance, Grote then transitioned to “Young Blood” and stunned the audience with a crowd “jump.” Yes, jump, not surf. Plunging straight into the pit, guitar and all, the singer was attacked from all directions by a flurry of fans. Basking in the glory, the song continued while he climbed (with assistance) back on stage. Despite endless hoots, hilarious commentary, and the awesome crowd plunge, the four 19 year olds never hit a wrong note. They are that good.

These are the qualities that set The Districts apart. Their passion, vigor, and youth breathe fresh energy into the old idea of Garage Rock, a genre created by bands like The Strokes and The Walkmen.

While they won’t be returning to Philadelphia for some time due to a world tour, The Districts are sure to return with a new bag of tricks. Their new album A Flourish and A Spoil is a must-listen, filled with instant hits like “Peaches” and “Fourth and Roebling,” both of which were performed perfectly when they appeared recently on “Late Night With Seth Meyers.” It is clear from just one listen that, with this kind of talent, The Districts have a bright future.

50 things Christian Grey doesn’t want you to know Dana Handleman ’16 Features Editor We need to talk about 50 Shades of Grey. A lot of jokes have been made about it, and there’s definitely

a

lot

of

hype

surrounding

it,

and

that’s

totally understandable. The books and movie depict a marginalized form of sex, BDSM, which doesn’t get talked about openly a lot due to its graphic and complex nature. Now, since this is a school article, obviously I’m not going to get into the nitty-gritty of BDSM, but all you need to know is that the acronym stands for Bondage/ Discipline, Dominant/ Submissive, and Sadism/ Masochism. I’m going to start off by saying that there will be no shaming here. What someone does in his or her free time is nobody’s business except their own, as long as it is between consenting adults.

A responsible BDSM relationship occurs because both parties want it to occur, and both parties are on the same terms about what they want out of it. (Yes, I researched BDSM for this article, so you all better read the heck out of it). The paramount requirement of a BDSM relationship is trust. One person is putting their body in another person’s hands, completely. This is why “safewords” exist. If one person becomes uncomfortable with what is happening, he or she says the “safeword,” bringing all of the activities to a complete standstill.

I’m disappointed in the article that was published in the last Merionite about 50 Shades of Grey. Although I think it’s fantastic that we can be

so open and mainstream about sex in this day and age, I wish people had understood exactly what they were joking about. The fact is that the relationship depicted in 50 Shades of Grey is not like the relationship I described above. Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey’s relationship is an abusive relationship masquerading as BDSM. Not all BDSM relationships are abusive, but this one certainly is.

Christian manipulates a completely inexperienced girl into an incredibly intense relationship, even going to far as making her sign a contract right off the bat. He ignores safewords and consent, and he is emotionally abusive.

Let’s take a look at some of the most stomach-churning quotes from the book: “‘Christ Ana!’ he bangs his fist

on

the

table,

making

me

jump, and stands so abruptly he almost knocks the dining chair over. ‘You have one thing, one thing to remember.

Sh*t! I don’t f----ing believe it. How could you be so stupid?’” “‘Alaska is very cold and no place

to

run.

I

would

find

you.

I can track your cellphone— remember?’” “‘You need to learn to manage my expectations.

I am not a patient man.’ He’d probably like to beat seven shades of sh*t out of me. The thought is depressing.”

These are not examples of healthy kink. These are examples of verbal abuse, stalking, and, in Anastasia’s case, fear of her partner. It’s time the world had a more open and free dialogue regarding sex, and it’s amazing that a book exploring the topic of BDSM became so popular in mainstream culture, but please God: why did it have to be this book?

Aces of the Arts Dean Hughart ’16

Photo courtesy of Dean Hughart How do you contribute to the arts at LM? I contribute to the arts at LM by playing clarinet in the school orchestra and playing tenor saxophone in the jazz band.

What do you enjoy most about jazz band?

My favorite thing about jazz band is the festivals on Friday nights, where we travel to other high schools to compete against the other bands and mingle with other students.

If you could play one other instrument, which would it be?

If I could play one other instrument I would probably choose the guitar, because it seems like fun and it would make me much better at writing my own music.

If you could meet any famous musician, dead or alive, who would it be?

If I could meet one famous musician it would have to be Herbie Hancock, because his grooves are so nice and he seems like a really hip cat.

Magnus Peterson-Horner ’15

Photos courtesy of Magnus Peterson-Horner How do you contribute to the arts at LM? I contribute by attending the two art classes that I am taking, Art 3H and AP Studio Art. I am also a leader of Art Forum and contribute to that club.

Other than that, I am more of a recluse with my art making.

When and why did you become interested in art?

I have been interested in art ever since I was a very small child of the earth but I decided to pursue art as a career late into junior year of high school.

Who is your favorite artist?

My favorite artists right now are David Hockney, Hirohiko Araki, Stanley Kubrick, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Akira Toriyama.

What is your favorite art form?

My favorite art form at the moment is digitally altering linoleum prints.

14

April 8, 2015

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT The Merionite

LM Music takes Disney: an inside look Isabella Dumitrescu ’17 Copy Editor On February 28, at 4 a.m., almost 150 groggy LM students woke up, dragged themselves out of bed, bundled up in layers, with harried parents making sure everything was packed. They drove over icy dark roads to find teachers clustered around buses and students and parents rushing around, with music teacher Aaron Datsko wearing a portable microphone system and directing the chaos. This was the morning of the LM Music Department’s fourday trip to the Disney World Parks in Orlando, Florida. The trip was possible due to the months of planning, and for a couple students, like senior Hanna Edelson, the wait had been even longer.

“The music department went on this trip

when I was a freshman, but they only take sophomores or older. I waited four years for this trip, and the amazing memories I made with my friends were definitely worth the wait,” she reflected. Somehow, the giant group was bussed to the airport and cleared through security in time to catch its early flight (a nightmare for other travelers). The excitement was palpable as everyone boarded the planes, but exhaustion quickly took over. That day, I personally rode in a car, a bus, an airplane, a train, a monorail, and finally a boat.

The trip was organized so that students would get to spend a day at each of the four parks: Epcot, Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom, and Animal Kingdom. The first day at Epcot was exhausting, since we didn’t get to go to the hotel for the first time until roughly 11 p.m., and it was raining torrentially all day. Yet, compared to the tiring daily school routine, none of us took an exhausting Disney day too badly.

Like sophomore Sarah Carstens expressed, “In Disney, I could feel like a kid again, and the best part was that I didn’t even have one thought about obligations or homework that I had

to do. However, there’s no question that I should’ve worn comfier shoes.”

The next few days were a whirlwind blur of excitement and fun. We were greeted in the morning by loud wake-up calls by a chaperone and a rushed breakfast in the hopes of being the first ones to reach the park. Many of us were surprised to find that, during the day, we had free reign. Sophomore Brien Coghlan’s favorite part about the trip was “the freedom to plan your own day and experience in the parks and hotel.”

The choral group, as well as a mixture of the band and the full orchestra, performed Monday morning. Although there was a small audience, the concerts were a successful show in the Downtown Disney park area, with a lake, a fountain, and a man-made volcano in the background. Mr. Datsko, director and conductor of the “Band-estra” group was very pleased with his students.

These performances were the true reason for the trip, but many students, even though they enjoyed singing or playing, were happy to get out of their long, black concert dress and back to the rides.

Everyone had their own favorite rides— such as the Magic Kingdom Peter Pan ride and the Animal Kingdom roller coasters—and their own least favorites as well with the most hated definitely being the infamous “It’s a Small World.” Besides the rides, the trip, in the words of junior Angela Zhao, “was a bonding experience and a great way to make new friends.”

Whether it was your fiftieth time in the “most magical place on earth” or your first, the trip was a blast for everyone that I’ve spoken to.

Leaving the park on the final day was bittersweet, so many of us were thrilled with the possibility of a delayed or canceled flight. However, even though we didn’t want to leave Disney, we knew that it was better to arrive home safely on time.

Back at LM, we got to hear how much everyone hated our Snapchat stories, and we gradually acclimated to PowerSchool and non-87° temperatures. Sophomore Erin Swisher states perfectly, “Post-Disney depression is a serious disease.”

Graphic by Dylan Siegelman/Staff

Who run the world?

“Girls” (and “Broad City”) Emma Shapiro ’15 In early January, viewers of the HBO series “Girls” were blessed with Season Four, and dedicated fans were overcome with emotion when the

season

finale

aired

just

weeks

later on March 23, even if the show has been named less appealing in its old age. Only four days prior, fans of the Comedy Central series “Broad City” were also in distress as Season Two came to a close. Now what are viewers supposed to look forward to on Wednesday and Sunday nights?

Both TV shows are about young women trying to make it in New York City, and both shows include sexual scenes (some more controversial than others). “Girls” stars four women in their

twenties

trying

to

figure

themselves out, attempting to keep relationships,

struggling

to

find

jobs,

and

taking themselves a little too seriously. “Broad City” features two Jewish, feminist women and recounts their crazy misadventures throughout the city. One could argue that, as “Girls” went a little downhill in the humor department, “Broad City” came to save us and gave us that good laugh we needed on stressful Wednesday nights.

Now, who are the girls in “Girls?”

First is Hannah, played by Lena Dunham. She is a self-involved aspiring writer

with

no

filter,

which

makes

for

some entertaining scenes. It was inspiring to watch her transition throughout the season to a more “grown up” woman who makes better choices when it comes to relationships. Allison Williams, who was Peter Pan in the re-

cent NBC production, plays Marnie.

She always thought she had a set plan for the rest of her life, but it deteriorates as the show goes on. At the end of the season, however, she chooses to become a singer and songwriter. Jessa is the wild one of the group, played by Jemima Kirke. She is a British free spirit who had just gotten out of rehab at the beginning of this season, but who ends up settling down by the end. Some people admire her easygoing attitude but others despise her. Last is my favorite, Shoshanna, played by Zosia Mamet.

She is youngest of the group, a brutally honest camp girl, hair icon, and recent graduate of New York University.

As for “Broad City,” Ilana Wexler plays Ilana on the show, a lazy, spunky, outgoing, and free-spirited marijuana enthusiast who often drags her friend Abbi into some eventful schemes.

Abby Jacobsen, born and raised in Wayne, PA, plays Abbi and is actually the daughter of one of my dad’s best friends. I have to admit that the sex scenes are even more awkward when my dad is sitting on the couch watching with me. Nonetheless, Abbi is an artist and aspiring gym trainer who can be naïve but is still fun and witty. Fans of TV shows are always looking to identify with the characters, and one of the things I love about both of these shows is how the wide variety of personality traits allows for many opportunities to connect with and relate to the girls.

I highly recommend them both if you’re looking for new shows to binge-watch. Season Five of “Girls” and Season Three of “Broad City” are on the way, and I can’t wait to tune in!

Celebrate Spring sensationally provided that you come with an empty stomach.

If you’re more of an adventurous spirit, A&E Editor venture into Center City on May 2 for the Rittenhouse Row Spring Festival, which takes over What better way is there to come out of hi- Walnut Street from Broad Street to 19th Street bernation and celebrate spring’s beautiful weath- between 12 p.m. and 5 p.m. for an afternoon er than exploring our wonderful city through its of food, shopping, music, and fun. Thankfully, many amazing festivals in the next few months? many of the most celebrated restaurants (more Even if you’re not the hipster type that could than 40!) and clothing stores along the Row that peruse the Punk Rock Flea Market for hours, you’ve always been too intimidated to go into I guarantee that my top three festival recom- will be much more accessible during the fesmendations will give you fun, unique ways to tivities. This wide array of dining and shopping spend time outside with friends this season. will be accompanied by live entertainment and For those who are unaccustomed to the light family-friendly activities. Described as “Philaof day after a long winter, a nearby food festival delphia’s poshest spring festival” by VisitPhilly. in

Manayunk

is

a

perfect

fit.

The

StrEAT

Food

com, and attended by more than 50,000 people Festival will take place all along Main Street on every year, Rittenhouse Row’s take on a clasApril 12 and will kick off Manayunk’s Spring sic

spring

fling

will

satisfy

your

every

need.

Restaurant Week, where area restaurants offer Also on May 2 this year is the third annual deals on exclusive three course meals (a great South Street Headhouse Spring Festival from 11 date

option

for

the

stingy

significant

others

out

a.m. to 8 p.m., so kill two birds with one stone there, but make sure to make reservations early!). and turn that Saturday into an all-day-long parFrom 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., over 40 street vendors ty! Hit up the iconic area for a festive shindig and food trucks will be offering delicious BBQ, much more geared toward music lovers, with snacks, desserts, produce, and more. (Fun fact: three stages and even more street locations for Spanish teacher Nico Severini’s college room- all of the bands and artists you could possibly mate actually founded Insomnia Cookies, a dream of (over 40 of them—why is this such a staple for anyone with late-night munchies that popular number?). Retail and food vendors will will be represented at the festival.) Keep an also be at your beck and call to serve you as you eye out for the special featured spring ingredi- celebrate the splendor of springtime with your ent this year: strawberries! All the while, other friends and family in the City of Brotherly Love. merchants and live entertainment will be waiting We all know global warming is happening, in the wings for you, once you’ve gotten so full so why not celebrate the warmth this spring that you can’t even take another bite. This lively, by hitting up one—or all—of these fantaslocal event will absolutely be a crowd-pleaser, tic festivals? I hope to see everyone there!

Aine Dougherty ’15

Artwork by Madelyn Schaeffer/Staff

A DVERTISEMENT The Merionite

April 8, 2015

15

16

April 8, 2015

ADVERTISEMENT The Merionite

SPORTS

April 8, 2015

17

The Merionite

LM alum takes over the Phillies beat at Inquirer Jake Kaplan (@jakemkaplan) ’08 began his sports journalism career

at

Pennsylvania

State

University

and

is

beginning

his

first

season

as

the Phillies Beat Writer for the Philadelphia Inquirer. As spring training winds down, we asked him about his memories of LM, the start of his career, and his expectations for the 2015 edition of the Phillies.

Interview conducted by Mitchell Gladstone ’15 MG: What experience did you have writing for The Merionite during your time at LM? JK: I wrote a few stories for the Merionite my freshman and

sophomore

years

but

fell

out

of

touch

with

it

my

final

two years. I honestly wasn’t sure which aspect of journalism I wanted to pursue at that point, though I knew I hoped it would be sports-related.

MG: How

did

you

get

involved

in

journalism

at

Penn

State and what was it like covering Divison I sports?

JK: I

started

at

Penn

State

the

summer

I

graduated

from

LM

and

one

of

the

first

days

there

tried

out

for

the

student

newspaper

on

a

whim.

I

wasn’t

even

sure

I

was

definitely

interested in being a part of the paper, but made it onto the staff and loved it. One of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

MG: What

was

it

like

being

a

journalism

student

at

Penn

State when the Jerry Sandusky scandal broke in 2011?

JK: The semester the scandal broke, I was a senior and interning

for

the

Philadelphia Inquirer, so I was able to contribute to their coverage. Those few months there

were

definitely

an

on-the-fly

education

in

journalism. I most likely will never help cover that big a story again.

MG: How were you Photo

courtesy

of

Jake Kaplan/Twitter

able

to

get

the

job

working

for

the

Philadelphia

Inquirer and what

was

your

path

once

you

finished

college?

JK: After

graduating

from

Penn

State,

I

was

lucky

enough

to

intern

with

MLB.com

and

cover

all

the

Phillies

home games that season from mid-May on. The following February,

I

moved

to

Southern

California

for

a

job

at

the

Orange County Register. I covered high school sports there for

a

year

before

the

Philadelphia

Daily

News

hired

me

as

a

general

assignment

reporter.

Then

the

Inquirer’s

Phillies

beat

job came open, and I was hired in December.

MG: What are some of the highlights and challenges of being a daily beat reporter for a professional sports team?

JK: The highlights stem from the fact that I get to watch and write about a game for a living. If there’s ever a rough day, I just try to remind myself of that. It’s a dream job. The challenges so far have been length of the days. During spring training, we get to the ballpark at 8 a.m. if not before, and there have been several days I’ve spent 12 hours there. But again, no complaints here.

MG:

What

are

your

expectations

for

the

Phillies

this

season?

JK: They’re going to struggle this season. There’s really no

way

around

it.

They

don’t

figure

to

score

a

lot

of

runs

and,

like you mentioned, have some question marks in the rotation. It will certainly be an interesting season though, given all the trade speculation surrounding several of the veterans.

MG: If you could give one piece of advice to young writers

who

are

looking

to

find

a

career

in

sports

journalism,

what would it be?

JK:

Read

everything.

Find

a

few

writers

you

really

like

and read everything they write. The more you read, the better writer you will become.

The sisterhood of girls’ lacrosse

By Bethany Eldridge ’18 As the spring sports season is rapidly kicking into gear, the girls’ lacrosse squad is shaping up to be one of the strongest teams the program has seen in a while. With veteran and rookie contributions alike, this well-rounded team is looking to make a deep run in the playoffs.

When

asked

about

her

final

year

on

the

team,

captain

Paige

Johnson ’15 exhibited optimism, exclaiming,

“We

have

the

ability

to

have one of the best seasons we’ve had

in

a

long

time!”

For

Paige

and

many other seniors, this is the last sport they will play at LM. Devon Scharf ’15, the starting goalie, shared how close the team is along with its potential star power this

year,

stating

that

“I

don’t

have

a

sister, but it sure is going to be hard to leave this team, because we really are

like

sisters.”

Although Scharf does not have a blood-related sister on the team, there are some sisterly duos playing

together

for

the

last

time.

Paige

Johnson shares the captainship with her twin Maddie Johnson ’15, and they are making the most of this

bittersweet

season.

“Paige

always makes the season fun and enjoyable

for

everyone

on

the

team,”

remarked Maddie about spending her last season playing with her sister.

Maddie

and

Paige

are

not

the

only dynamic sisterly duo on the team; the Goldstein sisters will be playing together for the last time as well. Although they play on separate sides

of

the

field,

Abby

Goldstein

’15 and Sophia Goldstein ’17 are both

very

prominent

on

the

field.

“It’s

such

an

honor

to

play

with

someone who has such heart and mental

toughness,”

Abby

reflected

about playing with her sister for this last season.

Abby is not passing down the torch to only Sophia; all of the seniors are passing it down to younger talent, which could push the team to a winning record this year. Izzy Meline ’18 is a strong force on the defensive side as is Ashley Roberts in

the

midfield.

They

are

just

two

of the many underclassmen who prove that the girls’ lacrosse team will be strong for many years to come.

With tough competition approaching in the Central League, there will certainly be some exciting games to watch as the season begins.

No method to the madness

By David Maniloff ’16 The odds are one in 9.2 quintillion; and no, this is not the odds of winning the lottery or even winning it twice in a row, because you would actually have a better shot at that with odds being one in 5.4 quadrillion. One in 9.2 quintillion, yeah that is a lot of zeros if you want to write it out, and the likelihood of doing the unthinkable, making a perfect March Madness bracket, is slim to none.

The task is so daunting that, if one were intelligent enough to predict the 63 games correct, thanks to Warren Buffet’s offer from last year, one would walk away with one billion dollars. Even for a man as wealthy as Mr. Buffet, one would never give away that large sum of money easily, making those two and

a

half

weeks

in

March

a

time

filled

with

optimism turned inevitable disappointment. Nevertheless, each and every year millions of Americans flaunt

their

“perfect”

brackets,

claiming

that

this

is

their year, just in time for that classic Duke-Mercer upset

in

the

first

round.

Yet

with

the

odds

so

slim

and

predicting

even

the

first

day

of

games

correctly

almost impossible, is there actually a method to solve this March madness? And, if not, why do we all feel so

confident

each

and

every

year

when

we

fill

out

our brackets?

As

the

clock

strikes

12

on

the

first

day

of

the

tournament, every student and teacher at LM dials into their computers, watching the games as if they were diehard fans for the entire season. At the moment the brackets lock and the games begin, life-long friends will become rivaling fans while making alliances with those in support of similar teams. LM will become a competitive battle for the top prize.

The top prize, winning the school wide bracket pool, is not for money—because LM students would never gamble money on something as silly as college sports—but for pride, the feeling that your basketball intelligence is greater than that of any other student. Unfortunately, for those who fall victim to the countless busts and unpredictable upsets in the tournament, March Madness can be a time of severe disappointment and frustration only possible to be cured with an LM pool victory.

While I am not a die-hard college basketball fan, nor have I ever come close to predicting all 63 games correctly, I honestly believe that there are methods to

increasing one’s odds by even the slightest amount.

I’ll start with the most obvious argument of the tournament: upsets. There is always that one kid each

year

that

picks

all

the

favorites,

claiming

“they

are

the

better

team,

because

their

seeding

is

higher.”

Well, in March Madness history, there has only been one

tournament

with

all

one

seeds

in

the

final

four

(2008), so, to those who predicted the one seed sweep, it was probably not the best idea, considering Villanova didn’t even make it out of the round of 32.

However, I am not an advocate for those picking upsets

based

off

the

“I

don’t

have

enough

upsets

in

my

bracket,

so

I

have

to

change

it.”

Picking

upsets

isn’t all luck and researching some over-rated and under-rated

teams

is

definitely

a

step

in

the

right

direction for surprising friends and family.

Another

major

problem

for

most

people

filling

out

brackets is the tendency to pick the hometown team.

Unfortunately,

only

two

big

five

teams

have

ever

cut

down the nets in March Madness history (La Salle in 1954 and Villanova as a nine seed in 1985). If you picked Villanova based on your hometown bias, you probably were prematurely disappointed based on their failure to make the Sweet 16. Remember that no one will judge you for being completely unbiased and

some

of

the

best

brackets

are

those

filled

without any favoritism at all.

School bracket organizer Michael Berg ’16 describes,

“Every

year

I

usually

watch

a

good

amount

of college basketball, so I have a good idea of what teams are good and bad from the eye test. Also, I do my research, searching out lesser-known teams from mid-major conferences and their records as well as whom they beat and who beat them. There are a few teams who are generally favorites of mine due to

their

coach

and

returning

players.”

Also,

Michael

gave

insight

to

people

filling

out

brackets

for

the

first

time

this

year

stating,

“My

advice

to

those

filling

out

the

bracket

for

the

first

time

is

that

the

lower

numbered teams are more likely to win. Watch out for the

5-12

matchup

in

the

first

round;

it

is

statically

the

game with the greatest number of upsets other than the

8-9.”

Ultimately, March Madness is a great time for all LM students, teachers, and faculty as it not only entertains us all but also brings the entire school together.

Graphics by Dylan Siegelman/Staff

18

SPORTS

April 8, 2015

The Merionite

It’s a fact that over 60 percent of LM students are involved in a spring sport. Of those 60 percent, roughly half routinely experience some sort of strange, uncomfortable issues with their coaches. Whether it is due to hard practices, frequent miscommunications, or even general creepiness, tension with coaches can often pose a challenge to studentathletes. Those involved in sports have a hard enough time balancing school with practices and games (and instagramming pictures of practices and games). A poor working relationship with a coach can add immeasurable amounts of pressure to an athlete’s daily life. Personally, I have experienced a wide range of less-than-ideal player-coach interactions throughout my athletic career, although most of my issues stemmed from the fact that the coaching staff simply forgot I was actually on the team. The Rachlin Report, however,

is

here

to

provide

yet

another

field

guide

guaranteed

to

drastically improve the overall quality of life for both you and your family.

We have compiled a list of four realistic problems that students could hypothetically face regarding their coaches along with a list of their respective solutions. It is important to note that the content of this article is not intended to demean or take away from any coach’s valued efforts in relation to LM athletics and is merely a tool meant to help those in need of outside guidance.

Problem #1: You missed a day of practice. Your coach is upset.

Solution: In the event that you miss a single day of practice, it

is

imperative

that

you

first

gauge

your

coach’s

emotional

state upon return. If he or she is visibly upset, you should try to make up the most logical excuse possible in order to explain the absence. Avoid excuses involving your family or friends as there is always a chance they are secretly conspiring against you. The best excuse in this situation would be to tell your coach you were accepting a “merit award” from a

specific

foundation

since

no

one

actually

knows

what

that

means. In order to best execute this excuse, utilize a website

domain name to establish a shell corporation, which will serve as the foundation (example: the Rachlin Foundation for Academic Excellence), and list yourself as an award recipient. From there, tell your coach that the award ceremony was scheduled for the same day as the practice in question.

You may face legal repercussions for Internet fraudulence upon completion of your shell organization, but the pros definitely

outweigh

the

cons.

Problem #2: You think you’re not getting enough playing time. How do you confront the coach?

Solution:

Regardless

of

the

fact

that

you

missed

the

first

game of the season to get a haircut, and that you frequently cry on the bus to away games, your coach should be playing you more. This issue is arguably the chief complaint among student-athletes as many feel they put in countless hours of practice

time

only

to

see

those

hours

translate

to

significant

minutes spent on the bench. Approaching your coach about this problem can be tricky and often times awkward, as coaches get extremely uncomfortable whenever basic human principles, such as morality and humility, are brought into question. First, explain your feelings to your coach through a text-heavy PowerPoint presentation that you have created and should take no less that 25 minutes to present. Also, schedule a meeting with the athletic director, your coach, and a group of 8-12 friends who will testify on your behalf, attesting to both your character and inherent athletic ability.

(In the absence of inherent athletic ability, have the group really

emphasize

your

character.)

Next,

make

sure

to

find

your coach’s address and send a fruit basket, along with a complimentary card, directly to their home. This will seal the deal, and you will immediately see your playing time increase dramatically.

Problem #3: You’re on the freshman/JV team, but you know you’re a varsity player. How do you let the coach know?

Solution:

If

you

find

yourself

left

off

of

the

varsity

squad,

immediately upon release of rosters, you must conduct a Terrell Owens-circa-2005 contract holdout to make the coaching staff aware of your displeasure with their decision.

However, since you are in high school, this tactic will most likely prove unsuccessful since it is illegal to receive money as compensation for athletic services (totally unfair, in my opinion). After your holdout, which should last 1-2 weeks depending on your level of anger, make sure to let all of your teammates know that you are better than them. In passing, routinely say things such as “I’m too good for this” and “Varsity sucks anyway” to further make known your outrage towards the direction of the program. As a last resort, compile an emotional appeal to the varsity coach. In this appeal, you should emphasize the fact that your parents have entirely disowned you as their child and have transferred the money from your college fund into buying a new Jeep Wrangler, ultimately due to your failure to make varsity. Even if this is a blatant lie, your coach will be overwhelmed by compassion and instantly instruct you to report to varsity practice for the immediate future.

Problem #4: You meet a girl on New Year’s Eve while at a ski

resort

in

Colorado.

You

later

find

that

she

is

transferring

to your high school and becomes heavily involved in the theater program, which she encourages you to join. However, you also happen to be the best player on the basketball team.

At

first

you

are

hesitant

to

join

the

school

musical,

because

it seems an unusually effeminate thing for the captain of the basketball team to do, yet you do it anyway because why not take a chance? Soon, you realize both basketball and theater are incredibly demanding activities, and you will eventually have to choose one over the other and are therefore left at a stressful, yet ultimately positive, impasse.

Solution:

This

is

the

plot

of

High

School

Musical,

a

fictional

teenage romantic comedy that dramatizes the highs and lows of

high

school.

Due

to

the

fictional

nature

of

the

film,

this

will never happen to you and is an entirely outlandish and unrealistic issue for you to be concerned about.

The ultimate sport Now an official PIAA sport, two of the top frisbee teams in PA look to climb the mountain again

By Daniel Wilson ’16

sport.” In past years, the team would’ve been at the mercy of the girls team has been just as good, if not better. Over the fields

being

open

before

any

real

practice

could

begin. past two seasons, they have won back-to-back Pennsylvania Sports Editor Dena Behar ’16 added to this by saying, “The biggest state championships. Needless to say, the expectation of eximpact

is

definitely

practicing

at

school

instead

of

at

an

off- cellence will not deteriorate as the sport gains popularity and campus location. Hopefully, this will allow for more practice earns itself school recognition. time

since

we

don’t

have

to

take

a

bus

from

school

to

the

fields

“We have a very young team with mostly underclassman. and back.” Certainly, the little things such as practice location, However, they all show a great deal of potential,” junior Soamount of practice, and even respect among other students phie Bennett alluded. “We also have a new coach this year matter. who has won national championships for ultimate and we If nothing else, the buzz about Ultimate becoming a sport have high hopes for the upcoming season.” has drawn more interest from the student body. Over 70 kids With the experience of Coach Minnecci for the boys and have signed up for the boys team alone, a number that would’ve the promise of success with Coach Dawson at the helm for seemed unreachable last year at this time. But while many of the girls, there’s no ceiling on the levels each team may reach. them may think that Ultimate is a sport with skills that can eas- This transition can only help the program succeed from here ily be mastered, they will soon learn that is not the case. “One on out. thing people may not know is the amount of athleticism it takes along with skill,” is the way Eddie Scott ’16 described it; “Unlike those in other sports, players cannot get by on solely on their athleticism; they also need Photo courtesy of Thanasis Narliotis practice.”

If, by some chance, One of the most popular clubs at LM over the past few the success of a proyears has been the Ultimate team. It has provided the experigram has anything to do ence of playing a sport. However, it has never quite gotten with

b ecoming

an

official

the

recognition

it

deserves.

Well,

that

finally

changed

as

the

school sport, the UltiUltimate team has now made the transition from a club to a mate teams on both the school sport.

Photo courtesy of LM Enchiridion boys’ and girls’ sides have While this may not sound like a big deal, there are some Left, Thanasis Narliotis ’15 leaps high over a mass of defenders while reaching for the disc. immediate differences that have been noticed. As Eli Badgio helped themselves in recent years.

Both teams Above, Eddie Scott ’16 handles during a tournament at Radnor HS. Both are strong competi’15

put

it,

“For

the

first

time

in

the

years

that

I’ve

done

ulconsistently qualify for tors

on

the

offensive

end

of

the

field

for

the

Aces. timate, we have been given time in the Kobe gym, which is the state tournament, and a direct and immediate result of being a school-recognized

SPORTS

April 8, 2015

19

The Merionite

key component, a team may be more likely to misinterpret signals, miss a catch or throw during a play when trying to get an opponent out, or even miscommunicate when running to catch

a

fly

or

ground

ball.

Brandon Jones ’16 acknowledges this key component.

“Being a cohesive unit is a key to being a good baseball team.

All of us have to be on the same page to be successful and we think that this is the year we will do just that,” said Jones.

All of the players on this year’s team are reaching toward that same goal to be successful and are determined to improve every aspect of their game necessary in order to improve.

This season’s team has been evolving for the past three or four years as a determined group of juniors and seniors that has spent at least a season together and truly believes that it can earn a district playoff bid. Their faith in each others’ talents has brewed certain willpower and stability in each of the players. As Jordi Avalos ’15 explains, “People may doubt us, given that our track record favors their side. But with the work everyone’s put into the offseason, the team chemistry being the strongest it’s been my four years, the coaches injecting a new attitude into the program, and our schedule being in our favor, I know this’ll be a special year for Lower Merion baseball.” Jones adds, “The attitude this year is much different as every player believes we should make the playoffs.”

Any sports season is about two things: working hard and having fun. Most coaches and players will agree that without one of these actions, the other is not as convincing. If players focus more on the social aspects of a team than the actual sport, then they may not have a successful season. In the same respect, a team may lose multiple players after one season if the focus is solely on the work and none on the enjoyment or reward of working hard. This year, LM’s baseball team seems to have found a healthy balance between the two extremes. “Over my four years I’ve never enjoyed playing alongside with a bunch of teammates more than these guys,” Photo courtesy of Jordi Avalos Avalos

said.

“I

wouldn’t

want

to

step

out

on

the

field

and

compete with anyone else. The same goes with the coaches. is getting prepared for the season to come. In baseball, more Coach Hyman, Coach Nyce, and Coach Fisk have all helped than in any other sport, preparation is key.” guide me through Varsity and given me advice about every One

of

spring

sports’

biggest

benefits

is

that

their

offEach

and

every

athlete

on

the

team

who

aims

to

finish

seasons are longer than most fall and winter sports, running with a winning season and a ticket to playoffs has shared this aspect of my game. Without them this year wouldn’t be the through

most

of

the

school

year.

This

benefit

only

proves

same mindset leading up to and through the beginning of the same. This group of guys makes me want to play harder and to be useful, however, if the team takes advantage of that regular season. As a varsity team, the baseball team dedicated bring a winning tradition to Lower Merion baseball.”

Salzer concurs, adding that, “The best part is the hopefulextra time. their Sunday nights to a series of indoor workouts, with a deFortunately, the Aces baseball team has fully recognized sire to morph individual and team weaknesses into strengths. ness and excitement that each and every player feels for one this advantage and absorbed every last moment of it lead- Now,

they

plan

to

carry

those

strengths

onto

the

field

and

ex- another. We are no longer a team of individuals; we are a coing up to the regular season. With hopes of making it to the ecute them during games. “Offseason practices consisted of hesive unit all striving for the same goal.” Continuous growth district

playoffs

for

the

first

time

in

many

years,

players

such

batting,

infield,

and

pitching,”

said

Needle.

“These

practices

and consistency of players has formed this bond among the as Ben Salzer ’15, one of the team’s two captains, recognize, have allowed our team to become prepared much earlier than athletes

that

is

present

on

and

off

the

field,

increasing

each

person’s trust in his teammates.

“The most important part of the offseason training is being it has in the past.”

The LM baseball team is shaping up to be a fearsome warmed up and ready to go by the time games start. That way, With the offseason polishing complete, the baseball team instead of just warming up the two weeks before games, we now

begins

to

strengthen

as

one

fluid

unit

in

preparation

for

competitor. Weeks of practice, months of skill and team dewarm up two months beforehand and thus are much farther the upcoming season. The team recognizes that, in order to velopment, and years of desire have all led the team to this along than before and can hit our stride much earlier than in be successful, it must grow as a unit as well as develop their season. They have put in the time necessary for a successful previous seasons.” Teammate Eli Needle ’16 agrees, noting, individual skills. Unlike some other sports, baseball is very season and are ready to see the fruits of their hard work be“I think the most important part of the offseason workouts dependent on the cohesiveness of the team. Without that gin to grow right in front of their own eyes.

Jordi

Avalos

’15,

a

centerfielder

and

pitcher for the Aces, is expected to be a leader on this year’s team. Look for him to control

the

outfield

and

basepaths

with his dominating speed.

Back with a

Vengeance

Kelly

Harrigan

’17

Freshman Izzy Meline Sports Played: Basketball and lacross.

If you could travel anywhere in the world for a week, where would it be and why? Italy, just because it seems really beautiful.

As an athlete, what is the best thing you’ve ever learned from a teammate? Always work hard, no matter how badly you are playing.

What is your favorite childhood book? Olivia by Ian Falconer.

Sophomore Evan Hassman Sports Played: Cross-country, swimming and track.

If you could travel anywhere in the world for a week, where would it be and why? I would go snowboarding in the Andes Mountains in Chile.

As an athlete, what is the best thing you’ve ever learned from a teammate? Sometimes, taking a rest day is a good thing.

What is your favorite childhood book? The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein.

Junior Mo McConnell Sports Played: Soccer and softball.

What are you most excited for now that the snow has melted?

Finally

getting

out

on

the

field

and

playing a softball game.

Do you have any lucky charms or superstitions before games? No, nothing in particular.

Would

you

rather

fight

100

duck-sized

horses

or

1

horse-sized

duck? Well, a horse-sized duck seems absolutely terryifying.

Senior Joel Dunoff Sports Played: Basketball and volleyball.

What has been the best part of senior year? Bonding with my classmates and shoving freshmen into lockers, in that order.

Do you have any lucky charms or superstitions before games? I always put my left shoe on before my right.

Would

you

rather

fight

100

ducksized

horses

or

1

horse-sized

duck?

Absolutely 100 duck-sized horses.

20

SPORTS

April 8, 2015

The Merionite

Boys’ Lacrosse

Boys’ Track

Captains: Jon Perlman ‘15, Jeremy Tuttle ‘15, and Jon Adams ‘16 “Although it’s an individual sport, the grit you put into the races is for the betterment of the team. It is truly your teammates who encourage you to give it all you’ve got.”

-Jon Perlman ‘15

Captains: Evan Wolf ‘15, Aaron Jaffe ‘15, Paddy Black ‘15, and Jake Margolis ‘15 “Our returning players must take on a leadership role this year. They must help the new players get acclimated to our system quickly.”

-Ernie Shapiro, Head Coach

Boys’ Volleyball Boys’ Tennis

Captains: Greg Kastein ‘15 and Joel Dunoff ‘15

Captains: Simon Vernier ‘15, Henry Gao ‘15, and Nick Legg ‘15 “The players have already begun to lead by working the team hard in preseason conditioning.”

-Dave O’Connell, Head Coach

“The captains lead by example. They keep us focused in moments of success but also in moments of adversity.”

-Will Rosenbaum ‘15

Softball Captains: Quinn Harrigan ‘15, Moira McConnell ‘16, and Lily Millar ‘16 “Each year, we have noticed growth in all of our players and will be looking to our seniors this season to contribute their talents offensively and defensively along with their leadership skills, resulting in a successful 2015 season.”

-James Lapera, Head Coach

Crew

Captains: Jordan Scott ‘15 “I believe our biggest factor in our success will be the mentality of the team this year. “ -Jordan Scott ‘15

Girls’ Lacrosse

Captains: Maddie Johnson ‘15, Paige Johnson ‘15, and Adina Harris ‘15 “The captains are dedicated and committed to making a playoff run this year. They will be able to guide this team further in the playoffs.”

-Erika Baylis, Head Coach

Baseball Captains: Ben Salzer ‘15 and Jordi Avalos ‘15 “We have our entire core of players returning from last season, including our entire pitching staff....It should be an exciting season for LM baseball.”

-Jeff Nyce, Head Coach

Girls’ Track Captains: Bailey Votto ‘15, Marissa Shander ‘15, Nikki Pendleton ‘16, Sarah Doebley ‘16, Vanessa Poe ‘16 “Our team always makes sure to encourage everyone...Although the races are technically individual, it really is a team effort.” -Marissa Shander ‘15

Photos courtesy of LM Enchiridion