The Merionite
The official student newspaper of Lower Merion High School since 1929 The official student newspaper of Lower Merion High School since www.themerionite.org Volume 87, Issue 1 September 16, 2016
Ardmore, PA, 19003
Judge finds LMSD skirted tax laws Dora Nathans ’18 News Editor
Graphic by Vanessa Roser On August 29, 2016, Montgomery County Judge Joseph A. Smyth came to a dramatic and highly unprecedented decision: LMSD has been mandated not to raise its taxes at the index it had decided on, and will possibly have to return taxes to residents at some point in the future. In February of last year, Arthur Alan Wolk Esq. filed a class action complaint about LMSD’s pattern of taxing its residents over the past seven years. Wolk’s argument was essentially that the district skirts the rules in order to acquire a large reserve of money, and that when it does spend money it is often for expenses such as two high school renovations, the laptop program, etc., which are “neither mandated nor normally part of a public education standard.” A couple months and many arguments later, Smyth issued an opinion in favor of Wolk. Wolk, who is representing himself, is a Gladwyne resident and aviation lawyer. He created Wolk Law Firm in Philadelphia, which specializes in getting reparations for plane crashes, occasionally involving settlements of more than one billion dollars. Wolk is known for his frequent law suits, such as when he sued Overlawyered.com for defamation in the early 2000s. He has also threatened to sue the blog Techdirt for its faulty (in his view) coverage of one of his suits. As the Philly.com phrased it,
“Wolk is not known to suffer detractors gladly. He is known instead to sue them.” The site went on to say that this case against LMSD is Wolk’s “first foray into education law,” and his decision to file the suit came after he read a piece by a former school board member from another district criticizing LMSD’s budgeting practices. Wolk’s argument focuses not only on money, but also on the idea of public education versus private education. Wolk believes that financing of public education should adhere to “minimum requirements established and imposed upon [a] school district by the State Board of Education.” He went on to cite the fact that LMSD offers a laptop program, many clubs, as well as classes that are not required by the State, all things he believes should be part of private education for a higher price. Thus, in addition to taking issue with how LMSD acquired its money, Wolk believes that such a high class education like that offered at LMSD should be offered only at “private institutions at larger expense to individual patrons who prefer to afford their children education and opportunities that are neither required, nor offered, nor appropriate for public education paid for by the taxpayers.” Judge Smyth’s opinion did not address any of Wolk’s claims about public versus private
Please see LAWSUIT, on page 3
A new grading scale Everyone at LM freezes slightly in anxiety when they hear the word “grades,” but this year, that anxiety should somewhat diminish as a result of LMSD’s new grading scale. In 2009, LMSD debuted a grade system that was notably different from that of most public schools. Students from other local public schools were always shocked to hear that in LMSD, a 91 was a B+. Seven years later, the district proposed a new grading system, one that aligns with the standards of other public schools. After many community meetings involving teachers, students, and parents, the new scale will be implemented this school year in LMSD’s middle and high schools. This new scale comes with some distinct changes, the most dramatic being the jump from an eight-point scale to a ten-point scale. For example, instead of an “A” being anywhere from 92 to 100, it will now be from 90 to 100. However, there will now be “plus or minus” grades for every grade letter from A to F. Now, an A+ will range from 97 to 100, and an A- will range from 90 to 92. Both an A and an A+ will result in a GPA of 5.0 out of 5.0. There will still be a
Sophie Roling ’18 Opinions Editor B+, but it will be adjusted to a lower scale: 87 to 89. These plus or minus grades will have an effect on one’s GPA, but with the addition of the “minus” grades, one’s GPA will be impacted significantly less for each point drop in the grades. To put it in perspective, a grade of 91 used to be a B+, which would make the GPA 3.3 out of 4.0 on a normal scale (or 4.3 out of 5.0 on an AP/honors/IB scale). Now, a grade of 91 will be an A-, making the GPA a 3.7 out of 4.0. The floor grade will now be a 50 as opposed to a 56. It is important to note that this system will apply only to grades beginning in the 2016-2017 school year, so students need not worry about changes to previous years’ grades. This decision to change the grading scale was far from abrupt. As LMSD is a high-achieving community, this change was a result of many meetings involving different community members including students, teachers, and parents. After the revisions in 2009, the community proposed to re-evaluate the grade system in five to seven years. The time was reached, and meetings reconvened appropriately. After conducting large amounts of research, compar-
ing LM to many other high-achieving public schools, the community came to the decision that LMSD’s grading system should be modified to reflect the grading systems of these other schools, both local and nationwide. This change will help to make LMSD more easily comparable to other schools, especially when it comes to college applications. There are positive aspects to this new grade scale, and many students are happy about the change. One large relief for students is that a grade of a ninety or a 91 feels much less disastrous, as GPA is not affected as negatively as before. Kathy Yao ’18 says, “This change is a relief because what used to be a B+ grade is now an A-, raising the GPA for those borderline grades.” In a high-stress environment like LM, the less harsh grade scale cutoff should help to reduce anxiety. Victoria Lee ’18 adds, “Many students at LM have been told for years by parents and teachers that high grades are important for our future.” With this change, Lee believes some of that stress from home will be reduced. The general consensus is that there are very few drawbacks to the new grading system.
Please see GRADE CHANGE, on page 3
NEWS
A tribute to Bridgett Hull
FEATURES
A&E
Emmy predictions Arts and Entertainment Editor Claire Ochroch ’18 predicts the winners of popular categories for the upcoming Emmy Award Show. Page 12
Guidance Counselor Dermot Anderson presents his eulogy in honor of his fellow Guidance Counselor Bridgett Hull. Page 2
SPORTS Football looks to change the game
OPINIONS
Rio Olympics Kathy Yao ’18 explains how the Rio Olympics proved to be more safe and efficient than expected. Page 6
New hires An introduction to employees joining the LM family. Page 8
Zach Simons ’18 reports on the LM football program’s aspirations for the season and the players that will get them there. Page 15