The Merionite Ardmore, PA, 19003
October 29, 2013
The official student newspaper of Lower Merion High School since 1929 www.themerionite.org Volume 85, Issue 2
Changes to Math Curriculum Raise Concerns for Freshmen
Julia Bell
Class of 2015 Each new school year brings in a new crop of eager ninth graders who will spend their first year at LM taking the classic freshman classes like African-Asian Studies and biology. This year, there is one notable difference to that schedule—the math program has bumped every freshman up one grade level in math. In the old system, math placement happened in the beginning of fifth grade. The first two tracks, grade-level and single-advanced math, were the most populated, while a few advanced students were skimmed off the top to make the double-advanced math class. These tracks, implemented at the tender age of 10 or 11, were immovable through twelfth grade, unless an ambitious student attended summer school or took two math classes in one year. The class size for most doubleadvanced classes was very small in elementary and middle schools. In fifth grade, only five to 10 kids were double-advanced, combining to make one class in middle school. There were concerns that the double-advanced track skipped over key concepts at a young age, prompting many of the once-advanced students to opt out of math in high school. The math program has been overhauled for the freshmen, who are guinea pigs for the new system. Algebra I, normally a two year class, has been condensed to one, effectively moving every incoming math student up one level of math in 8th grade. In this new system, every student will be positioned to take Calculus before they graduate high schools.
There are only a handful of students in Algebra I in high school—usually students who are behind in math and failed the course before, or who are new to the district. This new program has students learning more math, but it is not without concerns. The fears from the original double-advanced program still apply, but to a much
Photo courtesy of Galen McMullen/Staff All freshmen have been affected by the new math program, which pushes every student one grade ahead. larger group of students. Because it is the first year of the program’s existence, there is no quantitative measurement of student’s math aptitude so far. However, students and teachers have expressed concern about rushing through critical years of math foundation. Sammi Tepper, an Algebra II student, said that the material wasn’t hard, but that “everything is too fast. If we spent more time on it, nobody would be failing.” “I don’t like the way that we have to go home and watch a video and teach yourself,” said Alexandra Gordon, grade 9, in Geometry H. “I need someone to explain everything. I’ve never struggled as much in math as I have this year. I’ve failed two assignments.”
“I would rather be taught than read out of a textbook,” Madeline Ragsdale, also a Geometry H student, chimed in. Teddy Neckwoods, a ninth grader in Algebra II doesn’t seem to be struggling at all. “I think it’s fine,” he said in the hallway. “I’m ahead of a lot of people. A lot of people aren’t as good at math, I guess. They’re doing okay. Some are doing badly.” Most freshmen interviewed had a negative reaction to the math program. Many didn’t want to be listed by name or made comments that cannot be printed. Of course, the testimonials of freshmen must be taken with a grain of salt. Many students struggle
See Freshman, page 2
Core Standards adopted by Pennsylvania
Bradley Kaplan
Class of 2017
The state governor has spoken—No Child Left Behind and the PSSA’s are out, and Common Core and the Keystones are in. Pennsylvania is adopting Common Core Standards, with full implementation occurring this school year. The standards are not national standards, but all states have adopted them except Virginia, Texas, Alaska, Nebraska, and Minnesota. Core Standards are changing the emphasis of state scores, which were tracked by AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) to measure growth. There seems to be nothing different in standards of learning science and social studies, but there are five key “shifts” of Common Core in English and math. There are some changes in the new standards. Ac-
cording to the Common Core Standards presentation from the April 23 ISC meeting, Common Core places more emphasis on deeper learning and real-life application. Students will use a balance of informational and literary texts, practice close analytical reading, and practice drawing evidence from text. In mathematics, students will endeavor to learn more deeply about fewer concepts and focus on procedural skill. Mr. Grugan, LM geometry and Algebra II teacher, spoke to The Merionite about the new Common Core Standards. Mr. Grugan felt strongly about “peer collaboration and persevering through a problem” being stressed in his classrooms in the past, and he sees the Common Core Standards as being a great reminder of these ideas. Though the Common Core Standards can conflict with the requirements of Keystone exams, especially in the sense that Keystone exams assess a much larger set of specific standards,
he believes both can be addressed in the classroom. Common Core Standards also change English goals. The standards say that students should be reading more nonfiction, with high school students reading 70 percent nonfiction. Students are supposed to “depend” on text, drawing conclusions based on close reading. Similar to math classes, concepts are supposed to be analyzed very deeply. Teachers should be teaching vocabulary words that relate to each other, instead of teaching isolated words, and words that enable students to read grade level text. These changes address criticisms leveled against state tests, which had Reading sections, but often did not instruct students to read anything longer than a few paragraphs. There will be changes to how students are taught in English classes this year. Many Americans have never heard of Common Core but are wary of any federal involvement in schools in the wake of the infamous
See CORE, page 2
2
October 29, 2013
The Merionite
Gender neutral bathroom established in Main Office Bradley Kaplan
Photo courtesy of Galen McMullen/Staff A student makes use of the new gender neutral bathrooms in the Main Office.
New Core regulations
From CORE, page 1
No Child Left Behind. NCLB, which is on its march toward legislative death, was just waived in Pennsylvania. There has been criticism of Common Core by people who claim that the federal government is making another effort to “take over” the schools, even though Core is state-led and therefore optional for states. The website, nopacommoncore.com, has been set up by advocates for insular schools. The webpage has a petition that has, at the time of writing, over 3,200 signatures. Educators, parents, experts in English and math, and state leaders have developed these standards, but the federal government was not involved at all. Core is untested, but Drue Feilmeir, director of curriculum at Hempfield School District, said, “They are more rigorous, there’s an increased level of relevance, and they reflect real knowledge and skills that students need to acquire to be college—and career—ready.” Although it is only in its infancy, Common Core is already trying to avoid the pitfalls of NCLB, which placed an inordinate amount of power in standardized testing scores and quantitative results. According to NCLB, LM was labeled as a “failing district” for two years because of a slight drop in test scores, despite being among the highest in the state. The Keystones have already undermined the power of state tests, and Common Core is another step forward.
Class of 2017
Two single bathrooms in the assistant principals’ hallway are now designated as “gender neutral.” These are single-stall bathrooms that students of any gender identity can use. Mr. Hughes said that, “Originally they were restrooms for the office staff, male or female.” But, last year a group of seniors brought up the idea of designating bathrooms “gender neutral.” The seniors brought this to the table in light of other schools designating bathrooms as “gender neutral.” The bathrooms in the hallway of the assistant principals’ offices were designated gender neutral because bathrooms were already there, and adults can monitor their use—as opposed to the other bathrooms that cannot be monitored efficiently and do not need keys to unlock. Jennie Sim o n s o n , a c u r“Students don’t judge each rent junior, met with Mr. Hughes, other based on gender who decided that identity, and bathrooms gender neutral bathrooms were shouldn’t either.” n e c e s s a r y. A l l - Jennie Simonson students should feel comfortable at LM, and these bathrooms are especially important for students that don’t fit in a gender binary. As Simonson said, “Students who don’t identify as either gender, as their assigned gender” need to be comfortable at LM. Her view is, “Students don’t judge each other based on gender identity, and bathrooms shouldn’t either.” Even though the other single bathrooms are not gender neutral, there were “liability issues,” according to Hughes, because students could lock themselves in a bathroom or do something harmful without adult supervision. If you have any further questions about gender neutral bathrooms, feel free to ask your teachers. Administrators such as Mr. Hughes might have more
Revised Freshman Program From FRESHMAN, page 1 in math for all four years of high school, no matter what math program they are placed in. LM is trying to improve by trying new methods, and, until there is quantitative evidence, it is uncertain if the math program has been ineffective. Tommy Guo, a junior taking BC Calculus, believed the program was the right thing for students. “If you remember, we wasted our time in sixth and seventh grade,” he said, referring to the two years of Algebra I, which he deemed unnecessary. The program will make certain science classes that require math, like Physics A and C and AP Chemistry, easier for students.
Arthur Mitchell, LMSD Supervisor of Secondary Math, Science, Technology, and Engineering, said, “When the district looked at the trajectory, Pre-Algebra by seventh grade, Algebra by eighth, with staggered levels, we had to decide who we advanced. LM is trying to provide, and, by completing Algebra, there will be more math opportunities.” Getting to Calculus is a priority to the school. On asking if the second year of Algebra would be reinstated, Mitchell responded, “We’re always open to change. It depends on course grades, recommendations, and weighing it against outside factors like state tests.” LM made the decision to advance students in math because they felt that two years of Algebra were too slow for most students. Time will tell if everything adds up.
3
October 29, 2013
The Merionite
Effects of shutdown felt at LM
Quinn Harrigan
Class of 2015
return, He’s Medicare clients were “very Many of us heard our history teachers nice, understanding, and considerate of the talk about it, our parents talk about it, situation.” Many LM families had parents or our peers talk about it. Little snippets with positions considered essential to the of information floated in and out of po- government and they continued to work. litical conversation but did They will be paid for the anyone really explain how days they worked unpaid it has affected the people now that the government of LM? Many LM student shutdown has ended. have parents who work for But Joan’s father is one the government and were of the many who were put affected by its shutdown. at risk by the government What exactly happened to shutdown. Many schools them? in Montogmery counOne LM parent directly try rely on federal fundaffected was Senior Joan ing for certain programs, He’s father, who is employed such as immunization by Medicare. Two days prior for students and subto the shutdown, the governsides for school lunches. ment alerted the Medicare LM is lucky enough to employees of the potential not feel these affects as threat. Once the shutdown harshly. Principal Sean went into effect, Joan’s dad Hughes remarked that he was furloughed, meaning he “[hadn’t] seen much difwas promised pay when the ference” in the funding shutdown ended but told not to Art by Galen McMullen/Staff of LM. Either way, all are come to work. When Congress finally glad that the shutdown was passed the new budget, He’s father was put to an end. sent back to work and paid for the days he Things for LM parents and students have was furloughed. Joan stated that, upon his bounced back to normal, at least for now.
Rising enrollment forces expansion Rebecca Tauber
need to build new classrooms at Harriton, but there would need to be some mechaThe start of this school year marks the nism to ensure that the Harriton student beginning of LM’s fourth year in our new population would not rise above capacbuilding. However, it may not be long until ity.” Therefore, premature plans exist that some students once again attend classes involve adding temporary or permanent in what is currently the administration classrooms to the side of Harriton. These building. proposals will most likely be presented When the new buildings at LM and to the school board in November, and any Harriton were built, officials projected changes that are to take place will probably that the student bodies would even out be in effect around 2016. between the schools and fit within the As for preparing for smaller, more imbuildings’ capacities. The problem was, mediate student population growth, adhowever, that the new buildings took years ministration must get creative. They have to plan and build, and the accuracy of the been examining the building for more predictions could only extend so far into classroom space. The solution may involve the future. Therefore, although the student more teachers doubling up on classrooms, population is exactly where it was expect- or merging and converting office and ed to be in 2013, the current enrollment teacher-planning spaces in order to create increase was unmore rooms. foreseen. LMSD’s In addition to more “...although the student pop- classrooms, student population a student is expected to reach ulation is exactly where it was body increase would i t s l i m i t a t b o t h expected to be in 2013, the affect LM in other LM and Harriton ways. Principal Sean within the next few enrollment increase currently Hughes says, “With years. Experts at- o c c u r r i n g w a s u n f o re s e e n . any type of change— tribute this abrupwt we just need to be proliferation to a LMSD’s student population is p r e p a r e d . Wi t h a y o u n g e r c o m m u - expected to reach its limit at possible enrollment nity with children growth—we need and teens moving both LM and Harriton within to think about our into Lower Mecurrent facility usthe next few years.” rion Township, in age, how we will addition to the use the DAO facilsudden economic crisis, which caused ity [administration building] next door, many families to switch from private to safety issues, extra-curricular programs, public school. staffing…” More classes would certainly In order to solve the problem of limited require more teachers, which, combined classroom space, redistricting by extend- with more students, would require more ing the high school choice zones would parking spaces. In addition, a larger stumost likely be required, because the in- dent population could bring back some crease in students is projected to affect freshman sports teams we no longer have Harriton more drastically. The obvious (due to a lack of students) and result in solution would be to renovate rooms in the more participation in school activities, administration building, build a walkway not to mention more people cheering for between our current building and the old the Aces. one, and use those rooms for freshman In the 1970s and 80s, LM did have classes. President of the Board of School a sizable population of approximately Directors Melissa Gilbert states in a letter 1,700-1,800 people, and it looks like we to the community that “utilizing the [ad- are headed in that direction once again, ministration] building would preclude the for better or for worse. Class of 2016
NEWS
NEWS IN BRIEF LMSD website awarded for new design
The LMSD website recently received prestigious awards following its reconstruction late last school year. Highly respected organizations such as the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) and the Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA), awarded the new and improved website an “Award of Excellence” in the “Internet Website” category of the competition. This competition takes place to recognize websites of school districts that put out an extra effort to have outstanding communication methods. Both organizations agreed that the LMSD website has a great appearance and design, high quality content, easy navigation and usability, and appropriate use of media. This award was a great honor, especially considering that LMSD was one of only seven highschools to receive this award from NSPRA and one of only three to receive it from the PSBA.
—Jessie Epstein, ‘17
38 seniors recognized by National Merit Scholarship Program This year, the National Merit Scholarship Program has recognized 38 LM seniors for their academic achievement on the 2012 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualfying Test (PSAT/NMSQT). The PSAT/NMSQT is taken by about 1.5 million students each year nationwide. Of these students, the approximately 50,000 students with the highest overall scores gain recognition from the National Merit Scholarship Program. About 34,000 of these students receive Letters of Commendation and 16,000 of these students are semifinalists. Semifinalists continue to another round of the National Merit competition, hoping to qualify as finalists and receieve scholarship money from the corporation. Finalists will be chosen based on SAT scores, grades, leadership, extracurriculars, and any other honors recieved. Additionally, students can be National Achievement Outstanding Participants, an award that recognizes top African-American scorers on the PSAT/NMSQT. Of the 38 seniors, 25 students were Commended students, two were National Achievement Outstanding Participants, and 11 are Semifinalists. Commended students: William Buckman, Melana Dayanim, Kevin Deng, Lillian Eisner, Alison Epstein, Amanda Farah, Leo Galbraith-Paul, Leo GallagherKowit, Jack Garton, Dania Hallak, Arman Hassan, Oliver Henry, Rachel Kalner, Jacob Kane, Robert Katz, Patrick Kelly, Clare Magalaner, Max Marrone, Madeline McFarland, Joseph McGowan, Leah Ochroch, Julia Rosedale, Andrew Scolnic, Ethan Timm, and Robert Warshaw. Semifinalists: Arielle Anderer, David Bloom, William Chen, Kelly Dai, Tony Gu, Joan He, Brian Hirsh, Sarah Kerman, Jordann Schnarr, Haorui Sun, and Nancy Wu. National Achievement: Noah Blodget and Mayowa Olujohungbe. This year’s group of 38 students represents a little over 12 percent of the graduating class of 2014. This is consistent with the average percent honored in each class over the last eight years, in which a total of 508 LMSD seniors have been recognized.
—David Bloom/Maddy McFarland, ‘14
LM wins environmental award On October 24, LM was certified as a LEED “Gold facility”. LEED, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a program of the US Green Council Building and awards schools that are built with a focus on environmental health. This can include anything from innovative storm water management to energysaving light fixtures. LM utilizes these and other various green techniques to maintain the school facilities, justly surpassing bronze and silver certification, and earning the gold.
—Ma’ayan Doron,‘14
4
October 29, 2013
The Merionite
ADVERTISEMENTS
5
October, 29, 2013
The Merionite EDITORIAL Aces Nation needs renovation
EDITORIAL/LETTERS
“Aces Nation” is a seemingly harmless Facebook group that enables communication between all members of LM’s students. However, when reading a post in Aces Nation, you might feel frightened. In fact, there’s a good chance you will leave the page with a headache because the poor voice in your head is forced to scream when you read the excess of capitalized words and exclamation points. These menacing posts include, “GET UP AND COME TO THE SOCCER GAME PRONTO,” “BUY A TICKET TO THE WELCOME BACK DANCE!!!!!! THE DANCE IS THE FRIDAY FROM 7-10!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” and “WHY ISN’T THE ENTIRE SCHOOL AT HE BOYS GAME!!!!!??!!” By writing their posts in all capital letters, users aim to emphasize the importance of their message. However, because capitalized words are so overused, we’ve become desensitized to the importance of the post. Unnecessary capital letters also convey the post as angry and threatening, turning students off from attending an event rather than accumulating a fan section. “Game 10 o’clock. Wake up and go.” “Freshmen… go to the dance…” “Do your homework now and get out to the game at 7. No excuses.” If we’re “reading this” and are not on our way to the boys’ soccer game, we are wrong. If we don’t choose to spend our Friday night at the dance, we are also wrong. If we’d rather spend Saturday morning catching up on sleep than attending the football game, we are still wrong. The majority of shaming posts have solely been directed at those not attending sporting events. Posts about other activities such as buildOn and Players don’t reprimand students if they choose not to attend. For example, a buildOn post informs students of its fundraiser at Whole Foods, encouraging students to donate their spare nickels to buildOn and “spread the word to family and friends.” If a buildOn member were to write, “I hope none of you see this because you’re at our fundraiser. Donate your nickels to buildOn, no excuses” we would raise our eyebrows. However when a student tells us there are “no excuses” to not pay $5 to come to a soccer game, we don’t think twice. Aces Nation is transforming into a safe place for castigation and is losing its purpose as an informative forum. Gently encouraging students to attend events or merely informing them about events is a more productive approach to having a large turnout at games. It’s unrealistic for every student to attend every event. Students will attend an event because they genuinely want to, not because they read a hostile post in Aces Nation. It’s time for the posters to adjust their tones and realize that it’s perfectly fine for students to not want to attend every activity. Unsigned editorial on this page reflects the general opinion of student editors, not the views of individuals.
The Merionite
The official student newspaper of Lower Merion High School since 1929 245 E. Montgomery Ave. Ardmore, PA 19003 www.themerionite.org Editors-in-Chief
Ilana Nathans, ’14 Robbie Warshaw, ’14
Managing Editor
Andrew Scolnic, ‘14
News Editors
Op-Ed Editors
Features Editors
Copy Editors
Julia Bell, ‘15 Ma’ayan Doron, ’14 Maddy McFarland,’14 David Bloom, ‘14 Moriah Kofsky, ‘14 Zay Smolar, ‘15 Divya Arya, ‘15 Victoria Klevan, ‘15 Madeline Schaeffer, ‘15 Alison Epstein, ‘14 Anna Skillings, ’15
Sports Editors Durayna Freeman, ‘14 Mitchell Gladstone, ‘15 Larry Robinson, ‘14 Arts & Julia Carstens, ‘15 Entertainment Emily Morris, ‘15 Editors Photo Editor Galen McMullen, ‘14 Layout Editor Joanna Odorisio, ‘14 Web Editor Olivia Johnston, ‘16 Business Noah Ackerman, ‘14 Managers Leo Galbraith-Paul, ‘14 Advisor Mr. Chad Henneberry Business Advisor Mr. Sean Flynn
The editors believe all facts presented in the newspaper to be accurate. The paper acknowledges that mistakes are possible and welcomes questions as to accuracy. Inquiries regarding accuracy should be directed to the editors of the paper. Editors can be contacted via e-mail at merionite@gmail.com or in Room 200A. To represent all viewpoints in the school community, The Merionite welcomes all letters to the editor. Letters can be sent via e-mail or dropped off outside the Merionite office. The Merionite reserves the right to edit letters to the editor for length or clarity.
Letter to the Editor Dear LMHS Students, After reading Matt Mantell’s article “No Fear Junior Year,” I was rather disappointed. I felt as if the article focused more on the benefits of school spirit and participation than the actual challenges of junior year. If I take the time to truly reflect on junior year, I would not go so far as to say it was the worst thing ever; still, I would not count it among the best experiences of my young life. I will agree with Matt that school spirit was one of the highlights of last year. I loved walking into a school where everyone was so excited to be a part of the community. This feeling of community did not, however, lessen the pressure of being a junior. This article did not adequately deal with that, effectively writing stress off as if it were something that could be dealt with solely by participating in spirit days and attending basketball games. If I were an incoming junior, I would want an article filled with advice rather than one that glances over the challenges of junior year by telling the reader to simply “endure them.” Most people feel stressed at some point during their junior year and that stress is not as easily managed as this article would have us believe. Instead of writing off stress as something easily fixed by playing ultimate frisbee or finding another new passion, this article should have dealt with more effective methods of stress management. I speak for myself and many others when I say that junior year most definitely had its ups and its downs, and this article focused too much on the highs and too little on how to deal with the lows. Sincerely, Arielle Anderer, ‘14
6
October 29, 2013
Motivational posters — trying and failing
“The posters are obnoxiously optimistic.” -Josh Aronson, ‘15
“I don’t think the motivational posters are actually very motivational-they just take up space.” -Meredith Anderer, ‘17
“ Te a c h e r s should motivate students, not posters.” -Jonathan Avershal, ‘15
“The idea behind them is good but it’s executed very poorly.” -Aliza Schweitzer, ‘14
As we were all enjoying this summer’s bliss, our school was undergoing the installation of cutesy “motivational” posters,
uncharacteristic habitat, a rocky beach, with “Character takes courage. It requires doing what’s right, not what’s easy or popular.” You can’t help but ask yourself, “What the hell does a lion have to do with character, and why is it on a beach?” This is exactly how the students I have interviewed felt about these posters. They described them with words like “dumb” and “idiotic.” How can these be reminders of character when they aren’t taken Morgan seriously, as if they were purposefully made Perlman to be clichéd? In fact, the mockery extends to a much each individually chosen by Mr. Hughes, larger audience than just LM students. In Mr. Walsh, and a group of students to em- response to such trite posters, people have phasize the importance of character. They created parodies known as “de-motivationare unavoidably dispersed throughout al” posters. These “de-motivational” posters the school. We can’t help but notice their are memes that satirize motivational posters. protruding existence. While for some of There is even a company known as “Despair, us, these colorful creations are an exciting INC.” that specializes in manufacturing addition to the barren ivory walls, for oth- creative and thoughtful “de-motivators.” ers, myself included, they are kitschy, mass It has posters that say “Believe in Yourself culture clichés. Because The Rest of Us Think You’re an To understand why these tacky pieces are Idiot” with a picture of a kayaker maneuverineffective in accomplishing their sincere ing down intense rapids. and worthwhile purpose, it is important to The most creative and hilarious “deunderstand how and why they are here at motivational” posters don’t come from comLM. You probably have heard Mr. Hughes mercial companies at all. They come from talk about character. It is a concept that the true creative drivers: individuals with he admirably tries to instill in the student a computer, Internet, and Photoshop. They body. He often says that you might have are filled with syncretic messages that often good grades or be an awesome athlete, but incorporate cultural elements. On Google, what really matters is your character. Five many of them are overly sexualized and years ago, he took five specially selected violent, mocking the gentle, compassionate students to a leadership conference at the messages of motivational posters. University of Pennsylvania to hear a talk My personal favorite is, ironically, here about character. Unfortunately, the speaker at LM in Ms. Shusta’s room. It is titled made a recommendation to remind students “Winners” and pictures athletes holding a of the importance of character through the trophy overhead with the caption, “Because use of motivational posters. Mr. Hughes, Nothing says ‘You’re a Loser’ More than along with these students, left the confer- Owning a Motivational Poster About Being ence inspired to put these hackneyed posters a Winner.” These “de-motivational” postall over the school with the belief that they ers wouldn’t exist if motivational posters will actually make a difference in students’ weren’t, as simply put by many LM students, behavior. “stupid.” Reminders can Because the postindeed be an exers here at LM are tremely effective ineffective in acand helpful apcomplishing their proach to encoursincere purpose of aging good behavimproving characior. This is why ter, we should dismotivational postpose of these futile ers are placed in ofcreations. The only fices, job-sites, and way to have effecschools all across tive reminders is to the country. But substitute them with while their motivatexts that are accepttional intent might ed by and inspire the be good, the postLM community. To ers themselves are this end, the school flawed. should rely on the The posters are intelligent, sophistiexamples of the Art by Galen McMullen/Staff cated, and inventive clichés that are perLM student body to vasive in the mass consumerist society we create art that expresses the same messages live in today. Their sentimentality and lack about character but from students’ perspecof intellectuality makes them difficult to tives. take seriously. Many of their quotes are LM students have already shown themplatitudes, such as, “Character takes cour- selves to be active participants in improving age. It requires doing what’s right, not our school community, both socially and what’s easy or popular.” Or, “Get fit for aesthetically. Last year, students took it life: exercise good character daily.” And upon themselves to spruce up a corner on even, “Character is doing what’s right when the third floor in protest of the dull, barren nobody’s looking.” These so-called quotes walls. That endeavor should have made it simply repeat the word “character” along apparent that messages are best expressed with a few weak words in an overall weak by students, not by mass-produced posters. effort to sound motivational. We also have a whole wing dedicated to the The text, however, is the least of the visual arts where students can make their problems. The biggest issues are the quotes’ own expressive productions that can be contexts, that is, the pictures intended to enjoyed by the whole LM community. Why portray their meanings. I question why there are these students’ creations not displayed is a picture of a rainbow with the same, as evidently as the trite posters? “Character is doing what is right when Character needs to come from the stunobody is looking” quote. And I wonder dents; only then can it be understood and why there is a picture of a lion in the most appreciated by students. Class of 2015
“I like the picture of the hot-air balloon, it makes me smile when I walk into school.” -Maddy McFarland, ‘14
OPINIONS
Time to get to work
At 12:01 a.m. on October 1, the U.S. government shut down. This is because, according to law, if a budget is not passed by October 1, the government is forced to shut down. You may be wondering why bombs did not go off or why public schools didn’t close, but fortunately (or unfortunately in the case of schools), not much happens when the government shuts down. Well, not much that affects us as high school students. But if you were an investor, the shut down would discourage you from investing in the U.S. The crisis also hurt the nine million young moms who depend on the program Women, Infants and Children, or WIC, to feed their babies. Young mothers and businessmen aside, one would have trouble finding an adult who wasn’t hurt by the shut down. If you are like most people, you may be wondering how this could possibly happen, or more specifically, why Congress failed to pass a budget. A budget was not passed because, like with almost everything else that goes through Congress, Democrats and Republicans could not reach an agreement. Basically, Republicans refused to vote to pass any budget unless the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, was repealed. The Affordable Care Act, a law entitling every American to affordable health insurance, is President Obama’s signature program, or in other words, the bane of the Republican Party’s existence. Obama’s goal was to supply Americans with cheaper, better quality health insurance while lowering health care spending in the U.S. Most Republicans will do anything and everything in their power to get rid of it. Some still even call it a bill when in fact it was signed into law to reform the health care industry on March 23, 2010, and upheld by the Supreme Court on June 28, 2012. As you can probably tell, most Americans are not happy with Congress at the moment. Only ten percent approve of the job that our federal lawmakers are doing while 87 percent disapprove, the lowest rating in years. People are especially fed up with Republicans, who have a 74 percent disapproval rating. In my opinion, Republicans aren’t really against Obamacare, which was in fact created by a Republican group and first passed in Massachusetts by Governor Mitt Romney, but are against Obama himself. Ever since he stepped into office, the right has been trying desperately to get him out by fighting him every step of the way. Prior to the shutdown, Tea Party Senator Ted Cruz of Texas made a statement saying, “I hope that [Harry] Reid stops refusing to negotiate and works with the House to avoid a government shutdown, and, at the same time, prevent the enormous harms that Obamacare is inflicting on the American people.” How can Senator Cruz can criticize Harry Reid, the Senate Majority Leader, and the rest of the Democrats for not negotiating when they refuse to do the same? They refused to pass the budget just like they refused to pass important legislation on issues such as gun control, immigration, and the DREAM Act, which provides children of illegal immigrants conditional permanent residency. Democrats are angry and for good reason. Having to deal with the shenanigans of Ted Cruz and his outspoken Tea Party members can be infuriating and exhausting. Senator Chuck Schumer of New York raised a good point by discussing what it would be like if the roles were reversed. “We could do the same thing on immigration,” he said. “We believe strongly in immigration reform. We could say we’re shutting down the government, we’re not gonna raise the debt ceiling until you pass immigration reform. It would be governmental chaos.” Some people believe what the Republicans are doing is morally unjust. Former President Jimmy Carter weighed in on the issue, saying, “If you don’t want your tax dollars to help the poor—then stop saying that you want a country based on Christian values[. . .]because you don’t.” Republicans, who are mostly Christian, are going against their religion when they oppose Obamacare, which mainly helps low income citizens. I think President Carter is right. Members of Congress need to stop acting like children, and for once get something done. Class of 2016
The Merionite
Dena Behar
October 29, 2013
7
OPINIONS The Merionite Filtering the fun out of the Internet
Griffin Kao
learning tools. Just last week, my math teacher was absent, so he created and uploaded a video to YouTube, explaining a mathematical concept. Unfortunately, the math video contained material deemed too “inappropriate” by the school district filters and was blocked. Now, thanks to the YouTube filter, many of us don’t understand the concept. The filters and other precautionary software send an unproductive message—the district doesn’t trust its students. The school district demonstrates its unwillingness to put trust in the student body in matters
“...The least the district could do is trust us.” regarding the Internet, yet it feels like we can handle the daily responsibility of high school without issue. If we are working tirelessly to maintain exceptionally high academic standards, the least the district could do is trust us. The school district’s decision to install the filters and software is utterly unjustifiable. It really isn’t the school district’s job to decide what we’re exposed to and what we shouldn’t see, but rather our parents’
LM in the spotlight...again Class of 2017
Last month, an article was written on philly. com (the online version of The Philadelphia
Nina McKay Inquirer) about how controversial subject matter raised in an assembly at Merion Elementary School left many students frightened, parents unsettled, and LMSD staff concerned. LMSD had scheduled an assembly about Internet safety for each elementary school. Run by the Attorney General’s Office of Pennsylvania, Operation Safe Surf is a program designed to protect children from online sexual predators and to discourage cyber bullying. Elementary school children do need to be warned about the potential dangers of the Internet, especially given that American children on average spend more time in front of a screen than they do sleeping. But, this message needs to be delivered in a way that is sensitive to the age of the audience. My memories of being taught about Internet safety include various types of lessons, some more effective than others. Among the less effective were presentations giving the message that essentially, there are two types of things to do online: academic things and illegal things. If it’s not academic, it’s illegal, or it’s something that could lead to contact with or harassment from a criminal. Of course this isn’t the reality, and the whole message is undermined when kids start to realize that things aren’t actually so black and white. More effective presentations were delivered in a more relaxed manner. In particular I remember Psycho Drama (a group of LM and Harriton students) coming to give a presentation on online safety that left me feeling like the Internet was a wonderful resource that had to be used with caution and common sense. This past Operation Safe Surf presentation at Merion joked about being kidnapped by Al Qaeda and looking up sex offenders on the state’s online database, some of the scariest issues to discuss. Parents were upset that their young children had been introduced to sensitive issues in such
an insensitive way. One little girl, when climbing into her family’s minivan at the end of the day, looked at her mother and asked, “Did you know that there’s a website where you can look up murderers?” Her mother was understandably unsettled at her daughter’s obvious distress, saying that “Ideally, this wasn’t something [I] would’ve introduced in that way.” Following the assembly for the fourth and fifth graders at Merion, the similar assemblies planned for other elementary schools were canceled. Merion staff members had a discussion with the Operation Safe Surf representative before the presentation for the younger children and raised concerns about his style of delivering the message, and as a result, the presenter led a much more appropriate program for the younger ones about “stranger danger.” Operation Safe Surf has been well received by many schools, including Harriton. LMSD had no reason to expect inappropriate content in the presentation and did take appropriate and sensible measures after the presentation to alert parents and to see that other children were not given the same presentation. Given all of that, the angle of the author of the article on philly. com seems strange and uncalled for—like the author is trying to blame the situation on LMSD—that the same presentation wouldn’t have been a problem at other schools. Indeed, it is pointed out in the article that the presenter had been to several schools before with no prior complaints, and that the employee for Operation Safe Surf who was in charge of tweaking the program to fit the needs of Merion, had recently stopped working for Operation Safe Surf. Such a point of view is odd, considering the fact that the presenter truly did cross a line. The article closes with a mother of a young boy who did not seem to be adversely affected by the content of the presentation, saying that her son “took everything in stride and said he learned a lot from it.” It’s as if the author of the article is suggesting that only sheltered children in the LMSD were upset by the program, and that it wasn’t a problem elsewhere—that there were even a few children present at the assembly who are “mature” enough to handle the content. But I disagree with this way of looking at the situation—many parents in all kinds of different schools would not be thrilled with the idea of their children seeing this presentation. Overall, LMSD as a community did an excellent job reacting quickly to the situation, preventing further damage, and alerting families.
decision. They should be the ones to decide what we’re exposed to at this age and what we shouldn’t see. If they are concerned, parents have the option to limit laptop usage. If the school district is concerned about “Internet safety,” schools can provide information about safe procedures at the beginning of the year. At home, there really shouldn’t be a reason for the school district to control how students entertain themselves on the Internet. The school laptop filtering and precautionary software programs are pointless as they prevent, rather than further, education due to their obstructive nature. They also send a counterproductive message, highlighting the district’s lack of trust in students and its predisposition to impose oppressive measures. Most importantly, it shouldn’t be the school’s decision what students are exposed to on the Internet, but rather their parents’ decision. Despite these arguments against the filters, I understand the school district must follow procedures and laws enforced by the state and federal government, but the district is able to choose what types of filters it uses and how comprehensive they are. The district could find a new, more selective filter or modify the existing one, both of which would be a huge improvement over the currently irritating filters.
RUNning away from race Last month, LM students were deprived of an opportunity to come together and address an issue that plays a part in our daily lives: race. When I heard the district would be testing out the “One Book One Lower Merion” project, I was largely ambivalent. When I read the back cover of Run by Ann Patchett, I gained enthusiasm. A book centered on two adopted black sons living with their white politico father in the racially tense city of Boston, Run had the chance to stimulate discussion on an issue our district largely skirts. When no such discussion followed, reading Run became a waste of everyone’s time, rather than a worthwhile learning experience. Surprisingly, the writing of the novel itself, with its underdeveloped character and clichéd dialogue, wasn’t the root of my problem with Run. The novel is ridden with relatable plotlines and themes; Run is a story of family, culture, religion, mistakes, sacrifices, etc. However, when talking to most of my peers, the theme we all expected to talk about most was race. Though religion is a theme of the book, it’s only amplified when the father’s white Irish Catholic ancestry is juxtaposed with the sons’ African American heritage. Though socio-economic status (a buzzword in safe LM discussions) is one piece of the book, it’s filed under the overarching theme of race when one realizes that Boston’s distribution of wealth coincides with its (unofficially) racially segregated neighborhoods. As displeased as we all were with the style of the book, most students and faculty were happy that our district was going to bring about a discussion on a tense issue in LM. All of this went out the window the day the “discussion” took place in advisory. To facilitate what was going to be discussed instead, advisors were given premade discussion guidelines and asked to manage conversations about topics like “non-traditional family structures” and “the impact of religion on characters in Run.” One discussion question asked the students about their “cultural identity” and those of characters in the book. The word “race” was nowhere to be found in the rudimentary list of questions. The idea of race, instead, was masked behind those other similar words—culture, religion, and identity. But those words are not the same. To be clear, I’m not suggesting the classroom should discuss race for the sake of controversy. On the contrary, there have been studies that suggest it’s necessary to discuss race in order to achieve a level of comfort and, as a result, an effective learning environment. Claude M. Steele, a social psychologist and the Dean of The Graduate School for Education at Stanford University, claimed this idea in a commencement speech for Tufts University last year. He spoke of a study he did, forcing black and white college students to sit in rooms together and talk about different topics. When they talked about topics pertaining to race, such as racial profiling and stereotypes, they were able to learn from each other, draw conclusions, and become comfortable. Their body language even improved and they sat closer together. When they talked about other issues (sports, popular culture, literature), they were both distinctively uneasy and sat noticeably far apart from each other. Talking about race will make LMSD a more comfortable and enlightened learning environment. Talking about race in LMSD schools will never be an easy task. Race, just like any other trait of one’s personal identity, can make for an uncomfortable talking point. However, if we beat the initial jitters and effectively address the reasons why talking about race is so uncomfortable, our student body will learn more effectively and be more at home in the place they call home for six hours each day. Class of 2014
Class of 2016
As the summer came to an end and the new school year began, the return of the school-issued laptops seemed like one of the few bright spots in the upcoming academic year. Many returning students were excited to be able to use their laptops again, and most freshmen were thrilled to receive their new MacBook Airs. But, almost immediately after opening the laptops for the first time this year, most people noticed the school had increased the already burdensome Internet filters that clog our computers. It had placed more comprehensive filters on Google Image searches and YouTube, while also blocking additional sites. I’m sure by now, almost everyone has experienced these inconveniences and will agree that these precautions are completely unnecessary and counterintuitive to learning. The filters hurt education as they block numerous lessons incorporating YouTube videos or other online
Andy Scolnic
8
9
October 29, 2013
FEATURES
The Merionite In honor of the second movie installment of the Hunger Games triology, The Merionite polled the LM student body to find out who would win the First Annual Teacher Hunger Games. Here are the results...
ks
l
up
an
Highlights from the Games
The sun sets over the Teacher Games forest. Underneath the cool afternoon shade of the trees, a pack of physics teachers forages for food. They have hardly had anything to eat since the games started over a day ago (Their vast knowledge of point charges and circular motion turned out to be useless in the harsh, jungle environment), and they, Mr. Guay in particular, have grown hungry. Their bodies are weak, but their minds have become weaker. What was once attentiveness has now turned to anxious paranoia. They are tired, they are delirious, but most dangerous of all, they are vulnerable. The group decides to rest in a clearing, but a pair of steely, unyielding eyes is watching them from the brush. Mr. Kline approaches his unsuspecting prey slowly, but he is not careful enough with his steps. His massive legs snap a branch beneath his feet. Ms. Christman whips her head around and meets the gaze of the predatory fitness teacher.
WINNER: MR. HAGLUND
.”
“If you know Mr. Haglund at all...then clearly you agree. Enough said.” –Phoebe Rodbell ‘14
“Mr. Haglund would kill it. Literally. Good luck beating the four-time national crosscountry and track champion slash Eagle Scout to the cornucopia.” –Maddy McFarland ‘14
“I would have to say Contassot would be the guy to watch out for. His unmatched speed and endurance in running would probably give him an edge over other teachers. Not to mention his high-class fashion would probably get him sponsors and he could enjoy some nice luxuries in the arena.” –Arman Hassan ‘14 “Mr. Kaczmar for sure. I can just imagine him outsmarting the competition, climbing trees, and being ridiculously good with any weapon. Also, there is NO chance anybody can take him in hand to hand combat. Kaczmoney would defeat the competition in record time.” –Brett Katz ‘14
Headshots courtesy of The Enchiridion Photos by Galen McMullen/Staff Graphics by Joanna Odorisio/Staff
She lets out a shout: “KKKKLLLLLIIIIIINNNNEEE!!!!” and takes off running. Mr. Heller is quick to follow, with Elder and Guay in hot pursuit as Kline leaps from the bushes. Christman looks over her shoulder as she flees, pleading the two trailers to hurry. Kline’s bulging calves ripple as he makes up more ground with each thunderous step. Guay and Elder huff and puff for a few hundred yards until Mr. Guay trips over a thick root. Elder takes one glance back at the charging visage of the ruthless gym teacher and keeps on running. Christman and Heller begin to slow and look back to their fallen comrade. Mr. Guay, lying helplessly while Kline rushes in for the kill, lifts a desperate arm toward his fellow physics teachers ahead. He lets out a deep and final, “NNNNNOOOOOOOO!!!!!!” as Kline moves in. The screams stop, and a flock of birds fly out from the trees. In the distance, a cannon fires, and the games continue.
3RD PLACE: MR. KLINE
eh us 5 a ec ‘1 n b berg n y d r. L ol “M ric G –E
oo el
s ike
erm
ment members. “Get him!” shouts Ms. Sweeney, and the five teachers begin to charge Mr. Piotrowski. He panics and starts to lash out at the smaller mathematics teachers. They circle him cautiously, edging ever nearer. Mr. Feeney gets too close and is struck by one of Piotrowski’s mighty blows. Feeney collapses to the ground, dead, as the other mathematicians swarm their nearly 7-foot-tall adversary. Mr. Nyce takes out Piotrowski’s legs, and Sweeney and Defranco swoop in for the kill as his massive frame tumbles to the ground. The ruthless pair pull out their TI-84s and begin to club their victim. The violence ceases, and two cannon shots fire in the distance. The four survivors gather to celebrate their victory—the fact that they will have enough food to last them days, and that they don’t have to listen to Feeney’s jokes any more.
2ND PLACE: MR. KACZMAR
It is early in the morning during the third day of the Teacher Games. Mr. Piotrowski roams the forest majestically in the misty air of the early day. The Games haven’t been a challenge for him thus far, as he has been able to eat the fruit from the high trees with great ease. His size is an advantage, but it also means that he requires more fuel. He has woken up from his slumber with a pang of hunger, and he begins anew the search for food. He cranes his neck and spots an orange hanging from a branch in the distance. As he lumbers towards the orange tree, Mr. Piotrowski notices movement, and stops. He sees a small group of math teachers—Feeney, Sweeney, Hawkins, Nyce and Defranco—attempting to pick the fruit, which lies tantalizingly out of their collective reach. Mr. Hawkins spots the giant robotics teacher and alerts the rest of his depart-
4TH PLACE: MR. DAVIS “Mr. Bomze would have a consistent food source because of his expansive knowledge of organic lentils.” –Jeremy Horn ‘16 Shusta’s hair would act as impeccable camouflage, allowing her to blend into any environmental setting. Her invisibility would lead to her winning by default. –Cameron Pollack ‘14 “Shusta would definitely go far. She just wouldn’t be afraid to take anyone down regardless of how vicious they were. Bottom line-be afraid because Shusta certainly isn’t.” –Zay Smolar ‘15
“Mr. Davis has thrived in Liberia for the majority of his life. His survival skills are impeccable, his stealth, irrefutable, and let’s not forget his dashing quick wit. He would be extremely well-equipped for anything the Games could possibly throw at him. He’d also work the edgy outfits of the Capitol.” –Emma House ‘15
“Mr. Mays, if the word organic means anything to you. His endless arsenal of matching dress shirts and sweaters gives enough evidence that he could put together a mean camouflage if necessary. With his willingness to shut down students with a sarcastic wit, he’ll have no problem outsmarting the competition. The man is a straight contender.” –Dan Thames ‘14
“After drinking 12 cups of coffee before the games start, Ms. Sweeney will swerve through the trees with an everlasting fervor and other teachers won’t be able to catch this speed demon.” –Elyssa Clauson ‘14
“Mrs. Sweeney would kill it. No one would see her coming but she would be like Foxface and stick it out to the end with her cunningness and keen mathematical mind.” –Carly Dash ‘14
first to attack. Contassot makes short work of her with a particularly stale baguette and takes off fleeing. Rios and Gillespe start to pursue Contassot, but Capkin, a runner himself, is the only one able to keep up with the lithe Frenchman. Jean-Claude moves with confounding speed, each short step carrying him through the forest. A cannon sounds for Señora Nemoy as Capkin begins to lose ground. Just when it seems as though Contassot is sure to escape, Señor Ghodsi appears on a bicycle. He pedals vigorously in pursuit of the fleeing Frenchman, weaving in and out of the trees. The sprightly Contassot proves too agile though, and Ghodsi loses him in a thick patch of brush. Monsieur Contassot gets away, and Ghodsi, dejected, bikes back to his fellow Spanish teachers, who have begun making empanadas out of their fallen compañero. All three highlights written by Jack Garton ‘14
“Mr. Ries would have a very surprisingly positive showing. Those Lean Cuisines every day for lunch have helped to put him in stellar condition for such an event.” –Daniel Buckman ‘14
Mr. Haglund would be a notable competitor . He not only has cunning intelligence, but the man is made of steel. He gets hit by a car and hangs the car’s side mirror in his room. If that’s not Hunger Games material, what is?” –Rebecca Kremens ‘14
“Mr. Schwartz, although a darkhorse, would have a notable performance. A college athlete and keen intellectual, he would be a one man ‘schwarm,’ sweeping other contestants away.” –Tyler Robinson ‘14
“Mr. Flynn could argue his way out of any skirmish, he used to be a lawyer you know.” –Andrew Hirsh ‘14
Night has fallen upon the Teacher Games, and a full moon beams in the starry sky. A spry young French teacher of about 28 years (Yup, 28 years. Not any older. Exactly 28 years.) looks longingly up at the lights, lamenting the lack of une discotheque in the wild. Monsieur Contassot, contrary to most predictions, is still in the game after a few grueling days. Up to this point, Contassot has fought off his innate French urge to surrender, but now finds himself in a difficult situation. He knows that leaving shelter after nightfall may spell doom, but he also “as to go to ze bafroom.” Monsieur Contassot collects himself and hurries out of his miniature hut. Just as he is finishing his business, he notices a marauding pack of Spanish teachers. Señora Rios spots Monsieur and signals to her fellow profesores españoles. Nemoy, eager to kill, is the
“Henneberry - he would dress in period clothing and fight with a rifle.” –Joan He ‘14
“Mastriano would make all of the teachers question their life choices until they all just curled up in balls and waited for their imminent demise.” –Dana Handleman ‘16
“Mr. Hazel would use his art skills to camouflage himself using paint made of mud and berries.” –Gabe Lane ‘14
“Mr. Kline is the most physically capable teacher of winning the Hunger Games. His wide range of knowledge of exergaming and general fitness would propel him and his calves to victory.” –Danny Avershal ‘15
“If any teacher were to win I believe it would be Mr. Moyer. His extensive knowledge and background of chemistry would allow him to adopt a persona as Walter White 2.0. He would not stand for anything less than to be the Alpha ruling over his Empire.” –Thanasis Narliotis ‘15
“Mr. Burch would slip into the wilderness and live off the land. In 9th grade he showed my class a video of him eating leaves.” –Alex Kane ‘14
10
October 29, 2013
FEATURES
The Merionite
LM, say hola, hei, salam to our new students
The following students recently moved from another country to Lower Merion. Here is what they think of their experiences at LM.
Lars and Bredo Storli
Q: Where are you from? A (Lars): Fetsund, Norway. There were lots of fields and farming and it’s ten minutes away from the city of Lillestrøm. Q: How is your hometown different from LM? A (Lars): My hometown is a lot smaller, and the school system is better here than it is in Norway. The food is also better here. A (Bredo): Everything here is cheaper. Q: How was your school different in your hometown than LM? A (Lars): The school in Norway had an open campus and didn’t provide lunch so we had to bring it or go out to eat. School also started at 8:30 a.m. and ended at 2:50 p.m., and was a lot smaller. We only had about 350 people in our school. We also have a different grade system, which goes up to the 13th grade. A (Bredo): At LM you are more responsible for your learning and it is harder than the school at home. We also take schoolboats in Norway, instead of schoolbuses...just kidding. -Interview conducted by Kristen Mansfield, ‘15
Andres Macias Valadez
Q: Where are you from? A: I’m from right outside the center of Mexico City. I live with my mom, dad, little brother, Emilio Patricio, little sister, Lorena, and my dog, Truffa. We live in a condo with 50 other houses and there is a big field in the middle to play lots of soccer. Q: How is your hometown different from LM? A: The people at LM are more focused on school. In Mexico, people are always just trying to have fun. There are friends everywhere, in the streets, but here, the streets are empty. It’s quiet all the time and there are no noises like cars beeping and motorcycles. Also, in Mexico, when you go to a big house (which is always in a gated community), you have your ID checked. There are parties every Friday in Mexico; you’re never in your house. The food is different. We ate a lot of tacos in Mexico and we had a maid who cooked for us; here I do it myself. Q: How was school different in your hometown than LM? A: I have more fun in school there. In Mexico, everyone knew each other and the teachers liked to joke and talk about sports with you. Here, they are more uptight. At LM, some classes have students from all grades (freshman, sophomore, junior, senior), but in Mexico the grades never mixed.
Francisco Palma Q: Where are you from? A: The capital of Portugal, Lisbon. Q: How is your hometown different from LM? A: The people here are a lot kinder. They care a lot more about how you are feeling and always ask me how I am, how the soccer game was, etc. They have more interest in the soccer team and in me. Q: What is one thing you miss the most about Portugal and why? A: I miss my father because he always supports me during the good and bad moments. But I’m sure he is proud of me and so I just have to keep up my good grades and help the soccer team achieve our goals. Q: Do you think that being on the soccer team has helped you make friends and get to know more people? A: Absolutely. I’m even thinking of getting a “faux-hawk” like Sev’s to show my love for the team. Q: What do you plan on doing after soccer season? A: I haven’t really thought about it yet. We have three games and three practices per week. There’s not much time to think about anything else while I’m focusing on how I can improve soccer-wise, rest, and complete my duties as a student. However, I may join the track team or a club soccer team. Q: What are your plans for after high school? A: After high school, I want to keep studying and continue playing soccer. I hope to go to a college where I can do both things. -Interview conducted by Amanda Farah, ‘14 Bence Pocze
Q: Where are you from? A: I am from Hungary, a country located in the middle of Europe. My hometown is Győr, a small city where only 130,000 people live. Győr has a very nice historical downtown and two rivers there, which creates very nice riversides. There are beaches, lots of sportplaces, clubs, restaurants, a university, and many other places where you can spend your time. Q: How is your hometown and school different from LM? A: We spend much more time in the city where there are clubs for sports and arts. The city is safe and we often spend Friday and Saturday nights there. My school in Hungary has more students, but the building is close to half the size of LM. Everybody learns about the same stuff in the same classes. We don’t change rooms for classes, but we have 10 minute breaks when you can meet with your friends from the others class. Although you cannot meet with a lot of people like you can here, you have many more friends in the school. We have a lot of events in the school where you can meet new people.
-Interview conducted by Lily Eisner, ‘14
-Interview conducted by Galen McMullen, ‘14
Payman Mirzaer
Q: Where are you from? A: Jahanshahr, Iran. It is a big town in northern Iran. Q: How is your hometown different from LM? A: The language, the customs, everything is just really different and it’s a big change. Q: How was school different in your hometown than LM? A: The biggest change is probably that in Iran the schools are not mixed with boys and girls. Q: Did anything concern you about the move? A: No, I was very happy to leave Iran and come to the United States. -Interview conducted by Bailey Votto, ‘15
Hard core courses
The Merionite recently conducted an online survey open to all LM students in order to find out what students consider to be the most difficult classes at LM. The polls are in, and for the upperclassmen, the results are probably no surprise. What makes these courses so difficult? Were the teachers aware of the stigmas surrounding their classes? Let’s take a look at what the teachers have to say.
1. Kaczmar’s AP BC Calculus and 2. Math Analysis and Trigonometry H
the most difficult classes at LM, Ries said, “I assumed it was considered tough.” Because AP classes have a national standard that the teacher must follow, the teacher typically doesn’t have much flexibility in regards to the pace. This is why teachers like Henneberry and Ries are forced to throw so much material at their students each week. Ries puts it simply: “There is no rest for the weary.” That couldn’t be more accurate, especially in regards to the amount of homework, which can take hours. Senior Becca Zimmerman admits, “I spend more time with Neil Campbell, one of the authors of the AP Bio textbook, than any other member of the opposite sex.”
In both of these classes, there are numerous proofs, theorems, and confusing concepts to study. Evan Wolf explains, “The only grades that go into Powerschool are tests. There are no 5. Shusta’s AP Language and Composition make-ups, no do-overs.” Although many students can be apprehensive about their grades On the first day of school, Shusta warned that “there is never a night without homework” and in one of these two challenging Kaczmar classes, others are more worried about she always makes it clear that her goal is to make the “course challenging for [her] students.” It his teaching style. Aaron Li, who takes Trig Honors with Kaczmar, is dis- seems that she has succeeded thus far, especially in the cases in which students leave their English satisfied with his use of “boxes and triangles” to explain things. homework to the last minute. Junior Julia Carstens admits, “I had to rewrite a paper at 1 a.m. Furthermore, because of his expansive knowledge of mathemat- because the prompt was so confusing.” But the quantity of work is not the only factor that makes ics, Kaczmar sometimes delves deeper into a topic than a this class so challenging. The material is designed to be thought-provoking and it involves annoconfused student dares to go, which can spark even more questions. tation and complete comprehension of rhetorical devices. The comprehensive analyses required, Kaczmar is so confident that his students whether they are in the form of essays, graded discussions, or Percentage of Votes in BC Calc will succeed, that on the first projects, coupled with what students sometimes consider a difday of school, I remember him declaring that ficult grading system, are what make Shusta’s AP Language and everyone was going to get 5’s on the AP exam, and if one of Composition one of the most challenging classes at LM. us didn’t, he would track us down and come to our homes! 6. Kohne’s AP Latin But let’s be realistic—no matter how knowledgeable and Kohne believes that the source of difficulty for AP Latin is experienced Kaczmar is, the subjects he teaches are bound to derived from the College Board. She says that AP language be challenging for many LM students. courses are typically more difficult than other AP classes be-
3. Henneberry’s AP US History
Henneberry believes the “different style of learning history” is responsible for the class’s reputation. APUSH is known to be the class that keeps juniors up studying and reading their antiquated, intimidating textbooks until two in the morning. When you see a frazzled-looking eleventh grader with dark circles under his/her eyes reviewing a 20-page packet of notes, he or she is probably panicking about an upcoming APUSH test. Henneberry believes that APUSH students’ stress is due to the fact that most of his students are not used to learning such “comprehensive” history, in which “much of the learning is generated outside of class, through reading and research.” In fact, homework is expected to take between 45 and 70 minutes each night! Henneberry justifies this with the knowledge that “this is similar to how classes are in college,” so APUSH students are really ahead of the game once they “figure out time management and expectations.” Senior Andy Scolnic remembers, “It’s all about how fast your hand can write down notes in your notebook. I just remember a few days toward the end of the year he gave us the best present ever by letting us copy the notes down BEFORE he started talking as fast as he could. THAT was a gift.”
4. Ries’s AP Biology
Ries states that the difficulty is “due largely to the speed in which units are covered. I cover over a chapter a week.” When asked if he was previously aware that AP Bio is ranked among
cause AP language classes are “generally mimicking 300-level courses intended for majoring,” at college while many other AP classes at LM “are mimicking introductory 100-level courses.” Kohne admits to assigning about 45 minutes of homework each night, which for junior Gus Daly is overkill: “I just translated 30 lines of Latin and it made me sick to my stomach.” Kohne apparently “was not aware that it was considered one of the most difficult” classes. Contrary to the student opinion, Kohne does “not really think that [her] class is hard.”
7. Mastriano’s English H
In Mastriano’s sophomore English class, there are hundreds of vocabulary words to learn throughout the year, coupled with the infamous writer’s notebook, which, as I’m sure you have heard, calls for 50 full pages of a marble notebook per quarter. But what most sophomores find the most challenging is the amount of memorization required to perform the multiple Shakespearian plays scattered throughout the year. Among these students is junior Zay Smolar, whose anxiety peaked when he had to “memorize a play for Mastriano and then got graded on [his] acting ability.” For some, the emotional aspect of the class is the most taxing. Junior Abigail Goldstein says, “I’ve walked out of Mastriano’s class crying many times. And I know I’m not alone.” She definitely isn’t. Junior Emily Kirschner recalls, “One time Mastriano made me sing solo in front of the class. It was difficult not to die of embarrassment.” Photo and Graphics by Divya Arya\Staff By Emily Manin ‘15
11
October 29, 2013
FEATURES
The Merionite
COLLEGE: APPLYING AND GETTING IN
Guidance Counselors answer your questions Grant Wei: Which colleges should I apply to? Natalie Kail: When you are applying to colleges, you want to have a “good mix.” We suggest you apply to between six and eight schools. What we mean by a good mix is that you should have a majority of realistic schools. These are the schools that you have a good chance of getting into (Your GPA and SAT/ACT scores should be comparable to their requirements). You should also apply to one or two reach schools (“I really want to get in but I don’t know if I could make it”) and a couple of safety schools (“I have an excellent chance of being accepted”). GW: What do colleges look for in an application? NK: The focus is on GPA, rigor of curriculum and SAT/ ACT scores. Extra-curricular activities, essays, and recommendations enhance the application. GW: What is the difference between rolling admission and regular admission? NK: With rolling admissions, applications are processed as they are received. Regular admission schools have a specific due date and notify students by or before April 15. GW: What can you recommend to freshmen and sophomores regarding college admission? NK: It’s interesting for you to ask that because the counselors just met with freshmen to show them a video of seniors giving advice, and we are going to give the same advice. Everything from freshman year through senior year counts, so take your education seriously, work hard, continue to challenge yourself, and get involved in school activities such as sports, clubs, and community service. GW: How do I qualify for financial aid? NK: Parents and students fill out a FAFSA form that can be accessed at fafsa.ed.gov. LMSD offers evening programs where parents can get information about financial aid. You cannot apply until after January 1 of senior year and your parents’ financial status is the main focus.
GW: What are the different types of applications that I can use to apply to college? NK: Many schools (>450) use the Common Application, which is an online organization that created an application students can apply through. For colleges that are not Common App members, you will need to go to the specific college website to complete the application. GW: When does preparation for college actually begin? Marsha Rosen: What I can say is the preparation for college admissions really begins during freshman year, as students set goals, choose appropriate classes every year, and explore colleges and careers. The real push begins junior year. Junior year, in the fall, we focus on testing strategies. Beginning second semester, we meet one-on-one with students and their families, and go into classrooms with our GATE program, which goes over topics such as visits, college interviews, essays and narrowing “the list.” GW: What is the GATE program? MR: It stands for Guidance and Transition Experience. It begins during freshman year. We go into Social Studies or English classes and discuss relevant topics in each grade level. In junior year, it is a combination of GATE programs and one-on-one meeting. And during senior year, it is a combination of college visits and applications. GW: What should you expect in your junior and seniors years of high school? MR: In junior year, it is testing strategies, selecting colleges to apply to, and selecting the right fit. And in in senior year, it is narrowing the list and the actual application process. As an adjunct to all of this, we have college visits, college fairs, and evening meetings with parents covering financial aid and informational sessions on all aspects of the college admissions process with LM counselers and guest speakers. Interviews conducted by Grant Wei
Six things you may not
know about college admissions
1. Applying early decision gives you up to a 25% better chance of admission. 2. Some colleges take the time to view your social networking profiles, like Facebook and Twitter. 3. Colleges aren’t looking for well-rounded students. They look for students that excel in one particular skill– students with a passion. This way, they can build a well-rounded class. 4. Admissions committees can almost always tell if the applicant didn’t write his or her own essay. 5. You don’t need a long list of extra-curriculars and community service. Passion and commitment in a short list of activities are what colleges really want to see. 6. You don’t need recommendations from teachers who have given you A’s. You want recommendations from teachers that know you the best.
Straight from the source: insight from Swarthmore Admissions With college applications hovering over seniors’ heads as they transition into their last year of high school, many are wishfully dreaming of getting inside the head of an admissions officer. What if you were told that there is a man willing to answer all of your questions who not only was an Admissions Counselor at the prestigious Swarthmore College, but also the Assistant Dean of the college, liaison from the dean’s office to admissions, and conveniently a member of the Professional Development Committee at the National Association for College Admissions Counseling? Mouth-full huh? That’s just the beginning of the lengthy list of Cigus Vanni’s credentials. Vanni has kindly agreed to use his qualification to aid LM students with the most stressful process of their academic career thus far. To r i K l e v a n : W h i l e y o u w o r k e d i n a d - benefits students who are in the second and third quartile missions at Swarthmore College, what was the (25-75th percentile) in their class. If I read for a reasonmost important piece of a student’s application? ably selective school (not a hyper selective school such as Cigus Vanni: In this order: strength of curriculum, both Swarthmore), I can confidently expect a student at the in breadth and depth; GPA; test scores (Subject Tests are 70th percentile to succeed in my school. I cannot not as important as SAT or ACT); letters of recommenda- necessarily expect that from a student in a less tion; essay and resume are about even; interview; potential academically rigorous/achievement oriented high match with special interests of college. Also, genuineness; school. Students who are at the top of the class clarity; intellect, both broad and deep; sow their own success! self awareness with parallel self effacTK: At Swarthmore, ing facets; meaningful individuality did high scores on (not novelty for the sake of novelty); the SAT/ACT compassion/commitment; appreciation pensate for a low of mission of Swarthmore and conGPA? Or vice-versa? comitant “Swattieness” (presents as CV: Applicants with someone who would fit, grow and cona low GPA but a high tribute in a special Swarthmore way). SAT/ACT can come TK: Are students that attend a high off as slackers and school with a challenging curhave little chance of riculum, such as LM, at more of an admission. But those advantage than students that do not? with a high GPA and CV: Overall, yes—but but there are a lower SAT/ACT pros and cons. To those to whom score stand a better much is given, much is expected— chance of admisso if the LM school profile shows sion, especially if twenty-some AP courses, a post AP they’re known math class and several dozen honors Art and Graphic by Divya Arya/Staff not to be good classes, Swarthmore would expect an test takers. In eiapplicant to have taken full advantage and challenge ther case, a clear and thorough explanathemselves. The pro side is that colleges acknowledge tion can help considerably. The school LM’s reputation of producing well prepared, intellectually counselor or student can provide the information. agile and self aware candidates. Our admissions com- TK: Could you tell the difference between mittee did not have to guess whether a LM candidate we a generic teacher recommendation and a perwere considering seriously would succeed and contribute sonal one? If so, does that make a difference? to Swarthmore. The reputation and history of LM most CV: A generic teacher recommendation will repeat
information already revealed to us in the application. A personal recommendation will bring that student alive with concrete, specific and meaningful examples of intellect, performance, character, drive, etc. A personal recommendation will not endeavor to present a student as perfect but rather as a real individual with significant appeal. We would not hold it against a student if he or she did not have substantially meaningful support from his or her high school—but it does enhance an applicant’s chances if he or she were well supported and well presented. TK: What is the biggest “turnoff” that admissions sees? CV: Posers—individuals who are not genuine, who attempt to brook advantages through specious “connections,” who greatly exceed limits and who in one way or another call attention to the artificiality of their applications. TK: Do you think your responses thus far are inaccurate to students who are not looking to apply to a small, private institution such as Swarthmore? CV: Absolutely less accurate—perhaps not inaccurate…Colleges are snowflakes and each one will see something slightly different from its cohort of applicants. While general criteria will likely not differ much (e.g. strength of curriculum, grades, testing as chief quantitative measures ), each quilt that a college crafts will differ from that of another school—and may in fact differ from year to year at that school. This is not admissions trying to be coy or elusive—fact is, Swarthmore admissions never could fashion its quilt until we knew what patches we had to make up its fabric. Will Swarthmore’s criteria and order resemble that of UChicago or Haverford? Yes. Will it be the same? Probably not.
12
October 29, 2013
FEATURES
The Merionite
Spirit: then and now
#AllAboutMe
Dana Handleman
Class of 2016
This generation is in for a very rude awakening. I’m talking Kanye-West-at-theVMAs rude. See, we’re going to go into the world with the very dangerous notion that people care about everything we do and think. This idea comes from social networks, such as Facebook and, most of all, Twitter. We spew our every thought and action out into the world, waiting for that “favorite” or “retweet” or “like” that will validate whatever it is we decided that had to be said. This can be great! Our generation’s level of self-expression is far greater than that of those preceding us. Opinions are shot out with the ferocity of a Gatling, to the point where sometimes it can feel like an attack. But opinions are one thing; where we are now is another. If you were to follow the average LM student on Twitter, you would notice a pattern immediately. In a span of 20 Tweets on an individual’s account, you can expect to see some vicious (and not quite subtle) “subtweets,” a rant on how good Chipotle is, excessive use of “lol” in Tweets describing situations that aren’t funny, and a random Tweet illustrating exactly what that person is doing at that moment, be it, “eating chipotle... YUUUUM <3,” or “just got my new phone case in the mail!” or even, “LOL checking Facebook during English, so bored!” You get the picture. The point is, we’ve all unwittingly become obsessed with ourselves. We assume that every single thought that enters our head needs to be heard and appreciated by everyone. The age of filtering what you say is over. No matter how insignificant the event or thought or opinion is, you can tweet it. Send it into the world and wait for a reply. And there will be a reply, right? Because that was obviously worth tweeting, right? Perhaps the worst (or best) example of generational self-obsessive behavior is the infamous “selfie.” For anyone who has chosen to live under a rock for the past couple years, a selfie is a picture that someone takes of him or herself with his or her camera or phone. A brief history of the selfie: a practice originally reserved only for bathroom mirrors, the selfie has had a long and rich history. The duck face is a definite favorite for selfie connoisseurs, as well as the peace sign held up next to the face. In 2010, Apple revolutionized the selfie when they released the iPhone 4, complete with front-facing camera. No longer would people have to blindly hold their phones out in front of themselves and hope that it was aimed correctly when they wanted to take a selfie! This feature, while useful, opened a Pandora’s Box of selfies. But why is this important? Because the selfie is by far the most self-obsessive practice that our generation has taken up. It stems from a need to be seen as often as possible. We all have that friend whose entire Instagram and Facebook albums are devoted to selfies. And let’s not forget that in its latest edition, Oxford Dictionary added “selfie” as a recognized word. The definition reads, “a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website.” The example they provide is even better: “occasional selfies are acceptable, but posting a new picture of yourself everyday isn’t necessary.” Agreed, Oxford. All in all, one thing is clear. Self-obsession is prevalent throughout this entire generation, not just in America, but also throughout the world. The question is, must LM have to be a part of it?
Lindsay Shapiro
Class of 2015
Over the summer we walk around our houses humming, “I believe that we will win!” We resist the urge to yell, “LET’S GO ACES” during the National Anthem at summer sporting events. We cannot wait to break out maroon and white and uphold LM’s spirit tradition. The 2013-14 school year marks the first year that all students have memories solely from the new building. The old building generation has passed, and a new era is amongst us. And with this new era comes new and improved school spirit. It is a common belief that since the move, spirit and traditions have disappeared. These rumors are spread when people deny the obvious—a new, bigger spirit era has emerged. This era started around 2009 when Principal Hughes made it his mission to make school spirit bigger than ever before. More students became involved in the Dawg Pound, entire days became dedicated to spirit, and a spirit committee of students was created to encourage everyone to celebrate all things LM. Spirit has grown and will continue to grow as we make the new building homier and use it to our benefits. Since the “Kobe era,” Mrs. Mastriano believes that passion has LM fans in 1947 cheer on the bulldogs in the old gym grown in the Dawg Pound. When Kobe was at LM, she believed, “The spirit was mostly for him and the team.” Mr. Loue says the “spirit has done a 180-degree shift,” growing greater and greater every year. LM spirit is now defined as pride, involvement and excitement for all sports, clubs, and events. All this newfound spirit helped shape a new tradition: Mr. LM. This event is a male pageant that crowns a winner who is named Mr. LM based on his quintessential LM qualities. There is no other place where you can see LM’s finest parade around in short shorts and sing ballads about their love for waffles. Along with new traditions, the new era is also about bringing back old traditions, like Maroon and White day. This kind of spirit is what makes the LM atmosphere so inviting and fun. With the new era of spirit, freshmen become the biggest part of maintaining the tradition. They learn all the cheers and how to shake their booties so they can officially join the Dawg Pound. Yes, people notice if the top left corner of the Pound is the only part not cheering. Freshmen, if we want spirit in the future to continue to grow, we need you to get involved as early as possible. Spirit at LM is what makes us different. The level of spirit is dependent on the students, so let’s make this year better than ever before. New traditions are being created everyday at LM, so get involved and become a part of history. As we make the new building our home, spirit will continue to grow with every new year.
Gabby Posner
Class of 2017 Halloween is a holiday with an abundant amount of traditions. With it just around the corner, here are some helpful tips to make sure you have a fun-filled, exciting Halloween! Do: Decorate your house with luminous decorations. After all, Halloween festivities occur at night and what better way to catch a trick-or-treater’s eye than lighting up your house? Don’t: Put up Halloween decorations on October 1. You still have 30 days (and counting) left, so don’t spoil the surprise for all of your neighbors. Do: Wear the essential orange and black knee high socks along with your costume no matter what you are dressing up as. It goes with any costume, and it acts as the cherry on top of a perfect costume. Don’t: Dress up as a hipster. Nobody will know that you are dressing up and will assume you’re just in it for the free candy. Do: Hand out king-sized candy bars for trick-or-treaters. That’s what everyone wants anyway. Don’t: Give out candy corn. No one actually likes that stuff. Do: Wear face paint. You can personalize your own creative designs. Don’t: Wear excessively scary masks to the point that your friends can’t recognize you. Do: Prevent your parents from dressing up as hippies. If they happen to run into any of your friends, that would just be embarrassing. Plus, the pictures of them will haunt you forever. Don’t: Make fun of them if they decide to anyway, or at least try not to.
Do: Watch classic Disney Halloween movies like “Hocus Pocus” and “Halloweentown.” Movies like these always raise your excitment for Halloween. Don’t: Watch a horror movie that will make you never want to trickor-treat again. As great as it might seem at the time, when the movie ends at midnight, you’ll be terrified. Do: Carve a jack-o-lantern and roast the seeds inside. What better way to treat yourself after a time well spent carving a pumpkin? Don’t: Put your jack-o-lantern out too early because once squirrels discover your creation, they will demolish it. Do: Add a little fun to Halloween cupcakes by placing a plastic spider on top of each one. Don’t: Cover your house with those fake spiders—you will lose some and freak yourself out later in the year when you find them. Do: Dress up your pet(s) in a costume. Don’t: Dress your pet up as something inhumane such as a Dachshund in a hot dog bun. That’s just disturbing. Don’t do it. Do: Invest in Halloween-themed cookie cutters and bake tasty treats! Don’t: Forget to decorate them with icing when they have finished baking. Do: Have Halloween spirit! Don’t: Make a lifeless costume like a t-shirt that says, “This is my costume.” Art by Arielle Herzberg
13
October 29, 2013
The Merionite Karen Hafter- Class of 2015
ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT Aces of The Arts Thomas Hagen- Class of 2016 How are you involved in the arts at LM? I’m in Jazz Band and LM Players.
What’s your favorite arsty activity at LM? My favorite activity is definitely LM Players. It is where I spend most of my time after all.
What’s your greatest artistic srength? My greatest strength in the arts is probably the motivation to keep creating, changing, and improving. After I play a song, or write one, or develop a character in a show, I always feel the need to go back to it and rearrange my original ideas to create new ones. Nothing I make is ever final.
If you could perform anywhere, what would you do and where would it be? If I could perform anywhere, I would sing on Broadway in front of all the musical stars I’ve admired in my life. And Tom Hiddleston. Because I love him. What’s one thing you want to tell LM? Even if you don’t think you’re a good actor, audition for a show, or if that isn’t your thing join a crew. Players would love to have you! Also, crying is good for you, trust me, I do it all the time.
Photo courtesy of Sara Martone
If you could perform anywhere, where would it be? If I could perform anywhere in the world it would be on the Pyramid Stage for the entire crowd at Glastonbury, in an ethereal November snowstorm.
Need a good Halloween scare? Brett Rapkin-Citrenbaum
Class of 2015 Are you too old to trick-or-treat but not desperate enough to hand out candy with Mom? This problem is one encountered by many LM students every Halloween. What can you do that is Halloween-themed but doesn’t involve any effort? Watch a Halloween movie of course! We’ve made a guide to help you decide which movie to watch this Halloween. The first type of movie you could watch is probably predictable: scary movies. Halloween is about ghosts, goblins and ghouls, so watching scary movies is the perfect way to honor it. A movie like the 1984 version of “Nightmare on Elm Street,” a film where a mysterious man by the name of Freddy Krueger stalks children through their dreams, involves costumes, screaming, and keeps you interested the whole time! Movies like “Scream,” “Insidious,” and “Friday the 13th,” scare you so much that you can’t sleep for weeks! Finally there are the scary movies that make you think, like “Psycho,” in which a Phoenix secretary steals $40,000 from her employer’s client, goes on the run and checks into a remote motel run by a young man under the domination of his mother. Another great Halloween genre is fun movies! You know, the ones that are on Disney Channel every night at 7:30/6:30 central. These are great because watching them will bring back memories of Halloweens past. “Hocus Pocus” is about a boy, his little sister, and his crush managing to unleash ancient wicked witches on their town on Halloween’s eve. “Halloweentown” is a movie about a young witch named Marnie who is living with her supernatural family in the village of Halloweentown. “Mom’s Got a Date With a Vampire” is the story of two kids who discover that their mom’s new boyfriend is a vampire. All of these movies will be on repeat on some family-friendly station this Halloween season. The best thing to do is to get together with old friends and reminisce about your younger years. “Casper the Friendly Ghost” is the perfect family movie because it’s great for all ages and has Hillary Duff in it. Looking to watch solo? Netflix has fun Halloween movies including “Paranorman,” the story of a young boy named Norman who can see ghosts and is sent on a mission to save his town. And of course, there are the classic Halloween movies everyone must see at least once in their life. Whether you’re watching “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” for the 100th time or for the first time, you’re sure to enjoy it. Movies like “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” a Tim Burton movie in which the king of Halloweentown discovers Christmas Town, but doesn’t quite understand the concept, or “Beetle Juice,” in which a group of recently deceased ghosts enlist the services of a “bio-exorcist” in order to remove the obnoxious new owners of their house, will live with you forever due to their funny concepts and awesome lessons about the true meaning of Halloween. If you love Halloween, and you want to watch something Halloween-themed all year around, there are always the Halloween-like televisions shows. “Supernatural” is a show about two brothers, Sam and Dean, who spend their lives fighting demons and ghosts. “American Horror Story” is another great, scary show to watch year round. The series’ different characters and locations,” including a haunted house, an insane asylum and a witch coven, are sure to frighten. Similar shows include “Once Upon a Time,” in which a woman moves to a new town where people believe in fairy tales, or “Happy Town,” a show about a small town with strange things occurring ever since a new woman moved in. So whether it’s a scary, fun, or classic movie, remember this Halloween can be more than handing out candy. Scare yourself silly, recall old Halloween memories with family and friends, or just cuddle up and watch a classic Halloween movie.
Breakout student art
“Metal Hair Comb” by Junior Lauren Breslow in Advanced Metal Arts 3H
by
“Ceramic Tile Octopus” Sophomore Sam Coursen Ceramics 2
in
“Blind Contour Self-Portrait” by Sophomore Anna Benton in Art 1H
October 29, 2013
14
The Merionite
ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT
Players leaves the audience guessing
Emma Ungar
Class of 2016
The start of the school year not only brings the return of academics and athletics, but also Players—LM’s studentrun performing arts club. Junior member Jordan Askey explains that this year, “Players is doing a Fall Musical, a Winter Shakespeare, and a Spring Show.” In all productions on LM’s stage, students do all the work to put on the performance, from directing and casting, to lighting and set construction. To choose which plays to put on, a reading committee meets to discuss its options and the possibilites that come with each. This fall, the reading committee decided on a play adapted from a serial novel by Charles Dickens. Selected for its high energy, “The Mystery of Edwin Drood” will be one of Players’ most unique plays. With the setting of Victorian England, this mystery of a musical allows the supporting crews, like Costumes and Scenery, to explore its beautiful clothing and architecture. Cast member Alex Stern explains, “The combination of this play’s setting and plot makes it both light and dark at the same time, resulting in what will surely be one of the most unique performances in Players history.” “The Mystery of Edwin Drood” creates an interactive “solve it yourself” mystery for the audience. Set in a town called Cloisterham, the story focuses on John Jasper, the uncle of orphaned Edwin Drood. Jasper, Cloisterham Church’s choirmaster, has fallen in love with his pupil Rosa Bud, who happens to be the fiancée of Drood. Adding to the complications, two orphans named Neville and Helena Landless move to town, and Neville takes an immediate interest in Bud. Due to his deep affection, Neville is hostile towards Drood, creating a rocky relationship Players crew (including Karen Hafter, Jeffrey Katz, between the two men. As the plot Izzy Margulies, Dylan Dagenais, Sam Gamberg, Kate progresses, Neville and Drood attempt to repair their Eldridge, Catherine Schnarr Michael Stahler, Hana fractured relationship, and eat dinner together. After a Holquist, Thomas Hagen, and Aliza Schweitzer) tense evening between many of Cloisterham’s leading ladies and gentlemen, Drood disappears into the night, and is nowhere to be found the next morning. As Dickens died before the completion of this tale, nobody knows its true ending. The audience and the theater are left with the question of “whodunit?” With everyone as a suspect, the cast asks the audience to choose their own ending. Help LM Players solve “The Mystery of Edwin Drood.” Tickets are on sale for November 21, 22, or 23.
Players does a group run-through of the script.
Julia Bell
Senior Rob Katz stands tall at rehearsal while waiting to deliver his line in “Edwin Drood.”
Photos courtesy of Sara Martone
Freshman Etienne Kambara brandishes a drill.
Sophomore Thomas Hagen (standing) acts out a scene.
Breaking Bad: The end of an era Class of 2015
(WARNING: SPOILERS) Before its final episode, Breaking Bad solidified its position as one of the top TV dramas of all time. After an almost yearlong hiatus, the finale of Breaking Bad was anticipated by millions of viewers and critics. The suspense leading up to the finale was paramount as fans made blue rock candy, queued up Netflix, and tried meth for the first time to relate to the characters. By the time the high wore off and the finale was over, it was hard to remove the show from the hype surrounding it. One word comes to mind when thinking about the final episode: satisfaction. TV finales are notoriously difficult to write and often leave viewers disappointed or confused (see: Lost, Seinfeld, Dexter, The Sopranos, etc.). Vince Gilligan, Breaking Bad showrunner, wanted a finale that didn’t have any room for second-guessing and he delivered in the final episode, entitled “Felina.” The pace of the finale seemed to be at a stroll, which is fitting for a show famous for plots that slowly unravel over an entire season. Walter White, the show’s hero and villain, tied up loose ends before his timed demise. The two most important elements were that Walt finally succeeded in his original goal: providing for his family and finally getting justice for himself. Even though he left a tidy sum of money for Walter Jr., his son, it is clear in the finale that the justification for his crimes—his family—became the victims hit hardest. Next, and most importantly, Walter admitted that his actions were for himself. “I did it for me,” he told Skyler, his wife, in their final meeting, “I liked it. I was good at it.” Notably, he did not
apologize and never would. When Walter White makes his last stand, he has nothing to lose, so the stakes are comparatively low for a shootout. He doesn’t care about money. He is estranged from his family. His body is ravaged by cancer. For the first time, in perhaps the entire series, Walt’s singular motive is simply coldblooded revenge, or justice. In Breaking Bad, a show famous for shootouts, train heists, poisoning, bombs, and self-asphyxiation, who could predict the end of the great Heisenberg would come in the form of a ricocheting bullet? Walter White went out, not with a bang, but a whimper. His last moments were spent trundling the hallowed halls of the Nazi’s meth lab as his gunshot wound bled out. When he finally collapsed, the ‘70s tune “Baby Blue” by Badfinger played Walter Hartwell White out. “Guess I got what I deserve…” the pop artist sang as police sirens blared in the background. The song choice implies that Walt’s true love all along was not his family that he never makes amends with, but his magnum opus: the most famous blue meth in New Mexico. White had two original creations during Breaking Bad: his prodigy, Jesse Pinkman, and his infamous meth. In the end, Walter was fatally wounded, saving one and dying by the side of the other. By the end of “Felina,” Walt finally stopped lying to himself about his crimes and realized where his allegiance had been for the past two years. Maybe it’s not redemption, but at least it’s acceptance. “Felina” isn’t a whirlwind of action, but it serves as a highly fulfilling conclusion to one of the best shows on TV. While we’re all mourning the loss of our Sunday night fix, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. A spinoff called “Better Call Saul,” following the life of White’s much loved lawyer, is in the works.
15
October 29, 2013
SPORTS
The Merionite Brave Dragons show their skills
E. Goldberg/A. McKinney
Class of 2015
Last month, LM was privileged to host the Shanxi Zhongyu Brave Dragons, a professional Chinese Basketball Association. The team practiced daily at LM’s Kobe Bryant Gymnasium after school. The Brave Dragons moved to Taiyuan, China in 2006 after several unsuccessful seasons in the city of Luoyang. The team is
Photo Courtesy of Eric Goldberg McKinney (left) and Goldberg (right) pose with player Yan Pengfei (#9, center) in the KBG. known for signing former-NBA star Stephon Marbury in 2010, and currently has another highly skilled American in Arizona, standout Marcus Williams. The Brave Dragons planned to practice at Drexel University with former 76er Steve Mix; however, initial plans fell through. Luckily for the team, Doug Young, a close friend of the team’s agent and the director of LMSD’s community relations, invited the Brave Dragons to practice in the Kobe Bryant Gymnasium. I had a chance to catch up with the team’s American-born associate head coach, Drew Dunlop, who has been coaching in the Chinese Basketball Association for four years after playing Division III basketball at Wisconsin Lutheran College. Dunlop spent last season with the Guangdong Southern Tigers, but now with the Dragons, he says the team is in a rebuilding stage after losing in the finals
Freshman Simone Burde
What sports do you play? I play varsity tennis. If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be and why? If I could travel anywhere in the world, it would be London because I love the history and could watch Wimbeldon in the summer! When and why did you start playing tennis? I’ve grown through constant practice and I’ve put effort into being the best teammate possible. Who is your favorite Disney character? When I was little my favorite Disney characters were all the princesses!
to the Beijing Ducks two years ago. When I asked Coach Dunlop about the LM coaching staff, who worked with the players, he had only positive things to say. “I think it’s great! You can see why there is a culture of winning here. It’s about the details and the little things, they really focus and bring the energy out of these kids,” he explained. Dunlop also informed me that the American style of coaching is much different than that of the Chinese. “Coaching in China is very old school. It is not open to change or progression. Teams stick to one strategy or rotation throughout games and the season whether it is working or not. There is not much adjustment.” However, American basketball has a huge influence on basketball in China. “The players are constantly watching NBA games. LeBron [James], Kevin Durant, Kobe [Bryant] are huge over [in China]. Every year, the CBA is getting more progressive and following along with what’s going on here in the states. In general, basketball is a global game. You see a lot more players are who making the change over to the NBA and vice versa.” Even though basketball is a global game, the rules differ depending on where you play. There are a number of specific differences between the leagues. For example, there are no defensive three-second calls and only two non-Chinese players are allowed per-team, The Brave Dragons have gained tons of support from their local community, despite being a small-market team in the CBA. “The stadium that the Brave Dragons play in seats over 5,000 and is generally sold out, whereas most CBA stadiums seat 6,000 to 7,000.” The team Dunlop coached last season, the Guangdong Tigers, has a stadium that seats 18,000 fans and still sells out. The Brave Dragons have received press attention for their recent successes despite their overall struggles as a franchise. Jim Yardley of the New York Times wrote a book on the Brave Dragons and how they got their organization back on track. Their trip to Philadelphia was yet another step on their road to success in the Chinese Basketball Association.
Sophomore Katrina Ocampo What sports do you play? I run cross country. What is your #1 place to eat and what do you order? Jules Thin Crust Pizza, and I always order meat pizza #01. What has been the best moment of your season? I enjoyed beating Harriton during our first meet of the season. Favorite and least favorite subject? My favorite subject is English because I love reading, and my least favorite is Math.
Geoffrey Kao
“Perls” of wisdom
Class of 2015 Over the last two years, Jonathan Perlman has truly demonstrated his excellence on both the course and the track, setting multiple freshman and sophomore school cross country and track records. Perlman also maintains a myriad of District 1 records including ones for sophomore indoor track in the 800 M, 1600M (1 mile), and 3000 M. In this interview, we discuss the upcoming track season as well as Jonathan’s personal goals and aspirations. Geoffrey Kao: Jonathan, are you looking forward to the winter track season? Jon Perlman: Yes I am. Right now my main focus is finishing the cross country season strong, but I’m definitely excited to get back into track. I’m also looking for redemption after missing states for winter track by .04 seconds. GK: That must’ve been really tough.
“I think the most important part of my sport is staying mentally strong during races even through painful or hard times.” How did you cope with coming so close, and would you say it made you a better runner? JP: Well it was pretty disappointing but it was also a breakthrough in my running as it was one of my best races I had ever run. Plus, being only a sophomore at the time, I knew I had two more years to make states; I used missing out as inspiration for the upcoming spring track season. I don’t know if it necessarily made me a better runner, but it definitely made me a better competitor. Missing out on states was terrible at the time, but it was a good experience that taught me how to handle losing by such a small amount. GK: This season, how have you prepared and how has it differed from past training? JP: I have been adding more mileage than in the past, while beginning more strength training, including lifting. Typically, I run six miles per day. That’s a rough estimate, however; we gradually built up our mile-
Junior Gian-Luca Hail
What sports do you play? I play soccer. If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be and why? I would travel to South Africa so I could experience a new culture and go on a safari. When and why did you start playing soccer? I started playing soccer when I was five years old. What is your favorite Disney movie? My favorite Disney movie is Ratatouille because of its inspiring message.
age throughout the course of the summer. I especially trained much more seriously this summer than I did in the past summers. I think that is a big reason for my success this season in cross country. GK: You mentioned before that one of your personal goals going into the winter track season is to make states and avenge your omission from indoor states. Do you have any other personal goals? JP: Definitely. Considering how close I was and how I’ve been running so far during cross country, I am pretty confident I’ll make states. One goal I have is to medal there. GK: If you had to define Jonathan Perlman in one word, how would you describe him? JP: Competitive. I’d say I’m a very competitive runner. I always try as hard as I can and never give up. I think the most important part of my sport is staying mentally strong during races even through painful or hard times. My desire to win makes me the person I am as well as the runner I am. GK: You mentioned your taxing training regimen. That obviously is quite timeconsuming. In your free time, what else do you enjoy? JP: Another sport I love probably just as much as running is skiing. I have been skiing since I was about three and have been to mountains all around the country. Also I consider myself to be a pretty big sports fan—I love to watch football. GK: I know you have a non-identical twin named Morgan. Any funny twin stories? JP: When I was a kid, I always used to get hurt for trying to follow Morgan around. Once, we were biking and I followed him down a trail. I ended up tripping over a rock and breaking my shoulder. GK: (laughter) I wish I could hear Morgan’s side of the story. Well Jon, thanks for letting me interview you...do you want to leave your fans with one quote that you live by? JP: Sure... “Whatever you are, be a good one.” Abe Lincoln said that.
Senior Ari Wilen
What sports do you play? I play football and ultimate frisbee. What is your #1 place to eat and what do you order? Chipotle. I order a steak burrito with everything on it. What has been the best moment of your season? I had a great first game, scoring a long touchdown run and ending with over 150 yards. Favorite and least favorite subject? My favorite subject is English, and my least favorite is History.
16
October 29, 2013
SPORTS
The Merionite
Inside the locker room with Aces Soccer 2013
D. Baer/D. Buckman/W. Rosenbaum
Classes of 2014/2015
You probably wonder what pasta dinners are like with the Aces boys’ soccer squad... Allow me to be the first to tell you that our pasta dinners are not all “sunshine and rainbows.” They are usually a cutthroat competition to get to the host’s house to have first dibs on the ten pounds of penne and meatballs and eight gallons of Tru-Moo chocolate milk. Pasta dinners are usually the dinner before a match. Picture twenty-or-so hungry seventeenyear-old men at the end of a tough practice session. One thing is on everyone’s mind: food. So with empty stomachs and the prospect of delicious, home-cooked pasta on our minds, we race to the cars and follow the scent (sometimes miles away) of freshly prepared pasta. The pasta dinner that I will tell you about occurred at the wonderful home of junior Evan Wolf the evening before we played Harriton. This one was particularly special to me as it was the first one I drove myself to. As a driver and team member, it is considered an unspoken duty to drive players who do not have rides. I’m a team player, so I was quick to offer rides to anyone who needed one. Astonishingly, no one exactly jumped at the opportunity to be a passenger in my “slow-mobile” (as described by my sister, referring to my cautious driving not my mother’s car which boasts a 3.2 liter engine). After some begging on my part, I convinced senior Facundo FernandezDuque and sophomore Anthony Haines to come along. Things started out well with the ride. We were en route with the wind in our faces and the sweet sounds of Radio 104.5 playing in the background. Unfortunately, the ride wasn’t all smooth sailing. Our first issue occurred when we came to an intersection where I had to make a split-second decision as to whether I should stop at a yellow light. As a self-described “safe” driver and graduate of Mr. Siebert’s Driver’s Ed class, I stopped, securing last place in the race I didn’t realize I was competing in. I apologized to the guys for what I believed was an abrupt stop. I was later told that I was travelling at a speed 5 miles per hour below the speed limit. We ended up arriving a few min2013-14 VARSITY ROSTER utes after everyone else, but there was plenty of pasta left, so I didn’t think SENIORS: David Baer, Daniel Buckman, that it would be a problem. HowEli Cohen, Kevin Deng, Facundo ever, when we went to look for seats Fernandez-Duque, Jacob Fleisher, Adam Holtz, outside with the rest of the team, we Matt Mantell, Francisco Palma, discovered that there weren’t any left. Tyler Robinson So the three of us all sat down inside JUNIORS: Jordan Canter, Greg Kastein, in the Wolf’s dining room. I could tell Gian-Luca Hail, Will Rosenbaum, the situation was tense, so I decided Quinn Vagnoni, Evan Wolf to tell a joke. But as members of Mr. SOPHOMORES: Roee Baror, Anthony Hawkins’s set six and Mr. Feeney’s Haines, Max Knight-Surie, Russell Peck former set six will tell you, my jokes, COACHES: Nicholas Severini, Jorge Severini while they may make sense in my
head, rarely make sense to other people. Needless to say, neither Anthony nor Facundo even chuckled. While the guys may have been frustrated with me for getting them there a little late, we did enjoy some fantastic pasta.
On the bus...
-Will Rosembaum, ‘15
Everyone is dismissed from class and heads right for the locker room. We head outside and Coach Severini talks to the team before we get on board. This bus ride is dominated by the one and only Adam Holtz, whose speakers provide entertainment for the fifty kids on board. Every song played is met with a cringe from junior goalkeeper Will Rosenbaum.“Five minutes away, please play our regular routine!!” Will is the most superstitious kid in the state. This routine consists of Hermetico by Balkan Beat Box and Headband by B.O.B. The sign on our left reads “Harriton High School of Lower Merion;” the music is shut off and everyone gathers their thoughts. Time to steer our minds to the intense focus necessary for a 80-minute game of soccer. -Daniel Buckman, ‘15
We enter the gate into the stadium...
As we reach the turf, a few kids reach down to feel how soft it is, anticipating how the ball will bounce. A few feet away, fans line the fence. Their mouths are open, taunting us, but nobody hears them. Everyone reaches the away bench, gets their gear on in silence, and begins their individual routine of getting a feel for the ball and how it rolls on the surface. We are called in for some last words from the coaches, and then we get into our warm-up. We hit the four ladders set up in the far corner in stride. The seniors bark out instructions as tthe entire team goes through the routine in perfect unison. We glance to our left. Sure enough, the other team has basically stopped what they are doing to watch. Intimidation is a wonderful thing. The game starts off with a lot of emotion from both teams. We hear both Harriton fans and the Dawg Pound. For the Aces, the Dawg Pound is definitely the twelfth man on the field. We come out on fire and dominate the first ten minutes with multiple scoring chances. Harriton plays well defensively, but junior Gian-Luca Hail beats the Harriton goalie on a cross and scores with the only goal of the first half. The rest of the game is a battle with the Aces scoring one more time. This time, senior Adam Holtz put away another cross, which puts the Aces up 2-0. For the rest of the game, Harriton plays with three strikers, looking for a goal, but the clock runs down before they have a chance to get one. With our regular post-game celebration featuring the song “September” by Earth, Wind & Fire—apparently, Will Rosenbaum spent countless hours at home memorizing the lyrics—the Aces extended their record to 11-0. While the shutout streak continues, we are looking much better than we did at the beginning of the season. We play as a unit. Our scoring has come from many different players and our defensive standouts have been different from game to game. Coach Severini has maintained a “one game at a time” attitude, which we all follow. Thank you for your support throughout the season. -David Baer, ‘14
Photos by Juan Ferguson
Seven with Sev: an interview with Coach Severini Mitchell Gladstone: Francisco Palma has been a noteworthy addition to the team. How has his presence impacted the team and are there are any areas in which he can improve? Coach Severini: Francisco is an important player for the team. He brings a style of play from Portugal that is very Latino and has flair. He has impacted the team with his work ethic on the field and his positive personality within the group. Francisco will continue to work on adapting to the HS soccer system. MG: Will Rosenbaum deservingly got a lot of credit for the shutout streak, but watching the games in person, it is obvious that the defense had even more of an impact. What makes this back line so effective and how has the defense been able to mesh with Will to shut down the Central League? CS: Will, the defense, and our midfielders place the defensive stamp on the team. Our team as a collective unit has developed a strong chemistry and defense is a responsibility that everyone on the field has. From the flow of play to the set pieces, all players chip in. Our motto is Team Together, and we strive to have a strong unity and chemistry every day. MG: I know you are a big soccer fan yourself. Who is your favorite team/player/manager to follow? What makes them so intriguing to you based off your coaching knowledge? CS: Club wise, my favorite team by far is Boca Juniors from Argentina. All of my cousins in Argentina are Boca fans, and this is how I became a fan
when I was little. Furthermore, Maradona played CS: The future is impossible to predict. The younger players have potential, and only for them and he and Messi are my two favorite time will tell how they will develop. They will have to work hard, put the team first, and players. It is important to watch soccer from all the be dedicated on the field and in the classroom to follow in the footsteps of previous Aces leagues as a coach, because you can always pick up soccer teams. on nuances and learn from the different styles. As a soccer coach I can learn a lot from coaches of other Interview conducted by Mitchell Gladstone, ‘15 sports as well. The two coaches that have had the most influence on me are my two mentor coaches Jorge Severini and John Chaney (former Temple basketball coach). MG: What makes being a part of the Lower Merion High School community special to you? CS: Lower Merion is an absolutely fantastic school to be a part of. I believe that the importance 11/2- Football home vs. Marple Newtown, 2:30 PM everyone places on education makes it special. I also 11/9- Football away at Radnor, 2:00 PM think the students and teachers are very caring. I feel 11/23- Wrestling away at Dowingtown East, 9:00 AM excited every day when I come to school, and love 12/2- Boys Varsity Hockey at the Skatium vs. Conestoga, 8:00 PM every minute of it. I don’t feel like it is a job, I feel like 12/7- Boys Varsity Basketball home vs. Imhotep, 7:00 PM it is an honor to teach here. Me encanta LM! 12/9- Boys and Girls Swimming away at Radnor, 4:00 PM MG: This is very much a senior-laden team and it 12/9- Boys Varsity Hockey at Ice Line vs. Strath Haven, 8:45 is obvious that they all have an impact on the on-field 12/10- Boys Varsity Basketball away at Haverford, 7:30 PM product regardless of how much actual playing time 12/10- Girls Varsity Basketball home vs. Haverford, 7:00 PM they get. What do you expect from them? 12/11- Wrestling away at Radnor, 7:00 PM CS: On the field the upper classmen bring lead12/13- Girls Varsity Basketball home vs. Strath Haven, 7:00 PM ership and experience. Off the field they bring a 12/13- Boys Varsity Basketball away at Strath Haven, 7:30 PM strong positive attitude, and they have been strong role models. MG: Looking beyond your seniors, the junior Compiled by Will Rieke class is still very strong. Yet what do you see beyond just this year and next as the future for the team?
Make sure to check out these upcoming winter sports events!