Merionite October 2014

October 30, 2014

Volume 85, Issue 2

The

official

student

newspaper

of

Lower

Merion

High

School

since

1929

Burch’s bowerbirds

Dr. Marseille, LMSD’s new Acting Superintendent

Emily Manin ’15

Olivia Johnston ’16

News Editor

News Editor

Last year, one of LM’s freshmen Biology teachers was conspicuously missing: Mr. Burch. Burch—famous for his bird-watching excursions, tree-climbing skills, creative experiments, engaging lectures, music instrument building, and love of nature—took a trip to Australia to study the bowerbird.

Bowerbirds, known for the horseshoe-like structures called bowers that they build out of twigs and their knack for collecting blue objects, are very unusual. Most animals only build functional structures; bowerbirds are unique in the sense that they construct bowers as a matter of pride and for the purpose of attracting a mate. Burch likes to describe them as “architects.”

Over the course of a few trips, Burch and his wife travelled to Australia to study the unique behaviors of this bird. They made their most recent trip with three goals in mind: to test radio trackers on the species, to discover why it chooses blue to decorate its bower, and to understand why it almost always builds its bower oriented towards the north.

Burch dubs the bowerbirds “sneaky”— they

are

very

difficult

to

find

in

nature

and

the science community is searching for a good way to locate them. Burch and his wife conducted radio-tracking experiments by inserting radio-transmitters, which use hearing aid batteries, into blue straws and left them out for bowerbirds to steal. Unfortunately, this radio-tracking method did not work well, because it was not always easy to get a bowerbird to take the blue straw. One bird, which the Burches named “Radio Bower,” stole the tracker

five

times.

The second area of research was more fruitful. Burch and his wife discovered that bowerbirds, known to be attracted to blue, are actually more attracted to yellow. They set

out

four

yellow

flowers

called

Nightlillies,

four blue objects, and four cicada shells for 20 different birds, and returned to measure how far from and at what angle to the bower the objects were placed. In every case, the birds

brought

the

Nightlillies

closest

to

their

bowers. This discovery is groundbreaking in the

field

of

zoology!

Please see Burch on page 3

Graphic by Kyra Kwak/Staff

There’s no doubt the school cafeteria food tastes different this year. Many students are complaining about the quality and reduced size of certain items, particularly the cookies. Implemented this year,

recent

modifications

to

the

school

cafeteria’s ingredients show LM’s drive to serve healthier meals but have upset many of the cafeteria’s most dedicated customers.

On July 1, Dr. Wagner Marseille was unanimously elected to the position of Acting Superintendent of LMSD. In this role, it is his duty to help manage the district’s funds, daily operations, and relationship with the community.

Before taking on this new role, Marseille held a variety of positions within the district.

He has been Assistant Principal of LM, Director of Secondary Education, and most recently was Assistant Superintendent. As Assistant Superintendent, he oversaw all the curriculum, instruction, professional development, school leadership, and instructional planning in LMSD. Marseille, a former Olympic hurdler, holds a bachelor’s degree from Fairleigh Dickinson, a master’s from Rider University, and a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Pennsylvania. He has big plans for the district. He aims to tackle issues associated with enrollment growth, individual student needs, and national and state standards, while holding onto the district’s legacy of excellence.

Currently, there is a major discussion throughout the district regarding problems that are arising from increased enrollment, such as physical space limitations, bussing changes,

and

a

deficit

of

teachers,

campus

aids, and instructional aides.

Marseille is also focused on creating an effective curriculum that “addresses and engages and captures the natural curiosity of young minds.” He has been working to create a new “Strategic Teaching Plan.” This is a plan that the district has to submit every few years to the state for review, outlining district goals and curriculum for the next couple of years. Currently, this document is seldom read except when it is being updated; Marseille feels that there “is a disconnect between the plan and the work that is being done.” However, he hopes that this plan will be effective and long-lasting. In order to accomplish this, Marseille has met with student focus groups and students to get meaningful feedback from the community.

Please see Dr. Marseille on page 3

Please see Cafeteria Changes on page 2

NEWS ACT fumble

OPINIONS Lets go (all) Aces

Senior Julia Bell reports on Upper Darby High School’s displacement of 182 students’ ACT scores.

Dan Matthews condemns the actions of the senior boys who tore down the senior girls’ sign in the cafeteria, as well as the widespread gender inequality throughout LM.

A&E The woman behind the wall Andrea Barnes discusses her mural in the second floor hallway.

FEATURES Upcoming mid-term elections

SPORTS Remembering David Burke David Burke, the former wrestling coach and Social Studies teacher, died September 15 at age 67.

2

NEWS

October 30, 2014

The Merionite

Cafeteria changes From COOKIE CUTBACKS, page 1 This year, all bread, dough, and batter produced at the high school must be made with whole-wheat flour, including items such as pizza, cookies, pretzels, and sandwich breads. Cappuccinos and French vanilla lattes are gone and have been replaced with “Ice” sodas, which have zero calories, and other healthier drinks. Why? The district wants to promote healthful eating.

Just like other schools around country, LM is shifting to conform to the new school cafeteria standards that have been set by a nationwide movement for healthier eating, spawned by First Lady Michelle Obama.

Despite the conspicuous changes this year, nutritional restrictions have been around for several years.

According to LM’s Nutritional Services Department, “The District was among the first in Pennsylvania to eliminate the use of cooking oils that contain trans-fats…[and] in 2006 became the first district in the state to eliminate all items with trans-fats from the menu.”

According to the district’s guidelines for nutritional standards, classroom parties can only include water, 100 percent fruit juice, or low fat milk and are limited to serving a maximum of two to three snacks that list added sugar as the first ingredient.

They are also required to provide a variety of fruits and vegetables. This rule is especially hard-hitting at the elementary school level, where it has impacted students’ ability to bring in birthday treats.

As a direct result of the food changes, students are buying fewer cafeteria items. Junior Dana Handleman

says she “used to buy a cookie every single day,” but now she doesn’t buy the whole-wheat version because they “don’t taste good anymore.” She is also disappointed with the pasta and fries. Similarly, junior Melissa Graham states, “The cafeteria food tastes a lot grosser this year compared to last year. A lot of my friends have stopped buying cookies and other snacks because the quality has decreased a lot.”

However according to LM’s Cafeteria Manager, the sales have not significantly decreased for any particular food item from last year to this year. “Initially, the cookies went down a little bit,” he said, “but now [the sales] are right back up to where they usually are.” He also explained that more changes will be implemented next year.

In 2016, the sodium restrictions will become much more strict and ingredients will have to change again. He gave an example that the salt on soft pretzels will not be allowed, and the sodium content in the school pizza will have to decrease. It appears that students have even more delicious food options to look forward to!

The new guidelines for LM’s school food have provided students with healthier options but have also frustrated many customers. If weight and caloric intake are the major concerns of LMSD, then they may be on their way to reaching their goal: the more unappealing they make their food, the less students will eat.

Picture Courtesy of Olivia Johnston/Staff

ACT scores lost from Upper Darby Julia Bell ’15 News Editor LM juniors and seniors anxiously awaiting their ACT scores from the September test at Upper Darby High School may not get them...ever. On September 13, students took the test, and, after weeks of waiting, ACT confirmed on October 15 that the scores were lost. It is not clear whether or not the scores will be recovered, as the ACT is still investigating the matter; however, the two weeks of searching have yielded nothing. 182 students’ scores were lost because the test administrator from Upper Darby sent the scores through the post office instead of through FedEx, breaching correct procedure.

For LM seniors, the problem goes beyond just retaking the test. To those with early decision and early action deadlines that are in the beginning or middle of November, these tests were the last chance to improve scores before sending them to colleges. Many students and parents are perturbed that ACT waited weeks before notifying students of the delay. Students who don’t want to retake the test can get a refund, but there is no way to retake the ACT before certain application deadlines.

Seniors will also get a letter, which they can include in their college applications that explains the situation, but many do not think this makes up for the fumble.

Several seniors are now being forced to submit an old SAT or ACT score that they feel may not be adequate to be accepted to their dream school. This situation is causing increased stress for students already overloaded with the stresses of schoolwork and college applications.

In fact, for many students, the situation is their worst fear come true. Months spent studying, money for overpriced tutors, and the rigorous three hours of testing are all for naught if the scores are never recov-

NEWS IN BRIEF Midterm Elections Election day on Tuesday, November 4 is predicted to be one of the largest state elections held in the history of Pennsylvania.

About four million people are forecasted to vote, as this year’s election determines Pennsylvania’s governor for the next four years.

The candidates are current Governor Tom Corbett and his Democratic opponent Tom Wolf. Important issues of conflict in this race include taxes, voter ID laws, and education cuts. In addition, all 535 seats to the House of Representatives and 203 Pennsylvania House Seats are up for grabs, making this election quite important. For those Aces who are able to vote: please, make your voice count!

-Michael Cheng ’18

National Merit semi-finalists commended On October 20, 33 LM seniors and 32 Harriton seniors were recognized for outstanding scores on the PSAT/NMSQT test that they took last October. The PSAT/NMSQT, a 2 hour and 10 minute test, is very similar to the SAT, but it is not used for college admissions; it serves as a competition for merit scholarships. Commended students achieve a certain score or higher, determined by a Selection Index. A select few become semifinalists by reaching an even higher threshold. Approximately 7,600 of the 16,000 semifinalists are chosen as finalists upon submitting a strong academic record, a recommendation from their school, a list of extracurricular activities, and an essay. Eighteen of the LMSD award recipients are Semifinalists, 46 are Commended, and 1 is a National Achievement Semifinalist.

LMSD is very proud to have performed so well in this competition.

-Emily Manin ’15

Ebola spreads from West Africa to US

ered. Senior Jordan Shub tweeted, “T he night before the ACTs I said my biggest Ar tb fear was them losing my test yM ad and that’s exactly what hapdi eS pened.” Senior Danny Avershal ch took the ACT on September 13 and ae ffe said that he felt “irritated, confused, and r/ St frustrated, like me at the end of National af f Treasure.” More seriously, he continued, “I hate to use the word unfair but [it’s] unfair.

Not even because of the inconvenience in time but the possibility that I may have to endure another awful ACT.” Upper Darby HS is also distressed by the situation.

While many are blaming the lost scores on the school, Dana Spino, spokeswoman for the Upper Darby School District, states, “It’s an ACT issue. We’re just a testing location.”

ACT could still redeem itself if the scores are found, but it seems unlikely. Juniors can retake the test, but seniors will have to make due with their previous scores and a letter of apology.

This summer, Ebola, one of the world’s deadliest diseases, spread from West Africa, where it has killed about 4,000 people, to the United States. Americans are on high alert to prevent further spread of this highly contagious disease. The Centers for Disease Control is trying to get United States’ 5,000 hospitals to do their part to stop the outbreak. CDC spokesperson, Abbigail Tumpey said, “It’s up to each hospital to enforce infection control, and standards vary depending on funding for infection exper ts and time devoted to training.” So far, two American nu r s e s h ave c o n tracted the disease and one person has died. For right now, most of the people in the US are safe from Ebola, as long as no new cases are reported.

-Simone Burde ’17

NEWS

October

30,

2014

3

The

Merionite

Dr. Marseille Cont. from DR. MARSEILLE, page 1

Photo

Courtesy

of

LMSD.org On

October

18,

the

new

plan

was

released

for

community

review

over

a

twenty-day

period.

A

large

part

of

the

ongoing

conversation

that

Marseille

is

promoting

throughout

the

District

revolves

around

the

essential

question,

“How

do

we

hold

onto

the

rich

legacy

of

success

and

achievement

that

has

made

LMSD

one

of

the

best

[Districts]

in

the

country

but

really

hold

onto

our

values

and

what

we

believe?”

There

has

been

a

trend

in

recent

years

toward

highstakes

tests,

such

as

the

Keystones,

which

are

necessary

to

graduate

from

high

school.

These

tests,

how-

Burch ever,

can

take

away

instructional

time

from

teachers.

Marseille

believes

that

we

“are

not

a

test

prep

organization”

and

that

there

is

a

need

to

“take

away

the

high

stakes

pressure

of

the

test.”

Outside

of

these

main

focuses,

Marseille

is

opening

up

the

administration

to

the

community.

He

hopes

to

speak

more

directly

to

teachers,

students,

and

parents

about

the

District’s

activities,

in

an

effort

to

establish

a

“conversation”

with

them

and

to

receive

input

on

new

policies.

To

begin

this

process,

he

is

meeting

with

student

representatives

from

all

ten

LMSD

schools.

So

far,

Marseille’s

new

goals

for

LM

are

being

met

with

a

positive

reaction

from

the

staff.

Spanish

teacher

Ryan

McCloskey

says

that

the

superintendent

change

is

“extremely

positive

and

exciting.”

Other

teachers

echo

this

same

sentiment.

Biology

teacher

Lisa

Murphy

says

“Based

on

the

way

he

opened

the

school

year

for

the

faculty

and

staff,

I

can

only

imagine

that

it

will

be

an

extremely

positive

year.”

She

went

on

to

say

that

the

environment

had

changed

and

seemed

to

have

become

“very

collaborative.”

Since

his

appointment

as

Acting

Superintendent,

Marseille

has

begun

to

tackle

some

of

the

big

issues

plaguing

our

district.

His

commitment

to

answering

the

big

questions

and

involving

the

community

promises

positive

changes

to

our

school

and

District

in

the

near

future.

Cont. from BOWERBIRDS, page 1

It

has

long

been

observed

that

bowerbird

bowers

are

almost

always

facing

north.

Burch

and

his

wife

wondered

whether

the

amount

of

light,

the

environment,

or

the

incline

of

the

ground

played

a

role

in

this

phenomenon.

In

an

attempt

to

understand

it,

they

moved

the

collection

of

blue

objects

that

were

always

on

a

specific

side

of

the

bower

to

the

other

side.

They

returned

to

the

bower

several

times

to

observe

the

position

of

the

objects

and

noticed

that

over

a

period

of

days,

or

even

weeks,

the

bowerbirds

moved

their

objects

little

by

little

back

to

their

original

spots.

A

fascinated

Burch

has

a

series

of

photographs

to

prove

it.

What

are

Burch

and

his

wife

doing

with

their

research?

They

are

in

the

process

of

writing

three

scientific

papers,

one

on

each

area

of

their

studies.

They

also

hope

to

share

the

incredible

behavioral

studies

that

they

caught

on

video

with

the

world.

The

Cornell

University

ornithology

lab

has

already

expressed

interest

in

the

videos

and

research.

A

professor

also

hopes

to

use

the

videos

in

an

online

textbook.

Burch

is

now

back

teaching

biology

at

LM,

pursuing

another

passion:

teaching

kids.

If

you

have

the

chance,

stop

into

his

room

and

ask

him

about

his

incredible

research.

Photo

Courtesy

of

Lily

Taffet/Staff

LM has a voice in People’s Climate March Rebbecca Tauber ’16 If you were in New York City recently you may have seen flyers

advertising

the

“largest

climate

march

in

history.”

This

rally,

dubbed

the

People’s

Climate

March,

took

place

on

September

21

on

the

west

side

of

Manhattan.

Over

2,000

similar

marches

took

place

in

162

other

countries

at

the

same

time.

The

marches

occurred

two

days

before

the

United

Nations

Summit

on

Climate

Change

and

served

as

a

call

to

action

to

show

world

leaders

that

people

worldwide

care

about

the

increasingly

problematic

environmental

changes.

The

New

York

event

boasted

an

estimated

400,000

people

in

attendance.

This

number

exceeds

that

of

the

200,000300,000

people

present

at

the

March

on

Washington

and

that

of

50,000-100,000

participants

in

various

Occupy

Wall

Street

Protests.

People

of

all

ages,

nationalities,

religions,

and

cultures

took

part,

making

the

march

a

melting

pot

of

traditional

songs,

dress,

customs

and

more.

Even

some

celebrities,

including

Leonardo

DiCaprio,

Mark

Ruffalo,

and

Joseph

Gordon

Levitt,

were

there.

The

march

itself

was

separated

into

six

sections,

each

with

different

mantras.

The

various

titles

served

to

“tell

the

story

of

today’s

climate”

from

“we

know

who

is

responsible”

to,

“we

have

solutions”

and

“we

can

build

the

future”

(peoplesclimate.org).

Each

division

contained

many

sub-groups,

including

LGBTQ

activists,

scientists,

environmental

organizations,

student

groups,

and

more.

I

marched

in

“the

debate

is

over”

section

with

my

youth

group

Young

Judaea,

amidst

other

interfaith

associations

and

congregations.

Although

wood

signs

and

carbon-powered

vehicles

were

prohibited,

there

were

plenty

of

paper

signs

and

floats

r unning

on

clean,

renewable

fuel,

including

a

giant

ark,

a

double-decker

school

bus,

and

a

life-size

metal

dinosaur.

Posters

held

witty

comments

such

as

“It’s

getting

hot

in

here

so

take

off

all

your

coals”

and

“Don’t

frack

with

U.S.”

as

well

as

scarier

ones

such

as

“I’m

sure

the

dinosaurs

thought

they

had

time

too.”

At

12:58

p.m.

everyone

at

the

march

held

a

moment

of

silence

for

victims

of

climate

change,

especially

communities

hit

by

natural

disasters

and

workers

affected

by

factory

accidents

and

spills.

These

deaths

are

only

expected

to

increase

over

time,

eventually

leading

to

the

submersion

of

entire

islands.

The

following

week,

world

leaders,

including

100

Heads

of

State

and

over

800

business

and

finance

front

runners,

met

at

the

UN

Summit

on

Climate

Change,

to

“raise

political

momentum

for

a

meaningful

universal

climate

agreement

in

Paris

in

2015”

(un.org).

Those

in

attendance

put

together

a

potential

plan

that

included

creating

coalitions

for

specific

issues

and

taking

national

action.

The

Vice

President

of

the

LM

Environmental

Club,

Jon

Adams

’16,

believes

that

climate

change

is

“the

root

cause

of

a

lot

of

the

world’s

problems,

but

people

don’t

connect

the

dots.”

Adams

has

doubts

about

whether

the

UN

summit

can

actually

change

anything.

Patrick

Cronin,

the

LM

Environmental

Club

advisor

and

AP

Environmental

Science

teacher,

says that since many countries

look

to

the

US,

we

“need

to

lead

the

way

and

hope

that

others

will

follow,”

and

that

spreading

the

word

and

educating

about

climate

change

is

the

key

to

protecting

the

earth.

Not everyone, however,

believes

that

we

should

prioritize

this

issue.

Some

question the relatively new

information,

looking

to

thousands

of

years

of

history to show that climate

change

may

just

be

a

small

blip

compared

to

past

transformations.

Junior

Julia

Kothmann

argues,

“This

is

a

very

new

science

whose

data

spans

a

relatively

insignificant

time

period,”

and

that

there

are

larger

issues

such

as

child

mortality

rates

we

should

focus

on.

The

People’s

Climate

March

certainly

brought

the

public’s

eye

to

the

issue,

and

whether

you

believe

it

should

be

on

the

forefront

of

our

global

agenda

or

not,

hopefully

all

the

recent

attention

will

bring

about

changes

to

a

problem

that

is

only

bound

to

increase

over

time.

After

all,

there

is

no

Planet-B.

Rebecca Tauber, right, at the People’s Climate March advocating for environmental action.

Photo

Courtesy

of

Rebecca Tauber

4

OPINIONS

October 30, 2014

The Merionite

EDITORIAL

Letter to the Editor

In defense of the student press In September, Neshaminy High School suspended Gillian McGoldrick, the Editor-in-Chief of its student newspaper, the Playwickian, and the paper’s teacher advisor, Tara Huber. The school blocked the papers funding and hindered the general progress of the paper because the paper refused to print the name of their school sports team “The Redskins,” which is often seen as a derogatory racial slur to Native Americans. The actions of Neshaminy High School administration deliver a full frontal assault on the freedom of the student press. It is a direct insult to both the rights provided by the First Amendment and the editorial wisdom of the editors of the Playwickian.

“...the Merionite condemns the

attack on the Playwickian and stands with the paper and its editors.”

The Merionite defends its and every student publication’s right to refuse to print anything it deems offensive, in particular any racial slur. For that reason, the Merionite condemns the attack on the Playwickian and stands with the paper and its editors.

Throughout the Merionite’s three quarters of a century long train of publishing, this paper’s editors have strived to relay the voices of independent LM students to their peers, the faculty, the administration, and the community. It is, in the opinion of this paper, both its right and duty of a student publication to remain an independent voice. Through its refusal to print the racist, but administratively ordered term, the Playwickian embodies that spirit of a vigorous, free press.

To that end, the Merionite applauds the Playwickian, her advisor and editors.

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

Dear Editor, Last year I used an edition of the Merionite to pull some data.

Of the students who contributed to the Merionite in some fashion (writers, artists, editors, etc.), their academic course load for last year was split into 95% Advanced Placement/Honors classes and 5% College Preparatory classes. The reason I did this was not to prove to myself that the Merionite staff was comprised of highly talented people (I mean, the Merionite benefits from the gifts of Maddie Schaeffer, enough said), but rather to justify as I read each issue why most articles and features focus on the high academic achievers (fill in the name of valedictorian, salutatorian and senior class speaker) and those teachers that work with them (Mr. Kazcmar, Dr. Pratt, Mrs. Christman, etc.). The data certainly confirmed that.

But wouldn’t it be nice, with a student population of near 1,300 (and growing) if the paper were balanced? What if College Preparatory students and their teachers were highlighted with what was happening in their classrooms? Or quotes about graduation or opinions about SATs were gathered from CP representatives? These students and educators are also highly involved in the great service efforts of Build On, the tremendous performances by PLAYERS, and either score for or cheer for Aces Nation. I’m not sure what amazing things Lower Merion is known for that don’t involve significantly, and maybe even majorly, students and adults from CP classes.

I asked my three Geometry CP classes last year to write to the Merionite about what they thought would be interesting features, who they knew should receive focus, and what would convince them more to read your paper front to back. The Merionite received over 40 responses to those questions and more. All I ask is that you, this year’s staff, read them, along with this letter, and as a collection of bright, talented minds, decide … whose voices do we represent from Lower Merion High School community? Whose history are we writing? Can a large segment of students look back on this paper a year from now, 5 years from now, and think, “This describes what I experienced in Lower Merion High School?” Or do I need to be a National Merit Finalist, an APUSH student, or a Notre Dame graduate?

I appreciate the opportunity to write to the editor. Best wishes in the remainder of your year guiding with both wisdom and balance this paper.

Kevin Grugan 2 Algebra 2 Honors Classes 2 Algebra 2 College Preparatory Classes 0 English AP or Honors Classes Lower Merion High School

THE MERIONITE Official

newspaper

of

Lower

Merion

High School since 1929 www.themerionite.org Columbia Scholastic Press Assocation Silver Crown 2013

Editors in Chief Divya Arya ’15 Zay Smolar ’15

Managing Editor Madelyn Schaeffer ’15

Advisor Mr. Chad Henneberry

News Editors

Arts and Entertainment

Photo Editors

Julia Bell ’15 Olivia Johnston ’16 Emily Manin ’15

Julia Carstens ’15 Aine Dougherty ’15

Lily Taffet ’15 Sloane Woerdeman ’15

Op-Ed Editors

Sports Editors

Layout Editors

Mitchell Gladstone ’15 Andrew McKinney ’15 Daniel Wilson ’16

Kyra Kwak ’15 Dylan Siegelman ’15

Copy Editors

Emily Morris ’15

Isabella Dumitrescu ’17 Todd Gilman ’16

Business Advisor

Dena Behar ’16 Jonathan Perlman ’15 Morgan Perlman ’15

Features Editors Dana Handleman ’16 Victoria Klevan ’15 Anna Skillings ’15

Web Editor

Mr. Sean Flynn

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

Letters can be sent via e-mail or dropped off

outside

the

Merionite

office.

The

Merionite reserves the right to edit letters to the editor for length or clarity. All unattributed images are courtesy of WikiCommons.

OPINIONS The war on wages

October 30, 2014

5

The Merionite

In President Obama’s recent State of the Union address he proposed lifting minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10. Like Obama, many Americans believe raising the minimum wage sounds like a reasonable and moral prospect. In theory, the extra buck for low wage workers makes their lives easier by giving them more to spend and could subsequently improve the economy due to increased consumer spending. But does raising the minimum wage actually improve the quality of life for low wage workers and our country’s economy? Contrary to popular belief, minimum wage can be extremely Will Rieke ’16 detrimental to the economy. Wage hikes increase the unemployment of young workers, the discrimination of minorities, and the failure of businesses.

Jobs are determined by the labor market, which, just like all markets, is affected by the laws of supply and demand. Workers supply the labor and business owners demand the labor to help them run their

businesses.

Minimum

wage

creates

a

price

floor

in

the

market,

and,

due

to

the

simple

laws

of

supply and demand, there will be a higher quantity of workers willing to supply labor than businesses willing to hire these workers at the given minimum wage price. Put more simply, there is a surplus of labor.

Increasing the minimum wage does not make a worker’s productivity worth more. Businesses will not want to hire the worker, whose productivity is worth less than the minimum wage, and that worker will most likely become unemployed. Thus, as minimum wage increases, unemployment does as well.

In the past 20 years, two modern industrialized nations have resisted implementing a minimum wage: Switzerland and Hong Kong. In 2003, The Economist analyzed the labor situation in Switzerland, claiming,

“Switzerland’s

unemployment

neared

a

five-year

high

of

3.9

percent

in

February.”

For

Hong

Kong, in 1991, when it was still a British colony, the unemployment rate was below 2 percent. When it

came

under

Chinese

control

in

1997,

the

government

imposed

many

new

benefits

to

its

workers,

including

imposing

an

artificial

wage

limit,

which

resulted

in

an

unemployment

jump

to

7.3

percent

in

2002. As a basis for comparison, the U.S unemployment rate was 6.8 percent in 1991 and 6 percent in 2003.

Young workers are one of the groups hit the hardest by increases in the minimum wage. Knowledge and skills are developed from experience, and levels of pay are directly associated with knowledge and skills. For this reason, only two percent of American workers over the age of 24 earn the minimum

wage.

The

surplus

of

labor

created

by

a

price

floor

allows

employers

to

select

from

applicants

whose productivity is less than or at the minimum wage. The employer will then choose the applicant with the most skills and experience, cutting young and willing workers out of the market and out of a job. This phenomenon wastes labor and makes youth idle, prohibiting them from gaining skills and experience that they would gain with a job, which would increase their productivity and income in the long run. In a case study from 2004-2006, researchers found that when New York City increased its minimum wage from $5.15 to $6.75, there was a 20.2 percent to 21.8 percent reduction in the employment of younger, less educated individuals. Implementing a minimum wage ensures that people whose skills do not justify pay at the minimum wage will be unemployed. It is no accident that the teenage unemployment rate is twice the magnitude of the overall unemployment rate. This was not the case before the large increases in the federal minimum wage, where a larger percentage of teenagers were employed than adults.

Critics

argue

that

increases

in

unemployment

are

fine,

because

the

income

benefits

to

low-income

workers who keep their jobs are more valuable than the wages lost from the low-wage workers who lose

their

jobs

providing

a

net

benefit

to

low-income

individuals.

This

is

a

plausible

argument

in

the

short

run.

However,

in

the

long

run,

the

net

benefit

will

be

eroded

because

of

the

experience

and

knowledge lost by low skill young people who could be gaining skills and experience.

Discrimination of minorities is an ironic and unfortunate effect of the minimum wage. Discrimination is made possible because the surplus of labor created by the minimum wage gives employers more selection of applicants and more leeway to hire their desired ethnic group. In a free market, passing

up

qualified

minority

workers,

who

are

more

skilled

and

willing

to

take

less

pay

is

extremely

costly

for a business, making discrimination much less frequent.

The

employment

of

blacks

in

the

20th

century

is

a

perfect

example

illustrating

how

a

price

floor

increases discrimination. In 1930s and 40s black unemployment was less than white unemployment.

However, following the Fair Labor Standards act which increased the federal minimum wage 150 percent in an eleven year period from 1945 to 1956 the change in black unemployment was extreme.

Since 1954, black unemployment rates have been double those of whites, and, to this day, rates are at

the

same

inflated

levels.

In

fact,

the

group

most

negatively

affected

by

the

minimum

wage

has

been

black teenage males. In 1948, when black teenage male employment exceeded white teenage male employment as a basis for comparison, teenage black unemployment in 1948 was one half the teenage black unemployment in every year of the 1960s and less than one-third of what it was in the 1970s.

The typical explanations for black teenage unemployment, such as inexperience, inferior education, lack of skills, and racism were all more prominent factors before the wage laws were implemented discrediting these points.

Another factor of the minimum wage is the length of unemployment. Germany, a country with no

official

minimum

wage

laws

but

with

federal

mandates

on

businesses,

job

security

laws,

and

strong

labor unions, has driven up the labor costs at rates much higher than the United States. Germany’s duration of unemployment lasts 12 months or longer for more than half of unemployed people. Only 10 percent of the unemployed in the United States are unemployed for that long. Also, the labor force participation rate, a measure used to observe how many people above the age of 15 have a job or is actively looking for one, is higher in the U.S than in Germany. Therefore the previous statistic is not due to Americans giving up because of the lack of jobs. It is due to them being hired.

Employee

benefits

and

the

real

value

of

their

paycheck

decrease

when

the

minimum

wage

is

raised.

Logically, an employer’s response to an increase in expenses is to raise prices or to cut employee benefits

to

stay

profitable.

In

many

sectors

of

the

economy

increases

in

prices

drive

away

people

en

masse,

forcing

business

to

cut

down

on

employee

benefits

instead.

And

when

businesses

are

forced

to

raise

their prices or go out of business, an extra burden is placed on many low-wage workers, because their food and clothing costs will take up a larger percent of their paycheck. Therefore, the real value of their

paycheck

is

worth

less

because

of

the

inflation

minimum

wage

causes.

Raising minimum wage sounds moral and practical in theory, but when one looks at the true effects of this policy, it is clear how ironically terrible it is for low-wage workers. As Milton Freidman, the renowned 20th Century economist, asserted, “The fact is the programs that are labeled as being for the poor, for the needy almost always have effects exactly the opposite of those their well intentioned sponsors intend them to have.” The minimum wage rate increases poverty and unemployment for young

people

and

minorities.

We

must

stop

assuring

that

people

whose

skills

are

not

sufficient

to

justify a wage at the minimum wage rate are cut out of the market. We must eradicate the minimum wage.

Freidman also once said, “we must not judge a bottle solely by its label, you have to look inside to see what the law or measure produces.” It is our duty as citizens that before we determine and advertise our opinions that we know the actual implications of the policy we are advocating for because looks can be deceiving.

He for she: feminism in a new light On September 20, 2014, Emma Watson spoke at the United Nations Headquarters, launching a campaign called “He For She.” The goal of the campaign is to get males involved in the movement for gender equality. Her speech detailed how gender equality should not be just a fight for women, but also for men. For gender equality to be a true norm, men need to be just as involved as women.

According to National Committee on Pay Equity, women earn just 77 percent of what men earn Claire Ochroch ’18 for the same amount of work. They also make up more than two-thirds of the world’s illiterate adults in many countries, showing that girls and boys are unequally educated. Despite making up half the global population, women hold only 15.6 percent of elected seats in the world. If women were able to act in higher levels of political participation, then many issues concerning gender inequality would be brought to international attention.

“In recent years the word feminism has become synonymous with man hating,” said Watson. To this I must agree. Whenever I say to a boy that I am a feminist, they look at me as if I have offended them. Women who are feminists are often seen as overaggressive, isolating, anti-men, and even unattractive. The idea that feminists are against men needs to be abolished. The Merriam-Webster dictionary states the definition of feminism as: “The belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities.”

In her speech Ms. Watson talks about “inadvertent feminists,” or people who treat everyone equally because it is what he or she believe is right. These are the teachers who do not limit you because of your gender, or the mentors who encourage you to reach your goals no matter your gender. These people are what the world needs more of—people who change our surroundings just by treating people the same way.

Men are often seen as unmanly if they ever express feelings of weakness, or even ask for help. They are stereotyped as controlling and aggressive, and sometimes feel that it is their job to fill that role. Fathers too are often seen as inferior parents to

mothers, because they did not give birth to the child, even though a father’s presence while a child is growing up is equally as important as a mother’s.

In 1995 Hillary Clinton made a speech in Beijing about women’s rights, and many of the issues that were discussed in that speech are still being dealt with today. “It is time for us to say here in Beijing, and the world to hear, that it is no longer acceptable to discuss women’s rights as separate from human rights,” said Mrs. Clinton.

This statement, made 19 years ago, is as true today as it was then. The issue with this speech was that less than 30 percent of the audience was made up of men.

How can we, as a people, achieve gender equality if only 50 percent of the population is involved in a problem that concerns 100 percent of us?

Across the world, not one nation can boast total gender equality. 15.5 million girls will be married in the next 16 years as children, and at current rates Art by Maddie Schaeffer/Staff it won’t be until 2086 before all rural African girls will be able to receive a secondary education. And, as I have previously stated, women receive unequal pay for the same work that men do and hold less than of the world’s political positions. These conditions need to change, and everyone should be helping to stop these injustices.

The main goal of the He For She campaign is freedom. To quote Watson, “I want men to take up this mantle. So their daughters, sisters and mothers can be free from prejudice, but also so that their sons have permission to be vulnerable and human too.” So I ask you, men and women, are you ready to work towards gender equality?

Because for both genders to have equal rights, men need to be just as involved as women are.

6

October 30, 2014

OPINIONS The Merionite

Let’s go (all) Aces

Mob mentality had taken root.

They really would do it. I crumpled up my lunch bag, stuffed my water bottle into my backpack, stood up from my seat, and walked over to a farther, less bellicose table of friends. Then I heard it ripping.

The first Friday of this school year, a spirit day, I sat down to lunch with some guys in a boisterous corner of the senior secDan Matthews ’15 tion beside the windows—prime real estate. Surrounding my table were a few other tables of guys, yet behind us was the sign, a full 4 feet by 6 painted on brown butcher paper. All it said was Senior Girls, with the “I” and “S” in “girls” shaped into a 15 for our class with a heart-eyed emoji. It happened to be made by some of the most assertive and socially influential seniors, but the sign was harmless, at most an attempt to empower their fellow senior girls to embrace school spirit.

My table, however, didn’t think so. “I hate that sign,” a guy at my table remarked.

“Yeah, me too,” said another kid, “Why do they get a sign?” “We should tear it down!” a third one butted in. I spoke up and explained that the sign is harmless and that we could make a sign too, but I went unheard as the boys at all the tables in our corner rallied. To keep it appropriate for this Op-Ed, their justification was that they were fed up with those girls. It hit me. These guys, some of them my friends, didn’t have a problem with the sign per se. They hated that some assertive girls had more social influence and leadership than they, and felt threatened that a sign displayed this truth to the entire cafeteria. Their sense of manhood was questioned when their patriarchy was questioned. As I pleaded for level-headedness, the guys only gained more zeal and the language used became even less appropriate for the Merionite. I removed myself just as the sign came down. During the ensuing turmoil both guys and girls exchanged caustic shouts but I mostly felt shock—shock that these guys, my friends, couldn’t even consider assertive girls as equals, if not leaders.

Since then, most guys have been either dismissive or apathetic. Some guys say that they simply didn’t like having a huge sign on the windows, but there were other signs on those windows when they targeted the Senior G1rl5. Many guys, though, have said flat out that those girls needed to be taught a lesson.

Hold up…taught a lesson? We live in the 21st century where women are individuals, and disputes are settled with dialogue.

Lower Merion, however, seems to believe otherwise; this is not an isolated incident. While this event was dramatic, it illuminates some similar problems we have here. Lower Merion High School administration exemplifies this. While out of all our grade-level principals, school athletics/activities director, school principal, district spokesperson, and acting superintendent, seven positions, only one is female, and all the secretaries are women.

Until recently (and still sometimes), an exclusive fraternity-like senior group called “The Real Dawg Pound,” has filled the first row at basketball games, men’s basketball games; nobody goes to the women’s, and some guys in Lower Merion behave just like those girls, yet receive no special labels, hatred, or questioning.

While this list of abuses goes on, that first Friday does not. This event has seeped out from most people’s consciousness, administration barely blinked, and the sign is no longer hanging (although a similar version still hangs in the Art Hallway). The patriarchy is real at Lower Merion.

I do not intend to call anybody out; this is not a public shaming of any sorts. I understand that we can act rashly in the moment, especially in groups, and that we are only human. I do not believe that any of those guys (many of them my friends) are evil-natured or misogynistic, but I do believe that their acts came from a deeprooted, semi-conscious, societal pressure to defend their patriarchy.

While this problem is societal and therefore widespread, ingrained, and hard to fix, we here at LM can start the process. I hope this event will serve as a catalyst for change. Administration can take a harder and more constructive approach against these issues, and we as students can deliberatly participate in creating an equal, accepting community. Lets Go (all) Aces.

Art by Dan Mathews

How do you feel about patriarchy and misogyny at LM?

No, I don’t think LM is neccassarily patriarchal Of course, in life you’ll occaOn the surface there are no problems, but like any or

misogynistic,

but

I

definitely

think

sionally bump into that jerk who other high school, I think that there seems to be a there are some aspects of how boys like makes jokes that are a little over the line, genuine lack of respect for teenage girls sexually, intelto think they have power over girls. Us girls or that guy who actually has some sort of sexlectually, and socially. Misogyny, like homophobia at sometimes let boys control us in ways of how ist agenda, but I think those are more examples of LM,

is

not

obvious,

but

it’s

definitely

there. we dress, act and even think. We feel pressured people who would be disrespectful regardless of the topic.

—Sophia Salganicoff ’16 to follow these guidelines. I think we should I have observed little if any sexist behavior happening at LM work to change this aspect and girls should and I don’t think that’s because we have repressed a stillbe able to do what they want regardless of I

definitely

feel

that

LM

is

patriarchal

to

a

certain

extent,

and

prevalent issue, but because we have a student body not as much but still misogynistic (which is more is society’s fault what boys think about it. that understands how to engage in (mostly) than the school’s).

The types of grossly misogynistic and just —Molly Kaiser ’18 civil behavior. plain offensive things that I have heard immature boys say in the —Charlie Johnson ’18 halls are enough to make you gag.

—Jon Adams ’16

OPINIONS

October 30, 2014

7

The Merionite

Why networking shouldn’t matter In a world inhabited by 7.27 billion other intelligent beings that share the same biological makeup, emotional relationships have become a necessary part of the human experience. Without them, we’d be hard-pressed to find motivation, to attempt improvement, and to satisfy the fundamental human need for interaction. But oftentimes, we still miss out on these benefits not because our relationships don’t exist, but because the ones we have lack true intimacy. In our modern social structure, the one rooted in our high schools, it seems the more relationships one has the better, and, as a result, we often spark relationships for the sole purpose of enhancing our images. We network, essentially jump at any chance to make more connections, because to be “popular” in the contemporary sense is to be connected. Unfortunately, when we accumulate these relationships, we have less and less time to maintain the intimacy within each one, and, when we begin to quantify them, we begin to see them as the meaningless pieces of our social collections. We think of each relationship as just another step in our goal to seem connected. And when our relationships become calculated decisions, we begin to place values on each one. We see that some relationships provide more for our reputations than do others, and we begin to prioritize socially. Sometimes we do this subconsciously; at other times, these types of social interactions become readily apparent.

A lot of people believe that they don’t behave or think that way. I’m sure many of them are right, but many more have unavoidably become part of a culture where networking is paramount to social status. The result of such emphasis on socializing in bulk is that many of our relationships are defined less by deep emotional connection and more by small talk or comic relief. We spend more of our time on conversation that does little to promote real bonding than we do on meaningful conversation. A friend, who self-admittedly values his social life highly, once told me that the only meaningful conversation he has occurs once a month, and only when he can’t fall asleep! As ridiculous as that sounds, consider the time we spend talking about our feelings versus the time we spend joking around or the time we talk about our insecurities, our fears, and our hopes

Griffin

Kao

’16

versus the time we spend on empty discussion. How often does the topic of our chatter even border on the consequential? It’s understandable that we don’t talk about such weighty topics with people we don’t know very well, but that’s the point—if we spent more time cultivating fewer yet deeper relationships, we’d be comfortable discussing anything with those intimate friends.

It’s true that talking about “feelings” has taken on a negative connotation; we see it as emasculating or, sometimes, childish. But the fact that it has become such a avoided topic further reinforces our increasing aversion to real bonding. We’re supposed to be living in an era where everything is open and meaningful discussion is frequent—in Generation Me, psychologist Jean M. Twenge characterizes the current generation as, “tolerant, confident, and open-minded”—yet all we can do is crack jokes and talk about the last Latin quiz. While pointless chatter is necessary to a certain extent, even providing a therapeutic effect at times, the degree to which it dominates our interactions is harmful. We can and should make the conscious effort to deepen our conversation, which we can begin to do simply by asking our friends how they’re doing and seriously inquiring about their wellbeing.

As high school students, lack of intimacy hits us the hardest, because we’re eventually going to leave for college and forget all about those shallow relationships. But this also means you shouldn’t really place too much emphasis on networking. In a couple years, who’s going to care that you knew all those upperclassmen or that you had all those Radnor connections? We should instead be focusing on the few relationships that we’ll keep with us beyond high school, trying to truly connect with those few closest friends.

That’s not to say socializing or meeting new people is a bad thing. It only becomes a bad thing when we care too much about the number of people we know and not enough about building quality relationships.

High school is fleeting, a short clip in the feature film of life, and, while now it feels like we’ll be here forever, it won’t be long before our LM years consist of nothing but a collection of memories. So while it’s incredibly important that we maximize our time by forming relationships that’ll last, it’s hard to do so if we’re placing too much emphasis on being connected or if we’re spending too much time on meaningless conversations.

Like so many things in life, it really is all about quality, not quantity.

A “bloody” mess

Morgn

Perlman

’15 Op-Ed

Editor Several hundred blood donors will leave the stuffy, hot Kobe Bryant Gymnasium on November 11 with the misconceived idea that they participated in an act of charity — that the American Red Cross was taking their blood and living up to its oath of saving 3 lives with a pint. The unfortunate reality is that the blood market is extremely inefficient. The demand for blood has dropped with no clear end in sight, leaving the market flooded with over a million bags of surplus blood.

The cause for the sharp decline in the demand for blood is advances in modern medicine. Coronary bypasses and cancer treatments require less blood than they ever have. A hip replacement that used to require 750 milliliters of blood now only requires 200. These advances, coupled with a supply that hasn’t adjusted to the demand, has wreaked havoc on the blood industry, duping donors,

cutting jobs, merging companies, and causing waste.

Many donors don’t realize that 1.3 million surplus pints spoil and are incinerated before they could help a deserving patient. Meanwhile, the American Red Cross, which controls 44 percent of a multibillion-dollar blood industry, expresses no intent to cut back on collecting blood and falsely demonstrates a need for more donations. The Red Cross takes donor’s blood and trades it for hundreds of dollars per pint to cover their “operating expenses,” which have been known to be extravagant and unscrupulous for a not-for-profit organization.

There used to be a time when blood donations could not meet demand. After World War II, donations could barely satisfy demand. Even after that, during a time when medicine was not as advanced as today, nearly all blood donations touched people’s lives; the Red Cross might have actually lived up to its slogan “one pint saves three lives.”

Some may ask why the Red Cross would come to LM and run a blood drive if they don’t need our blood. That would be a good question to ask the Red Cross directly.

Art by Madeline Schaeffer/Staff

Most do not know that after 9/11 the Red Cross’s poor practices manifested themselves through collecting hundreds of thousands of blood donations that they knowingly knew would have to be used to fuel the incinerator, instead of patients. Some Red Cross Blood centers even came out after 9/11 and said that as many as 1 in 5 donations would be reduced to ash. It seems that the Red Cross is more concerned with trying to pamper donors with charitable opportunities than with providing blood to patients who actually need it.

Times are different from how they were 50 years ago. The LM blood drive serves little purpose when 1.3 million pints of blood are chucked in the fire every year. The blood drive is not above criticism; it is healthy to question this tradition and consider, as a community, whether the blood drive is feeding LM’s altruistic desires more than the patients.

Graphic by Staff

8

October 30, 2014

A DVERTISEMENT The Merionite

FEATURES

October 30, 2014

9

The Merionite

Senior

Emily

Manin

interviews

her

cousin

Piper

Kerman

whose

book

inspired

the

hit

Netflix

TV

series

“Orange

is

the

New

Black”

By Emily Manin ’15 During the summer of 2013, the Netflix series Orange is the New Black debuted and the unique experience belonging to my cousin, Piper Kerman (in the show, this is Piper Chapman), went viral. Piper published her book Orange is the New Black in 2010, but Netflix bought the rights to it a few years ago and began producing a show. For those of you non-Netflix users, “Orange is the New Black” is based on the true story of Piper Kerman, who, upon graduating from Smith College, became involved romantically with Nora (in the show, she is Alex), a woman older than her who was a part of a drug trafficking circle for a drug lord in West Africa. While with Alex, Piper was involved in the trafficking and flew to Belgium to help transEmily and her cousin Piper at a family gathering port a suitcase of drug money. In her book, Photo courtesy of Emily Manin she details the nerve-wracking experience in which she waited anxiously for the black suitcase to appear. Ten years later, Piper married Larry Smith, who was unaware that she had been in a relationship with a woman or involved in this illegal activity. One day, the police appeared at Piper’s home in New York, and accused her of money laundering. Piper was forced to expose her past to her fiancé, and served 13 months in the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Connecticut. Piper served her time, and is now married to Larry, and has a two-year old child named Lucas. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, and is busy travelling the world to give talks about her experience in prison and how it shaped her.

Emily: What are the major aspects of the show that are fictional?

Piper: Well, all of the back-stories of all of the characters are fictional. So every single time that you see the history of one of the characters, and flashbacks, those are all fictional.

Q: Your story isn’t fictional, correct?

A: Some of it is fictional, and some of it is based on the book, but the character of Piper Chapman and a lot of the storylines of that particular character are also fictional. What I describe to folks is that they take the book, and they put it into a blender, and then they add a lot of other ingredients, fictional ingredients.

Q: What about Pennsatucky and Crazy Eyes?

Are they real people?

A: When you read the book, there are people called Pennsatucky and Crazy Eyes, but the characters on the show are different than those real people. If you compare the book and the show, those are good examples of how the book and the show are different.

Q: Are you happy with how the series portrays you?

A: Well, it doesn’t portray me. The show is not a biography; it’s an adaptation.

Q: So you don’t even think of the protagonist of the show as you?

A: No, I don’t think of that character as me, because right from the very first episode there are big differences between my own story and the story of that character.

Q: Do you keep in contact with your friends from prison?

A: I do keep in contact with some of my friends from prison. Some of them are home with their families and doing good things with their

lives, and some of them are still in prison.

Q: I know that in the Netflix series, Piper stays with Alex in prison the entire 13 months that she is in prison, while in reality, you only were in the same prison as her for about a month. What was it like being in prison with your former girlfriend who had ratted you out?

A: A big difference between the show and the true story is that I was in prison with Nora (the name for Alex in the book), but only at the very end of my sentence.

When I encountered Nora, it was in a different prison and in a different setting.

Q: Did you have any interaction with her – did you talk with her, or did you avoid her?

A: We shared a cell.

Q: I have heard that you are currently working to reform women’s prisons. What about women’s prisons are you trying to improve?

A: It is important to improve the conditions of prison, but I actually think it’s more important to put fewer people in prison. We have the biggest prison population in the world in this country – the biggest prison population in human history. No one has ever put so many citizens in prison that the United States does. I think that the most important thing is to put fewer women, men, and children in prison. We do really terrible things to kids in the US justice system. I do think that improving the conditions is important, but I think the most important thing is to put fewer people into prison.

Q: At family dinners you don’t often talk about your prison experience, drug experience, or Orange is the New Black. Why share your story with the world? What was your objective?

A: Well, I wouldn’t want to bore our families. I hoped that by talking about what I experienced in the criminal justice system and what I witnessed in the criminal justice system, people might have a different idea about who is in prison, and why people end up in prison, and what really happens to them there. I think the reality is very different than what people imagine.

Q: I know that Netflix flew you out to California, where the series was being filmed, multiple times. Did you have much say in how the characters were portrayed, or the plot?

A: I am a consultant on the show. What that means is that when Gengie Cohan, the woman who creates the show, and a team of about eight writers are trying to think up the story line and character development, they ask me questions, and I read the scripts and I send feedback. It is ultimately Gengie’s decision as to what she takes or what she leaves. I try to keep my feedback focused on helping them make it a realistic world.

Q: Realistic in terms of what prison is like, or realistic in terms of your actual story?

A: Exactly. Realistic in terms of how prison life is, not in terms of the actual story from 2004 and 2005.

Q: When you first shared your experience with others, who were you most afraid to tell, and whose reaction was most fearful of ?

A: Probably the federal government.

Q: Were you scared to tell you mom, or Larry, or Larry’s parents?

A: Everybody cares a lot about what their family thinks, or how they feel about the work that they do, and obviously, this is personal. I know my parents feel very strongly that the criminal justice system is very unfair, and very racist, and it does a lot of damage to families, especially families in poor communities. My parents think that it is important to talk about these issues, but I’m sure that they were nervous, but they were supportive. One of the big differences between the show and the book is the way my family is depicted.

Q: In what way?

A: In the way that my family and Larry’s family were both supportive, as we tried to get through the experience of prison.

The families in the show are not really that way at all.

10

FEATURES

October 30, 2014

The Merionite

2014 MIDTERM THE

FACTS Tom Corbett is the incumbent Governor of Pennsylvania and former PA Attorney General.

Tom Wolf is a self-made businessman and former Secretary of the PA Department of Revenue.

Corbett says he funnelled $1.5 billion into the education department. Wolf says Corbett cut $1 billion in education funding.

Who is right? Technically, they both are.

Corbett did spend upwards of $1 billion on education, but with most of it going towards the teacher retirement program, not much made it directly to classrooms. Wolf is referring to Corbett’s

first

proposed

budget

that

cut

funding

by

$860

million.

Wolf criticizes Corbett on PA’s being ranked 47th in the nation for job creation. Although Corbett’s job creation is not impressive, PA’s unemployment was not as bad as other states, leaving less need for job creation.

Corbett believes that PA should not tax corporations on natural gas extraction, but has enacted a law that requires corporations to pay a fee which has generated $200 million for PA municipalities. Wolf says that he will enact an extraction tax and use the funds to reverse Corbett’s education cuts.

Corbett is pro-life and supports the anti-LGBT discrimination act but does not support gay marriage, and is against legalizing marijuana. Wolf is pro-choice, supports gay marriage, and has not taken a stance on the legalization of marijuana.

65.7% of Lower Me voted Demo

75% of LM stude political

affiliation as

86% of AP Government stud

October 30, 2014

M ELECTIONS

erion Township voters

ocrat in 2012

ents share the same

s their parents

dents at LM are Democrats

Playing pretend politics

By Tori Klevan ‘15 If I had a dime for every time I saw a “Romney-Ryan” sign on the lawn of a Lower Merion resident in 2012, I wouldn’t be able to afford a pack of gum. The reason for this is rather obvious: Lower Merion is overwhelmingly Democratic. 65.7% of the 2012 Presidential election turnout in Lower Merion Township voted Democrat.

It

is

safe

to

conclude

that

a

significant

number

of

these

voters

were

parents

of

students

at Lower Merion High School. And there is a common assumption at LM that students say they’re Democrat simply because their parents are. Since there are a handful of seniors registered to vote in November, I thought it would be interesting to investigate this notion.

I

talked

to

five

different

seniors

claiming

to

be

Democrat,

two

of

whom

are

registered

to

vote in the midterm elections, all of whom have Democrat parents. I did not know their level of political knowledge before the interviews. My goal was to determine whether these students understood the Democratic beliefs they were preaching.

“Are

you

a

Democrat?”

was

the

first

question

I

asked

senior

Gus

Daly

while

sitting

in

a

room full of students.

“Are you kidding…of course I’m a Democrat.” Laughter ensued.

“What’s the main reason you’re not a Republican?”

After a lot of “uhhs” and “hmms,” he answered: “Well,

I

guess

I’m

fiscally

conservative.

But

definitely

socially

liberal.”

Democrats

are

not

fiscally

conservative.

I

asked

senior

Cory

Litman

the

same

question.

He

answered,

“Gay

rights

laws.”

I talked to Veronika Szarlej, a senior who is planning on voting with the Democratic Party

in

the

November

election.

After

confirming

her

political

affiliation,

I

asked

her

if

she knew the meaning of the term “redistribution of wealth.” Redistribution of wealth is a very split topic between Democrats and Republicans. A voter’s views on the redistribution of wealth certainly help to classify them as liberal or conservative.

Veronika answered, “Actually no. Not really. I’ve heard people say that before, but I wouldn’t really be able to explain it.”

After I explained it to her, she did agree with the Democratic view of progressive taxation, subsidies, and vouchers. However, when I then asked her if she agrees with the system of capitalism, she responded, “I don’t really know! This is getting really complicated!”

To

my

final

interviewees,

I

explained

the

Democratic

and

Republican

views

on

raising

the minimum wage, a very current political topic.

I

first

asked

Callie

Clibanoff

and

Jonathan

Avershal,

“Do

you

agree

with

Obama

on

raising the minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10?”

“Yes,

definitely,”

said

Callie.

“Yeah,

I

agree.

That

should

happen,”

said

Jonathan.

I then explained to them the Republican side, which is described in detail in Will Rieke’s Op-Ed piece on page 5.

Their

conclusions

changed.

Jonathan

decided,

“Maybe

it

can

be

risen

to

somewhere

between [$7.25 and $10.10] so the unemployment rate doesn’t jump too high, but people are still paid better than $7.25 an hour.” Callie said that she’s “unsure of how [she] feels now. [She] wasn’t informed of the other perspective.”

11

12

FEATURES

October 30, 2014

The Merionite

By Lindsay Shapiro ‘15

Pep Rally

Have

you

been

wondering

about

the

countdown

in

the

lower

atrium?

Overwhelmed

with

the

‘powder

puff ’

t-shirt

sales?

Confused

by

this

thing

we

call

Radnor

Week?

Well

it’s

time

to

put

all

those

concerns

aside

because

the

2014

Radnor

Week

is

quickly

approaching

–

and

we

must

be

ready

when

the

battle

begins.

The

first

Lower

Merion-Radnor

football

game

was

played

in

1897

in

Wayne.

It

is

estimated

that

several

hundred

people

attended,

and

known

that

LM

walked

away

with

a

victory.

That

day

marked

the

beginning

of

the

biggest

and

longest

high

school

rivalry

in

the

country.

Each

year

the

festivities

have

grown

immensely,

which

has

contributed

to

our

modern

take

on

Radnor

week.

From

November

2

all

the

way

through

the

final

second

of

the

game

on

November

8,

we

will

carry

on

the

tradition

of

the

LM-Radnor

rivalry

and

live

out

the

best

week

of

the

school

year.

The

1-month

countdown

for

Radnor

week

has

begun.

Get

excited

and

most

importantly,

get

HYPE!

The

best

school

activity!

On

Friday

afternoon,

you

will

be

counting

down

the

minutes

until

everyone

is

dismissed

to

the

g ym.

With

LM

Dance

Team,

the

teacher

dance

team,

cheerleaders,

and

shaking

your

booty,

what

more

could

you

want?

Make

sure

your

grade

gets

LOUD!

Powder Puff Powder

puff

is

the

girls’

flag

football

competition.

This

will

take

place

on

Arnold

field

Friday,

November

7.

The

first

round

consists

of

Seniors

vs.

Freshman,

and

Juniors

vs.

Sophomores.

Whoever

wins

these

games

will

move

into

the

championship.

Will

the

Seniors

win

back-to-back

championships?

Only

time

will

tell.

Hallway Wars This

is

the

best

time

to

show

off

your

grade’s

creativity

and

spirit.

Every

grade

is

assigned

a

hallway

and

a

theme.

Your

job

is

to

transform

your

hallway,

with

streamers,

posters,

and

other

decorations

to

match

the

theme,

before

Wednesday.

At

the

pep

rally

the

winner

will

be

announced.

What

will

you

win?

Bragging

rights

only.

Lunch Competitions Every

day

at

lunch

there

will

be

different

competitions

among

the

grades.

These

competitions

include

pie

eating,

push-ups,

arm

wrestling,

and

much

more.

Make

sure

people

from

your

grade

are

volunteering,

or

the

Radnor

Week

committee

heads

will

come

and

drag

you

from

your

table.

Blackout Head

to

toe

black.

This

is

the

most

important

spirit

of

the

entire

year.

Don’t

be

THAT

kid.

Caravan The

student

body

will

be

walking

out

the

Radnor

game

together

on

Saturday.

The

Dawg

pound

must

stay

in

a

pack

so

that

it

can

intimidate

Radnor

right

from

the

start.

Don’t

miss

the

caravan

to

go

to

Chipotle-there

will

be

food

at

the

game!

Senior Boys Dance This

iconic

tradition

began

last

year

and

is

making

its

return

in

the

2014

pep

rally.

Yes

freshman

girls,

the

boys

will

be

taking

their

shirts

off.

Block Party This

is

a

new

tradition

this

year

that

will

be

replacing

the

tailgate.

The

whole

community

is

invited

for

food,

games,

and

yes,

a

moon

bounce!

Graphics

by

Tori

Klevan

and

Dylan

Siegelman/Staff

DIY Halloween Costumes

By Molly Gonzalez ‘17

Between

h omework,

s ports,

c lubs,

and

s o

much

m ore

g oing

o n

i n

t he

d aily

life

o f

a

h igh

s chooler,

f inding

t ime

t o

put

t ogether

a

H alloween

c ostume

c an

be

h ard.

W ith

t hese

c reative,

i nexpensive,

a nd

e asy-to-put-together

c ostumes,

you

c an

g o

f rom

h aving

n o

c ostume

t o

the

h it

o f

t he

p arty

i n

n o

t ime!

One

p opular

way

t o

d ress

u p

i s

t o

imitate

s omething

f rom

p op

c ulture-

a

pop

s tar

o r

your

f avorite

a ctress.

H ave

an

o ld

p laid

s kirt?

E asily

b ecome

Brittany

S pears

c irca

t he

“ Hit

M e

Baby

O ne

M ore

T ime”

e ra

by

adding

s ome

c lassic

s chool

g irl

accessories,

s uch

a s

b raids,

a

b utton

d own,

a nd

a

c ardigan.

T his

costume

i s

s ure

t o

b ring

back

m emories

o f

j amming

out

f or

m any!

If

t hose

c ostumes

a re

t oo

m ainstream

f or

you,

w hy

n ot

t ry

s omething

more

o n

t he

c reative

s ide!

A n

e asy

i dea

is

t o

g o

t o

your

l ocal

p aint

s tore,

a nd

grab

a

p lethora

o f

d ifferent

c olor

g ray

paint

s watches.

S tick

t hese

s watches

a ll

over

yourself

a nd

wa-lah!

You’re

n ow

the

b ook

“ Fifty

S hades

o f

G rey”!

A nd

don’t

f orget,

you

c ould

a lways

p ull

a

J im

Halpert

a nd

w rite

“ book”

o n

your

f ace

to

e asily

b ecome

Facebook!

S ome

m ore

easy

c ostumes

c an

c ome

f rom

b asics

that

you

c an

f ind

a t

a

t hrift

s hop,

s uch

as

a

H awaiian

s hirt

t o

b ecome

a

t acky

tourist,

o r

a

t ie-dye

s hirt

a nd

s ome

John

Lennon-esque

s unglasses

t o

b ecome

a

groovy

h ippy!

Many

choose

t o

g o

t he

s cary

r oute

when

choosing

t heir

H alloween

c ostume.

I f

t hat’s

n ot

f or

you,

d on’t

fret!

I nstead

o f

h aving

p eople

running

away

f rom

you

a ll

night,

h ave

t hem

b ent

over

laughing

a t

j ust

your

very

p resence!

For

t he

g uys

o ut

t here

struggling

t o

f ind

a

c ostume,

easily

b ecome

t he

g ingerbread

man.

Just

u se

a

r ed

w ig,

a nd

carry

a round

s ome

b read!

O r

you

c ould

e asily

b ecome

a

r obber

by

grabbing

a

b lack

a nd

w hite

s triped

s hirt,

some

b lack

g loves,

a nd

i f

you

r eally

want

t o

g o

a ll

o ut,

c ut

s ome

h oles

i n

a

black

s ki

m ask.

Still

a t

a

l oss

f or

a

c ostume?

Websites

such

a s

P interest,

I nstagram,

a nd

Twitter

a re

f ull

o f

i deas!

H appy

H alloween!

Art by Maddie Schaeffer/Staff

Comic by Ned Wilson ‘18

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

October 30, 2014

13

The Merionite

The woman behind the wall

Fun fall shows With the 2014-15 year kicking into full gear, you will need an outlet to release all of your academic stress! One of the best ways to spend your fall Friday nights is going out to concerts with friends. As the colder weather approaches, the season of festivals and outdoor performances will cease until the spring, but between the Wells Fargo Center and the Theatre of Living Arts, there will always be a show worth the spending the $45 you made from babysitting last weekend on. Plus, many of the locations are no more than a train ride away. Below are some of the most popular events coming soon to the Philadelphia area!

Laurel Yaros ’15

Photo by Aine Dougherty/Staff

Have you ever walked through the drab LM hallways, seen

Ailish Dougherty ’15 the

endless

generic,

whitewashed

walls

filled

with

posters

about character and wished for something more? Hopefully that

hidden

second

floor

hallway

with

the

magical

burst

of

color

and

designs

caused

you

to look up from your phone and smile in delight. As many other LM students were surely thinking while the mural was in progress, I wondered who was making it, and I wanted to thank them for brightening up my ordinary, stressful day! The artist behind the mural, senior and AP Art student Andrea Barnes, answers some questions about her project, her motives, and her ideas to come.

Q: What inspired you to create the mural? How did you come up with the idea and why?

A: I love how much pride LM students have for our school. Almost every club, sport, and activity is represented and supported in some way. We are all very open-minded and encouraging towards each other, which separates us from a stereotypical high school. Physically

though,

our

school

does

not

reflect

this.

The

only

colors

I

see

walking around are black, white, and maroon, with Kobe popping up once in a while. I wanted to do something that was completely different from anything anyone has ever seen in the school and represented LM’s diverse and artistic side.

Q: Why did you decide to put it there?

A: From the time I was a freshman I knew I was going to put a mural up in the school somewhere. The hallway I choose had nothing in it and I knew that was perfect place to start. It was the most Photo courtesy of depressing hallway in the whole school.

Cameron Pollack Q: How did you come up with the design? Did you know exactly what it would look like from the beginning, or did you improvise?

A: It took me four months to come up with a design. Getting an idea on paper for the mural was the hardest part, because I wanted something completely different but not too radical. I also wanted to make it universal, yet at the same time I had to make

sure

that

it

wasn’t

too

difficult

to

create,

so

that

people

who

had

no

experience

could

help me. I knew exactly what the mural would look from the beginning; I only improvised the pattern designs.

Q: How long did it take you to complete it?

A:

I

started

sketching

ideas

in

September

of

last

year

and

finished

the

end

of

December.

I

started

the

painting

process

in

February

of

this

year

and

finished

mid-September.

Q: What’s the best compliment you’ve received on it?

A: I’ve received a lot great compliments! So many people have told me that they feel more cheerful and refreshed when they walk through the hallway. The best compliment I’ve received was from Instructional Aide Pamela Cloud. She told me that her young daughter loves walking down the hallway and pointing to her favorite designs. At the time I doubted whether my vision was turning out the way I planned, but after hearing that, I felt really proud and excited that I made a positive impact on the community. I now know that I wasn’t the only one tired of looking at white and maroon.

Q: Would you consider this one of your favorite projects? Do you plan to do any more projects like this?

A:

Although

this

was

not

an

easy

project,

I

would

definitely

do

it

all

over

again.

It

not

only

let me take a risk and leave my imprint on the school, but also let me connect with a lot of

people

that

I

didn’t

know

personally,

or

had

just

met

for

the

first

time.

It

was

difficult,

but

it

challenged

me

to

become

a

leader

and

to

be

more

confident

in

my

artistic

abilities.

I

am

possibly

doing

another

project

on

the

same

floor

during

second

semester,

but

on

a

smaller scale.

Andrea would also like to thank: “The custodians for putting up with the messes I made, Mr. Swope and Mr. Grugan for letting me store my supplies in their rooms, Mr. Hazel for buying supplies, Mr. Walsh for taking a chance and letting me take over the hallway, and especially all of the people who supported me and helped me after school!”

Hopefully Andrea’s project will inspire other LM artists to put some character and life into our hallways and start truly making this school our own!

Theater of Living Arts October

24th

–

Misfits October 28th – Dirty Loops November 2nd – Lights November 12th – Shaggy November 13th – Frankie Ballard: Light ‘Em Up Tour November 23rd – Radio 104.5 presents Bleachers Susquehanna Bank Center (Camden, NJ) December 3rd – Slipknot: The Prepare for Hell Tour with special guest KORN District N9NE October 31st – Aaron Carter November 6th – Huey Mack November 8th – The Ready Set & Metro Station Wells Fargo Center October 17th – The Who October 18th – Eric Church October 31 – Powerhouse November 11th – Usher: The UR Experience November 16th – Stevie Wonder December 10th – Q102 Jingle Ball December 17th – Justin Timberlake

14

October 30, 2014

ADVERTISEMENTS The Merionite

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

October 30, 2014

15

The Merionite

D. Avershal J. Rachlin ’15

LM’s new rap groups are spittin’ fire

If you’ve noticed a sudden rise in temperature walking through the usually brisk LM hallways, you’re not alone. This abrupt heat wave can be attributed to a collection of new amateur Hip Hop/ Rap

talent,

routinely

dropping

absolute

“fire”

through

various

soundcloud

singles and mixtapes. Although the root cause of this rap explosion may never be known, many believe it originated from a former student’s posts on the popular video platform Vine, with the infamous line, “Her bop on a bean.”

If you have no idea what we’re talking about, don’t worry: we’ve got you covered

with

our

field

guide

to

LM’s

up-and-coming

musical

talent.

3CN!: The Final Draft 3CN!,

whose

full

name

is

unfortunately

unfit

to

print,

is

the

newest boy band to grace the corner booths of the LM cafeteria.

Through

fierce

social

media

promotion,

this

multi-faceted

trio

is

headed by basketball star Jule “Shmoney” Brown, at least when he and

fellow

members

Nadir

“Lil

Na”

Evans,

and

KJ

“Kyle”

Helton

aren’t

too busy hittin’ up the hardwood. Find them in upper atrium comparing sneakers, rapping over hard beats for Snapchat glory, and replying to their own tweets to rack up favorites. Vicious and ambitious, 3CN! is a force to be reckoned with.

Dori and Miles: DNM - Self Released Although critics described their early work, dating back to 2011, as “eh,” and asked, “What is sound-clouds?” their newer projects have received far more critical acclaim.

The student body has crowned them the rightful veterans of LM’s rap game. The interracial duo that’s been “spittin” since sophomore year has risen to LM fame from one mixtape to the next, each eclipsing the previous in both style and substance.

Their most recent work, DNM (Dreams Never Mislead), is a cohesive 14-track mixtape. Take a listen and delve into LM’s most impressive Hip Hop pair.

Audrey n’ Meg: Tha Future The newest members to the game bring to mind late-90s rap superstar

Lil

Kim,

before

she

began

to

eerily

resemble

the

lion

from

“Wizard of Oz.” Junior swooners Maeghan “M. Dot” Radice and Audrey “Dr. Drey” Jongens’ soundcloud single “Tha Future” (although the future of what, exactly, remains unclear) combines finely

tuned

rhyming

with

smooth,

transitive

Garageband

instrumentals. Watch out for this lethal pair. They may very possibly be next up.

If you think your musical endeavor is Merionite quality, contact A&E at merionite.ae@gmail.com with the subject line: “LISTEN2THISFIRE,” or tweet your soundcloud link to @merionite with the hashtag: #BARS.

Fall food corner Pumpkin bread S. Weinstein S. Roling ’18

Fall

is

finally

here!

The

leaves

are

changing,

the

temperature is dropping, and the amount homework is increasing. If you’re looking for a seasonal or festive recipe to enjoy on a cool autumn’s eve, look no further! Numerous people at Thanksgiving celebrations have approved this pumpkin bread recipe

for

its

delicious,

sweet

flavors.

Keep

reading

for

instructions

on

how

to

make

this

tasty

treat.

Recipe: Yields 3 loaves 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees 2.

In

a

large

bowl,

combine

3

cups

sugar,

3.5

cups

flour,

2

tsp

baking

soda,

1.5

tsp

salt,

3

tsp

cinnamon and 3 tsp nutmeg. Stir then set aside.

3. In another large bowl, combine 1 cup vegetable oil, 4 eggs, 2/3 cup of water, and 2 cups of canned pumpkin. Stir this until the lumps have smoothed.

4. Take the bowl with the wet ingredients and slowly pour them into the bowl with the dry ingredients while mixing. Continue until all of the wet ingredients are in the bowl with the dry ingredients and are thoroughly mixed in.

5.

Take

3

loaf

pans,

greased

and

floured,

and

pour

an

equal

amount

of

the

batter

into

all

of

the

pans. Bake for 50 minutes to an hour, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

To glaze the pumpkin bread: 1. Make sure the loaves are completely cool, then take them out of their pans and lay them on tin foil.

2. In a small bowl, mix ¼ cup (or ½ stick) of melted butter with 1 cup of confectioner’s sugar.

Add hot water in small amounts until your glaze has reached a desired consistency, and then drizzle it over the loaves. Let the breads sit until the glaze has hardened, then enjoy (if you want you can share, but you could also just eat all three loaves yourself)!

Squash soufflé As the air gets cooler and the sun sets earlier, people want a warm, sweet dish to help brighten up their days. One particularly delicious Fall-themed dish

is

squash

soufflé,

which

not

only

looks

but

also

tastes

amazing.

This

dish

may

be served as a side dish, a dessert, or just something to snack on after a long day at school. This recipe is quick and easy to follow, and it doesn’t require many ingredients.

Overall,

the

combination

of

an

easy

recipe

and

a

delicious

finished

product

creates

the

perfect Fall comfort food.

Ingredients: 1 package frozen yellow squash 2 cups non-dairy creamer 3 eggs ¼ cup melted margarine ½ cup sugar ½

cup

flour 1 frozen piecrust a sprinkle of salt and cinnamon Photo courtesy of Shuli Weinstein Steps: 1. Defrost squash and mix with margarine 2. Mix all dry ingredients 3. Add dry ingredients to squash 4. Beat eggs in non-dairy creamer and add to mixture 5. Pour into pie crust 6.

Bake

at

350°

for

1

hour

until

firm 7. Enjoy!

Shuli Weinstein ’18

The ghosts of Halloweens past ously. With the help of cardboard, Styrofoam balls, and a lot of purI would ple paint, I successfully became a piece of blueberry pie…delicious. love to recI cannot morally suggest any of these costumes, or any of ommend cosmy previous ones for that matter. For example, last Hallowtumes to all LM students, but unfortunately my parents never let me een I was disguised as a banana. Some safe costume choices purchase a Halloween costume when I was a child. They believed include fairies, sports players, any animal with ears and whisthat making a costume built character and saved money. Due to kers, superheroes, or something trending like Frozen. But their philosophy, over the years I had some crazy, funny, and downthere

are

also

quick

costume

fixes

for

the

night

of

Halloween.

right absurd costumes. Despite this speed bump, I will look back From the classic “cut two holes in a sheet and call yourself a at my old costumes and try to give helpful suggestions. From kinghost” to throwing on some tie-dye and bell-bottoms and becomdergarten through second grade, I was Hermione Granger (British ing

a

flower

child,

there

are

countless

costumes

that

can

be

hastaccent and all). Therefore, I will exempt those Halloween costumes ily created on October 31. Wear all yellow and use black duct tape from this description. The ludicrousness began in third grade. to create stripes, and, voilà, you’re a bumble bee. Get wrapped 3rd grade As an amateur procrastinator, I waited quite a from head to toe in toilet paper to mummify yourself. Pop the while to think of a creative yet cool costume idea. When I dislenses out of 3-D glasses, put tape on the frames, wear a tie, and covered a witch’s hat in the depths of my basement, I knew exnerd out. Find a cowboy hat and cowboy boots and be, you actly what costume I would conjure up—a modern witch. Inguessed it, a cowboy! I’m sure, if you search through your closet stead of a broom, I lugged around an old vacuum cleaner that long

enough,

you

can

find

a

cute,

simple,

and

last

minute

costume.

I had found. The concept was that a modern witch would use a Finally we have the couple’s costumes. They can be adorable or more modern form of cleaning supplies as transportation. Overgross, but they are always unavoidable. There are the classic duos (i.e. all,

the

costume

was

heavy

and

made

it

difficult

to

hold

candy.

Fred and Velma Flinstone, Mr. and Mrs. Incredible, the Grinch and Cin4th grade At age ten, I was a bit of a tomboy. My interdy Lou Who, etc.) that are cliché but classy. Then we have the matching ests included things like baseball books by Dan Gutman and the costumes. Both couples dress up as doctors, pirates, or whatever they YMCA youth basketball association. As a result, I dressed up as a basketball hoop. I used a cardboard poster as a backboard, a Photo courtesy of Brett Rapkin-Citrenbaum decide. Finally, there are the silly combos like an outlet and a plug, ketchup and mustard, the Hamburgler and a Hamburger, or salt and pepper. mesh laundry bag as a net, and half a basketball as a hat. I would not Although my old costumes will probably not be recreated this Halloween, I do recommend this costume, because it gave me (and everyone who looked at it) a headache.

5th grade At age 11, “I like pie” became my catchphrase. Therefore, when my father hope that they allowed for some laughter and the realization that it is not the costume but asked me what I wanted to be for Halloween, I responded “pie.” My dad took this seri- the fun you have with it that truly brings the spirit of Halloween to life.

Brett Rapkin-Citrenbaum ’15

16

October 30, 2014

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT The Merionite

Welcome to the Freak Show Callie Clibanoff ’15 For all of you die-hard American Horror Story fans, October means one thing—a new season. And for the people who don’t watch and whose Twitter feeds were clogged with the never-ending tweets about the premiere episode, it’s best that you get on the American Horror Story bandwagon now. The show is now on its fourth season. The first season, titled “Murder House,” was about a family that moved into a “haunted house.” The second, “Asylum,” covered the stories of inmates in a mental institution in 1964.

The third, “Coven,” followed a coven of witches in New Orleans that faced off against those who wanted to destroy them.

But don’t panic, AHS newbies—even if you missed last few seasons, this coming one has a whole new theme, plot, and characters. Set in Jupiter, Florida in 1952, “Freak Show” follows one of the last freak shows still in business.

While the last three seasons have been pretty freaky, mentally prepare yourself for this one, because creator Ryan Murphy has promised that “American Horror Story: Freak Show” will be the scariest season yet. If you have coulrophobia (a

fear of clowns), I seriously advise you not to watch, considering a new “clown killer” comes to town and eventually forces the community into a curfew, which kills off the last bit of business for the freak show. This circus is different than anything you’ve ever seen before. Anything and everything goes. Actress Jessica Lange, the anchor of every season, stars as Elsa Mars, a German actress running the barely surviving freak show. Elsa’s cabinet of curiosities features Sarah Paulson, a lone actress amazingly playing conjoined sisters, Evan Peters as “Lobster Boy”(I will say no more about Peters’ abnormality—you must watch and find out yourself), and Kathy Bates, who plays a bearded lady. The show also uses real world “freaks,” such as the smallest woman in the world, who at twenty years old is only two feet tall, and a triple breasted woman. If the rest of the season is as scary as the premiere episode, then we’re definitely in for a treat. So, if you’re up for late nights and the subsequent nightmares, tune into FX at 10 p.m. on Wednesday nights.

Moschino making strides Hana Holquist ’15 You know Moschino even if you don’t think you do. You have seen the simple gold logo on belts and seen almost every young celebrity wearing one of the Italian fashion house’s fun designs. Or maybe you know about Moschino because of creative director Jeremy Scott and his recent partnership with Miley Cyrus. Moschino has become one of the most popular brands this season.

However, the fashion house hasn’t been around long. Founded in 1983 by Franco Moschino, the brand is a baby at only thirty years old (compared to, for example, Lanvin, which was founded in the 1800s, and has had only three creative directors. Franco Moschino had a sense of humor regarding his designs and often criticized the seriousness of the fashion industry. The designer, who once sported a crown made out of dried macaroni, believed that fashion should be fun and playful and was well known for saying, “Out with the fashion, let’s dress up!”

Franco Moschino had an untimely death at only 44 years old, and his assistant, Rossella Jardini, became creative director. She is credited for being the driving force for the brand’s image and style of fun, playful, and

Dylan Siegelman ‘15

Troubled town Every year, scores of television shows hop the pond between Britain and the U.S. While BBC America and PBS have had

a

monopoly

on

this

transatlantic

trade

for

years,

Netflix

has

quietly

entered the fray after buying the rights to stream “Happy Valley,” a hard-hitting BBC drama that aired in the UK this past April and became

available

for

streaming

as

an

original

Netflix

series

at

the

beginning of September.

The show follows the exploits of Sergeant Catherine Cawood (Sarah Lancashire) as she attempts to police and navigate the underworld of a drug-addled and economically depressed town in the north of England. Incredibly different from her usual crop of characters, the role is a far cry for Lancashire, who gained widespread recognition for her role as the ditzy, blond barmaid Raquel on British soap opera “Coronation Street.” In her role as Sergeant Cawood, Lancashire takes a much darker turn.

“Happy Valley” is certainly not a show for the faint of heart. The show opens with Cawood still trying to cope with the suicide of her daughter eight years earlier. To make matters worse, Tommy Lee Royce (James Norton), the rapist who attacked her daughter and drove her to suicide, is released at the beginning of the series. Suspicious of his movements and motives upon leaving prison, she stalks him on a level that borders obsession. Unknown to Cawood, Royce becomes involved with a kidnapping plot targeting Ann Gallagher (Charlie Murphy), the daughter of the small Yorkshire town’s local business tycoon.

The show does not open with a bang but instead acts a slow burner, with the tension building in a snowball like effect until it comes crashing down the mountain, exploding straight in the viewer’s face What sets “Happy Valley” apart from other shows of its kind is that it

humanizes

every

character

within

its

repertoire.

Cawood

fights

her

own demons that hinder her judgment, and even the sociopathic Royce has motives for his actions that add just a drop of humanity to the barren wasteland of his heart that has taken the place of where his morals should be.

One of the greatest triumphs of “Happy Valley” is the creation of a character like Cawood herself, who serves as the embodiment of the post feminist TV heroine. The issues that her character deals with don’t end when she hangs her hat up at the end of the day. They follow her home and seep like poison into every aspect of her life, affecting everything from the remnants of her marriage to her relationship with her grandson, whom she raises with the aid of her sister Clare (Siobhan Finneran of “Downton Abbey”). Unlike many male-dominated detective shows, in which lives begin and end at the threshold of the police station, “Happy Valley” not only explores the psychological effects of crime on those who commit it but also on those who try to fight

it.

Cawood

is

not

like

Holmes

and

Poirot,

who

manage

to

remain

partial and sane towards every case that comes across their desk. Some of Lancashire’s most outstanding performances occur when her character cracks under pressure.

Nonetheless, she is strong. She is by no means perceived as weak or overly emotional. She is human, something that robotic and formulaic characters like Sherlock Holmes rarely appear to be.

Jon Adams ’16

often ironic designs. The logo and icon-loving brand became popular, and she remained the creative director until 2013, when Jeremy Scott took over. Scott had a tongue-in-cheek aesthetic

that

fit

perfectly

with

Moschino’s.

His

first

collection

at

Moschino

featured

McDonald’s colors and logo, SpongeBob, and beer can ball gowns. The Spring 2015 collection was Barbie-themed, with models wearing blond wigs and holding pink mirror iPhone cases. Scott’s designs have also been recently been criticized as looking cheap, and many have wondered where he will go from here.

Although members of the fashion community may say Moschino looks tacky, or seems like a joke, celebrities love its designs, and so do regular people. Moschino’s brand has grown a cult-like following through the power of personality and approachable style. It says a lot about fashion that the playful designs are so popular, especially after the recently trendy but bland ‘normcore’ movement. Mr. Scott appeals to the younger generation of fashion lovers who, due to the growing popularity of technology and social media, are becoming increasingly important. It begs the question of who matters more—the fashion elite, or the rest of us?

November 20th, 21st, & 22nd

Aces of the Arts How do you contribute to the arts?

At LM, I play trumpet in the Jazz Band, Orchestra, and the Show Orchestra for Thoroughly Modern Millie. During the summer I teach electric bass and drums at Independent Lake Camp.

What is your favorite instrument?

I think trumpet would have be my favorite, because I get to play really loudly and obnoxiously.

Which musician do you idolize most?

My favorite musicians include Beck, Herbie Hancock, Matthew Bellamy of Muse, Thom Yorke of Radiohead, and Sun Ra, since each of them has done something radically different and progressive in their respective genre and been able to be quite successful in doing so.

How do you contribute to the arts?

Although I don’t take any visual arts classes, I play in the school orchestra and contribute to the Dolphin Literary Magazine. I’m also in Art Forum, and I like to help out the student government by designing class t-shirts.

Of what piece are you proudest?

I can’t say I have a favorite piece out of all the stuff I have drawn. I guess I’m most proud of the progress I’ve been able to make with my art.

Will you pursure a career involving art?

I know that I will always love to make art, but right now, I’m actually planning to go into astrophysics or a similar science.

Vanessa Roser ‘17

SPORTS

October 30, 2014

17

The Merionite

Brighter lights, bigger responsibility Mitchell Gladstone ’15 Sports Editor For all athletes, there is a natural instinct that kicks in when the whistle is blown or the ball is put into play. Anyone who has ever played a sport knows that the spotlight gets just a little bigger with everyone watching. Of late, however, a number of professional and collegiate athletes have seemed to forget that they are being constantly watched, both on and off the field.

On September 13, Minnesota Vikings All-Pro running back Adrian Peterson was arrested and charged with reckless or negligent injury to a child after being accused of beating his son with a switch. Then, on October 1, Olympic swimmer and gold medal record-holder Michael Phelps was arrested after his second DUI. In turn, USA Swimming suspended him for six months. And over the summer, Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston, the first freshman in college football history to win the Heisman Trophy, was charged with shoplifting crab legs from a grocery store and is currently under investigation for violating NCAA rules. Winston was also accused of raping a female student last fall, but formal charges were never filed. A civil case, however, is still pending.

For varying reasons, they each find themselves in hot water, but they are all connected by one simple fact: they are amongst the elite of their respective sports. As a result, they are always being followed, whether through Twitter (Phelps has 1.6 million followers) or on television (Florida State’s BCS National Championship Game last January was watched in over 26 million American homes). Athletes are viewed as role models by many young sports fans, including myself, who expect them to set the standard for the manner in which they conduct themselves.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell constantly references the phrase, “Protect the shield,” while talking about how he views his job as protecting the integrity of the game of football. Protecting the reputation of the game applies not just to football, but to every sport. If the players are the people we see out on the field, then ultimately they represent the sports they play. They aren’t just a part of the general

Best finish in years for girls’ tennis The LM girls’ tennis team capped off yet another memorable season this fall. After carrying a successful Central League campaign, comprised of eight

wins

and

only

three

losses,

the

team

qualified

for

districts,

a

feat

that

hasn’t

been

achieved

in

six

years.

Although

the

team

lost

its

first

playoff

match 3-2 against league champion Conestoga, the match was nonetheless a tight affair. This season’s substantial level of success has not only set a high standard to emulate, but it has also shown opponents like Conestoga the team’s potential within the team. Memorable matches include back-to-back wins against The Baldwin School, in which sophomores Sarah Lipson and Haley Kofsky pulled out the clinching doubles win, and Garnett Valley, in which senior Emma Gogarnoiu won in a tight three-setter. As varsity Coach David O’Connell explains, the tight wins exemplify the effort, unity, and courage that made up this year’s squad. Eminent players include 1st singles player, sophomore Simone Burde, and 3rd singles player, Neve Brennan, also

a

sophomore.

Burde

finished

fourth

in

the

Central

League

Singles

Championship

and

reached

the

quarterfinals

of

districts,

one

win

short

of

qualifying

for

states.

T he

doubles

tandem

of

Brennan

and

Burde

finished

5th in the Central League Doubles Tournament, winning 3 out of 4 matches.

-Daniel Samé ’16

public. They are celebrities. Their faces are seemingly always plastered on television screens and billboards. The standard to which we hold them should not be the same as everyone else in society.

It is time for athletes to take full resposiblity for their actions. That is not to say, however, that all athletes set a bad example. Recently retired New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant, and Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning have each been named an all-star at least five times, but ultimately, their respective on-field successes will not be their lasting legacies. Manning and Durant both helped in the wake of natural disasters: Manning after Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana, his home state, and Durant in Oklahoma, the home of his team.

Jeter, though, is the epitome of class. During the course of his farewell tour this past season, seemingly every team presented him with a gift to honor his majestic 20-year career. And despite all the fanfare that surrounded his final game in Yankee Stadium, Jeter was humble, thanking the fans with a simple tip of his cap.

So all in all, what does this say about big-time athletes?

Are they all idiots? Or are they all heroes? The answer is somewhere in the middle. Athletes are just people. They have the potential to be whomever they choose. If nothing else, they can behave just like the rest of us.

But if we are going to judge them on their character, we cannot and should not view them as equals. With all of their money and “celebrity presence”, they have the potential to do a lot of good for society. If nothing else, they can at least hold themselves responsible for their actions and try not to do anything stupid.

If you’ve ever been to any professional sporting event at night, you know why there are bright lights shining down on the field. It’s not because the athletes need that much light to play, but because we are all there to watch them. Maybe now it is time we keep the lights on once the game has ended.

Art by Madelyn Schaeffer/Staff

Youth powers boys’ soccer It is always tough to follow a successful season. Just ask the LM varsity boys soccer team. A year ago they went 16-0 in the Central League so, when the boys’ soccer team began their fall season, many questioned whether they could

repeat

last

year’s

g reat

r un,

given

the

loss

of

five

seniors

and

four

returning starters. The good news is that even with major changes this year’s team has already made their own mark and erased doubts. Though this is a very young team, their regular season record of 11-4-1 speaks to a unit that has come together quickly and has performed at a high level.

Coach Severini, when asked to comment on how this year’s Aces have fared, singled out the great leadership the older players have displayed. He described the 2014 team as a “cohesive” group, and in particular, praised the great leadership from the four senior captains. The newcomers to the team have taken their cues from the upperclassmen. A freshman player spoke about his motivation to excel for the team and that his aspiration to be as good as the older

players.

LM

may

not

finish

16-0

this

year,

but

they’ve

proven

themselves

to be capable of following up on the success of last year by being an incredibly dynamic team in their own right. As Coach Severini put it “We have 21 boys who put themselves on the line everyday.” And that is often what wins games.

-Camille Carr ’18 Graphic by Staff

18

SPORTS

October 30, 2014

The Merionite

On the road to victory Daniel Wilson ’16 Sports Editor Third and goal. Ball at the Harriton 7-yard line. Quarterback Brandon Jones dropped back to pass and threaded a needle through the Harriton defense into the hands of reciever Malik Ward with just ten seconds remaining to make the score, LM 14, Harriton 10. The Bulldogs held off the Rams for their second win of the season, but this one was particularly special.

Not to take anything away from their first win in three years, a September 20 victory over Kenisngton, 18-6, but there’s something to be said about taking down a

team from your own school district.

Harriton didn’t join the Central League until 2008 so the history between the two schools on the football field is still fairly new in the halls of LM. Many kids on the two squads are friends, but on the field they immediately become rvials. Especially given that Harriton leads this series 5-2, this win is even more special. As of late, the Rams had won this matchup the last four times so it a bit of shock for even the most loyal of the Bulldogs fans to see them pull off the win.

This new look Bulldog team is different, however. Under new head coach Bryan Scopelliti, they have accomplished a lot this season. For a team that hadn’t even come all that close to winning a game since the 2011 season, pulling off two wins in the span of less than of a month was an enormous accomplishment. Now there is more optimism than ever to take down not their rival of seven years, but rather their rival of 118 years, the Radnor Raiders.

Although the LM-Radnor rivalry is just a tad longer, 111 years to be precise, the magnitude of the Radnor rivalry tops that of the Harriton rivalry exponentially. As one of the longest standing high school football rivalries

Do you consider yourself a sports fan? Are you tired of wearing the same old fullbody sea lion costume year in and year out? You know, the one with that felt like a down comforter and made you sweat more than Trent Cole at a PETA meeting? No? Okay, maybe that’s just me. Regardless, All Hallows’ Eve is fast approaching, and that means it’s time to shake up your traditional costume choices.

However, incorporating your love of sport with your passion for dressing up as other people can be hard. But fear not, I’ve got you covered with a few great ideas that are sure to make you the life of the party (or at least someone people talk about after you leave the party and are safely out of earshot): 1. Allen Iverson: Who doesn’t love an underdog? A.I. is a great choice for the diehard hoops fan. Even those unfamiliar with basketball history should recognize the iconic “number 3” jersey. If that doesn’t do it, saying the word “practice” every 15-30 seconds should ring a bell.

What you’ll need: Jersey, basketball shoes, basketball shorts (commonly referred to as “ball” shorts), and a tendency to disobey coaches and/or peers.

2. Donovan McNabb: Right up there with A.I., McNabb is another Philly sports legend who could never quite bring home than championship trophy. Anyway, if you enjoy

in the entire country, the current record stands at 57 wins for LM and 50 for Radnor with 11 ties. Knowing that they will enter the big matchup with something more than a winless ledger, Bulldogs know that the feat of overcoming Radnor is more attainable than ever. The game will be at home, on Arnold Field, and the Bulldogs want to put on a show for the raucous Dawg Pound in the most important game of the season. If you’re a fan, a coach, or a player – especially a senior – you wouldn’t have it any other way.

This team has been through a lot together, both this season and over the past couple of years. They certainly took some time to find their steady starting quarterback, but they seem to have found the answer in junior Brandon Jones. This team is may not be the most talented, but the players have a sense of resiliency and refusal to quit that is on a level of its own.

Radnor Week is so much bigger than just a game; it is a school tradition that has been happening for many years and hopefully continue for many more. Rivalry games are special. They are unique and quirky in ways that can’t be attained in an ordinary game. Rivalries are spirited, filled with emotion and adrenaline that reach levels higher than even Richard Sherman can. Throw out the records, throw out the stats, when it comes to rivalries, anything can happen.

The Bulldogs huddle with their coaching staff to discuss strategy during their win over Kensington.

Photos by Sam Gamberg

Campbell’s Soup, along with gradually disenchanting an entire city through verbal displays of frustration, McNabb may be the costume for you.

What

you’ll

need:

Football

helmet,

pads,

playbook,

overinflated

sense

of

self-worth,

and an inability to perform under pressure.

3. Serena or Venus Williams: As the legendary Southern rapper Ludacris once said, “My chick bad tell me if you seen her/she always bring the racket like Venus and Serena.”

If this powerful, complex line resonates with you, give some serious thought to dressing up as one of the most notorious duos in female sports history. (Tip: great for girls looking to

coordinate

outfits.

Secondary

tip:

not

so

great

for

guys

looking

to

coordinate

outfits).

What you’ll need: Sweatbands, rackets, uncomfortably revealing tennis shorts, and a borderline abusive father who pushes you to your physical and mental limits.

4. An LM Basketball Player: Many students, myself included, frequently wonder what

it

would

be

like

to

be

a

member

of

the

ball

squad.

This

is

your

chance

to

find

out!

Throw on some shorts with your freshman track jersey, and the difference between you and a D1-bound small forward is practically indiscernible.

What you’ll need: Headphones (to be worn at all times, even when someone is addressing

you

directly),

ankle

braces,

and

a

firm

belief

that

ball

is,

indeed,

life.

SPORTS A day in the life: Girls’ Cross-Country

The Merionite

Kelly Harrigan ’17

Sport Played: Golf.

What is your favorite Halloween candy? Kit-Kat. What was your highlight moment of this past season? Shooting an 8-over 43 at Rolling Green.

Who is your favorite NFL player and why? Nick Foles because he is

going

to

finally

lead

the

Eagles

to

the Super Bowl.

Sophomore Sam BruttomessoClarke Sports Played: Field hockey and lacrosse.

What is your favorite fall hot beverage?

A caramel macchiato.

What is your favorite part about your team’s culture? That whether we are hanging out as a team or eating at spirit dinners, we are basically always doing something together as a team.

What TV shows are you currently watching? Castle and Law and Order: SVU.

19

A spike in success for Girls’ Volleyball Quinn Harrigan ’15

2:00 All the runners hurry out of their classes and head down to the locker room to quickly change into their running shorts and sweatsuits before rushing onto the bus.

2:15 After

the

girls

excitedly

file

onto

the

bus,

they

all

begin

their

pre-race

rituals

in

order

to

mentally prepare themselves. The girls begin to visualize themselves running, pushing past the pain

and

finishing

with

a

new

personal

record.

Sophomore

Cecily

Rosenbaum

comments,

“Before every race, I listen to ‘Come With Me Now’ by KONGOS because its lyrics really help me get through the race. I also try to set a goal for myself before every meet.”

3:00

The

bus

rolls

up

to

the

course

and

the

team

finds

an

open

spot

to

unload

their gear so they can prepare before the races start. Led by their coach, Dermot Anderson, the girls walk the course so they can familiarize themselves with the layout and terrain of the route.

4:20 Cheers of encouragement and motivation from the girls’ team propel the

boys

towards

the

finish

line.

Shortly

after

the

race

finishes,

the

girls

begin

their warm-up and mentally prepare themselves for their own race. “I am always really nervous and sick to my stomach,” remarks junior Leslie Gladstone. “A cross-country race is really taxing on your body and when you know what’s in store, it’s hard to not think about how much the race is going to hurt. However, once the gun goes off and you’re in the race, your worries go away! Your sole focus is just on passing girls and leaving everything out on the course.”

4:30 The girls review the course in their minds while taking their positions on the starting line in preparation for the race. As the shot goes off to signal the start of yet another 5K, the girls speed out and run as a team with strong strides and determined thoughts. Senior Quinn Harrigan says that the questions that go through her mind at the beginning of a race are usually, “How do I feel (both physically and mentally) about the race that I’m about to run, who should I stick with, and who do I have to pass?” Although these are many things to think about while running a race, the girls seem to answer them very well, as proven by their race times and team record.

4:45

All

of

the

r unners

pick

up

their

speed

for

the

final

leg

of

the

course

and

push past all the mental and physical pain building up inside for just enough time to pass a few fellow

r unners

ahead

of

them.

Junior

Melissa

Graham

says

that

during

the

final

minutes

of

a

race, “I think about what my goal is and how I want to achieve it so badly. I remind myself that the

pain

will

pay

off

because

at

the

end,

it

is

all

worth

it.”

Once

they

pass

the

finish

line,

the

girls

are greeted with cheers, feelings of accomplishment, and a little pain, which act as reminders to the girls of how hard they worked during the race.

5:15 A snack of orange slices and string cheese is quickly consumed by the runners after a exhausting race. They all enjoy a relaxing moment or two under a makeshift tent and begin to talk and eat after cooling down with a few more jogs. The team continues to support and help each

other

after

a

grueling

race.

Sophomore

Nina

Kochanowicz

reveals

that

after

a

race,

“Everyone that ran feels such accomplishment and togetherness with the team. You are in such a good mood

that

you

somehow

have

enough

energy

to

still

cheer

for,

congratulate,

high-five

and

hug

everyone

around

you.”

After

all,

what

can

be

a

better

reward

than

food

and

high-fives?

5:30 The runners trudge onto the steps of the bus after a draining day. As one can imagine, the girls are pretty tired after spending an entire afternoon at a meet. On the bus, some of the girls chat, some listen to their music, and others just eat more and sleep! Whatever it is, the runners

are

ready

to

come

home

and

start

their

homework,

while

still

attempting

to

fit

in

a

quick

dinner and as much sleep as they can get before rushing to school the next day.

Freshman Will Horn

October 30, 2014

By now you’ve likely heard about the incredible season that the girls’ volleyball team is having this year. With many players ranking high in the Central League in kills, digs, and serves, the girls have gained a great deal of recognition,

truly

redefining

how

volleyball

is

perceived

at

LM.

In

the

eyes

of

the team, however, their enormous success this season has only just begun.

Seniors Najhala Hall and Gabby Richardson believe the team can, “ultimately make it to the state tournament level.”

The talent needed to achieve such success hasn’t just come by chance; it has been a result of the dedication of all the players on both the JV and varsity teams. This past offseason, most of the girls played for year-round club volleyball teams. Once preseason started, the players ate, slept, and breathed volleyball together, practicing six hours a day, six days a week.

Senior captain Jess Larkin comments that this hard work ethic came naturally to the players because, “they knew this year was going to be [their] year.” Co-captain and senior Liv King concurs, noting that, unlike previous seasons, this year’s players, “came into the season more focused and ready to take it to districts.”

Although an abundance of talent is what makes a team good, cohesiveness is what makes a team great. If you have been to any of the matches, you know there is no shortage of togetherness with this bunch, constantly laughing at and cheering for one another. King comments on this dynamic, admitting,

“Being

friends

off

the

court

makes

everything

flow

better on the court. We got the right girls together this year.”

“Bonding has been a huge focus for the team this year,” adds Richardson, “and it has helped us be a team that supports and trusts each other.” This connection, she believes, has made for successful chemistry between both the JV and varsity players. Hall notes that this aspect of unity in, “looking at each other as just one team has really strengthened the volleyball program.”

From these sentiments, one can see this year’s group is undeniably close, making

it

even

more

difficult

for

the

seniors

to

say

goodbye.

King

laments,

“There is nothing I won’t miss about this team.” Larkin adds that she will miss the feeling of, “always having 20-ish other girls who will be there for me either on or off the court…there will never be a team like this one.”

Losing

such

influential

seniors

as

Isabel

Hut,

Hall,

King,

Larkin,

and

Richardson will inevitably take a toll on next year’s team. Junior Vivian Klotz notes this year they were “a solid defensive team with an incredible offense, but [we] are

losing

our

five

big

hitters.”

To

make

up

for

the

absence

of

such

an

instrumental bunch, she says, “the back row will be our biggest asset,” and that next year’s

group

will,

“need

to

definitely

be

the

smarter

team

and

figure

out

how

to put the ball down regardless of who [they] are playing.” Regardless of how their season winds up, the girls know that they have “killed” it this season and are ultimately proud of all that they have accomplished as a team.

Above: The Harrigan sisters, Quinn ’15 (left), cross-country, and Kelly ’17 (right), volleyball

Junior Will Rieke

Sports Played: Cross-country, winter and spring track.

What is your favorite Halloween candy? Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.

What was your highlight moment of this past season? It

was

nice

finishing the regular season 8-3, but it would have been sick to make states as a team.

Who is your favorite NFL player and why? Aaron Rodgers because I am a die-hard Packers fan and Rodgers is the man.

Senior Liv King Sport Played: Volleyball.

What is your favorite fall hot beverage? Coffee because I cannot function without it.

What is your favorite part about your team’s culture? We stick together and push each other to be the best that we can be.

What TV shows are you currently watching? The Red Band Society.

20

SPORTS

October

30,

2014

The Merionite

34 Senior boys’ golfer Nate Pillion’s season-low 1-under par score recorded on the back 9 at

Springfield

Country

Club

1,000 Number of kills recorded by senior girls’ volleyball player Liv King during her 4-year career

56

23

All-time LM football wins against Radnor in the 117-year long rivalry

Goals scored by senior girls’ soccer player Tori Klevan,

leading

the

Central League in 2014

Remembering David Burke Paradon Munro ’01 LM Alumni This article was also published in The Main Line Times on October 19, 2014. David Burke passed away on September 15, 2014 at the age of 67.

I no longer live in the Philadelphia area. These days I call Bangkok home, and travel around the world in my work. So, this past June when I was passing through the area on business,

Photo courtesy of Sean Burke and Amy Heaslip Current LM wrestling coach Jim Perri congratulates Burke on his induction into the District One Hall of Fame foremost on my mind was to visit one of the more important people in my life: Coach David Burke.

Since graduating from Lower Merion High School, I had come to understand that Coach Burke was no ordinary teacher, and certainly not your typical high school wrestling coach.

When I joined the high school wrestling team in the fall of 1997, Coach Burke was already 50 years old. His coaching peers in the area were younger, and came from wrestling backgrounds that contained state champions; and while Coach Burke may have had the occasional star wrestler, he didn’t have the consistently winning wrestling seasons that the other coaches had. He struggled to maintain a strong wrestling team at Lower Merion with the same resolve he used to deal with his own health challenges, the same challenges that would eventually catch up to him.

Most coaches would have grown frustrated with the lack of regular winners, wondering whether they did something wrong or could do something better. But not Coach Burke. He wasn’t the type of person to dwell on something he couldn’t fix.

He

knew

he

wasn’t

some

sort

of

Olympic

wrestling

god

bestowing on Lower Merion his ancient wisdom from Mount Olympus.

Coach Burke often said, “I was not a spectacular wrestler… [just] a regular old Joe.” He understood his limitations, accepted them, and adopted a coaching style unlike other coaches I have encountered as a collegiate wrestler and a high school

wrestling coach in Pennsylvania, and while founding a wrestling program in California. Coach Burke imparted on me a lifelong philosophy that made him my coach not only on the mats but also in life.

Coach Burke’s specialty with his wrestlers wasn’t always about teaching moves or pushing us to get in better shape.

That was left to Coach Jim Perri, a man who taught me his own humble life lessons. Rather, I recall the numerous instances when Coach Burke would gather the team around him after a wrestling practice, much like a father beckoning his children, to listen to his stories on wrestling and life.

Although some of my teammates often tried to sneak out to avoid his stories, I shamelessly admit that I eagerly leaned in closer. It’s true that a lot of Coach Burke’s stories often deviated, had sidebars that I struggled to sit through, and that stretched and twisted with no clear direction. If you had the patience, however, Coach Burke eventually reached a conclusion that offered a tidbit on the philosophy of life using wrestling as its vehicle.

I don’t know why his stories always took so long or went off on occasional tangents. I like to think that the stories reflected

his

passion

for

model

trains

he

built:

you

stay

on

one

track; though it has its twists and turns, ups and downs, you know that you will eventually reach your destination.

That was Coach Burke.

While visiting Coach Burke this past summer at his home, it

was

clear

to

me

that

the

train

he

was

on

was

nearing

its

final

destination. That afternoon I, who am seldom at a loss for words,

had

difficulty

speaking.

Coach

Burke,

still

with

steady,

steely eyes, saw this and took over the conversation. The tenor in his voice, while a little more hushed, still carried its vigor, and we reminisced fondly about the past.

In a 2011 issue of The Merionite, Coach Perri recounted Coach Burke’s philosophy on wrestling and life, “It’s not just a three-month sport but a life long journey. Four years of wrestling in our room will give a young man [and woman] the courage, strength, and resolve that will help him through the many hurdles that life can throw at you.”

Coach Burke, if you’re reading this, please know that your wrestlers have learned a lifelong lesson from you, that determination and perseverance lead to a kind of success measured not in the wins column, but on the scoreboard of life.

For this, we thank you.

About the author: Paradon Munro, a 2001 graduate of LMHS, currently serves as a senior executive in CP Group, Asia’s largest conglomerate, in Bangkok, Thailand. He can be contacted at paradon@munro.com

Photo courtesy of Sean Burke and Amy Heaslip A photo of a young David Burke while still coaching the Aces in the 1990’s

“He was an extremely dedicated educator who deeply cared for his students and wanted the best for them. Mr. Burke was a person of good strong character and I believe he made a difference in the lives of many students.”

-Principal Sean Hughes

“I worked with Mr. Burke for a little over 15 years. Dave was always willing to help me out as an educator any way he could. He was a soft-spoken, thoughtful, and caring man who always put the interests of

the

kids

first.”

-Social Studies teacher Michael Moeller

“Mr. Burke poured his heart and soul into this school in the classroom and in the wrestling room. He is without a doubt a Lower Merion legend.”

-Social Studies teacher Chet Laubach