Merionite October 2018

Ardmore, PA, 19003

At left: the disputed Stoneleigh property.

Photo courtesy of John Flanagan

Photo courtesy of Sarah L. Bender

Photo courtesy of Samantha Anderer ’20/Staff

October 2, 2018

The official student newspaper of Lower Merion High School since 1929 www.themerionite.org Volume 90, Issue 1

Center and right: Natural Lands aims to protect Stoneleigh’s beauty.

LMSD pushes ahead with new middle school Dhaval Sharma ’21 As the number of students enrolled in LMSD reaches a forty-year high and continues to soar, schools in the district are rapidly hiring new teachers and building rooms to accommodate this massive influx of students. Unfortunately, at this point, it is becoming difficult to set up rooms for all the teachers with enough space for the students. Bala Cynwyd Middle School was forced to build an entirely new complex atop its field to house its math teachers. Due to these problems, the district has decided to build a new middle school for 1,200 fifth to eighth graders, a task which is proving to be more difficult than expected.

LMSD first considered building the new school on land seized by eminent domain from Stoneleigh, a public garden within the township. Initially, the district only wanted to take hold of 6.9 acres from the gardens, but they later decided to consider the whole property of 42 acres. After hearing this, Natural Lands, the nonprofit organization that owns Stoneleigh, urged the public to protect Stoneleigh and fight back against the district. Members of the public took action and persuaded Pennsylvania lawmakers to make such seizures more difficult. The legislation, signed by Governor Wolf and pushed by lawmakers, requires

government entities, such as school districts, to have court approval to seize land that is under easement, a right which would grant them use of the property. Due to the circumstances, the district decided to drop their ambitious intention of seizing all of Stoneleigh.

Instead, the school board signaled that it might only be interested in the original 6.9 acre slice of Stoneleigh to provide athletic fields for the new school. LMSD solicitor Ken Roos stated that the district is exploring other options for the the fields, but if those options do not work out, the district “wouldn’t expect to have difficulty” getting court approval. However, to be granted approval, there must be no other reasonable alternatives for the fields.

Unable to acquire all of Stoneleigh, the district decided to purchase the 1860 Montgomery Avenue property in Villanova from the Foundation for Islamic Education for $12 million plus reasonable brokerage fees. When Roos announced this to the public, he was met with applause. The School Board has already approved a motion to hire Chester Valley Engineers for $125,000 to determine site feasibility and provide evaluation services. To determine which architectural firm would be designing and aiding Please see MIDDLE SCHOOL LANDS on page 3

Summer café saves the day

Reshaping LMSD.org Noa Cutler ’22

Samantha Anderer ’20 News Editor Over the summer, the district worked with a multitude of local faith organizations to sponsor the pilot Lower Merion Summer Café. The goal of the café was to provide children under eighteen years of age with free lunch. Additionally, the café would provide a variety of activities. It built on the senior Box Lunch and a Book program’s ongoing work providing “nutrition for the body and mind” during the summer months.

Held at Ardmore Presbyterian Church, the Lower Merion Summer Café was open from 1 to 3 in the afternoon during June 18-20, June 25-27, and July 2-3. Registration ahead of time was not necessary; no income verification was required. Parents were free to bring their kids by as they pleased to receive a meal and participate in the days’ events.

Each day, the café provided visitors with a new experience. In addition to playground activities and arts and crafts, firefighters and police came to visit, the LM Jazz Band performed, and volunteers led exercise programs such as yoga. Meals were provided by the Nutritional Development Services of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia (NDS), with consideration given to strict quality standards.

The idea for the cafe came about when local organizations noticed a problem that needed to be solved: LMSD did not offer a meal program. This means that students who rely on district nutrition services for free or subsidized meals cannot access these resources once the school year comes to an end. While there are other resources available, they are not always convenient.

Graphic by Chris de Santis ’20/Staff

Upon opening the LMSD website at the start of this semester, visitors may have noticed some new additions, chief among them a small blue button at the bottom right of the screen. Emblazoned with the Universal Access icon, a silhouette of a person standing with their arms out to symbolize accessibility in technology, this little button heralds the arrival of some much-needed adjustments.

The appearance of this icon is part of LMSD’s partnership with AudioEye, a company that provides tools to help software and website developers make their products easier to use for people with disabilities. AudioEye also “audits” their customers’ websites, analyzing them and suggesting ways to make them more accessible. The goal of auditing is

Please see SUMMER CAFE on page 2

NEWS Mr. Potten steps down from principal position Sophie Meyer ’20/Staff clarifies the search for a new principal. page 2

Please see ACCESSIBILITY FEATURES on page 2

FEATURES

A&E

Essential LM school supplies

Asian American August

Captain interviews

Go beyond the teacher-supplied lists and find out what items you really need to get through school this year. page 11

Kathy Wei ’19 discusses the sudden increase of Asian representation on America’s big screens. page 10

The sports editors connect with fall sports captains to get the inside scoop on the season’s previews and excitement. page 16

SPORTS

OPINIONS The problem with pep rallies Emily Shang ’21 explains the downsides of mandating attendance at pep rallies. page 6 Photos courtesy of Wiki Commons

Graphic by Sihan Wu ’19/Staff

Photo courtesy of Caroline Graff ’19

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News

October 2, 2018

The Merionite

Interim principal takes over at BCMS Sophie Meyer ’20 Source Confirmation Editor As a new school year began at Bala Cynwyd Middle School (BC), there was a new principal to greet students. Dr. Mark Pellico took over as interim principal for the approximate 900 students who attend BC. Jason Potten, who served as the principal of BC since 2012, stepped down in May. A letter on Potten’s leave from Robert Copeland, the district’s superintendent, stated, “I’m writing to let you know that Principal Jason Potten will be on leave through the end of the school year due to personal matters that require his attention.” Currently, he has acquired a new position on the staff at the Baldwin Girls’ School as a math teacher. According to Baldwin’s website, he is an Algebra 1 teacher this year.

The search conducted by the Superintendent’s office for an interim principal did not take long. Human Resources in the Superintendent’s Office will captain the search process to find a permanent replacement. Pellico began his career in education in 1982 and has held many positions. In 2011, Pellico became a principal at Abington Junior High School in Abington, PA. Most recently he was the interim principal at Upper Perkiomen Middle School in East Greenville, PA.

While he will serve as interim principal until the end of this school year, he said, “I believe another principal will be appointed in 2019”.

When asked about his experience at BC so far, Pellico replied, “I like BC very much. The teachers are dedicated and have much to offer our students.

I appreciate the great diversity of the student body. Students come with many individual interests and skills. We hope to provide everyone with opportunities to learn and grow. The one thing that really stands out at BC are the extensive academic and extracurricular programs.” He is looking forward to the athletic events, the school musical, and the music concerts.

Before the start of school, students at BC got the chance to meet Principal Pellico at a barbecue held in the BC cafeteria. Around 300 students and their families attended, creating a warm and welcoming environment for Pellico. Along with the leadership of Assistant Principals Gail Brown and Jeffrey Hunter, Pellico will help improve the BC experience. With new insight and ideas, Superintendent Copeland has high hopes for the new year.

TSA wins big at national conference

Cont. from Summer cafe saves the day, page 1

Madison Li ’21

LM-TSA gathers to celebrate their wins at the National Conference.

The Technology Student Association (TSA), is a wonderful outlet for students and adults to express their passion for science and technologyrelated subjects. While TSA was celebrating its fortieth anniversary in 2018, the LM-TSA chapter put on another show-stopping performance at the national conference.

The Georgia World Congress Center hosted the annual TSA National Conference from June 22 to 26. Seventeen LM representatives attended the competition in Atlanta to compete in challenging STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics)-related events that encourage ambition, personal growth, and leadership. The fortieth anniversary of TSA’s STEM efforts inspired the conference theme, “A Celebration of Success.” Through competitions, intracurricular activities and additional programs, the 2018 conference presented a myriad of victories.

The LM chapter proudly exhibited this year’s theme and brought home eight top ten wins, including two first and two second places. The LEAP Legacy Chapter Competition also presented our Aces with a $500 prize for their outstanding contribution to the community, through service and leadership and outreach projects. The LEAP Legacy Chapter, a comprehensive leadership recognition program consisting of a competition component, is an optional TSA activity for middle and high school students where individual chapters are evaluated on and demonstrate their involvement in LEAP programs and activities.

The seventeen hardworking representatives of our school semi-finalized in ten events, and placed top-ten in eight. LM’s hardworking team received top-ten recognition in Coding, STEM Careers, Fashion Design, and Webmaster. Chris De Santis ’20 went on to place second in Promotional Design. The Biotechnology Design team also won second, consisting of Kelsey Stanton ’18, Kathy Yao ’18, Julian Ginzburg ’19, Elliot Ginzburg ’21, Dhaval Sharma ’21, and Sophie Yang ’20. The same group placed first in the

Summer café

TSA looks forward to future wins.

Photos courtesy of Ryan McCloskey

nation in Chapter Team, which as J. Ginzburg stated, for him, “was a culmination of three years spent studying Parliamentary Procedure and rehearsing meetings with students who have mostly graduated.” LM’s other first-place win went to the Children’s Stories team, including Stanton, C. de Santis, Will de Santis ‘20, Yang, Sihan Wu ’19, and Annabelle Van Rawley ’18.

J. Ginzburg, Chapter President, former Pennsylvania TSA (PA-TSA) Parliamentarian, and newly elected PA-TSA Secretary, also mentioned how the 2018 TSA Nationals was “the most successful year for TSA at LM in its 15+ year history.” He expressed his appreciation for the team’s efforts this year, saying, “In all, our chapter ranked second at Nationals in terms of total finalists, something that I am extremely proud of.

These successes show that the hours upon hours of work really do pay off.” Other participants felt similarly. Upon attending her first national conference, Cate Roser ’21 shared “My favorite part of the TSA National Conference was the sense of community shared by all of the participants.” She continued, “I would have never had the chance to talk to and get to know strangers who share my interests from all sorts of backgrounds if not for TSA.” Dhaval Sharma ‘21 also had a similar view on his first high school Nationals as he reflected upon his experience. He conveyed his excitement in exploring Atlanta, saying how, “it was a great experience to explore the city,” and to “see people across the nation gather to compete.” Finally, Madison Dillon ‘19 delivered a description of the quality of work students displayed that truly demonstrates the heart and hard work students put into their events. She revealed, “There is everything from picture books that look like they came off the shelves of a bookstore to architectural plans you could build a real house from.”

LM-TSA had a remarkable 2017-2018 run, from Regionals, to States, and finally to Nationals in June. LM’s seventeen representatives demonstrated their dedication and love for the club, with Dillon noting the friendly environment and the opportunity to meet new people, as “what brings me back to TSA every year.”

Community members bond over an art project after a healthy lunch.

Photo courtesy of Reverend Carolyn Cavaness Despite the fact that LM is considered an affluent community, food insecurity is still a prevalent issue. The NDS identified a small section of Ardmore where over fifty percent of children qualify for free or reduced lunch. Almost ten percent of students in the district, around 900 people, use the program. Additionally, a large number of people may fall just under the requirement line. Rabbi David Straus of Main Line Reform Temple, one of the program’s leaders, recognizes the need for the issue to be explored: “I think one of the longer term projects is to better understand the numbers in our community.”

Rabbi Straus is just one of many figures involved in the project. The full leadership team includes Reverend Carolyn Cavaness from Bethel AME Church of Ardmore, Reverend Dr. Michael Giansiracusa, Deacon Karen Kaminskas from St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, Pastor Todd Stavrakos from Gladwyne Presbyterian Church, Gigi Tevlin-Moffat and Elizabeth Stoller of Narberth Community Food Bank, and Robert Cermignano from St. Margaret Parish.

Getting people together from so many different organizations proved to be one of the program’s highlights.

About 25 volunteers were at the cafe every day, offering support. Everyone involved was passionate about the work and collaborated on ways to make improvements.

As put by Rabbi Straus, “an unexpected outcome is how much people from different faith communities and no faith community enjoyed working together; getting to know one another, and feeling like what they were doing was helping to make a difference in our community.

There was a great energy in working together, and our volunteers all want us to find other ways for them to connect and do work like this together.”

The Interfaith Food Insecurity Task Force assembled to facilitate the program and will continue to meet throughout the year to evaluate what they have learned and see if the program will return next summer. Although they have yet to pick another issue to study, they are considering how else to get involved and make a difference.

News

Accessibility features

The Merionite

October 2, 2018

3

New middle school

Cont. from RESHAPING LMSD.ORG, page 1

Cont. from NEW MIDDLE SCHOOL, page 1

to have the websites conform to the World Wide Web Consortium’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. These guidelines create standards for accessibility that can be used across the Internet. Websites are rated by the level of accessibility they provide, with “A” being the lowest and “AAA” being the highest. For example, having closed captions for video and audio media is ranked as level A, while having sign language interpretation for audio clips is ranked as level AAA. Currently, the LMSD website is being adjusted from level A to level AA standards.

This partnership has resulted in a few new features on the website. For example, clicking on the blue Universal Access icon opens the “Ally Toolbar.” On the toolbar, users can find information about the AudioEye auditing and certification process and even access a help desk where they can submit feedback about issues with the website. All features on the toolbar can also be activated through keyboard shortcuts, which benefits users who may have limited mobility and cannot use a mouse or trackpad.

While the toolbar currently seems bare-boned, the certification statement suggests that the auditing process is ongoing and that the site will have more features available later. AudioEye’s own complete Toolbar contains such components as a text to speech reader and options to adjust the site’s text size and contrast. Such features on the LMSD website would be helpful for users who are elderly, color blind, learning a second language, or have a vision, hearing, motor, intellectual, or learning disability.

In addition to the new AudioEye features, the LMSD website should be available in 103 languages, thanks to the new “Translate” button. However, users should take translations with a grain of salt, as the button is linked to Google Translate, which is known to often produce jumbled or inaccurate outputs.

Despite being works-in-progress, these new features will hopefully make the school district’s website more usable and navigable for district residents, regardless of ability.

with the construction of the school, LMSD held a board meeting on September 6. The candidates which presented at the meeting were Spiezle Architectural Group and Fielding Nair International, Gilbert Architects Inc., and Stantec Architects.

Each firm had their own views in how to best take advantage of the space and design the building. Their ideas varied from having a more modern, open, and collaborative learning space to a standard, traditional, and enclosed design. One firm really emphasized the use of nature as a part of education and had design details such as a tree house and a nature trail. As for field space, the board is exploring many options, one of them still being Stoneleigh. However, Superintendent Robert Copeland has stated that “Stoneleigh would be our last resort.” Even if the district is unable to take this land, each architectural group had athletic fields incorporated within their designs. According to the school board, designing schools is vital in supporting and further developing education and help make the students and teachers feel more at home. The choice of design firm will signify a major development in the process of creating this new school, the solution to our population increase.

News in Brief Breaking records, making a difference Audrey Knoll ’19 Hundreds of eager volunteers piled into the cafeteria on Saturday, September 8.

Led by LM alum Nahjee Grant, LM students and community members smashed a world record in less than fifteen minutes. The previous record was 3,000 backpacks that Brown University packed in 45 minutes. LM broke this by stuffing more than 3,500 backpacks and delivering them to schools in the Philadelphia area.

The day was full of excitement as people started pouring into LM’s cafeteria. Music was playing and the crowd was fired up, ready to accomplish this amazing feat. It was a madhouse as around 400 people received instructions and were organized into 44 packing stations. Jobs ranged from packers to cheerleaders to people resupplying stations if needed. At two o’clock, the bullhorn went off and the stations started stuffing backpacks. In less than five minutes, some stations had already packed over eighty backpacks.

In a few weeks, the record should be official. Nahjee is very excited to be part of a world record, especially one for such a good cause. Without everyone who donated school supplies and helped out, the task could not have been accomplished.

If this world record inspired you, you can join Nahjee in trying to collect over 3,000 pairs of new socks to donate to the homeless. Socks can be dropped off in Mr. Reed’s room (301).

LM’s Outstanding Educator Claire Phillips ’19

Photo courtesy of Anna O’Hora

One of LM’s most well-known and well-loved teachers, John Grace, was recently selected for the University of Chicago’s Outstanding Educator Award. This award, for which teachers are nominated by first-year college students, is designed to acknowledge and appreciate educators who have challenged, helped, and motivated students to engage in learning outside the box and outside the classroom.

Grace has been a teacher and the head coach of PLAYERS at LM since 2002.

In that time, he has influenced hundreds of students with his teaching and encouragement. His classroom approach to education is creative and thoughtful in a way many students have never experienced beforem-a refreshing break from the common refrain of notes, worksheets, essays, and tests. He has devoted countless hours of his time to both teaching and PLAYERS, and the University of Chicago has thoughtfully recognized his commitment to his students’ success.

Mr. Grace’s presence, both in his classroom and after hours, is truly a cornerstone of our school. LM is honored to have this outstanding educator, and we are, as always, better since seeing him.

Environment of excellence Julia Rudy ’19 News Editor As the tests pile up and stress levels rise, it is easy to forget what a wonderful place the Main Line really is. On Monday September 17, Time.com released study results declaring Lower Merion ranked eleven on its “Best Places to Live” list. Reporters involved in the study researched communities nationwide, interviewed residents, and visited neighborhoods. The list was determined on a basis of several factors: economic health, cost of living, diversity, public education, crime, and income. Lower Merion was specifically recognized for its wealth of colleges and universities, including Saint Joseph’s University, Bryn Mawr College and Haverford Colleges well as close proximity to the copious restaurants and cultural opportunities that Philadelphia has to offer. The local restaurant scene, including the options in Suburban Square, also scored the township high points. Additionally, an important feature included in the article was the school system, which ranked eighteenth nationwide. The study included over 135,000 data points to determine the ranks. Another noted feature was Lower Merion’s scenic and well-preserved lands such as the Barnes Foundation Arboretum and Merion Botanical Park as well as a plethora of botanical gardens and playgrounds like General Wayne and the Narberth Playground. So whenever you’re feeling down, remember that Lower Merion is a top ranked community in America.

The Seminary: to sell or not to sell Sophie Yang ’20 News Editor Passing along Wynnewood Road, one might see an expansive green landscape lined with stately trees and elegant buildings. Inside, the buildings boast commanding architecture and house a unique collection of arts and texts. A historic, yet controversial property, St. Charles Borromeo Seminary could lead to an influx of students in LMSD’s crowded schools.

St. Charles Seminary has been looking to sell its land for several years. Previous development plans included selling the lower side of the campus to a developer but keeping the upper side for the Seminary, as well as affiliating with other Catholic colleges to relocate. Recently, the Seminary has been negotiating with Main Line Health.

Despite disagreements from Seminary officials, the LM Township board of commissioners has unanimously designated St. Charles Borromeo Seminary a Class 1 historic resource. In a recent effort to identify historically important sites, Lower Merion officials designated several properties as Class 1 or Class 2 sites. For Class 1, this means that the board of commissioners can vote to prevent demolition of a site, and for Class 2, they can impose a 90 day pause on demolition.

The Seminary is an unusually tranquil place in the congestion of the Main Line.

It is the oldest higher learning institution in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, has received visits from five popes, and has nurtured many graduates. Its current property is comprised of 19 buildings on 75 open acres, and it has been located there since 1871.

If the Seminary sells its land, residents are concerned about over-development, which could lead to increased density, traffic, disappearance of open space, and more undesirable effects. Plans to develop single family homes would affect LMSD, with plans for apartment buildings stretching the school systems even more. Additional plans to develop senior housing would also increase enrollment, as young families would move into the homes vacated by the seniors. Others, such as the LM Conservancy, fear the demolition of precious historic assets and construction over beautiful grounds. There is no doubt that St. Charles Seminary is a valuable place, and residents hope its future is optimistic.

Opinions

October 2, 2018

4

The Merionite

The Merionite Official newspaper of Lower Merion High School since 1929 www.themerionite.org Columbia Scholastic Press Assocation Silver Crown 2013 Editors-in-Chief Julian Ginzburg ’19 Caleb Shack ’19 Managing Editor Molly Cutler ’19 News Editors Sammy Anderer ’20 Julia Rudy ’19 Sophie Yang ’20 Opinions Editors Melissa Bell ’20 Andres Bermudez ’19 David Sommer ’19 Features Editors Emma Becker ’20 Kathy Wei ’19 Ziwen Zhou ’19 Arts & Entertainment Editors Izzy Bruckman ’20 Davon Collins ’19 Grace Wei ’19 Sports Editors Melissa Dash ’19 Julia Kreuzer ’19 Benjamin Schmid ’19 Copy Editors Elliot Ginzburg ’21 Lydon Pelletier ’19 Sydney Zellinger ’21 Graphics Editors Christopher de Santis ’20 Sihan Wu ’19 Source Confirmation Editor Sophie Meyer ’20 Web Editor Alek Lexa ’19

Editorial: The incredible importance of political participation The power of technology has brought political activism to a conventionally uninvolved demographic—teenagers.

Adolescents everywhere have a never-ending source of information at their disposal and can share their political opinions with the same potency as a parent, a principal, or a president. As we saw in the March for Our Lives movement, young people are becoming activists for greater causes than ever before.

However, after recent events here at LM, one might wonder whether this improved audience is undermining the more traditional forms of political expression.

On Tuesday September 15, during the hectic period of the beginning of the school year, members of SAGE spent their Lunch and Learn hosting a voting registration booth in the Cafeteria. After being booed upon arrival, the members working the table experienced disappointment due to a lack of excitement and the initial hostile reaction. As a group of people in an entirely different situation from the generations that preceded us, we should not be doing the expected. If we truly are the changemakers and novel thinkers that we describe ourselves as, we should be doing the unexpected; if our generation is so revolutionary, we should surprise those who expect ignorance with our intelligence, those who expect indifference with our passion. After all, our increase in political involvement means nothing if we don’t actually do anything to make

We are the youth that will inherit our vibrant democracy, and political action is the most important facet of our democratic tradition. So we must do our duty and rejoice in our rights. At the midterms, surprise those who sit with crossed fingers in hope that young people won’t show up.

Go vote; go be the change you want to see; go share your voice. The establishment we so often protest has to listen. We are the governed, and therefore we must declare our discontent.

Unsigned editorials reflect the general opinion of the staff and not the opinion of any single editor.

Graphic by Andres Bermudez ’19/Staff

Articles and letters featured in the Opinions section reflect the viewpoints of individual contributors and not necessarily those of The Merionite editorial staff.

Freshman Opinions Spotlight: Captain on a sinking ship

Business Manager Eric Bing ’20 Staff and Business Advisor Charles Henneberry The editors believe all facts presented in the newspaper to be accurate. All articles have gone through an intensive, independent fact-checking process to minimize factual errors.

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.

change.

We all know how much contention surrounds the current implementation of America’s political systems. The political divides in our nation have always been present, but in recent years, political parties have become polarized to an extent incomparable even to the Nixon era. There are shouts from both sides of the aisle, and no one seems to feel that we should be less concerned with what is going on at city hall, Harrisburg, or Washington, D.C. However, this passion does not match our apathy towards our most basic undeniable right of self-expression. If you want your voice heard, why not put it where it cannot be ignored, the ballot box?

Isaac Mittman ’22 Over the last few years, the whole political system has changed in a way that has never been seen before. There is a sense of political polarization more intense than ever. Any member of a party is immediately aligned with the rest of the party in the eyes of the people. In an election, the voters see the candidates as representatives of the current leader in that sector. For Democrats running for the House, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is their leader. Because of Pelosi’s poor leadership, unpopular views, and flawed campaigning, association with Pelosi will be the downfall of the Democrats in the midterms. She is not fit to control a party and is too left-wing to support the moderates, and she fails to extend an arm to anybody at the center. Further, Pelosi’s entire policy is stalling the Republican agenda rather than promoting the Democratic one. By not doing so, she fails to

make any points or show achievement.

Not only have the Democrats lacked any new policies, but they also cannot successfully block a Republican bill with more than just a few Republicans. If she isn’t able to bring her party to work with Republicans, how can she ever convince conservatives to vote liberal?

Being a leader of the Democratic Party, her views represent the establishment.

Pelosi stands for higher taxes, defending MS-13 gang members, and open borders: the rest of the Left is not as extreme. If she is supposed to represent an entire party as the eventual Speaker of the House (if the vote goes in her favor), then she would have to adjust her views to cover a wider population. If she is unwilling to do so, there would need to be a new a leader in the House. However, there is no one to replace her. Many candidates have distanced themselves from Pelosi, most notably Conor Lamb of Pennsylvania. Lamb won a Republican-held seat after announcing he would not support Pelosi. It may seem that there will be a separation from the Minority Leader, except nobody will replace her. In the end, her already powerful position will push her forward.

The current position of the left is currently a “Stop Trump” movement. With more time being spent on Trump, there are less resources spent on defending against Republican attacks. This may

seem to be a good idea, as many polls put Trump’s agenda as a major issue. But, as shown in the 2016 election, the more Trump is attacked, the more powerful he becomes. More importantly, it was Trump who flipped blue states, as he was highly popular amongst blue collar voters. Attacking Trump is an unwise strategy for turning swing states left. Despite his relatively unpopular standings in the overall population, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin all voted for Trump even though they are blue-leaning. The Democrats should try to win over the blue-collar voters with more promises to help them rather than to bring down a blue collar supportive president. The polls may be in favor of the Democrats, but the polls were extremely inaccurate in the 2016 election. They gave Clinton a false sense of confidence for many states, causing a catastrophic failure. Now, one may say that Congress usually changes from the president during the midterms.

After the last election, anything is possible. Due to Pelosi’s control over the party and bad representation to the public, she must be replaced. If Pelosi wants to be seen as the Democrats’ leader, candidates will have to be prepared to be seen as her subjects—they will have to follow her lead. By taking votes away from Republicans, Paul Ryan will be kicked out as Speaker. Pelosi is the most likely replacement.

Opinions

October 2, 2018

5

The Merionite

Politics from the people

Melissa Bell ’20 Opinions Editor LMSD’s motto is “Enter to Learn, Go Forth to Serve,” and one of the best ways one can serve their community, state, or country, is to be informed and to vote. School is a place to educate adolescents and prepare them for life, and what better way to do so than to inform them on what is happening in the real world? Since it is prohibited for teachers to converse about their political leanings, the students of LM should be permitted, if not encouraged, to voice their opinions and campaign for political candidates in order to inform other students. This introduction to politics will be deeply beneficial for the students who are expanding their knowledge, for those who are promoting candidates, and for the LM environment as a whole.

One reason why students advocating for political candidates in LM would be helpful is that many high school students have very limited information regarding politics. Some students simply are not informed at all, while others rely solely on their parents to keep them up to date. For students who haven’t thought much about politics in the past, student activism would be an exceptional introduction to the political scene, would provide valuable baseline information, and could potentially spark natural interest or further research. In addition, for those whose parents have raised them with very similar beliefs to their own, this new source could assist soonto-be voters in formulating their own opinions. Based on a 2009 study in the Journal of Politics, eighteen-yearolds still strongly mirror the political preferences of their parents, and the older they get, the further away from their parents beliefs they lean. For our generation to be “the change” you’ve heard so much about, we truly do need to make a change and become more informed and less susceptible to simply mimicking our parents’ preferences.

Not only would students campaigning within the school help enlighten other students, it would also motivate them to vote. Only 58 percent of eligible voters partook in the previous presidential election, and in 2010, a mere 21 percent of eighteen to 24 year olds voted at all.

Judging by these meager statistics, there’s no doubt that something

needs to be done about the low voter turnout when election time rolls around. Moreover, beginning with the younger demographic is a superb place to start. A Michigan State University study concluded that students generally learn better when taught by peers, rather than teachers. This practice will certainly help raise the political interests of the young adults of LM. Even though the intended benefits are for the students on the receiving side of the information, it would still be helpful for the participants themselves.

The work that would have to be done could include anything from preparing speeches, making posters, handing out fliers, debating and defending ideas, and more. All of these things hone in on valuable skills, many of which are impossible to obtain in the classroom.

Public speaking, research, patience, resilience, organization, time management, and courage are all exceptional things to master prior to graduating high school and are all things that will be built upon by participation.

In a broader sense, I believe that students advocating for political candidates could ultimately improve the environment of the school. It’s no secret that much of what we learn in high school will eventually be forgotten or could be considered nonessential to real world scenarios. For instance, a study at the University of East Anglia concluded that by the first week of college, students had already forgotten close to 60% of the material they learned in high school. Of course there are specific subjects and curriculums required by the state, but there is no need to limit our education to just that.

School should not merely be a place you go to memorize and regurgitate facts you’re soon going to forget or not need; it should be a place where you can truly learn and grow.

Though it could be argued this whole practice potentially could disturb the learning environment, with the right organization that would not be a concern. Everyone would be made fully aware prior to participating about certain times when it is appropriate to participate and other reasonable limitations. Getting students involved in politics within the school will drastically widen the scope of real world knowledge students are actually gaining from their high school experience, and will therefore make the environment one with many more opportunities to learn.

Students attempting to inform their peers plainly has an immense amount of positive benefits; some of these include an increased motivation to vote, more informed students, the development of coveted real-life skills among students, positively altering LM’s environment, structure, and so much more.

Graphic by Amy Xi ’19

Preaching to the preachers

Zachary Schuh ’19 From a young age, we are taught the value of thinking freely and understanding the context of important situations. While individualized thinking is prized and cherished by a large number of American schools, many other educational facilities act as echo chambers, reverberating messages pushed from all sides of the political spectrum to those who agree with them. Historically, echo chambers have always been detrimental to students’ abilities to develop healthy, independent opinions. According to a poll by Gallup from late 2016, over 44 percent of Americans believe the media displays a decisive bias that is “far too liberal.” Many schools in America display a clear bias in teaching style, therefore pushing the opinions of students one way or another, regardless of their understanding of an issue. Business Insider states that as low as 0.3 percent of donors to news media are centrist and less than ten percent are conservative. By hearing only what we want to hear and saying only what we want to say, we lose the ability to understand or think critically. In order to truly understand an issue, we must be aware of all sides of the argument. These pernicious echo chambers can potentially destroy one’s ability to think on one’s own.

In the event that any individual develops an opinion, they will want to hear a point of view that agrees with their ideas. This is human nature: we enjoy affirmation. But, when we start viewing all data as affirmation of our own ideas, it becomes an issue. This phenomenon is known as confirmation bias. In a study known as the Wason Rule Discovery test, it was found that almost 94% of those who were asked to present a hypothesis regarding a pattern of numbers did not ask questions in regards to their hypothesis being false, leading to overconfidence in personal beliefs. While this may feel positive, it is a detriment to our cognitive ability. If, instead we absorbed point of views that oppose ours as well as those that support ours, we would have the invaluable ability of making well-informed decisions on our own. Why, then, does it hurt to hear a perspective that doesn’t adhere to our beliefs? There is a very simple answer to this question,

and it lies in the tendency to oppose change. We don’t want our minds changed, and that is perfectly reasonable. As a result, trying to process an argument that poses logical points in opposition to our own can be very difficult. We concentrate on the morals and values rather than the logic and have a fixed mindset, assuming an argument is invalid from the very beginning. We believe we develop our own opinions based on what we agree with, when, in reality, our opinions are developed by what agrees with us.

However, sometimes this isn’t a personal choice. Educational culture can be one of the most problematic components of an echo chamber.

As much as our own mindset may contribute to the issue, both teachers and students can inf luence and show bias in regards to one’s ideals and values. Even if we weren’t surrounded by an echo chamber agreeing with us, we may still be locked in an echo chamber of disagreement.

With this, we start to lose grasp on our own opinions and believe what we hear rather than what is realistic and logical. If we hear an opposing viewpoint, we likely won’t listen to it at first. The cementation of certain ethics and ideals into our minds, however, can inf luence the way we think just as much as positive reinforcement of our own opinions. “Just as easily as our beliefs can be affirmed, our minds can be changed, and kept that way,” notes Stephanie McCrummen, in a Washington Post article about Melanie Austin, a woman whose social surroundings caused her to believe that President Obama was the founder of ISIS. One of the most problematic parts of this issue is that most of those involved in an echo chamber are not illogical or acting irrationally, but rather not sure who or what to trust. For this reason, they will rely on a backbone of agreement to ensure they feel they are not wrong.

Unfortunately, it is not feasible to put an end to inf luencing political and social ideals through positive and recursive agreement. However, it is possible to notice when you are involved and actively seek both sides of an argument, rather than just that of the echo chamber around you. Challenging arguments is essential to developing an individualized and wellinformed set of morals. To be involved in an echo chamber may make it very difficult for one to make smarter and more well-informed decisions in the future. While, in the short term, it may not seem pressing or extremely detrimental. It can affect one’s ability to think for oneself, which is one of the most important skills to have, regardless of what the situation is.

Graphic by Christopher de Santis ’20/Staff

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Opinions

October 2, 2018

The Merionite

Freedom of spirit

Emily Shang ’21 The bleachers vibrate with the stomping of hundreds of pairs of feet. Sound radiates off the gym walls as everyone’s faces are distorted and red from hollering. The people around you cast glares as your expression differs greatly from their elated, laughing ones. When it’s finally time to go, the torturing, unrecognizable screams cease and a herd of students, cloaked in black, form a barricade between you and the door. Your safety is in jeopardy, your typically happy mood has diminished, and your school work is looming. Worst of all, your presence at the pep rally wasn’t a choice, but an obligation.

Mandated attendance at school spirit events, such as pep rallies, is counterproductive to their purpose: increasing school spirit. At LM, our most notable spirit event, the LM vs. Radnor pep rally, is mandatory for all students. The school cramming 1,440 rowdy students into a gym for an extended and insufferable period of time makes the logistics of this event difficult. Almost everyone has experienced the nightmare that follows these mandatory events: swarms of people shove their way through a set of narrow doors to escape the hot and stuffy gym, nearly trampling anyone who isn’t prepared for the stampede. With such a large number of students, ensuring the safety of every individual is impossible. The solution is simple: make pep rallies optional to decrease the amount of people attending. Along with protecting students from injury, having optional pep rallies can also aid students in their education.

At LM, schoolwork and academics are supposed to

take priority over sports, clubs and extracurriculars. By the time the LM vs. Radnor pep rally rolls around, students at LM are already overloaded with work; the overburdened individuals end up seeing the event as nothing more than a waste of time. Students who prefer to dedicate their time to academic purposes should be allowed to do so. Not all aspects of school are things we love or want to do, but most serve an educational purpose. Keeping spirit events such as pep rallies mandatory has no educational value and forces students into miserable situations for no reason.

Though the thought of shorter class periods and dedicating the last hour of school to cheering LM’s football team to victory is appealing to many, others approach the pep rally with extreme apprehension. Many students prefer to steer clear from loud places and large, unruly crowds. If the goal is to increase students’ love for the school, requiring them to attend an event in which they may not be comfortable with is certainly not the best approach. Screaming your voice hoarse at a pep rally may be how some show their school spirit, but others may choose to quietly wear school colors or donate money to support our teams. Both methods are effective in their intended purpose. No one wants to go to a pep rally and

see people who seem upset or unhappy. Furthermore, no one wants to be forced to go to a pep rally and be the odd one out. If pep rallies weren’t mandatory, those who love to attend will surely attend regardless, and those who prefer not to will show their spirit in another, more fitting way.

LM school spirit events, such as pep rallies, should be made optional. Making pep rallies mandatory can put the safety of students in jeopardy by stuffing a myriad of individuals into a small space. Furthermore, the event has no positive effect on students’ education, and therefore, attendance should not be required, especially when some wouldn’t enjoy their time at all. Lastly, there’s no point in making a pep rally mandatory when many will choose to attend anyway. Demanding students to attend a loud and crowded pep rally when some are not comfortable in such a setting ends up decreasing school spirit. There is more than one method of showing and increasing school spirit and for many, showing up at pep rallies is not the most ideal. LM should not require students to attend events they dread or limit students’ expression of school spirit. Instead, by giving a choice to its students, making school spirit events optional will help keep school spirit alive.

Graphic by Sihan Wu ’19/Staff

Overfilled, underserved

Kyle Patlove ’20 The first day of class can be an uneasy day for many students alike. Worries of the absence of friends and the boring lectures to come linger among all. All blame aside, most students prefer a large, unruly class as compared to a smaller class size. After all, it is fun to be surrounded by friends in an academic environment in order to lighten the mood.

However, this environment may not work to your advantage at all. Rather, it may put you at a significant disadvantage from an academic standpoint for a multitude of reasons; some of these include worse teacher to student relationships, understanding of class material, and grades.According to Mr. Hughes, the average honors course seats anywhere from 21 to 25 students with AP and CP courses sitting above and below the average, respectively. While that may not seem like a lot, it’s incredibly easy for individual students to become “lost” in class.

Establishing a connection with a student can be tough.

Students and teachers may not always find similar interests and have trouble connecting in general, and this issue is only heightened when you add an excessive amount of students to the mix. That being said, it’s unrealistic to demand that much focus and unrelenting concentration for an entire period by a teacher to develop an emotional connection with each and every student in class.

These “lost” students in particular are more likely to see a significant downtrend in the grade books and an inability to absorb the material in this environmentsomething no student really wants to deal with. An article published by Matthew M. Chingos and Grover Whitehurst of The Brookings Institute examined the negative academic aspects of large class size.

They reported that pupils in classes that had seven to eight less students than the average amount of students per classroom performed better on a standardized test.

The most unfortunate part of the whole ordeal is that it is not the teachers fault. At a ratio of 22 students (give or take) to just one teacher, how could one possibly expect them to relay all of this information to every single student? With class periods lasting 55 minutes, it’s simply impossible.

Since its inception, LM has provided the highest level of education a student could ask for.

Every year, our district keeps getting larger and larger because of the raw appeal of a LM Township education and the historical excellence LMSD offers in comparison to surrounding townships. As class capacity is stressed due to the spike in enrollment, the chances of students falling into this category becomes more and more likely. This ultimately disappoints the hypothetical, ambitious new student expecting academic excellence and irreparably impacts the educational experience of a long time resident and hardworking taxpayer’s child These negative test scores will result in a chain of events beginning with the loss of self-confidence as well as the inability to “pick oneself off the ground” because of the blemish in PowerSchool. As this dramatic drop off is occuring in the gradebook, don’t you expect students to become less stimulated by the subject at hand?

As students helplessly watch their grade plummet, their will to continue doing work for that class will fade at a rapid rate. Once a student loses the will to focus and comprehend the newest material, all hope is lost. In the

defense of large class size proponents, challenging motivated students to excel in these classes could enable these students to prematurely develop necessary skills for college. Taking an active role in class can be difficult, and come time for college, this skill can greatly work to your advantage. That being said, most of the students that find themselves in this situation cannot and will not thrive.

In conclusion, class size can have a significant impact on the learning experience of an individual at any level of their education. Overcrowded classes are a direct cause for the teacher’s shortcomings to get to personally know and understand their students, often resulting in their grades plummeting, along with their morale. In 2008, an innovative educational synthesis written by John Hattie entitled Visible Learning for Teachers, published a ranking system regarding the influences of academic achievement. Several different influences were ranked using a scoring system, starting at the number zero, denoting rather low effect influences and ending at one, denoting high effect influences. In the rankings, students-teacher relationships were designated as a .72, classroom cohesion, a .53, and quality of teaching, a .48.

All three of these academic factors were a direct effect of an overcrowded class. So next time you walk into a relatively overfilled classroom like the one I described earlier and begin to rejoice, think again. It is not to your advantage and it is imperative you don’t become “lost” among the chaos.

Graphic by Sihan Wu ’19 /Staff

Features

October 2, 2018

7

The Merionite

Welcome to Aces Nation!

Noah Spergel ’20

Christine Dolente Social Studies

Sara Campbell Biology

Justin Mansor Computer Science

Tyrone Ross Assistant Principal Photos courtesy of Anna O’Hora

Fiona Pollack

Photo courtesy of Fiona Pollack ’21

Let’s take a moment to recognize that new people in the school aren’t just limited to the freshmen having trouble finding their way through the halls. The 201819 school year also brings many new faces to our faculty and staff. It’s important to make our new team members feel welcome and part of the LM family, so I am happy to introduce our new staff members.

Our new assistant principal, Tyrone Ross, has been in the world of education since 2001. His journey from a long-term substitute to where he is now is a testament to his great work ethic. Most recently, he was the assistant principal at John Bartram High School in Philadelphia. Although Ross hasn’t been here long, he already appreciates the student body and their initiative in voicing their opinions about issues around the school. Ross has a five-year-old daughter and a two-year-old son who keep him busy at home. His main goals for the year in clude keeping the school running smoothly, fitting in, and learning about LM life, but most importantly, not bugging Karen De Franco too much! Don’t try to take advantage of his newness though–he has a black belt in taekwondo. Ross’s vision for LM in five years includes much more individualized learning as well as a wider variety of classes. His main goal, however, is to achieve a very special environment: “students coming to school and being excited to learn.”

As for new teachers, Christine Dolente works in the Social Studies department and has spent most of her career at Wilson High School outside of Reading, PA. Last year, she taught in the Communique Classroom at Bala Cynwyd Middle School. Dolente stays active in her spare time, trying to keep up with her five-month-old son. Although she may seem like an LM newcomer, she has a strong family link to Aces Nation. The late Harry Middleton was an All American Basketball player

Admirable Activity:

for the Aces in the 1940s, a proud member of the Aces Hall of Fame, and is featured on one of our famous murals in the Kobe Bryant Gymnasium. Dolente knew him as her grandfather. She says, “it’s great to be able to tell my grandmother that I am in the school that meant so much to him.” She looks forward to getting to know all the faculty and students as she builds on her grandfather’s legacy!

Justin Mansor will be teaching Computer Science 1 and 2 at LM this year. He has been teaching for almost seven years, most recently at Unionville High School in Kennett Square, where he taught a variety of computer classes. However, his impressive resume doesn’t end there. At Unionville, he hosted an Open Mic Night session two times a year, where students showed their talents while raising money for a variety of charities. Mansor hopes to bring this ex cellent event to our school as well. Outside of the classroom, he spends time with his family, including his two and four year old sons. Mansor will start on October 5th, and he looks forward to inspiring students, who, according to him, “make the job exciting, interesting, and push him to learn more.”

I’ve only scratched the surface in describing our amazing new staff, and I would be remiss not to mention a few other newcomers. Sara Campbell has moved in as a biology teacher in the third floor lab rooms. Patrick Snyder will be teaching special education, along with Barbara Ranson, and has worked in the school district for the last five years.

With the new school year also comes the addition of seven new instructional assistants that we may see around our classrooms: Mr. Galarza, Mr. Harrison, Mr. Friedman, Ms. Sullivan, Ms. Applebaum, and Mr. Braconnier. As you can see, LM is full of many new faces, both student and staff, and it’s our job to welcome them and make sure they all feel proud to be a part of Aces Nation!

Sophomore Fiona Pollack is a Drum Corps International marcher. She is normally a conductor, but she hopes to play snare drum for the 2019 or 2020 season. Pollack first joined the Raiders Drum Corps when she was thirteen years old, the youngest person in the corps by about three years. During a marching season, members travel to camps once a month in the winter, then every weekend in the spring, culminating in a month-long “move-in” during June, which leads into the two-month national tour. Last year, Pollack got to go on a national tour and travel up the East Coast, the Midwest, and the South in cities such as NYC, Chicago, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, and Boston.

Her last performance was in the NFL’s Lucas Oil Stadium, and about 25,000 people were there on finals night. She loves being a part of something that’s bigger than herself.

Pollack says, “All the marchers are so committed to every single repetition and to each other, that even though we push each other really hard every day, it still feels like one family working towards one goal: a moving performance.”

At LM:

At LM, Pollack is involved with Science Olympiad and Jazz Band. She went to Colorado last year with the first nationals-qualifying LM team in over a decade and helped in bringing home the DuPont Team Enterprise Award trophy.

Favorite Fall Activity:

“Is pumpkin pie an activity?”

Favorite Quote:

“If you’re sore tonight, you did something right” and “Inspire that kid in the stands whose eyes are as wide as their heart. Because that used to be you.”

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Feat

October 2, 2018

The Me

Asian Culture Club Eugenia Feng ’20

Our club is all about fun activities centered around Asia, but that’s not to say members must be of Asian heritage!

Our meetings are tons of fun and include educational activites and playing games together. Most meetings include food, whether it’s fried rice and dumplings or simple snacks and candy. All our meetings are dedicated to learning about the culture and having fun at the same time. Listen for an announcement about our first meeting and be sure to show up!

Science Olympiad

buildOn

Audrey Knoll ’19 and Lilly McClendon ’19

BuildOn provides community service in our local area, from feeding the homeless in Philadelphia to tutoring kids.

We love that buildOn offers an array of diverse projects like cleaning up parks, dancing in wheelchairs, and doing activities with kids from a homeless shelter, so there is something for everyone. If you are interested in buildOn, you can go to Mr. Reed’s room (301) to pick up a membership form.

Clubs to C

Amy Xi ’19

Science Olympiad is a competition in which students compete in 23 different events that cover different STEM fields in greater depth than in a typical classroom. Every year, the team competes in several invitationals at prestigious universities across the country and in regional, state, and national competitions. However, this club isn’t just where people come and do science; everyone has fun and enjoys each other’s company outside of Science Olympiad! It was amazing to know that the whole team’s, hard work paid off when we made it to Nationals last year! To join, feel free to stop by Room 221 (Mr. Stettner’s room) or email lmscioly@gmail.com.

Israeli Culture Club Aviva Weinstein ’19

The Israeli Culture Club is a diverse community where we explore the unique Israeli culture through food, films, music, celebrations of Jewish holidays, outside speakers, and more! We meet during lunch several times a year and after school once or twice a year. At meetings, we typically serve food, play Kahoots about Israel, run scavenger hunts, or simply discuss Israeli politics. If you would like to join or have other questions/concerns, don’t hesitate to email me.

Best Buddies Lauren Cobitz ’19 and Emma Rosenau ’19

Best Buddies is an organization that matches kids with developmental and/or intellectual disabilities (IDD) with their peers in incredible one-to-one friendships. Our goal is to create bonds in our school community and foster lifelong friendships. We want to emphasize that everyone has their differences but we should all be embraced with open arms! If you are interested, contact Emma Rosenau or Lauren Cobitz with any questions!

No matter who you are, you are bound to make new friends and create fond memories.

Student O Without a doubt, the most exciting and influential part of my high school experience so far has been the clubs I participate in. Currently, I am a member of TSA, Science Olympiad, and Environmental Club. Each of these clubs has introduced me to many new people, some of whom I have become very close friends with. Whether it’s practicing my public speaking skills in TSA or analyzing bloodstains in Science Olympiad, choosing what I want to learn brings me a feeling of fulfillment. In hindsight, my clubs have truly enhanced my high school experience. They have brought close friends into my life and let me venture into interesting fields.

Our school has dozens of clubs to pick from—it’s more than likely that one will pique your interest improve your entire high school experience.

-Dhaval Sharma ’21

Through Players, I’ve learned how to inte people in a professional environment, send things go awry. In a cappella I’ve learned to people when I can sense they need it, and to Considering that I want to pursue an arti extracurriculars not only how to be creative and timely on top of that. When the school d gins, rules of the classroom and “don’t talk all vanish and and a completely different se many APs you take? No one. Are you reliabl you’re doing it? Do you put your all into a jo done? That is what is really important, and fifteen hours some days, I’ll do it.

tures

October 2, 2018

9

erionite

Ye arbook

Student Council

Melissa Gingold ’19

Yearbook is a club for all aspiring designers and photographers. We work all year to create a product that is cohesive and unique. The yearbook contains six sections: student life, sports, activities, underclassmen, faculty, and seniors, with an editor responsible for each layout. Club members work on the design process outside of meetings and photographers are always taking pictures. If you are interested, please email Mrs. Christman.

Consider

Annie Quinn ’19

Student Council is LM’s center of communication and planning. Our goal is to create a more connected student body through open and thoughtful conversation. We really encourage the student body to attend meetings to share their ideas and offer feedback on proposed initiatives. If you are interested in becoming a part of Student Council, you can sign up online at https://goo.gl/forms/TKcrC6OFB0jR1xsN2.

Debate Zoe Kaplan ’19

Debate consists of three subsections: Lincoln Douglas debate, Public Forum debate, and Parliamentary debate. They involve teams of different sizes arguing over moral or philosophical considerations. Each subsection of debate works together to build unique and powerful arguments, but people forget that debate is also about improving your public speaking skills, working with a team, and most importantly, having fun! If you are interested in joining, contact Mr. Levy or lowermeriondebateteam@gmail.com.

There’s something about the rush of adrenaline, being so attentive, and having to react so quickly that makes debate unique.

Latin Club Hannah Heller ’19

Latin Club is a place for LM students who want to explore Roman culture, language, and traditions. All are welcome, and no Latin experience is necessary! You will have the opportunity to participate in Certamen, a quiz-bowl style game with questions centered around knowledge of classical civilization and its people, languages, and cultures. During our meetings, we’ll play fun team-oriented games including Roman board games, mythology-themed charades, and Balderdash. If you would like to know more, stop by room 119 or send us an email at lmhslatinclub@gmail.com!

Opinions Looking back on my high school experience, I can’t imagine what it would have been like without the Lower Merion Dance Team. As an underclassman, LMDT helped me make amazing friendships that I otherwise may not have been able to make. Being on the dance team has allowed me to get involved in the LM community with the activity that I am most passionate about. I became captain of LMDT as a junior, and I feel extremely lucky to have had the opportunity to lead such an amazing and talented group of people. This club has helped me to better my communication and teamwork skills, while also allowing me to share my creative ideas through choreography and watch my visions come to life. LMDT has undoubtedly been one of the most important aspects of my high school career, and I am forever grateful for it.

-Amelia Baker ’19

erview, give presentations to peers, address really good emails, and keep my cool when o not compare myself with others, to help o learn on my feet. istic career, I’ve learned through all of my e, but to be collaborative, communicative, day ends and the extracurricular day bein my class” and “this will be on the test” et of skills become valuable. Who cares how le? Do you tell people what you’re doing as ob rather than just getting it done to get it if that means I need to stay at school for -Olivia Bartrand ’19

No one judges you for being really excited about the politics of the Roman Empire or Greek philosophers—or for expressing excessive anger towards certain Roman military generals.

Speech

Kate Rudek ’19 and Katherine Wang ’19

In Speech Club, we compete in various events that range from presenting poetry to dramatic or humorous monologues to extemporaneous speech. These competitions are designed to improve public speaking skills through self expression. From October to March, we meet during Lunch and Learn biweekly in Mrs. Kail’s office. It is exciting going to the monthly competitions because we get to eat snacks, explore their schools, meet a bunch of new people, and listen to a variety of pieces while we receive feedback on our own. If you are interested, listen to the announcements for our first meeting or contact Mrs. Kail.

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October 2, 2018

Arts & Entertainment The Merionite

An Asian American August Kathy Wei ’19 Features Editor

Gentle guitar music plays as water begins to flow down the aisle, carrying the scattered delicate pink flowers along with it. Dressed in luxurious clothes, the guests stand amid the tall grass decorating the pews as the lights dim and they hold up delicate lights on slim branches over the water. A woman appears in the door: her bare leg decorated in glittering patterns of swirls as the multi-layered skirt of her wedding dress just barely kisses the surface of the water as she makes her way up the aisle. The intricate extravagance of this Eastern garden-inspired wedding truly lives up to the name, Crazy Rich Asians.

Crazy Rich Asians debuted in American theaters on August 15, making history as one of the only Hollywood movies to include only Asian characters played by Asian actors. It was a smashing success in the box office, grossing over $140 million worldwide, and paving the way for movies such as To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (TATBILB) and Searching. While not as heavily inspired by Asian culture as Crazy Rich Asians, these movies were also released in August and were both led by Asian actors who promoted the role of Asian Americans on the big screen.

The decadent food, lavish lifestyle, beautiful fashions, and gorgeous scenery of Singapore make Crazy Rich Asians a visual delight. Constance Wu and Henry Golding play the roles of lovers Rachel Chu, a second-generation American NYU professor, and Nick Young, the heir to the Singaporean Young family fortune, respectively. Actors such as Gemma Chan, Awkwafina, and Ken Jeong bring many unique characters to life throughout moments that will make you cry from laughter or sob from sadness. While the movie primarily follows Nick as he brings Rachel home to meet his famous and wealthy family in Singapore, it is also full of interesting subplots that are weaved throughout the film and keep you invested to the very end. Spreading a

message of hard work and grit, the movie is ultimately inspiring and heartwarming.

TATBILB, a Netflix original movie, also features a romance--one between high school teenagers Lara Jean Song Covey and Peter Kavinsky. The movie is a heartfelt rom-com that many praise as one of the most realistic and adorable romances portrayed on screen. It centers on half-Korean Lara Jean, a hopeless romantic who writes secret love letters to her significant crushes and keeps them in her teal hatbox. The story begins when her letters somehow get sent out to the five boys she wrote to, which includes Peter, an old childhood friend, and Josh, her sister’s ex-boyfriend who also happens to be one of her closest friends and next door neighbor. Lara Jean’s heart, courage, and relatable quirks will have you rooting for her through all the drama she finds herself in. TATBILB has captured the hearts of many, and Noah Centineo, who plays the charming Peter Kavinsky, has even become an internet heartthrob.

The latest movie, Searching, has a far different plot than the others. It follows David Kim (played

by John Cho), a single father searching for his sixteen year old daughter Margot (played by Michelle La) after she goes missing. Full of intense twists and turns, this action-packed mystery keeps viewers on the edge of their seats as more and more shocking information is revealed throughout the movie. Searching incorporates social media and modern technology such as Facebook to tell the story in a similar fashion to movies like Unfriended. The primary plot has been compared to Taken. However, Searching stands on its own as a unique and exceptional film with its cultural relevance, fresh direction, and structural execution.

This August was filled with movies that bring the Asian American story to Hollywood while appealing to the general American audience. Crazy Rich Asians, TATBILB, and Searching are finally bringing a new and overdue perspective to Hollywood after years of whitewashing and underrepresentation.

Graphic by Sihan Wu ’19/Staff

Libraries open access to the arts Samantha Gaier ’20

The Lower Merion libraries are evolving with the changing times. Now, in addition to books, the libraries are allowing cardholders to borrow a plethora of different items! A few years ago, different cake pans were offered to satisfy one’s holiday needs. Phone chargers and public computers are available at the libraries as well. However, the newest addition are the museum passes.

So far, the libraries have aquired passes to a total of seventeen different museums. These passes can be checked out for three days on a first-come, first-served basis to anyone with a Lower Merion library card. These passes are family passes, allowing adults and children to visit the museums for free!

Mesopotamian Headdress at The Penn

ing garden” by Garden Design Magazine. Grounds for Sculptures has of 300 intricate sculptures for visitors to view. The Tyler Arboretum is even among the oldest arboreta in Northeastern U.S.! It combines both history and beautiful nature. Lastly, visitors can tour Elmwood Park Zoo in Norristown to see many animals and participate in Education Animals, a unique department that conducts live animal shows.

Furthermore, the African-American Museum in Philadelphia, American Swedish Historical Museum, National Constitution Center, National Museum of American Jewish History, and Museum of the American Revolution are all stellar history museums in the Philadelphia area that have partnered with several local libraries! These museums are one of a kind in the country. For example, the Constitution Center is the first and only institution in America to teach about the Constitution through interactive exhibits.

If you have a keen interest in transportation, the following museums with free passes at some libraries may appeal to you. The American Helicopter Museum has a mission to inspire generations with its lifesaving rotary-wing aviation history. The Battleship, New Jersey, was used during World War II and is one of the nation’s most decorated battleship. It is nearly three football fields long and eleven stories high. The Independence Seaport Museum documents maritime history and culture along the Delaware River. The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania brings railroad history to life with great pride. They showcase over 100 locomotive trains.

The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, the oldest art museum in the United States, has also partnered with the Gladwyne Library. Today, the “PAFA” contains mostly modern and contemporary works of art. The final museum is Eastern State Penitentiary, a nationally ranked haunted house during October and infamous for Terror Behind the Walls. You can see and enter the cells of some of America’s most infamous criminals, such as “Scarface” Al Capone and “Slick Willy” Sutton.

The township’s library museum passes offer a fun, free weekend trip. It would be a shame to not take advantage of this chance! Call your local Lower Merion library to see what museum passes they have in stock, and pick one up today.

Photo courtesy of Visit Philadelphia

There are a variety of passes available for museums within the Philadelphia area, including science museums, art museums, historical museums, transportation museums, and even the zoo. In the science category, the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University offers free passes at the Gladwyne, Ludington, and Penn Wynne libraries. The Mütter Museum of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia offers passes at Gladwyne and Ludington, and passes for the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology are up for grabs at Ludington and Penn Wynne.

Highlights at the Academy of Natural Sciences include a forty foot T. Rex and many scientific interactive exhibits. The Mütter Museum contains medical oddities and specimens ranging from 7th century BCE to 2014. The museum has a forty-pound colon and even slivers of Albert Einstein’s brain! Moreover, the Penn museum displays “the fascinating story of humanity” through their art and artifacts collections from all over the world. Their new exhibition is the Middle East gallery, so be sure to check it out!

As for the outdoor museums, passes for the Morris Arboretum, Chanticleer Gardens, Grounds for Sculpture, Tyler Arboretum, and Elmwood Park Zoo are offered at various libraries including Gladwyne, Ludington, Penn Wynne, and Ardmore. The Morris Arboretum is a great place to spend a fall day. The garden railway, a beautiful garden with model trains, is a crowd favorite. This exhibit features a quarter mile of track with loops, tunnels, and even a trestle bridge throughout the beautiful exhibition. Chanticleer is another gorgeous lawn named “America’s most inspir-

Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens

Photo courtesy of Visit Philadelphia

Features

October 2, 2018

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The Merionite

The unspoken supply list Ziphron Russel ’20 Transitioning from summer break to the school year hits a level ten on the difficulty scale. Back in elementary and middle school, we were always provided with school supply lists, but not so much in high school. So what are in coming freshmen supposed to get? As a junior, I can tell you everything you will need for high school.

Your parents and teachers may tell you that a binder for each class is necessary, but this is false. Carrying six binders in your backpack plus walking up the LM stairs may mean back problems. A folder is enough to hold all your papers and weighs far less. Another crucial tip is to have a lot of pencils because they will magically disappear from you. I usually buy a couple big packs of mechanical pencils at the be ginning of the year and then fill my pencil case with five at a time. The goal is to not need to go to Staples at any time during the school year. Along with pencils, I find it helpful to have colorful pens or markers when you are taking notes. If you’re anything like me, “mistakes” is your middle name. This is where white-out can be your best friend. We furthermore, have all had our things disappear into a “black hole,” but having your name written on your things lessens the chance of this. Maybe you do have your names on things, but if it is not in permanent marker, you never know who will erase your name and put their name on it. Be smart and mark your territory by having a Sharpie handy.

LM provides freshmen with a “student planner” with the intention of students writing down homework and assignments. However, there is no need to have a fancy planner, as sticky notes do the trick—whether they are physical ones or the ones on your laptop! Sometimes during class you may have a question and when you raise your hand, your teach-

er responds with, “I’ll answer your question in a second.” We all know that “second” is more like twenty minutes. Writing your question down on a sticky note will eliminate the chance of you forgetting it. These are some real student suggestions for supplies you may need for class.

Now, school isn’t all academics–there are other vital supplies you need to get through your day. Earbuds are probably the most essential item for me. If I forget my earbuds at home, my day instantly feels ten times longer. Listening to music during a stressful day allows you to escape to somewhere else for a second. More importantly, many teachers only allow you to listen to music with earbuds. Even if you don’t have free sets, if you check your phone between classes or even during class, your battery will drain faster than Beat Radnor shirts sell out, so make sure to bring a charger. Speaking of chargers, even though your laptop charger may be annoying to lug around, having one wouldn’t hurt. It’s always the worst when you have a writing assignment to do during class but you have to handwrite it because your laptop is dead. Also, we’ve all had those days where you got to school and you looked in the bathroom mirror and went, “Was I really that tired that I chose to put THIS on?” This is why having a spare set of clothes can do you wonders. I personally find that I focus better when I’m wearing something I feel comfortable or confident in.

The school day is much easier if you are properly prepared. So that, my peers, is what I would say are the supplies you need to be able to survive and thrive at LM.

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October 2, 2018

Arts & Entertainment The Merionite

:

Summer Movie Edition Izzy’s Pick

Grace’s Pick

Davon’s Pick

Eighth Grade

Incredibles 2

Sorry to Bother You

Bo Burnham is the whole package: gifted comedian, writer, singer, actor, and now accomplished horror movie director? Although this was probably not his intention, I believe Burnham deserves praise for his uncannily accurate depiction of the terrors faced in the 21st century middle school experience. His 2018 indie film Eighth Grade follows Kayla (Elsie Fisher), an introverted and awkward teenage girl soldiering through her final week of eighth grade. Fisher plays the perfect protagonist, and she’s just as charming offscreen as she is on. Eighth Grade will have you cringe, laugh, cry, and cringe some more. A must-see in my book!

For the most anticipated sequel this summer, Incredibles 2 certainly surpassed my expectations. My childhood consisted of numerous reruns of the first movie while I waited fourteen years for the sequel to be released, but the wait was worth it. In an attempt to restore the reputation of superheroes, Winston Deavor of DevTech chooses Elastigirl to combat street crimes and bring superheroes back. Meanwhile, Bob assumes the role of looking after the kids at home. The film showcases the hilarious and heartwarming relationship between Bob and the kids. Additionally, Jack-Jack’s powers are finally explored and explained. Overall, the film features a perfect balance of action and comedy.

Sorry to Bother You is a comedy turned thriller that will keep you at the edge of your seat. At first glance, it is seemingly a hyper-political movie on race and assimilation told through the story of misfit, Cassius Green, in his pursuit of becoming an elite telemarketer. In his journey to elite telemarketer status, Green must turn his back on the people who were there for him when he was a meager telemarketer in order to climb the corporate ladder of success. Cassius takes it only as necessary evil. Sorry to Bother You is a movie that is impossible to categorize because it spans a multitude of genres that shake your core so much that you struggle to put your feelings into words.

What is bad art?

Sophie Feinstein’ 19 One week ago, I found myself struggling to complete an assignment for a painting class in which the task was to create a self-portrait. I initially attempted to follow in the artistic tradition of classic portraiture; a stark image of myself on the canvas in which there would be no question that it was a self-portrait. However, I quickly became rigid and frustrated and took these emotions out on the portrait. Looking down upon my canvas at the finish, now saturated with thick lines of blue and impulsive strokes of yellow, I felt the overfamiliar rush of shame and disappointment at my work. Immediately, I began to dread the inevitable presentation of this work at critique; how will my teachers and peers react to this? What if they think it’s bad?

It is no coincidence that in the following week, our instructor asked us to explore the concept of “bad” art. In fact, our homework assignmentfor that weekend was to create a “bad” piece of artwork. But as I prepared the assignment, I quickly realized that I had no idea what constituted “bad” artwork, how to consciously create it, or even where to begin. The assignment begged the overarching question of, “What makes bad artwork ‘bad’?”

Being a young artist in the era of contemporary art is akin to attempting to grasp water in your hands the moment you believe that you understand its conventions;the moment they change form, you must begin the process of trying to understand them again. Contemporary art has transcended the traditional convention of art which stands to reason that the work should be understood in and of itself; the audience views an impressionist landscape of a cliff overlooking the sea and can decipher the image without needing much context. With contem-

porary art, knowing the context of the work is vital to understanding it: Who is the artist? What was their intention? What is their justification for this work, if any?

Because so much of the meaning of contemporary art is dependent on these layers of context, nearly anything can qualify as “good” art so long as the context is sufficient. But perhaps the terms “good” and “bad” are absolutist and an oversimplification of the reception of a piece of art. We now understand a piece of contemporary art to function in two spaces: physical and contextual. I, the audience, am viewing a piece of art which may be visually stimulating (“visually stimulating” in itself being an oversimplification), but I am also understanding its context which influences my degree of understanding of the artwork. These two spaces are inseparable, as the physical work is the execution of the artists’ context and the context informs the physical work. In this way, a work has the capacity to be lacking in one or both of these spaces. It is when a piece of art is vacuous–lacking in physical prowess and contextual meaning–that it enters the space of so-called “bad” artwork.

“Bad” art occurs when the audience perceives the physical work, is aware of its context, and remains unaffected by its presence. The work is potentially aesthetically pleasing yet simultaneously devoid of any sort of emotional provocation toward one pole or the other. While art that is shocking, grotesque, or off-color may sometimes enter this space, landscapes and portraits are likewise conceivably banal. An unconventional or callow piece of art does not alone designate the work as “bad.” Rather, sterile and ordinary art which fails to interact with its audience is the only true “bad” artwork.

Arts & Enterntainment

October 2, 2018

13

The Merionite

Sydney Zelinger '21 Copy Editor Each year as the leaves begin to fall, many music enthuiasts will ask themselves, "What was the iconic song of the summer?" For summer 2018, however, there are arguably too many to choose. A considerably large amount of artists have released music or have become a star-to-watch during the summer of 2018. From Drake to Ariana Grande, there is a widely varied list of the top songs that blasted on the radios of people on their way to the beach or work.

Cardi B, the ambitious and passionate rapper, making her way up the charts, raps about how she very much enjoys “those Balenciagas,” specifically, “the ones that look like socks,” in her upbeat Spanglish hit titled “I Like It." It's no surprise to music enthusiasts that this song has been on Billboard’s Top 100 chart for twenty weeks and was in the top three for the first three weeks. “I Like It” unites listeners of all ages and provides a unique Latin beat to dance to and a distraction from other situations that may be occurring in their lives.

on the Billboard Top 100 chart for the tenth week and counting. This song makes people want to jump about and dance… out of their cars. Celebrities such as Shiggy, Will Smith, and DJ Khaled helped champion this dancing challenge that took the internet by storm. It involved people dancing in streets, parking lots, and other open spaces beside a car. Although it was amusing to watch, peo-

Photo courtesy of Wiki Commons

Photo courtesy of Wiki Commons

Graphic courtesy of Wiki Commons Drake has also dominated the hip hop scene this summer. His query “Keke, do you love me?” was one of the most well-known lyrics of summer 2018. “In My Feelings," featured on Drake’s new album, “Scorpion", happens to be number one

ple became seriously injured while participating in the “In My Feelings Challenge.” The challenge has been strictly prohibited by police officials in order to prevent injuries in the future, however, people are welcome to partake in the dancing portion of it—as long as they are not near any moving vehicles.

Pop superstar Ariana Grande’s latest compilation of songs, “Sweetener," emphasizes the importance of being a woman and speaking the language of female. Her inspiring hit “God is a

Woman" reached number eight on the Billboard charts once it was released. In it, she sings about love and the significance of female power. One of the most popular songs on “Sweetener" is “No Tears Left to Cry,” which may not have made its grand debut this summer, but nevertheless spreads the message of being a strong, independent woman with a healthy and confident state of mind.

If one were to sum up the music that has been downloaded, streamed, and played this summer, a general theme would be happiness. Whether you want to feel powerful or you just need a mood-booster, the songs of summer 2018 can definitely give you that feeling.

However, I feel that no matter the season, there are always enough tracks to gigfrve you that “you can do anything” feeling and add a hopeful smile to your face.

A tribute to Aretha Franklin Gabby Barrett '19 Aretha Franklin is a voice that’s recognized worldwide, a spirit that brought smiles to faces, and a soul that changed the world. She started as a choir girl in a time of discrimination and segregation, but this hate did not stop her from rising above and giving back love. Franklin, otherwise known as the Queen of Soul, sadly passed away this August due to cancer. The world lost a queen that day, but her legacy will always be remembered.

Franklin began her career singing gospel and touring with her father.

This became the foundation of her powerful and orotund voice. While she released many songs, “Respect," released with Atlantic Records in 1967, is the most renowned.

Along with “Chain of Fools," “Think," and “I Say a Little Prayer," her songs became more than riveting and thrilling tunes: they became anthems for the feminist and civil rights movements. In an interview with NPR, Franklin explained some of the struggles she endured, such as instances when she was asked to go to the back of the restaurant and couldn’t use the bathroom. During her career, Franklin contributed money to civil rights groups and perform concerts at protests for the movement. To this day, her music and legacy is still used to express feelings of empowerment and hope.

Franklin was well-known for combining many different genres of music into her

albums. She started off singing gospel, but she eventually incorporated more types of music into her arrangements. As her career grew, she was influenced by prominent jazz figures like Duke Ellington, Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, and Billie Holiday. In 1964, Franklin released “Unforgettable: A Tribute to Dinah Washington," an album filled with snappy jazz tunes that honored the late jazz vocalist Dinah Washington. This album ignited Franklin’s career. She performed at theaters, held concerts, appeared on rock and roll TV shows, and even appeared on the cover of Time magazine.

After she performed at the 2015 Kennedy Center Honors Concert, President Obama perfectly summarized her legacy. He stated that “nobody embodies more fully the connection between the African-American spiritual, the blues, R&B, rock and roll—the way that hardship and sorrow were transformed into something full of beauty and vitality and Graphics by Chris de Santis '20/Staff hope.” She defied the stereotypes, resisted racial discrimination, and believed in the power of music. Though she has passed on, her legacy will never be forgotten. Her powerful voice and soul made an impact on this world that will hopefully be passed on from generation to generation.

Even though she is not with us anymore, she will “always be singing somewhere.”

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October 2, 2018

Sports The Merionite

Will the Eagles fly once again?

Joey Litvin ’20 There are a variety of exciting aspects regarding the Eagles upcoming football season. The Eagles ended last season as Super Bowl LII Champions in Minneapolis, MN. They defeated the New England Patriots by a score of 4133. This capped off a very special season for the Eagles, that culminated in Philadelphia’s first Super Bowl Championship.

The Eagles certainly go into this season with their fair share of concerns. The biggest concern has to do with quarterback Carson Wentz. Wentz was an MVP candidate before suffering an ACL injury in a game against the Rams last December. Nick Foles started as quarterback for the Eagles during preseason and the team’s early games. Although Foles did a great job replacing Wentz last year, his performance in the pre and early season was subpar. On September 23, the Eagles played the Indianapolis Colts and Wentz returned to the field.

Wentz is not the only player on the team beginning the season with an injury.

The Eagles’ number one receiver, Alshon Jeffery, has missed the beginning of the season and his return date is still unkown. Eagles defensive lineman, Timothy Jernigan, is yet another player who did not see the field at the beginning of the Eagles season. The Eagles deep and talented defensive line is a big reason they were successful last year. Currently Jernigan is on the teams Non-Football injury

list. Along with these injured players, the Eagles have starters who did not see the field in the preseason. Jason Peters is included in this mix. Although Peters and others may be fresher when the end of the season comes around, they may come out of the gate a little bit rusty for the first few weeks.

While there may be concerns surrounding the Eagles season, there is also a lot to be excited about. The Eagles have multiple players coming back from injury.

They also acquired defensive lineman Michael Bennett and Haloti Ngata. These acquisitions will help replace Jernigan at the beginning of the season. The Eagles had a strong first week against the Falcons in a very close game. The game, ending with an Eagles win of 18-12, turned out incredibly similar to the playoff game last year in which the Eagles defeated the Falcons 15-10. Both games ended with a goal line stand on an incomplete pass to Falcons receiver Julio Jones. Although the Eagles came out with a win, the offense, led by Foles, did not look very good for much of the game. Nonetheless, the Falcons are an elite team themselves, so the Eagles defeating them while missing many of their best players is very impressive.

The Eagles have entered this season as reigning Super Bowl champions with many players returning from injury.

Phillies: a swing and a miss Evan Peterson ’20 When we all left school last June, the Phillies were 35-31 in their season and there was hope that the team would finally return to the playoffs for the first time since 2011. As we all returned back to school, the playoff potential ended, however, the Phillies carried out their season within striking distance of that playoff spot.

Typical for young teams, the Phillies had been very up and down all summer. The Phillies, however, are the youngest team in the MLB and perhaps one of the most promising teams. At the end of July, the Phillies not only looked like serious playoff contenders, but were right in line to represent the National League in the World Series. They had a 2.5 game lead in the National League East over the Atlanta Braves, and a 5.5 game lead on the Washington Nationals. Just a few days later, the Phillies traded for Asdrúbal Cabrera (2B, SS, 3B), Wilson Ramos (C), and Aaron Loup (LHP), and recieved prospects and cash considerations to get all of these players. After all of those moves, the Phillies swept the Marlins in a four game series, and while the Marlins were not as good a team, many fans were thought that this team would easily make the playoffs.

Some national writers were thinking that Phillies’ Manager Gabe Kapler would win the National League Manager of the Year, but then things changed quickly. They lost two out of three games to both the Diamondbacks and Padres, split a two game series with the Red Sox, lost three of five games to the struggling Mets, and went on to lose two of three games to the Nationals, Blue Jays, and the Nationals yet again.

Before the August 31 waiver trade deadline (teams can still make trades via waivers after August 31, but those players would not be eligible for the playoffs), the Phillies acquired Luis Avilán and José Bautista. The Phillies then faced a critical week-

end series with the Chicago Cubs, arguably the best team in the National League.

The Phillies moved Aaron Nola’s start up day so he could face the Cubs, and after Cabrera hit a walk-off home run in the first game of the series, fans were hopeful that the Phillies were going to be able to at least win two out of three against the Cubs, and maybe even sweep them. They had Nola, their best pitcher and a National League Cy Young candidate, on the mound for Sunday’s game. Sadly, the Phillies went on to lose the remaining two games to the Cubs as Nola did not have his best day, allowing three home runs and four earned runs. The last time that Nola allowed multiple home runs in a game was on September 2, 2017, exactly one year prior.

At that time, the main question for the team was whether they could right the ship and get back in the playoffs. Unfortunatley, after a tough stretch of games against the Braves (the team the Phillies were chasing), the Phillies were set back further than before. The Phillies were relying upon their best players to perform in the final stretch, which meant Rhys Hoskins had to get hot again and Nola needed to be the ace he had been all year.

While this Phillies’ season did not end with the desired outcome, it was still a success in many ways. The Phillies hoped to be in playoff contention until the end of the season. Even though they did not fulfill that goal, they still attempted to play every game as if it were one in the playoffs. One thing the Phillies tried to do was take advantage of their regular season by utilizing their bigger bullpen with their increased rosters. This allowed Kapler to mix and match relievers given which pitcher matched up best against a certain opposing hitter. The Phillies may not have secured a playoff position, but they will hopefully use this experience to begin working on new strategy in the offseason.

Sports

October 2, 2018

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The Merionite

Down for a great season

Kicking off with new talent

Elliot Ginzburg ’21 Copy Editor

Teresa Cato ’20

his motivations and hopes for the rest of the season saying, “You are going to see a change happen from the players and the coaches. Evan Breisblatt, the new head coach, keeps us striving for victory by putting the best against the best during practice. The expectation is that we give him our all and you will see a different LM than you’ve seen in previous years.”

Bram Hollis ’19 prepares to snap the ball to quarterback Matt O’Connor ’19 during a game against Haverford. day. LM merely lost by four points although they were leading a majority of the game. Many players have high hopes and confidence that this year will be a winning season for the Bulldogs. Rookie offensive guard David Gross ’21 said he joined the football team because “it seemed like a wellrun program with coaches that knew how to get the best out of their players.”

The program that was rejuvenated with new coaches attracted players over the summer for practices and training opportunities. They spent several hours over the summer lifting, training, and watching film in order to prepare for the hopeful season ahead.

The team also participated in several camps and scrimmages where their potential looked very promising for a winning season. First string running back D’Shawn Jemison ’21 described

Much of the players’ motivation and drive comes from the numerous coaches who assist and train players to be the best at their level. When it comes to conditioning, Jemison says the Bulldogs are “the best conditioned team in the Central League, and we are confident that we can beat some Central League rivals.” When the players are not recieving assistance from the team coaches, younger players look up to their team veterans for inspiration. Jemison then said, “I look up to wide outs Jalen Goodman ’19 and Jaden Helton ’19, and outside linebacker John Trainor ’19.

They taught me that being calm and collected while keeping my head in the game is very important.” As the boys’ 2018 season continues to progress in all aspects for LM, the Bulldogs will continue to play and train hard to have a historic season.

For LM girls’ soccer, the 2017 season upperclassmen have stepped up to prowas a successful one. They pulled out big vide a strong backbone for the younger wins against schools such as Strath Ha- girls to learn from. As for our lowerven and Garnet Valley and placed third classmen, I see a lot of them stepping in the Central League, qualifying for dis- up to fit new roles on the field,” noted tricts for the first time in years. Unfor- senior midfielder Bella Peterson. tunately, the season came to an abrupt Peterson is part of the team’s unique halt after a disappointing 2-0 loss to triangle midfield that allows for complex West Chester Rustin in the first round passing combinations and optimizes of districts. In 2018, the team and Coach LM’s possession. Maya Masotti ’21 and Kevin Ries are looking to gain redemp- Isabelle Kuszyk ’19 are her counterparts tion. in the triangle, and together they form Gearing up for a more competitive a formidable wall of defense as well as season, the coaches tightened up the being huge playmakers for the forwards. fitness tests and their expectations of Peterson adds, “The freshmen are also a their players for preseason. August 13 welcome surprise, adapting well to high came quickly, and despite high tem- school soccer.” Two of the four freshperatures and rainfall, tryouts went well men have taken over starting positions and showed promise. After the teams left by last year’s seniors, showing strikwere determined, the girls continued to ing composure on the field. So far, the work on their endurance, running the team’s youth has not led to any disadmile, repeat 200-meter, or 150-meter vantages. Another important asset of the sprints almost daily. Practices ranged team is the depth of its bench; starters from two to five hours a day, six days a are able to catch their breath without too week. Drills primarily centered around much worry about the reliability of their both teamwork and team chemistry. substitutes.

Strategic shape, passing, and defending as a unit were also all emphasized in preseason training. During preseason, junior forward Aviva Kosto said: “Not only did preseason give us the opportunity to acclimate to the team’s playing style, but also to integrate the younger girls into the group. This year especially we were able to jump right into technical work instead Maya Masotti ’21 takes the ball upfield on LM’s of worrying so much home turf against Merion Mercy. about fitness.”

The team’s integration of younger Though the season is just beginning, players mentioned by Kosto was par- LM girls’ soccer shows promise to perticularly essential to the development form even better than last year. Despite of this year’s team. With only five up- their youth, they show maturity on the perclassmen, young blood holds a par- field and control the ball much more ticularly strong presence on the team. than their opponents. Goal scorers such Furthermore, over a third of the team is as Lily Elman ’19, Kosto, and Masotti new, between girls who moved up from show great talent that will prove hard JV or incoming freshmen. Despite this to defend. More than anything, LMGS is obstacle, the team is optimistic. “Our tenacious and hungry for success.

Photo courtesy of The Enchiridion

Photo courtesy of Sara Hammoudeh ’19

Tension is high in the air as the LM Football team’s aspirations rise through the first few weeks of the season. With many new freshmen loading up the roster and a strong force of veterans continuing to improve, the team is looking better than they have in years past. LM is proving to be a strong team compared to years past; the team continues to improve day by

Freshman Annika Naveen

Sophomore Cecilia Denis

Junior Joey Litvin

What sport(s) do you play?

Cross country, Swim, Track If you could be any kitchen utensil, what would you be?

An ice cream scoop Do you loop your twos and cross your sevens?

Yes, it makes me feel fancy What was the best thing you did this summer?

Learning to surf in California What is your worst pick up line?

If I was a cephalopod, all three of my hearts would beat only for you.

What sport(s) do you play?

Tennis If you could be any kitchen utensil, what would you be?

Definitely a spatula If you could change your name, what would you change it to?

I like the name Alexandra, but would only go by Alex What is your worst pick up line?

Life without you is like a broken pencil... pointless.

What sport(s) do you play?

Cross country, Track Would you rather be a giant rodent or a tiny elephant?

Tiny elephant because everyone hates rodents Do you loop your twos or cross your sevens?

No. I hate those people What is your worst pick up line?

Are you tired? Because you’ve been running through my mind all day.

Senior Isaac Brainsky

What sport(s) do you play?

Soccer

If you could travel into any time period, where would you go?

The 50s If you could change your name, what would you change it to?

Sac What is your worst pick up line?

Do you have a map?

I keep getting lost in your eyes.

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October 2, 2018

Sports The Merionite

Graphic by Chris De Santis ’20/Staff