News
May 1 , 2022
5
The Merionite
Science Olympiad strikes again Sasha Murray ’24 Over two years ago, members of LM’s Science Olympiad team were devastated to discover that their regional tournament had been canceled due to the emergence of a new virus: COVID-19. Two years later, on March 19, the Aces finally experienced their first in-person tournament since the unexpected cancellation in 2020. Over the past few years, LM Science Olympiad has faced many challenges. Meeting and competing virtually proved difficult for the team; without the opportunity to prepare their build and lab events, many members lost interest in the club. Additionally, integrating freshmen into the team was challenging due to the lack of spirit dinners and in-person meetings. However, there were some benefits. Traditionally, the team struggled in build events, but due to the virtual format of the 2020-2021 season, the team performed extremely well, placing first at States for the first time in history and coming in thirteenth at Nationals. Throughout the 2021-2022 season, the team has struggled with the return of build events. Co-captain Amy Huang ’23 says that “the biggest difficulty we’ve faced actually wasn’t the virtual format—it was the transition to being back in-person. After spending so much time competing in virtual competitions with heavily modified event slates, transitioning back to our normal schedule with in-person competitions has definitely posed some problems.” This March, the Science Olympiad team had a satisfactory showing at Regionals, placing second only to Harriton, and earning first-place medals in the events Chemistry Lab, Codebusters, Experimental Design, and Ornithology. The competitors were all overjoyed and relieved to finally participate in a “real,” in-person competition. “The experience was a ton of fun,” Nathan Donagi ’24 indicates. Huang describes that “it was great to be back in person and be able to greet other schools’ teams.” However, their performance was not good enough to be sure that the team would
Photo courtesy of Andrew Samulewicz
Following an exceptional performance at Regionals (top), the team had been diligently preparing for States, where they finished in fourth place (bottom).
Welcome Principal Johnson! Continued from WELCOME PRINCIPAL JOHNSON! on page 1
Photo courtesy of Anika Xi ’23/Staff
make it to Nationals. Just a single point separated LM and their rivals, Bayard Rustin. Because of the way Science Olympiad tournaments are scored, poor performances in just one or two events can drag a team down significantly in the overall rankings. Thus, team members focused on the events which didn’t perform as well at Regionals. “Most of our study events did well, but our builds dragged us down,” Donagi states. Many devices were completely rebuilt as the team rushed to improve as much as possible. On April 30th 2022, LM Science Olympiad participated in their first in-person state competition since 2019. Many memories were made as the team played games, slept, and studied on their 4-hour-long bus ride. However, once the competition itself started, team members started to become anxious. When it came time for the awards ceremony to start, the team was instantly hit with a wave of excitement as they had placed first in Anatomy and Physiology. However, as more results were announced, it became clear that too much had gone wrong for there to be any hope of making it to Nationals. The team ended up in fourth place, a mere four points behind Bayard Rustin. Although the team’s performance at States was not what they had hoped, the excitement of an in-person competition was unforgettable. “States was neither the optimal or expected outcome in terms of our placing but it was more than what could ever be anticipated in terms of a bonding experience,” team member Anika Xi ’23 indicates. But now, the Science Olympiad squad is more motivated than ever to work hard next year. Co-captain Noa Cutler ’22 expresses, “it’s really disappointing that this is the way our season had to end, but I also know that everyone on the team learned a lot from this experience and will come back next year even stronger and more motivated to win.”
Hughes case closure
In his new role, Johnson vouches to listen and learn to determine what is best for the school. Some of his goals as principal include ensuring “the building is properly staffed for the fall and that our leadership team has a productive summer preparing to open school in September.” Sean Capkin, LM Spanish teacher and member of the committee that interviewed potential candidates for principal, mentions, “What underlied everything he said was connections with students and others.” A central point of Johnson’s transition to LM is his promise to listen to the community that surrounds him. Not only will he use these comments to implement new ideas, but to discover the areas of the school with the most room for growth. Johnson mentions part of his leadership strategy is to “work to do things with students rather than to them or for them.” He will lead by building strong connections with the student body, rather reminiscent of Sean Hughes’s tenure at LM. When instituting new policies, Johnson is prepared to handle confusion and backlash that might arise from the student body. Such as with changes in the library in the previous year, the student body was hesitant to adjust to new policies that were instituted by administration. Johnson acknowledges the fear behind change, but notes it is often the fear of change itself that drives nerves, not the actual policies. When instituting new policies, Johnson believes that “helping people understand the ‘Why’ behind change is very important because it gives framing and clarity for what is being proposed.” Anger from the library was mired by confusion as to whether there were substitutes or where to sign in. Auditorium assemblies or Advisory speeches could have easily cleared up the expectations and likely some of the anger. Johnson pledges to give both the what and the why to run a smooth operation once becoming principal. Since the passing of Hughes, LM has been left without a long-term principal in the main office. While Dr. Jim Scanlon has acted as an interim principal, Mr. Johnson will offer the security of a full time principal. Capkin believes that any “incoming school leader needs to take the temperature of the school.” Capkin affirms that, “Mr. Johnson will try to and want to honor Mr. Hughes as he was the culture of this building,” yet acknowledges that he is his own principal and leader. As seen through his various comments and ideas, understanding and communication are some of the central components of Johnson’s leadership style. While Johnson will come in with new ideas to grow LM, he carries with him some of the core tenets of Mr. Hughes’s philosophy: building connections is the key to building the school.
Julia Dubnoff ’23 News Editor Months have passed since the shocking passing of beloved Principal Sean Hughes, who died after a car crash that occurred while driving his thirteen year-old son to soccer practice. On March 10, there was a new development surrounding the tragedy. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, 54-year-old Azuka Ossai of Pine Hill New Jersey was arrested and charged with fourth-degree assault by auto. After Ossai drove through a stop sign in Winslow Township, he collided with Hughes’ SUV, ultimately causing his death and injuring Hughes’ son. Ossai has been released and will be subject to a detention hearing. When speaking with the Inquirer, wife Kristi Hughes expressed gratitude for the Camden County prosecutors, and that there was “a little bit of closure” in the tragedy. The LM community, still in mourning themselves, hopes to continue to be a place to honor Hughes’ memory. A recent way in which this has occurred was the many teachers and students who participated in the Broad Street Run on Team Hughes, raising money through sponsors for the Sean Hughes Children’s Fun. As participating physical education teacher Kyrie Michaud described, “Everyone here misses him a lot, so it was just a good time to come together, to remember him, to celebrate him, and to just challenge ourselves. to do something in his honor.
Photo courtesy of Michael Johnson
As the new LM principal, Johnson will implement his own ideas while also preserving the values instituted by Hughes.
