Matriculation 2015

2

June 8, 2015

Matriculation The Merionite

Lessons from my middle school yearbook

(Rory Gilmore’s)

Words of wisdom

Zay Smolar

Madelyn Schaffer Managing Editor

Editor-in-Chief

Writing

a

senior

reflection

for

The Merionite

is

something

that

I

have

wanted

Let

me

preface

this

by

saying

that,

in

writing

this

reflection,

I

have

struggled

to

arrange

my

thoughts

in

a

cohesive

to

do

since

I

was

just

a

freshman.

Every

year

I

read

the

matriculation

issue,

and

way

more

than

I

ever

have

before.

I’ve

written

plenty

of

articles—from

news

stories,

to

opinion

pieces,

to

unsigned

I

thought

about

everything

I

might

want

to

say

that

would

sum

up

my

time

at

editorials—and

have

never

grappled

so

much

with

how

to

put

my

thoughts

on

paper.

I’ve

been

feeling

that

my

words

LM.

Finally

the

time

has

come

when

I

get

to

write

to

the

younger

grades,

to

and

ideas

come

across

as

clichéd

and

pithy,

regardless

of

how

hard

I

work

to

be

sincere

and

original.

So

for

that,

I

my

teachers,

to

my

peers,

and

tell

them

how

much

they

mean

to

me,

give

them

apologize.

Just

know

that

I’m

cringing

with

you

at

every

sophomoric

line

and

phrase.

advice.

But

now,

I

have

found

that

I

am

at

a

loss

for

words.

I

don’t

know

how

In

reflecting

on

my

time

at

LM,

I’d

like

to

go

back

to

my

middle

school

yearbook.

Although

most

of

us

want

to

to

say

everything

that

I

need

to

say

in

so

few

words;

I

could

write

a

book

about

forget

those

awkward

years,

I

want

you

to

do

your

best

to

remember.

When

I

was

looking

through

the

yearbook,

I

every

memory

that

I

am

happy

to

have

and

every

day

that

I

want

to

relive. was

especially

struck

by

the

pages

with

notes

at

the

end.

At

the

highest

point

of

my

senioritis

roller-coaster

I

watched

all

seven

seaA

few

notes

caught

my

attention,

but

there’s

one

I

want

to

focus

on.

sons

of

Gilmore Girls

on

Netflix.

A

specific

episode

comes

to

my

mind

as

I

It’s

from

one

of

my

best

friends,

a

person

with

whom

I’ve

been

friends

since

our

preschool

days

at

Adath

Israel.

struggle

for

something

that

will

help

to

convey

my

high

school

experience.

He

wrote,

“This

summer

we

will

be

rich.”

He

was

referring

to

a

lawn

mowing

business

that

we

would

be

starting

that

During

Rory’s

valedictorian

speech

at

her

high

school

graduation

she

says,

summer.

Spoiler

alert:

We

did

not,

in

fact

get

rich

in

its

typical

definition.

“We

never

thought

this

day

would

come.

We

prayed

for

its

quick

delivery,

Though

this

note

blends

in

with

the

other

inside

jokes

and

“HAGS”

wishes,

it

struck

me

when

I

read

it.

I

read

it

crossed

days

off

our

calendars,

counted

hours,

minutes,

and

seconds.

And

again,

and

again,

and

again.

now

that

it’s

here,

I’m

sorry

that

it

is

because

it

means

leaving

friends

who

The

note

struck

me

because

as

an

eighth

grader,

I

simply

read

it

and

chuckled.

As

a

graduating

senior,

though,

it

reinspire

me

and

teachers

who

have

been

my

mentors.”

minded

me

of

the

past

14(ish)

years

that

I’ve

been

friends

with

this

person

and

the

plethora

of

ventures

we

embarked

It

is

in

this

speech

that

Rory

is

able

to

put

into

words

everything

I

need

to

on

before

and

after

this

lawn

mowing

business.

It

was

remarkable

to

me

that

in

only

four

short

years,

an

innocuous

say.

I

have

looked

forward

to

writing

this

reflection

for

years

and

now

that

it

is

message

like

this

could

shift

in

meaning

so

immensely.

here,

I

don’t

want

to

write

it.

I

had

the

usual

ups

and

downs

in

high

school,

but

This

note

immediately

brought

me

back

to

the

naïveté

we

felt

that

summer.

It

reminded

me

of

the

reckless

abanoverall

I

can

honestly

say

that

high

school

has

taught

me

important

life

lessons

don

with

which

we

approached

the

world.

There

were

days

when

we

were

carrying

lawn

mowers,

bags,

brooms,

and

and

have

changed

me

for

the

better.

I’m

not

sure

if

I’m

ready

to

leave.

gasoline

around

our

neighborhood

in

search

of

a

$30

lawn

mowing

job.

It

was

a

breath

of

fresh

air

that

took

me

away

Like

Rory

says

in

this

episode,

I

have

lived

in

two

worlds

throughout

high

from

all

of

my

current

responsibilities,

even

if

just

for

a

minute.

school.

My

first

world

is

the

world

of

cross

country.

Cross

country

consisted

Now

here

comes

the

sophomoric

writer

in

me—prepare

to

cringe.

of

40

weeks

out

of

an

estimated

total

of

144

weeks

of

high

school.

In

those

This

naïveté

we

felt

is

something

I’d

sorely

missed

throughout

high

school.

Maybe

that’s

why

it

40

weeks

I

laughed

more,

cried

more,

and

ran

more

than

I

did

at

any

other

hit

me

so

hard.

It’s

dangerously

easy

to

get

locked

in

the

LM

box,

worried

about

grades,

colleges,

time.

I

took

away

many

things

from

cross

country,

like

friends

that

feel

more

clubs,

and

parties,

that

we

oftentimes

forget

the

awkward

middle

school

kid

who

was

planning

like

family

and

running

routes

that

I

could

find

with

my

eyes

closed.

to

get

rich

from

a

few

lawn

mowing

jobs

each

week.

I

learned

that

if

I

push

myself,

I

can

do

things

that

I

never

imagHigh

school

will

be

miserable

if

you

lock

yourself

in

this

box. ined

doing,

that

sometimes

you

have

to

run

through

the

pain,

There

was

definitely

a

(thankfully,

short)

time

in

high

school

during

which

and

that

hard

work

pays

off.

I

was

actively

stressed

out

about

grades

and

my

chances

at

various

colleges.

My

second

world

resides

in

room

200A,

the

Merionite

room.

I

would

think

about

which

party

was

when

and

whether

or

not

I

would

go.

My

schedule

for

the

past

four

years

has

been

controlled

not

by

I’m

100

percent

sure

that

I’m

not

alone

in

having

these

worries.

what

test

I

had

to

study

for

or

what

party

I

had

to

attend,

but

What

I

soon

realized,

though,

was

that

none

of

it

mattered

enough

by

the

articles

I

had

to

write

or

edit.

I

memorized

countto

worry

over.

What

I,

and

I’d

wager

what

most

people

need,

is

a

less

grammar

rules

and

sent

email

after

email

requesting

reminder

of

that

middle

school

kid

who

didn’t

care

what

other

quotations

or

articles

or

who

knows

what.

Although

people

thought.

The

middle

school

kids

who

planned

to

get

rich

this

was

great,

The Merionite

wasn’t

just

work.

Thanks

with two lawn mowers and a broom had an attitude that is into The Merionite,

I

made

friends

who

were

outside

my

valuable

in

high

school.

I

can’t

really

speak

from

experience,

“usual

friend

group;”

I

had

thought-provoking

conbut

I’d

assume

that

this

same

attitude

is

one

that

we

all

need

versations

that

gave

me

perspective

on

important

topics.

throughout

life

past

high

school,

too.

The Merionite

has

inspired

me

to

get

out

of

my

comfort

All

of

this

boils

down

to

one

idea

that

I’m

sure

you’ve

heard

a

zone

whenever

possible

as

well

as

bring

fun

into

everymillion

times

before:

just

be

yourself.

The

cliché

of

this

advice

is

not

thing

that

I

do. lost

on

me,

and

I

only

say

it

because

I

truly

think

that

it

is

the

most

The

people

who

surrounded

me

at

LM,

dedicated

important

lesson

I

learned

during

my

time

at

LM.

teachers

and

life-long

friends,

shaped

my

life

impermeIf

you

can

learn

to

have

confidence

in

yourself

and

just

ignore

ably

and

forever.

Just

like

Rory

says,

these

people

are

my

the

“haters,”

you

will

thrive

and

grow

in

ways

you

could

not

have

ultimate

inspiration

for

everything.

Teachers

who

might

imagined.

Go

join

some

club

you’ve

always

thought

was

interesting.

not

know

how

much

they

have

changed

my

life

and

friends

Maybe

you’re

a

phenomenal

singer

in

the

shower,

but

you’ve

alwho

might

not

know

how

hard

it’s

going

to

be

to

leave

ways

been

too

embarrassed

to

join

the

fantastic

a

cappella

groups.

them

this

fall.

The

most

important

thing

about

high

school

What

I’ve

found

to

be

so

wonderful

about

LM

is

that

no

matter

isn’t

necessarily

the

grades

you

get,

although

getting

good

how

embarrassing

you

think

something

is,

the

community

at

LM

grades

is

very

beneficial.

The

important

thing

is

being

able

will

support

you.

I

know

that

it

has

supported

me.

to

say

that

you

walked

out

of

high

school

with

memories

that

If

people

won’t

support

your

trying

to

be

yourself,

they’re

simply

you

treasure

and

people

who

make

you

a

better

person.

That’s

not

worth

your

time.

Surround

yourself

with

people

who

care

for

and

what

you’re

going

to

search

for

after

four

years.

want

the

best

for

the

real

you.

Thank

you

to

everyone,

inside

of

school

and

out,

who

I

wish

that

I

had

looked

at

the

notes

in

my

yearbook

more

often

gave

me

my

memories

and

motivated

me

to

be

the

best

over

the

past

few

years.

It

reminded

me

of

the

most

valuable

apversion

of

myself. proach

to

high

school—and

to

life.

Divya, Zay, and Maddie/ Photo by Staff

More than a reflection Divya Arya In one Merionite

article,

reflect

on

your

experience

at

LM.

In

600

words,

talk

about

what

you

learned

in

those

four

years,

but

make

it

communal.

While

I

stared

impassively

at

the

blank

screen,

some

told

me

just

to

submit

my

Common

App

essay,

while

others

yelled

at

me

to

make

it

beautiful

and

introspective

and

meaningful,

because,

“You’re

Editor-in-Chief,

and

you

never

write

even

though

Zay

writes

every

issue!!!”

(Sorry

Mom––someone

had

to

design

those

Special

Features).

So

here

I

am,

attempting

to

draw

a

moral

out

of

my

high

school

experience,

but

failing

to

write

those

meaningful

words

that

have

to

seem

inspiring

and

insightful

to

1300

people.

Maybe

I

can

write

about

how

I’ve

grown

as

a

person.

To

quote

one

of

my

own

college

essays,

“As

a

freshman,

talking

to

popular

girls

intimidated

me,

and

older

boys

freaked

me

out.

While

other

girls

on

the

swim

team

looked

forward

to

hanging

out,

postswimming

parties

filled

me

with

dread.”

I

ended

that

essay

with

some

lovely

anecdotal

evidence

that

I

have

grown

out

of

this

social

anxiety,

evolved

beyond

my

own

self-doubt.

But

just

last

week,

my

senior

project

dance

teacher

said

that

we

had

not

practiced

enough.

Editor-in-chief Salutatorian

Her

words

caused

those

familiar

pangs

of

unworthiness

and

failure

in

me,

but

Dan

and

Jeremy,

the

people

I

was

doing

my

project

with,

simply

laughed

it

off

because

“she

bad

doeee.”

As

a

supposedly

outgoing

and

confident

senior,

I

am

still

plagued

by

self-doubt,

and

just

as

easily

intimated

as

was

my

shy

freshman

self.

Though

my

college

essays

might

say

otherwise,

I

have

yet

to

overcome

many

challenges

that

have

burdened

me

since

freshman

year.

So

maybe

I

can

write

about

what

I’ve

done

in

high

school.

Throughout

these

four

years,

I

simultaneously

learned

more

about

my

own

Hindu

faith

and

worked

to

bring

those

of

different

races

and

religions

together.

Again,

to

quote

my

own

college

essay,

“The

epic

tales

of

my

faith

are

woven

into

the

fabric

of

my

being;

talking

to

students

of

different

cultures

has

made

the

threads

all

the

stronger.”

Honestly,

as

I

reread

that

essay,

I

realize

that

I

sounded

like

a

religious

fanatic.

But

freshman

year,

I

didn’t

care

at

all

about

religion,

and

perhaps

there

will

be

a

day

when

my

passion

changes

again.

Talking

about

what

I’ve

“achieved”

in

high

school

thus

seems

empty

and

not

at

all

reflective

of

my

high

school

experience.

Those

reflective

essays

on

“How

I’ve

Grown”

and

“What

I’ve

Done”

only

worked

as

college

essays.

They

were

passionate

and

(hopefully)

well

written,

but

they

are

not

the

meaningful

words

I

look

for

now.

This

thus

far

fruitless

essay

has

showed

me

that

reflecting

on

my

own

experience

is

not

what

my

high

school

reflection

should

be.

As

we

get

older,

we

will

grow

and

do

more

than

we

did

in

high

school––so

what

will

stick

with

us

from

these

four

years

at

LM? Well,

for

me,

it

will

be

my

amazing

and

supportive

family

who

dealt

with

all

of

my

“growth.”

It

will

be

my

brilliant

friends

and

passionate

teachers

(shout

out

to

Mr.

Reed,

Ms.

Hull,

Mrs.

Mastriano,

and

Mrs.

Christman).

When

I’m

50

years

old

and

thinking

about

high

school,

these

people

will

be

who

I

think

about.

It

will

not

be

my

growth

from

shy

to

outgoing,

because

I

will

change

and

change

again.

It

will

not

be

my

intercultural

work,

because

I

will

work

and

work

again.

What

we

take

away

from

LM

will

be

different

for

each

and

every

one

of

us.

But

our

communal

reflection

on

our

high

school

experiences

will

be

meaningful

when

we

focus

not

on

ourselves,

but

on

what

will

stick

with

us

beyond

these

four

years.

And

this

is

what

I

can

write

about.

Matriculation

Acknowledging our experiences

Amy Boutselis Senior Class President Seniors—over the past four years we have been through a lot together. As freshmen, we learned about Africa, Asia, and Sporcle in history; proofs, theorems, and how long Mrs. Reisch could hold a split for in geometry; and biomes, mitosis, and Mr. Reis’s daughters in biology. We left freshman year knowing what it meant to be a part of “Aces Nation,” and we carried this knowledge with us into our next year.

As sophomores, we survived Hurricane Sandy as it “beat” Radnor Week, and we witnessed the basketball team win States.

We roamed the halls throughout the second semester, not knowing what to do with our new frees and lack of homework.

After a carefree year, we clung on to summer, dreading the upcoming year of what was sure to be full of insurmountable stress.

During junior year we rallied behind the boys soccer team as they went undefeated throughout the entire regular season, but then immediately went home to start our homework. We barreled through rhetorical analyses, center of mass, the unit circle, and the Civil War, only to spend Saturday mornings painfully sitting through standardized tests. Yet somehow, these stressful situations managed to bring us closer together

The Merionite

as

we

bonded

over

finishing

WebAssigns

at

the last minute in the library, trying to teach each other Trig since the YouTube videos just weren’t cutting it, and realizing that in just a year, all of this would be over. We were relieved and genuinely happy for each other when we made it out of junior year alive, and we knew to make the most of the summer because the next one would be spent packing up our rooms and saying goodbyes.

When

senior

year

finally

rolled

around,

we struggled to balance college apps with all of our classes, while still making time for sporting and social events. As we began hearing back from colleges throughout the year, some of the pressure dissolved and we were able to start properly enjoying our last year. In November, we came together as

a

class

to

dominate

in

our

final

Radnor

Week—walking away as champions of Hallway Wars and Powderpuff. We watched as ten of our incredibly talented classmates took the stage in February to determine who would be the next Mr. LM. As May came around, we gathered in the Franklin Institute for prom, realizing that the next time we would all be together would be graduation. And now, here we are, preparing ourselves for the walk across the stage and the goodbyes that start when we leave here.

We’ve certainly grown a lot since freshman year, both as individuals and as a class.

We have made an impact on our school— without us there would be no tetherball pole in the courtyard or beautiful hallway on

the

second

floor—and

I

feel

confident that each of you will make an impact wherever you go from here. Before this all ends, however, I’d like to thank you all for the amazing opportunity you’ve given me to represent this class. It has been an honor to be able to serve our class, and— despite my sassy Facebook posts—I have enjoyed every moment of it. So thank you for an incredible four years and for being the best classmates I could have asked for.

And, of course, a special thank you goes out to Tyler Spector, Mariana Dougherty, Will Rosenbaum, and Matt Schwartz, for keeping me sane throughout the whole process.

See you at the reunion!

High school in 140 characters or less

Tori Klevan Student Council President Features Editor The buzzer had sounded and Raheem Hall hurled the winning game ball in the air. LM had won the state championship game. The atmosphere was euphoric. I felt that pure, indefinable

happiness

that

is

rarely

experienced. People around me were bursting into tears of joy. And in the midst of the ecstasy, one pressing nag thumped in the back of my head—what should I tweet right now?

How am I going to convey every emotion I’m feeling at this monumental moment in 140 characters or less? What is the perfect phrasing that will make me seem school spirited but not weird or too “hype” all at the same time? What words should I use to subtly brag to my non-LM friends that my school is clearly better than theirs? And I can’t not tweet. Then how else would all of my followers (80 percent of whom were in the stands with me at that moment) know that we just won the state championship, and that I was there to witness it? Hm...OK. I totally got it:

@toriklevan: AEHFUPEGJNADLSJFNASLDFADSFIAUJFNLAIJDNC Perfect. It was twiterary genius. But wait. Was that too extreme? Did I just lose my “cool kid” status forever?

Am I going to be considered a “hype jawn” now? Ok, I have to delete it. Oh no, wait, someone already favorited it—now I can’t. Aggghhhhhhhh.

And then I was stressed. The basketball team I had obsessed over for the past two years just won the state championship, and I was stressed over a tweet.

Throughout all of high school, I have

tweeted on a regular basis. And up until the end of this school year, almost every tweet has characterized me as someone I am not. For me, Twitter was a device that functioned solely to write a false super-biography on me, @toriklevan, or @noTORIous__, or one of the other awful puns that occasionally occupied my username.

Twitter, the only unblocked social media outlet in school, was the most accessible way to gain the acceptance that I so craved.

God knows what my friends who actually knew me thought when I tweeted only pro sports for the entire month of December in 2013. Or when I “subtweeted” about a certain Portuguese boy. Or three years ago when I tweeted (this is literally a direct quote): “Phone real dry...Someone #HMU plz.” These things sound absurd to me now, but at the time, I thought they made me cool.

Now is the part where you may write me off for being too cheesy. I decided to write about this because I don’t want anyone to make the same mistake I did. LM is the most accepting community I’ve ever been a part of, and I was unlucky to learn this only this year. My classmates have never failed to impress me with their inclusive nature, and I’m going to have a hard time meeting more genuine people. My memories from high school will be the celebration after the state championship and the great conversations in the Merionite room.

I will have no recollection of how many retweets I got or who unfollowed me.

I hope I didn’t give the impression that you should all delete your Twitter accounts. Twitter is great—how else would I know that junior boys were planning to flip

my

car

or

that

the

dress

is

blue

and

black? I am advising that you be yourself on social media—and everywhere.

You

will

find

your

place,

meet

the

best

people, and love your experience at LM.

THE MERIONITE Official

newspaper

of

Lower

Merion

High School since 1929 www.themerionite.org Columbia Scholastic Press Assocation Silver Crown 2013 Editors in Chief Dena Behar ’16 Olivia Johnston ’16 Advisor Chad Henneberry

June 8, 2015

3

Letting the stress go

cating himself in full to the student body’s mental health needs. SASS and my own stress management took a backseat as high school ran ahead. I was no hero, but some of you might be.

Position: SASS has the funds and the staff sponsor but needs visionaries with passion and time to realize its mission of culture change.

Contact: If that sounds like you, you know

where

to

find

me:

Email,

Facebook,

Twitter, or telepathy.

Post Two—Unconventional skill set needed Background: When I was spending time away from SASS, where was I? I was living out of room 112 with a group of other students, scrambling to assemble a robot before a mid-February competition. I know you’re thinking: high school students build a Liam Rossman six-foot-tall robot, get to travel the country Co-Valedictorian competing with other robots on a basketTo the class of 2015 students and families: ball-court-sized

field,

and

have

the

chance

Congratulations. To the rest of you: I’m to interact with an international organization sure I don’t need to tell you, but you’re the that awards millions of dollars in scholarlucky ones*. In leaving high school, I have ship money to college bound students every some regrets, as I know many of us gradu- year; why isn’t every LM student in Dawgating seniors do, but, in an attempt to right ma? The problem is that when people think some of my own failings, I provide you with robotics, they don’t think about business, the following-- opportunities in LM that are videography, advertising, marketing, sewing, hidden to most and of which I failed to take graphic design, statistical modeling, analysis, full advantage. Please continue where I left or strategy. Sometimes our limited capacity off. HELP WANTED: Opportunities avail- to dismiss judgment restricts opportunity. able for 2015-16 school year and beyond. Yet, more often than not, the world isn’t the sum total of what we see.

Pay in experience. Summers off.

Position: Even if you’ve never considPast One—Leadership Background: When I was a sophomore, ered yourself the engineering type (just as I applied and received a grant from a mental I hadn’t), Dawgma has so much to offer. health organization that was awarding mon- I always found the title, “LM Tech Club” ey to entrepreneurial high school students deceiving. Graphic design in the Robotics who were passionate about combatting a Club and fashion design in TSA? Don’t let particular mental health issue within their the labeling blind you; we are not just conacademic community. I told the granters ventional techies.

Contact: Intrigued? Stop by room 112 on that I would start a club that reduces stress in the crazy high school environment in a Tuesday or Thursday during AR, or send which I felt I was living. Half way through for more information by carrier pigeon. *Enjoy your time at LM. High school is sophomore year my organization opened its doors for business. I called it SASS: Stu- too short to spend it frivolously and hapdents Against Stressful Situations. I wanted hazardly in the pursuit of a well-rounded students, faculty, and administrators to rec- resume. LM, to me, feels like tradition. Beognize the malice done by stress in the LM cause each student leaves eventually, there is community and have SASS arm students an incessant need to pass along, to continue with

the

resources

necessary

to

fight

their

for the upcoming classes that which precedown battles. The ultimate goal? To change ing years have impressed upon us. In high school we are each transient and ephemthe academic environment for the better.

Then, junior year happened. And then, eral,

trying

to

define

ourselves

and

change

that which surrounds us. I implore you to senior year year happened.

SASS’s leadership (yours truly) spent explore your options, because just as LM is time studying, applying to college, and run- a stepping-stone to your future plans, LM’s ning three or so other clubs instead of dedi- future lies with you.

Know thyself

Joshua Gerstein Co-Valedictorian During my time at LM, I’ve learned a lot.

Of course, much of that learning occurred in my classes, but I’ve also learned a great deal outside them. Probably the most important learning I did was about myself— my strengths, my weaknesses, what I can offer and what I cannot, how I tend to interact with people, and so on. I believe that this knowledge and the analysis thereof are crucial to improving myself, which I think is an important goal to have. One discovery I’ve made about myself is my relative inefficiency

when

working

on

written

assignments. When estimating how long an assignment will take, I usually think, “How long would this take one of my peers?”

And then I multiply that number by two or three. But, it seems that I always take even longer than I estimated. I’ve learned to allot

News Editors A&E Editors Simone Burde ’17 Jon Adams ’16 Deepika Jonnalagadda ’17 Sophia Salganicoff ’16 Rebecca Tauber ’16 Margo Urheim ’16 Op-Ed Editors Adrian Corbey ’16 Todd Gilman ’16 Nina McKay ’17

Sports Editors Kelly Harrigan ’17 William Rieke ’16 Daniel Wilson ’16

Features Editors Isabella Dumitrescu ’17 Leslie Gladstone ’16 Alexandra Hummel ’17

Copy Editors Dora Nathans ’18 Grant Wei ’16

a seemingly ludicrous amount of time for tasks involving writing…including this one.

One particularly helpful skill I’ve learned is how to choose between working and preserving my health. We’re often faced with decisions that force us to choose between our health and our work. In the past, I had almost always chose the latter, which usually, but not always, ended up working out. For instance, sleep had always come second to finishing

schoolwork,

which

resulted

in

frequent sleep deprivation. At one point, I was proud of my ability to function on very little sleep, but then, after coming well-rested to school for a month, I realized how much I had been missing out on by being tired—I was now more happy, more alert, and more coherent. When I slept enough, I was able to better appreciate everything around me.

After

spending

the

first

days

of

my

senior year at CHOP, I didn’t really have that choice; I had to focus on recovering. For the next two months, I needed more sleep than I previously did just to feel even somewhat normal, and I still fatigued very easily. I could have tried to complete all my schoolwork; instead, I chose to focus on getting my body back to baseline. I don’t regret my decision because not only was it necessary, but I also gained a better understanding of the consequences of prioritizing work over health. As someone who had been in constant fear of taking his foot off the metaphorical gas pedal throughout high school, I found that there could still be a good outcome when I let up.

High school can be stressful, and there’s a lot going on all the time. However, it’s important to make time to learn about yourself. Find out what works for you and what doesn’t. Knowing yourself better will help you in many aspects of your life, including

finding

the

right

college

for

you

and

writing great essays for those applications.

The editors believe all facts presented in the newspaper Layout Editors Sam Gamberg ’17 to be accurate. The paper acknowledges that mistakes are possible and welcomes questions as to accuracy.

Inquiries regarding accuracy should be directed to the Web Editors Camille Carr ’18 editors of the paper. Editors can be contacted via email at merionite@gmail.com or in Room 200A. Business Manager To represent all viewpoints in the school community, Justin Guo ’16 The Merionite welcomes all letters to the editor. Letters can be sent via e-mail or dropped off outside Business Advisor Sean P. Flynn, Esq. 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.

4

June 8, 2015

How to

Matriculation

really succeed

The Merionite

in high school

High school is too short to waste it away worrying about building up a perfect college resume and studying every French vocabulary word to perfection. I would know; I did. For the majority of my four years here, my idea of success was straight A’s and superior SAT scores. Those are undeniably important, but honestly, who remembers the formula for the inertia of a rod or the meaning of the word “harangue?” The most important lessons I learned in high school

were

how

to

find

my

passions,

self-teach,

take

risks,

work

with

people

who

are

difficult

to

work

with,

and conquer heartbreak and stress. Notice that these are all life lessons, rather than strictly academic ones. High Emily Manin school demands that we live our lives rather than quarNews Editor antine ourselves in our bedrooms on Saturdays studying and restudying material.

High school is also too short to ruminate over your social status and reputation. Although it may seem pivotal at the moment whether or not you are invited to the Senior Banger or which popular jock you got with at the last party, I hate to break it to you: in the grand scheme of things, no one really cares and it doesn’t really matter. For too long, I was bitter about my unshakable status as the studious girl who asked the teachers too many questions and did not get out enough.

When I made an appearance at the infamous “Project R” party, I received unwelcoming stares and comments such as “shouldn’t you be home studying to get into Harvard?” Although upsetting in the moment, I came to terms with who I was: a studious, hard-working student. And I was proud of it. I became my own person, not someone who lived life wishing she could shake an “undesirable” reputation.

My advice to those who still have time: 1. Do not take life too seriously. It really is not the end of the world if you get

a

B

as

a

quarter

or

final

g rade.

2. Laugh things off. If you lose perspective, go out a little, waste a little time, and clear your mind.

3. Do not let others bring you down— not boyfriends, girlfriends, friends, acquaintances, or archenemies. Do not dwell on what others think of you.

It really isn’t worth it.

4. Enjoy all the fun parts of high school and be patient when it seems like the stress and workload are never-ending; it’ll be over before you know it.

It took me nearly all four years to understand the importance of not taking life too seriously. I wish I had discovered this earlier, and I hope this article helps you do so. Thank you, LM, for helping me realize what is really important. I am a better person for it. And more successful than ever.

It’s half the battle As a young kid growing up in Charlotte, North Carolina, I have just a few memories from before I was five

years

old.

One

of

the

most

vivid

was

an

activity

that

I

did

almost

each and every morning.

I would wake up before everyone else in my house, sprint to the end of the driveway, and bring inside our copy of the newspaper. By the time my parents would come into the kitchen to make breakfast for me,

I’d

be

flipping

through

the

sports

section,

even

as

young

as

the

age

of three, trying to pick up as many stats and upcoming sporting events as possible.

One

of

the

best

parts

about

growing

up

is

realizing

that

no

matter

how much we evolved, certain things in our lives will remain constant.

Mitchell Gladstone For me, two of those things are sports and journalism.

Sports Editor When I came to LM in September 2011, I already knew where sport stood in my life. As an Ace, I got the chance to play three different sports and cheer on my friends from the

Dawg

Pound.

At

the

same

time,

I

was

unsure

of

where

journalism

would

fit

into

that

puzzle.

Until the middle of sophomore year my mom begged me to write for The Merionite. I constantly refused, yet had no rhyme or reason; it was just my prerogative. Six months later, I became a sports editor for this newspaper.

While being in this position was initially new, it felt quite natural. And only after two full years of having the honor of working on The Merionite

staff,

I

finally

realized

my

passion

for

this

newspaper

was

something

that I found more than a few years back. It all began back at my kitchen table in North Carolina.

The

Greek

philosopher

Thales

once

said,

“The

most

difficult

thing

in

life

is

to

know

yourself.”

My

time at LM gave me a lesson more powerful and important than anything that could be taught by a single teacher or professor. Knowing what you like to do and what you have fun doing is one thing. It is a whole other thing to discover what you are truly passionate about and take advantage of all the great opportunities it may offer you.

In short, what I realized is that you can’t expect high school to change you; nonetheless, you can expect high

school

to

define

you.

What I learned over the course of four years is that in so many ways, at my core, I truly am the same person that started out as an overwhelmed freshman. I always knew I would live my life with sports and journalism at the center. It is just who I am. I never imagined, however, the way in which it would manifest itself as a part of my day-to-day activities.

LM was a place where I grew into myself. I knew what I loved and I discovered the ways and places in which I loved to do those things. Be it writing for the newspaper, performing jazz at various competitions, or doing battle against the rest of the Central League, I got to know more about myself than I could have dreamed of.

When people say that knowing yourself is half the battle, it really does hold true. So don’t let four years go by and say you have learned nothing about yourself. Just because you know nothing new, doesn’t mean you

have

failed.

Knowing

yourself

is

about

figuring

out

which

path

you

want

your

life

to

take,

and

high

school is just the beginning of that journey.

Matriculation

June 8, 2015

5

The Merionite

I’ve cried, I’ve laughed, I’ve danced I began my high school career as a shy, shallow,

chubby,

and

anger-filled

teen.

Coming

from

Washington

D.C.,

it

was

strange

to

see

so

many

white

people

fill

the

halls.

I was frustrated because everyone had a new iPhone while I still had a no-name Android.

Now, I have become a product of that environment; I love being a part of the various cultures that the students of LM bring.

Freshman

year,

school

was

difficult. I never knew that teachers actually cared about when you turn in asYuejay Reeves signments, or that they actually offered advice. I thought that basketball was my true passion, but then during sophomore year, football arrived at my doorstep.

After

that

first

hit,

I

knew

football

was

my

future.

I

went

from

looking

at

1979

Corvettes

to

seeing

2012

BMWs

and

Mercedes

Benzes.

But

what

I really found funny was that everyone wanted to be from the hood. Why? I mean I know hip-hop rappers look cool on television, but they’re not bragging about their old lifestyles. They actually hate their old lifestyles, but it’s easy to promote it when you’re getting paid for it. LM gave me a love for watching plays, listening to different forms of music, and very artistic children. I found myself at home at LM; I was accepted for who I was.

What initially confused me about the school was why everyone was always so happy. I would come in grumpy, and kids would still

smile

at

me.

It

felt

so

strange

at

first,

but

now

I

smile

back.

So, to honestly describe my LM experience, I don’t know—I mean, a lot goes on here. In this building, I’ve brought some people to tears, I’ve cried, I’ve laughed, and at the same time, I’ve danced. I’ve learned how to use my sense of humor to my advantage, using it in essays and discussions, rather than to be disruptive.

I

feel

like

at

first,

people

were

intimidated

by

me,

but

now,

people

call

me a teddy bear. There’s not too much room for “hard” or “tough” here, except when I’m lifting a bar in the weight room.

I’ve found out that styles change every year. I mean, I look at my shoes and wonder how Roshi’s and Jordan’s became more popular than generic Nikes. I learned that basketball is like God’s sport here. Even if people aren’t good on the actual court, 2k becomes an argument. I learned that Mr. Burch is the only old man I know who can still

pull

off

surfing

and

bird

watching

in style, that Mr. Brooks still thinks it’s the ‘60s and suspenders are in style, and that Mr. Hughes is like 40 and yet reminds me of Ashton Kutcher in That ‘70s Show. LM has diversified

my

style;

I’m

always

trying

to adapt to the various styles because there are so many Graphic by Sam Gamberg/Staff here. I’ll remember that Mr. Grace is the only teacher that can pull off a philosophy class for history, that Mr. Keenan rarely gets angry, except when football is being discussed.

I’m going to miss LM because it has made me who I am today.

The best feeling in the world Before the last performance of every PLAYERS show I’ve been in, there is a time when actors have a “feelings circle.” For those outside the circle, it’s the time during which every actor rudely ruins their makeup and shuts down for a little. But for me, those times have been the most memorable. Like this

reflection,

it

was

a

chance

to

look

backward

and

forward at the same time. It was also a time to feel triumphant, upset, and excited. It was prior to my last performance in Noises Off

(my

10th

and

final

show), during my very last circle, that I realized I was truly proud of myself for how far I had come.

In hindsight, freshman year was the time when Kate Eldridge I was more of a follower. I came in playing two sports, singing in the choir, and sewing costumes for the theater group because that’s what my friends from eighth grade were all doing.

As

a

freshman,

I

was

only

floating

on

the

surface

of

passion

and

doing

things

because

my

friends were doing them, even if those activities did not fully engage the “real me.” But then,

actual

life

found

me;

I

got

cast

in

Godspell.

It

finally

felt

like

I

was

doing

something

actually important, something that mattered. There was no concern that all that hard work was just for six hours of singing in the auditorium over three nights, it was the hard work that I loved so much about it. But that wonderful feeling of accomplishment was only temporary that year, as I had expected it to be. It had always felt like it was a once-ina-lifetime experience, so I never expected that feeling to happen to me again. Junior year was when I found it again by being an ex-prostitute opium dealer pimp in the musical and by being in Ace’s Angels. I learned that I could have that feeling whenever I wanted, so I dedicated myself to PLAYERS that year and I was content.

And then came senior year. I can’t describe senior year in a few sentences because it feels like this past year has shaped my entire being, and I can gladly say that now I can’t put my entire being into a few sentences anymore. I came in this year with a consistent group of friends, a boyfriend, and grades that met my standards. Now, I’m happy to say I’m leaving with all three except that they’re all different people and the grades have some different letters. I held on to what I love to do and I’m

so

excited

to

find

more

of what I love in college, completely on my own. I finally

feel

proud

and

that’s

what

matters.

I

finally

feel

like my own independent person, and that I did a good job. And to all the Photo courtesy of LM PLAYERS underclassmen, I hope that you’re as happy as I am with the person you turn out to Kate Eldridge performing with the cast of Godspell in 2012. be. It’s the best feeling in the world.

“Hidden Gems” My typical “senior year nostalgia” began on Friday, May

8th

at

about

2:30

A.M.

I

was

awake

finishing

my

Spanish

final

presentation,

when

I

realized

I

would

never

again be up at such an ungodly hour thanks to LM. My mind continued to wander to the friends I have made and lost, the adventures I have stumbled into, both timidly and whole-heartedly, and what I have learned in and out of the classroom. I also have a lot of regrets from my time at LM. I wish I had taken art classes, discovered the beauty of the courtyard earlier, and focused on the positive aspects of school… because as much as we like to think of it as a prison, the building is simply a container for a genuinely nurturing and accepting environment.

I am very happy with the friends I have made throughout my time here; they will probably be the best things I take out of high school. My friend Mariana has mentioned the term “hidden gems” numerous times when discussing the best people we’ve met, and I think that’s Graphic by Sam Gamberg/Staff

something that is important to acknowledge. A “hidden gem” is a person who is totally awesome, yet you would never expect to become friends with. There are a lot of people whom I only became close to because we happened to have a class or two together or joined the same club, and I’m so grateful that chance brought us together. Whether it is an underclassman on the Ultimate Frisbee team who seems like a total mean girl but is actually really sweet, or a member

of

the

“Crew

Cult”

who

starts doing buildOn because he or she truly loves helping other people.

Stereotypes and labels are just that, and anyone is a potential BFF, so leave the judgments to a minimum. I wish I had possessed this mindset earlier in high school because honestly, the “hidden gems” are always the best.

As we move on to the next stage of our lives, I really hope my peers and I are able to remember this idea: being exclusive is not only lame, it is putting yourself in a box that is extremely hard to open. This not only goes for

people, but also activities and experiences. Leaving the bubble of high school is extremely scary — I am not ashamed to admit that — but to do great things, we have to accept the challenge and face it head on. We should be using our youth to explore. Go to the concert of a band you’ve never heard of, eat the meal that looks like a Brett Rapbaum cross between squid and snail, dance alone in your room to Hillary Duff with the door open, and when people stare, tell them to join in. Don’t turn your nose up at a person before you get to really know them. Don’t laugh at an idea until you have tested it. Don’t fear the unknown; embody it. Take a plunge into the fresh waters of your future and swim, because honestly, every single one of us is capable of doing incredible things.

LM Matriculation 201

Benjamin Adenbaun Kelvin Adom Gretchen Alexander Fatima Allen Badour Almutairi Maria Angelis Max Aronovitz Joshua Aronson Divya Arya Seyedali Asadisaravi Jordan Askey Jordi Avalos Daniel Avershal Jonathan Avershal Max Alaya Eli Badgio Hadas Bar-Ad Keren Baranov Theresa Barna Andrea Barnes Sofia Barrett Asher Barry Mollye Barsh Lindsay Barson Jacob Beardsley Julia Bell Noah Bender Aubrey Benditt Evan Bergere Marianna Bergues Terad Binhashim Nathaniel Bitton Padraig Black Elisa Blow Dajah Bond Danielle Bonds Amy Boutselis Christina Boutselis Lauren Breslow Madison Brewer Lawren Britt Albert Brody Emma Broscoe Andrew Brown Julia Brown Shedrick Brown Zenani Burchall Ariel Burde Kirah Cahill Jillian Cameron Jordan Canter Liam Caplan Julia Carstens Matthew Caton Grace Cheng Julia Christian Kylie Clancy Colette Clark Sara Clark Callie Clibanoff Abigail Comer Naim Corbitt Katrina Dagenais Augustine Daly Justin Dang Suzanna Daniel Chloe DeLuca Nicole Diacik Daisy Diamond Lucas DiCioccio Joseph Dickinson Christopher DiMaria Joshua Dion Yael Dormont Ailish Dougherty Aine Dougherty Mariana Dougherty Shreya Dundumalla Joel Dunoff William Early Hanna Edelson Ben Eisenberg Katherine Eldridge Taylor Everette

Lafayette College George Washington University Scripps College Wesley College Unavailable Temple University Unavailble Drexel University Harvard Univeristy Montgomery County Community College George Washington University Temple University Chapman University Tulane University Temple University Rice University Gap Year at University of Tel Aviv University of Pennsylvania Pennyslvania State University Maryland Institute College of Art Emerson College DeSales University Drexel University Union College Indiana University University of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania State University West Chester University Pennsylvania State University Gap Year Saint Joseph’s University Temple University University of Mississippi Unavailable Undecided Drexel University College of William and Mary Pennsylvania State University Schreyer Kent State University Unavailable New York University Gap Year Virginia Tech Ursinus College Unavailable Dickinson College Unavailable Duke University University of Florida American University Arcadia University United States Air Force Academy Harvard University University of Vermont New York University University of North Carolina Temple University Montgomery County Community College Saint Joseph’s University Wesleyan University Vanderbilt University Delaware County Community College University of Pittsburgh Trinity College Temple University Undecided Temple University Ithaca College Bates College University of Pittsburgh Culinary School West Chester University University of Delaware Gap Year (University of Vermont Class of 2020) Tufts University Northwestern University University of Pittsburgh Drexel University Georgetown University University of West Virginia Temple University Wharton School of Business University of Pittsburgh Edinboro University of Pennsylvania

Kathryn Faller Hans Fassett Roni Fellah Michael Figelman Anna Finch Andrew Fok Lucas Fraiman Adam Freedman Melanie Friedel Henry Gao Jack Gao Madeline Garber Lisa Gardner Joshua Gardner Joshua Gerstein Mitchell Gladstone Jaylen Glasgow Leonique Glasgow Emma Gogarnoiu Eric Goldberg Abigail Goldstein Noah Goldstein Kiara Green Eli Greenblatt Markus Guirand Thomas Guo Angel Gutierrez Palencia Karen Hafter Anna Hagen Sander Haigh Gian-Luca Hail Najhala Hall Marielle Halper Quinn Harrigan Adina Harris Anjoli Harris Shakir Hastings Courtney Hatton John Hepp Arielle Herzberg Daniel Heuckeroth Carly Hoffman Hana Holquist Emma House Isabel Hut Federica Imbiscuso Aaron Jaffe Dacia James Naomi Jervis Xinming Jin Charlie Johnson Dayzhaneh Johnson Madeline Johsnon Paige Johnson Nasir Jonik Justyna Kacarow Geoffrey Kao Gregory Kastein Maxwell Keller Miles Keller Katharine Kelly Olivia King Emily Kirschner Eleni Kitsios Alyssa Kleiner Victoria Klevan Kayla Klugman Samuel Kozak Juliana Kuttruff William Kuttruff Kyra Kwak Jessica Larkin Michael Lashner Jayden Latona Tianna Lawrence Samuel Lee Nicholas Legg Jessica Lehrer Joseph Leonard Connor Lewis Aaron Li Matthew Lichtenstein William Linkmeyer Alan Litman

University of the Sciences Hofstra University Philadelphia Community College Drexel University Fordham University Drexel University Drexel University Temple University American University New York University Continuing Studies at LMHS Muhlenberg College Pennsylvania State University Schreyer Undecided Carleton College Duke University University of North Carolina University of Virgin Islands Pennsylvania State University Pennsylvania State University Ursinus College Kelly School of Business Parsons Paris Juniata College University of Oregon New York University Unavailable Skidmore College Temple University Temple University University of Pennsylvania Spelman College Indiana University Kenyon College University of Virgina Pennsylvania State University Abington Delaware County Community College Temple University Elizabethtown College University of Pittsburgh Drexel University Tulane University Parsons the New School Ithaca College NHTV Breda University of Applied Sciences Unavailable University of Delaware Temple University Philadelphia Community College University of Pittsburgh Dartmouth College Gap Year University of Pittsburgh University of Notre Dame Unavailable Poznan University Brandeis University Pennsylvania State University Entering the workforce Full Sail University University of Maryland Georgetown University Pennsylvania State University Delaware County Community College Pennsylvania State University University of Pennsylvania Washington College Kutztown University Drexel University American University McGill University Chatham University University of Delaware Gap Year Montgomery County Community College Drexel University University of South Carolina Emory University Maryland Institute College of Art Temple University Pennsylvania State University Undecided City Year, Gap Year Tufts University

15: Go Forth To Serve...

Cory Litman Shalynn Lonesome John Lundquist Wasif Maatallah Jachai Mabin-Brookins Anthony Mai Philip Mancuso Emily Manin Kristen Mansfield Jacob Margolis Daniel Matthews Layvon McClean Kimberlyn McClendon John McComb Sam McComb Brian McCormick Jamie McGee Kyree McGill Kyra McGrath Andrew McKinney Andrew Michie Miles Michnowicz Payman Mirzaei Claire Morales Emily Morris Tayla Moshal Taylor Muse Maria Mutz Juyong Nam Thanasis Narliotis Nathan Navarro Christopher Navarro-Bennett Dominique Nazaire Amond Newton Rebecca Nguyen Maxwell Nichtberger Lukas Niles Alexis Oriel Joshua Ostroff Zhuoyan Ouyang Nina Pant Martin Peace Steven Pendelton Jonathan Perlman Morgan Perlman Marcelo Pernot Magnus Peterson-Horner Jonathan Pham Nathaniel Pillion Dean Pritchard Jonathan Rachlin Sarah Raizen Nikhil Rajagopal Brett Rapbaum Robert Raymer Yuejay Reeves Sam Reiver Jonathan Reuveni Colin Richardson Gabrielle Richardson Jacob Riesenbach William Rockefeller John Romine Adrienne Rose Oriel Rosen William Rosenbaum Shelby Rosenberg Liam Rossman Ruby Rothman Benjamin Salzer Madelyn Schaeffer Devon Sharf Elizabeth Schnarr Matthew Schwartz Jordan Scott Noy Segal Noa Seligson John Shade Marissa Shander Shiyang Shao Emma Shapiro Lindsay Shapiro Corey Sherman Jordan Shub

Dickinson College Montgomery County Community College Virginia Commonwealth University Pennsylvania State University Entering the workforce Drexel University Cabrini College Washington University in St. Louis Temple University Wesleyan University Gap Year (University of Pennsylvania Class of 2020) Tufts University Michigan State University Undecided Serving in the U.S. Navy Montgomery County Technical High School Cabrini College Indiana University of Pennsylvania Unavailable Pennsylvania State University University of North Carolina Cumberland County Community College Montgomery County Community College Montgomery County Community College Smith College University of Southern California Millersville University Northwestern University Montgomery County Community College Unversity of Vermont Rosemont College Unavailable Eastern University Unavailable Entering the workforce University of Vermont Gap Year American University University of Rochester Unavailable Going to Germany Entering the workforce Alvernia University Middlebury College Middlebury College Stevens Institute of Technology Cooper Union University of Pittsburgh Philadelphia Community College University of Colorado, Boulder Dickinson College University of Pennsylvania Unavailable Gap Year (Goucher College Class of 2020) Delaware County Community College Bowdoin College Undetermined college Unavailable SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry Syracuse University Drexel University American University Temple University University of Michigan Gap Semester The College of William and Mary Elon University University of Chicago Elon University Temple University University of Maryland Cabrini College University of Pittsburgh Rice University Morehouse College Tel Aviv University Gap Year Brevard College Pennsylvania State University Temple University University of Pittsburgh University of Maryland Dickinson College Tulane University

Zachary Sibson Dylan Siegelman Alexis Silow Jennifer Simonson Anna Skillings Isaiah Smolar John Snyder Tyler Spector Michael Stahler Tony Stedeford Adam Steinberg Hannah Strouse Mattea Sturgell Adam Sturmer Alexa Stutman Alexis Super Emily Sutton Veronika Szarlej-Lentz Lily Taffet Marc Tesero Jake Thompson Isabel Thornton Frankie Tran Tyler Troped Carly Trudgeon Elisabeth Trueswell Ira Tucker Jeremy Tuttle Jordan Valenci Kyra Valentine Mylasia Valentine Ignacio Vasconsellos Simon Vernier Colin Villarin Bailey Votto Elizabeth Wade Mikaela Walcott Wei Chi Wang Malik Ward Max Warren Cailin Wasson William Weinstein Darius Williams Sean Wilson-Leslie Sloane Woerdem Evan Wolf Nadiyah Womack Jihoon Yang Dori Yankelewitz Laurel Yaros Cheryl Yi Zachary Yodh Hoaran Yu Haley Zuritsky

Ursinus College Loyola University New Orleans University of Nevada, Las Vegas Smith College George Washington University Tufts Univeristy Gap Year, AmeriCorps Hamilton College Temple University Cabrini College University of Delaware Univeristy of Vermont Montgomery County Community College and Harcum College Indiana University of Pennsylvania Temple University Unavailable Ringling College of Art and Design Pennsylvania State University Tulane University Montgomery County Community College Temple University Goucher College University of North Carolina University of Vermont High Point University University of Pennsylvania Saint Joesph’s University Temple University University of Tampa Honors Program Unavailable Unavailable Unavailable Swarthmore College University of Vermont Furman University Temple Univeristy Unavailable Unavailable Unavailable Temple University Gap Year Gap Year Howard University University of Rochester Drexel University Amherst College Unavailable Unavailable Unavailable Drexel University University of California, Berkeley Oberlin College Unavailable Pennsylvania State University

The matriculation plans as shown for the Class of 2015 are information volunteered to the Merionite by the members of the graduating class.

The Merionite or LMHS is not responsible for the accuracy of their reportings. Those students listed as “Unavailable” opted not to respond or were otherwise unable to be reached.

The Merionite wishes our graduating seniors the best of luck in their future endeavors.

8

June 8, 2015

Advertising The Merionite

Matriculation

June 8, 2015

9

The Merionite

I will never forget the wonderful feeling I get when I am in cafeteria surrounded by people that I thoroughly enjoy. Not just my friends, but everyone that contributes to the LM vibe. | Quinn Harrigan I have a million amazing experiences from LM, but the best was getting to lead “I Believe” at all the sporting events. To be totally honest it was kind of a dream come true. | Hanna Edelson I’ll never forget those huge Belgian

Waffles

they

had

for

lunch

during Freshmen year.

Thanks Michelle Obama.| Aaron Li

I will never forget wreaking havoc through the halls at LM sophomore year when I was too deep in my Vine obsession. | Mariana Dougherty

What is one thing that you will never forget about your LM experience?

All my lovely Merionite friends <3| Zay Smolar

The

food

fight

my

freshman

year,

that started out of nowhere. It was scary and exciting to see food

flying

across

the

cafeteria. | Layvon McClean My favorite memory was when we won the basketball state championships my sophomore year. I remember everything about that night from screaming and crying on the bus ride back to coming back to LM at one in the morning to celebrate in the gym. | Callie Clibanoff

WHERE WILL THEY BE?

What high school is all about

Alan Litman When 14 year old me started to look ahead to the looming shadow of Lower Merion High School, I heard nothing but rave reviews from the family and friends who had already experienced four years at what seemed to be the best place imaginable.

So when freshman year began I expected an exhilarating roller coaster ride that would be enshrined in my memories forever.

However, when I think back, freshman year seems as distant and dull as some arbitrary grade from elementary school. When I try to recall the faint memories of 2011, the only things that come to mind are class work and the occasional Facebook post from

a senior pleading with the underclassmen to come to basketball games. In terms of excitement, freshman year had practically nothing to offer. I was shocked after this boring year at LM – a place I had heard so many exciting things about.

That

summer,

I

decided

I

was

going

to

figure

out

what

all

this

fuss

was

about.

I

was

going

to

try

to

find

the

meaning

of

high

school. Sophomore year came and it started as an empty void of

Shakespeare

lines,

and

nothingness,

or

so

I

thought.

The

first

blip of high school excitement came in the form of a basketball game. The electric and communal atmosphere made me question everything I thought I knew about high school. Is there really more to this place then waking up early, going to class, and then doing homework? I began to think I was really on to something and with more time of drifting through high school the meaning would come to me.

With junior year came more understanding of what LM meant. Yes, the junior year workload was tough, and yes it was, up until that point in my life, the most challenged I had been academically, but when I think back to junior year, I don’t think of the challenging workload or the nights I stayed up late to cram in some extra studying. Rather, I think of the new experiences I had like branching out and deciding to play a new sport, volleyball – something freshman me would have dismissed as ridiculous.

Combined with my somewhat regular attendance at sporting events, I began to feel a sense of pride for being a student at LM. The sense of community and support was truly something I

never

expected

to

experience

in

high

school

and

for

the

first

time I started to view LM more as a home, a place where people of different interests and ideas collaborate to form a tapestry of ever-shifting personalities.

This sentiment carried over to senior year, which was a barrage of college questions, chronic senioritis, and me seeing #freeainz all over the Internet (and I still don’t know what it means).

Although stressful, senior year has all but shaped up to be the best year of high school not because of people constantly telling me that “colleges don’t care about your grades anymore” or because classes ended one month earlier than usual, but because it took

four

years

for

me

to

finally

think

of

LM

as

a

place

I

can

call

home. It is place where you can be yourself among your friends and teachers and a place where academics and sports are both celebrated and embraced.

So to answer my question I would say this: there is no omniscient meaning of high school. High school is not some great puzzle

waiting

to

be

figured

out

because

for

everyday

you

spend

thinking of high school as a mystery waiting to be solved, you waste the chance to create and enjoy your own answer. This is not an article explaining how going to basketball games will make high school fun, but rather an article explaining that exploring and celebrating your passions – be it academics or sports - amongst your friends and peers is what makes high school so special. So to anyone reading this article I say this: strive to treat every moment as a memory waiting to be created and most importantly, make it unique to yourself.

10

Matriculation

June 8, 2015

Carpe diem

The Merionite

Time to start over

People often ask me why someone would choose to study Latin. There are many, many answers I could give them: it strengthens your English skills; it helps with learning other languages; the history, culture, and literature of ancient Rome were

all

very

influential

for

Western

Civilization;

the list could go on and on. But most often when someone asks me why, I simply reply, “why not?”

That is more or less how I got into Latin in the

first

place.

At

my

Catholic

junior

high,

everyone had to take Intro to Latin in seventh grade.

At

the

end

of

the

year,

you

chose

what

language

you wanted to study in eighth grade and on into Latin high school: Spanish, French, or Latin. I had taken Spanish throughout elementary school and had no particular desire to return to it. For whatever reason, French held no interest for me either. So I thought, “why not? I’ll stick with Latin.

That’s

an

odd

choice.

Who

studies

Latin?!

Let’s

see

where

this

takes

me.

Let’s

see,

indeed.”

It

took

me

through

high

school,

through

college,

and

to

a

job

that

I

have

so

far

loved.

And

I

plan

to

continue

to

love

this

job

until

the

day

they

have

to

drag

me

from

the

classroom

in

order

to

let

some

new

Latin

teacher

finally

get

a

chance

at

teaching.

I will not pretend, however, that my Latin career was always smooth or that the study of Latin always came easily to me. It wasn’t, and it didn’t. I nearly failed out of Latin during my sophomore year in high school, a fact I do not try to hide from my students. For most of that year, the material was

difficult,

and

I

simply

didn’t

try,

didn’t

put

in

the

effort.

However,

with

the

possibility

of

a

failing

grade

looming

for

an

otherwise

A

and

occasional

B

student

(and

also

with

a

bit

of

healthy

pressure

from my parents), I managed to turn things around and ended up with a solid B+ for the year. It was an

impressive

feat,

if

I

do

say

so

myself

(and

I

do).

Although

it

was

certainly

smoother sailing from that point

on,

there

were

still

rough

patches.

Certain

bits

of

Latin

grammar

never

truly

made

sense

to

me

until

I

was

in

college.

Some

difficulties

continued

even

into

graduate

school,

where

every

paper

I

had

to

write

was

a

struggle

between

my

eager

interest

in

researching

the

Classical

world

and

my

despair

at

having

to

actually

put

my

thoughts

down

on

paper,

preferably

in

a

coherent

manner.

Yet

here

I

am,

having

mastered

high

school

Latin

and

submitted

all

those

papers

(mostly

on

time),

and

now

I

am

teaching

the

subject

that

managed

to

teach

me

so

much

more

than

just

the

Latin

language.

And

like

the

class

of

2015,

I

stand

ready

to

embark

on

my

next

adventure

in

life,

off

to

Connecticut,

hopefully

to

continue

spreading

the

joy

(and

occasional

sorrow)

of

Latin

to

another

set

of

eager

students.

So,

to

my

seniors

(and

all

LM

seniors)

who

have

struggled

through

their

studies

but

feel

that

they

have

ultimately

overcome,

I

leave

you

with

the

words

of

Julius

Caesar

reflecting

on

his

swift

and

impressive victory at Zela: veni vidi vici (“I

came,

I

saw,

I

conquered”).

For

those

students

who

might

feel

that

the

struggle

got

the

best

of

them

and

that

they

are

not

leaving

high

school

behind

quite

so

triumphantly,

maybe

the

words

of

encouragement

given

by

Aeneas

to

his

forlorn

and

shipwrecked

crew

will resonate with you more: forsan et haec olim meminisse iuvabit (“Perhaps

one

day

it

will

be

pleasing

to

remember

even

these

things”).

Whether

you

leave

the

halls

of

LM

feeling

like

a

triumphant

victor

or

a

shipwrecked

soul

or

perhaps

somewhere

in

between,

just

know

that

life

always

has

more

struggles

to

overcome,

more

opportunities

to

shine.

And

so

I

leave

you

all–from

seniors

to

freshmen,

teachers

to

administrators,

anyone

who

has

wandered

these

halls

in

any

capacity–with

the

possibly

over-used

and

clichéd,

yet

powerful

and

eternal

words

of

Horace:

for

whatever

struggles

and

opportunities

life

has left to give you, go forth and carpe diem!

Alicen Foresman

As young as I look, I am growing older faster than he, seven to one is the ratio they tend to say.

Whatever the number, I will pass him one day and take the lead the way I do on our walks in the woods.

And if this ever manages to cross his mind, it would be the sweetest shadow I have ever cast on snow or grass.

–Billy Collins

James Haglund English

The

best

thing

about

being

a

teacher

is

the

students.

Every

year

a

new

group

(even

if

you

know

some of them, they’ve changed so they seem at least a little new, and they’ve generally forgiven you

for

whatever

terrible

things

you

did

the

year

before)

comes

into

your

classroom,

and

you

start

over.

And

then,

when

your

students

learn,

grow,

and

produce

all

kinds

of

great

stuff,

you

get

to

pretend

that

you

had

something

to

do

with

it,

and

at

the

end

of

the

year

you

get

to

feel

good

about

yourself too.

Then

you

start

getting

nervous

because

in

just

a

couple

months,

it

will

all

start

over

again.

I’ve

been

so

fortunate

to

have

a

number

of

students

in

the

Class

of

2015

in

my

English

classes

more

than

once.

It

is

an

amazing

comfort

to

start

the

year

with

students

whom

you

already

know

and

who

know

you;

it

makes

the

beginning

of

the

year

so

much

easier.

I’ve

been

privileged

to

watch

them

learn,

grow,

and

try

to

figure

out

the

world

and

their

place

in

it.

And

I

can’t

tell

them

enough

that

they

are

the

reason

why

this

“job”

is

so

enjoyable.

And

just

as

I

get

to

start

over

every

year

(sadly

without

them

next

year),

you,

the

Class

of

2015,

should

also

know

that

nothing

about

you

or

your

future

is

set

in

stone.

When

I

look

at

how

much

the

students

I’ve

known

have

learned

and

changed

over

the

past

four

years,

I

wish

I

could

say

that

I’ve

kept

up,

that

I’ve

been

able

to

become

a

better

teacher

at

the

same

rate

that

they’ve

become

better,

more

knowledgeable,

more

capable

students

and

young

people.

I

hope

that

you

will

continue

to

be

curious,

willing

to

change,

and

excited

about

what

comes

next.

Even

if

you

aren’t

as

fortunate

as

I

am

with

a

job

that

basically

forces

you

to

reexamine

what

you

did

the

year

before

and

try

to

do

it

better

year

after

year,

I

hope

you

see

the

progress

you’ve

made

in

four

short

years

and

gain

confidence

in

your

ability

to

learn

and

grow

and

change

and

follow your interests and your passions.

And

if

the

thought

of

what

we

did

together

in

class

crosses

your

mind,

I

hope,

like

the

dog

in

Billy

Collins’

poem,

that

it

is

pleasant,

maybe

even

a

valuable

memory

that

adds

to

that

confidence

and

excitement

about

what

lies

ahead.

I

hope

that

my

shadow

(and

that

of

the

other,

far

better

teachers

you

had)

is

a

sweet

one.

And

since

that’s

starting

to

sound

a

bit

morbid,

don’t

worry,

I’ll

be

here for a while longer, starting over again year after year.

I

hope

you

will

keep

doing

the

same,

even

if

you

don’t

get

lucky

and

have

a

job

like

mine

that

makes

you

do

it.

Read

as

much

as

you

can,

maybe

even

write

a

few

thoughts

down

when

you

can,

think

about

what

you

are

doing

and

whether

you

are

enjoying

it,

and

don’t

be

afraid

to

walk

away

and

do

something

else.

You

are

more

capable,

talented,

and

smarter

than

you

think,

and

changing

what

you

love

will

bring

that

out

more

than

doing

what

someone

else

expects

you

to

do.

Do more than nothing Congratulations

on

reaching

the

LM

finish

line.

Papers,

unit

tests,

WebAssigns…four

years

of

academic

requirements

have

been

met.

Now

with

prom

(a.k.a.

how

early

can

we

leave

again?),

senior

project

presentations

of

your

friends

involving

the

words,

“own,”

“pizza,”

and

“oven,”

getting

both

a

Choco

Taco

and

Spongebob

Squarepants

bar

at

the

senior

picnic

because

you

can,

and

walking

that

St.

Joe’s

aisle

with

a

perfect

mix

of

satisfaction and relief, hopefully you are reaping the rewards.

So,

before

graduation

comes

and

goes,

to

the

class

of

2015,

here

are

my

words

of

wisdom

fleeced

from

the

mouth

of

Aristotle:

“There

is

only

one

way

to

avoid

criticism:

do

nothing,

say

nothing,

be

nothing.”

Please,

please

don’t

be

the

person

highlighted

in

this

quote

when

you

leave

LM.

Instead,

do

actions,

say

words,

and

be

someone

in

search

for

greatness,

knowing

that

praise

and

criticism

are

equally

likely

results.

Because

for

Math every

time

I’ve

given

a

non-logarithmic

PowerPoint

presentation

in

Algebra

2H

that

may

have

led

to

reviews

of,

“preachy”

or

“boring,”

I

have

gotten

equally

as

many

“that

Tiger

1.

Woods

vs.

Michael

Jordan

one

really

inspired.”

For

each

tweet

saying,

“NO

GRUGAN

TODAY

YES

CRYING“

I

get

an

email

saying

“In

my

opinion

every

teacher

should

aspire

to

be

more

like

Mr.

2.

Grugan”

(my

thanks

go

to

MAN

for

that).

And

for

the

time

my

family

and

friends

turned

on

PCN

to

watch

me

without

any

coaching

answers

in

a

26-point

thrashing

by

Chester

in

the

state

finals

at

PSU,

3.

I

was

able

to

be

a

part

of

a

convincing

16-point

win

versus

those

Clippers

in

Hershey

the

following

4.

year.

Let

me

give

my

reasoning

for

why

Aristotle’s

words

resonate

with

me

at

this

time

for

you.

5.

One

week

prior

to

my

writing

this

piece,

a

man

who

I

watched

regularly,

David

Letterman,

someone

I

wanted

(and

still

do)

to

be

as

funny

as,

retired

from

his

job.

Despite

the

fact

there

are

articles

after

6. articles

about

how

other

comics

worship

him,

using

adjectives

such

as

“inventive”

and

“inspirational,”

or discussing how transformative his life work was to what we now know as late night television, 7. there were still people last week who said he was misogynistic or well past his prime. I have to think Mr.

Letterman

knew

that

to

be

great—in

his

case,

to

be

someone

who

has

won

10

Emmys

and

has

8. been

nominated

for

52

in

total,

and

to

have

14

million

people

watch

his

finale—he

couldn’t

avoid

criticism.

He

couldn’t

do

nothing,

say

nothing,

and

be

nothing.

9.

I

frequently

ask

myself:

why

should

I

try

to

avoid

criticism

as

a

teacher

and

colleague?

So

I

don’t.

But for you, with so many more moments to learn, opportunities to travel, chances to work, to save, to

grow,

to

build,

to

risk…the

more

important

question

to

me

is:

why

should

you,

with

the

prime

of

10. your life ahead of you, avoid it either?

Answer:

You

shouldn’t.

I

offered

these

words

because

whether

it

was

in

our

Geometry

CP

class,

at

an

NHS

induction,

attending

a

Players

performance,

reffing

a

CVC

event,

or

going

to

the

Hope

Classic

(which

was

a

true

blessing

for

me

and

my

family),

I

really,

thoroughly,

and

immensely

enjoyed

the

students

of

the

class

of

2015.

I

think

you

are

great,

and

if

you

don’t

avoid

the

criticism,

I

think

you

will

be

even

greater.

Thank

you

for

sharing

a

part

of

your

lives

with

me

(let’s

officially

allow

the

critiques

of

this

piece

to

commence).

Kevin Grugan

PS:

And

if

you

would

kindly

oblige,

a

senior

in

the

class

of

2012

asked

me

to

write the following when he graduated, and I feel I should share it since I stole the structure from Mr. Letterman.

Top-10 What My Experiences in Life Have Taught Me Learn

how

to

drive

using

a

stick

shift,

as

it

will

bail

you

out

one

night

in

South

America

or

South

Bend.

Write

thank

you

notes,

emails,

texts,

etc.…I

mean,

if

someone

took

the

time

to

write

something

for you, isn’t a return letter a must?

Find

a

career

you

are

proud

to

have.

I’m

proud.

100%.

Non-debatable.

If

you

have

to

choose

whom

to

help,

help

family.

If

somehow

this

needs

more

explanation,

I’ll

write in a future edition, and you can view the piece from the reading den of your frat house.

It

is

valuable

to

know

and

feel

(regardless

of

circumstances,

responses,

or

consequences)

that

you intended to do the right thing.

You’ll

do

a

lot

in

the

pursuit

of

earning

a

good

living…take

an

investments

course

in

college

to

help

with

that.

It’s

your

money,

and

you

should

know

how

it

is

being

used.

Travel

while

you

are

young.

Everywhere

you

can.

Minivans

with

TV’s

in

the

ceiling

can

and

should only go so far.

A

sense

of

humor

will

make

most,

if

not

all,

situations

tolerable.

Any

second

half

of

an

LM

Harriton

boys’

basketball

game

is

exhibit

A. Regular doctor, dentist, and car checkups are important and not optional, as the costs spent in the present will seem like nothing compared to those in the future if you skip the maintenance plans.

It

is

invaluable

to

know

and

feel,

regardless

of

circumstances,

responses,

or

consequences,

that

you did the right thing.

Matriculation

June 8, 2015

11

The Merionite

Don’t count the beans Dear Class of 2015, I was at a birthday party with one of my sons recently and another mother was lamenting that she 1 always has to remind her daughter, Lucy, to stop “counting the beans.” She griped that Lucy keeps track of what her brother gets and claims injustice if she doesn’t get the same. “It’s not fair! He had ice cream at lunch and is getting dessert after dinner, too!” This mom implored her daughter not to view life as one big score sheet on which everyone should come out even. I chuckled at the truism and thought about its appropriateness for my own children, who are invariably “counting the beans.” As I was contemplating what to write on the occasion of your high school graduation, I thought about the cliché’s application for you.

Looking

back

at

the

reflections

written

by

last

year’s

graduating

seniors

for

the 2014 matriculation issue of The Merionite, I was struck by the theme of com petitiveness and subsequent angst that was prevalent throughout. Students wrote of stress induced by a desire to be popular, uncontrollable panic over homework assignments and tests, and the tendency to live every moment preparing for the next moment: college, for most of you. I couldn’t help but wonder how much of this uneasiness would disappear if we learned to judge ourselves Mrs. Knight independently of our peers or of the expectations we believe others have imHistory posed on us. As I tell my own children (and sometimes myself), there will always be someone out there who is faster, wealthier, smarter, or more attractive than we are, and that is okay. Someone else’s success should have no impact on how we assess ourselves.

So as you read this matriculation issue of The Merionite, try to remind yourself not to “count the beans.”

Fight

the

urge

to

scour

through

the

list

of

colleges,

fluctuating

between

feeling

jealous

or

triumphant. It is too easy to get caught up in the fruitlessness of comparing ourselves to others and tabulating a score sheet. A decade from now, very few people will ask yowu where you went to college.

Virtually no one will want to know how many AP classes you took, what your GPA was, or what you got on your SATs. Learn to judge yourself on your level of commitment to the people, activities, and causes that you love. Learn to judge your success on your level of peace and happiness. Ultimately, the life you lead can’t be tallied.

Best of luck The

Writing

Center,

as

it

was

first

called,

was

originally

a

computer

lab

with

me,

available

to

assist

students

with

their

writing.

This

was

prior

to

the

laptop

explosion.

Few

of

you

know

that

when

I

first

came

to

the

education

field

in

1975,

it

was

as

an

English

teacher

at

an

experimental

high

school

in

Toronto. Years later, when I was hired at LMHS, I could rekindle my love of language and nurture the talents of the young writers around me. There were no other teachers assigned; I was the only game in town. Students viewed me as a sympathetic ear, untarnished by the complications of grades, homework, and parent conferences. Conversations were heartbreaking, triumphant, embarrassing, hilarious,

filled

with

inspiration

and

often,

misinformation.

There

was

little

risk

and

great

gain.

But

something was missing and it was hard to pinpoint.

When our family moved to the US 24 years ago, people frequently stopped me to tell me how polite my own children were.

“No,” I explained. “It is simply that they are Canadian.” Their American friends rarely said please or thank you, seemed incapable of holding a door open for the person behind them, and measured their successes by the failures of others. I am relieved to report that here, at LMHS, this has changed. Students have grown kinder and more considerate and could easily pass as Canadians. This graduating class is proof of that. They are grateful for what they have and seek opportunities to share that with the less fortunate. Just look at the long list of names associated with Build On, Becton Scholars, after school tutoring, NHS, food and clothing drives, Coaches vs. Cancer. Ask for volunteers and you have them, ready and willing. And this kindness is not restricted to the student body. Faculty and staff have stepped up time and again to help memMrs. Angel bers of our community. My own family has been fortunate to be a recipient of Help Center that generosity in times that were very challenging. There is great solace in the knowledge that there is a community watching your back.

Our 40+ years old ABC program continues to be a shining example to ABC programs across the country and an integral part of the Lower Merion Community. Both Taste of Lower Merion and more recently, Mr. LM have contributed much-needed funds to the program. My involvement with the young men at ABC has enriched my life. They are an integral part of our LM community. When I was asked to write this piece for the Merionite, I took it as a compliment. Everyone knows that the Help Center is a benevolent dictatorship, supervised by a socialist, Canadian feminist. As such, I can always be counted on for some advice, albeit shaky at times.

Here it goes. Be strengthened and thrilled by the success of others. You will make your mark; it may not be large it but will should affect someone in a positive way. Find something that delights and inspires you. Enjoy each experience and take what you can from it, even in hindsight. If you think that time goes quickly now, just wait a couple of decades. Call your parents. Nothing will brighten their day more. If you are on FaceTime, be sure to check your backdrop and look presentable. Parents are easily alarmed. Then, a few days later, make that second call, the one that you wanted to make originally, in which you ask them for something. You will have paved the way and they will be much more receptive. Take pity on your younger siblings who now hold the complete attention of you parents. It’s a tough gig. Return to LM to visit; we will enjoy reading the next chapters of your life.

Thoughts and reflections Seniors,

you

have

just

finished

a

small

segment

of

your

life

that

will

lead

to a much more elaborate journey. Know in the back of your mind that there is something much greater and powerful in this journey called life. You are graduating from a special place with many people who care about you and are about to embark on the next step of your journey.

Your journey might seem daunting at this point because of the uncertainty in your future. Embrace the unknown challenges. It is okay to not know the exact path to take or where the end line is located. What you can control are your realistic goals, back up plans and

alternate

routes,

and

to

possess

a

flexibility

that

will let you adapt to different situations when things don’t go to plan.

Wake up every morning, and try to be the best per-4 Mr. Severini son you can be. If you do this only positive things will Spanish happen. Be a good, kind, and compassionate person.

Work harder than your peers and accept challenges as these things will only make you stronger. Enjoy the time you have with your family and friends, and try to experience as many new things as possible. The race is long and slow, but steady usually wins it and in the end the race is not against anyone but yourself. We can’t worry about the things we can’t control, but taking care to control the little things, will help to create our luck and opportunity.

I go to a lot of Lower Merion events, and I can tell you that at each one I see a very positive and enthusiastic energy from all of the students. I hope that you take this energy into the next chapter of your life. College, work, and new social scenes will be challenging but just as rewarding as your last four years.

Remember, in the end, we won’t be known our clothes, houses, or cars. We will be remembered by our character, and the legacy we leave to our families, social circles, and society. ¡Buena suerte y hasta pronto amigos!

As You Move Forward...

Dear Class of 2015, Have

you

ever

heard

Mahatma

Gandhi’s

words,

“The

best

way

to

find

yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others”? Those are some of the truest words ever spoken by a man who was one of the most selfless

who

ever

lived.

As

I

reflect

back

on

the

Class

of

2015,

those

words

come to my mind, and I recognize that is not by accident. Truthfully, you are one of the nicest groups of students I have had the privilege to watch grow. As you close your high school chapter, I applaud your sense of community because it is, without a doubt, one of your greatest attributes. You have left a mark with your kindness and patience for all.

Not only are you dedicated students, athletes, and club members, but also your dedication to the LM community continues to be humbling and remarkable.

My guess is that if you think back to when you started high school four years ago, you could not and did not envision the young adults you have grown into today. The time might have gone by in the blink of an eye, but your growth was noticeable to many.

Your

confidence,

sense

of

self,

and

support for each other is evident. You leave here as

forward

thinkers

and

confident,

local,

and

global citizens.

As you head off to your next endeavor, whether it is college, work, a gap year, or yet Ms. Van Horn to be determined, know your efforts here at Special Education LM will never be forgotten. From hosting the Regional Best Buddies Ball, your work locally and internationally with BuildOn, and your volunteering of time in LM and Philadelphia elementary schools, you have made amazing contributions to our community that have left a legacy at LM for other classes to strive towards for years to come.

Finally, if you ever feel uncertain as you forge this new path towards adulthood,

remember

Ghandi’s

words

about

finding

yourself

in

service

to others. Let the positive feelings you felt when giving back to others during your community1.service endeavors be a guiding light for you.

LM cafeteria Bring that energy and spirit to your college, career, 6. family and friends.

2. Baldwin cafeteria Baldiwn classroom Remember you have the3.heart of a bulldog within you, and Baldwin lounge 7. Baldwinthat art will room guide

you

to

find

yourself

and

your

path.

I

cannot

wait

to

hear

all

the

4. Baldwin courtyard 8. LM art show amazing things you will be withclassroom your very promising future!staircase 5. doing Baldwin 9. Baldwin

Matriculation

June 8, 2015

The Merionite

Sports Year in Review Highlighting a few of the great moments of 2014-2015

On October 13th, only 10 seconds remained in the game with the Aces trailing by a score of 10-7 when quarterback Brandon Jones ’16 connected on a 6 yard touchdown pass with receiver Malik Ward ’15. This gave the Aces a 14-10 victory on their home field against cross-township rival Harriton.

Throughout the season, the girls’ volleyball team passed many milestones. Aside from Liv King ’15 setting the record of 1,000 career kills, the team began the first part of their season with a 4-0 record, the best start in over a decade. The girls’ finished the regular season with an overall record of 14-5, and made it to districts for the second year in a row.

On May 16th, the LM tennis team beat Shadyside, the reigning state champions 3-2. Shadyside pulled out two close victories against the Aces in the past two State tournaments. This year the team took their revenge. At number two singles Matt Chen clinched the win with a clutch victory 7-6, 7-6. Brothers Simon and Thibault Vernier also came through with huge wins against talented players. The team then went on to win their second state championship in the past 8 years.

On May 10th, George Monos ‘16 and Jordan Scott ‘15 won their race at Mid-Atlantic Regional Regatta for the varsity pair category. The Mid-Atlantic regional represents some of the best teams in the Northeast. There they qualified for Nationals with a time of 7.44 minutes over a distance of 2km. The pair came from behind at the 750-meter mark and surged ahead with 500 meters to go, ultimately, winning the race with a comfortable lead.

Photos coutresy of Sophie Bennett, Vivian Klotz, and the Enchiridion

On February 13th, the boys’ basketball season was highlighted by a thriller in the first round of the District Playoffs. The Aces trailed by 1 with the clock ticking on their season when Steve Pendleton ’15 hit a game-winning runner. The win sent the Dawg Pound storming onto the Bryant Gym floor, and set up a State Playoff qualifying game with Central League foe Penncrest. The Aces would prevail in that contest as well, sending them to the PIAA State Playoffs for the fifth straight year.

On May 2nd, the Girls’ Ultimate team, Babaganouj, had a successful season consisting of exciting practices, team bonding, and spirited tournaments. A highlight of the girls’ season took place at the Amherst tournament, where the team won a previously tied game, scored 10-10, at the last point of the game, universe point.

12