Moorestown Friends School, Moorestown, NJ
DECEMBER 15, 2016
2016-2017, Issue 1
Head of School Van Meter Announces Retirement
By Chloe Jones ’18, Blog Editor
In This Issue GIFT GUIDE
Page 2-4
WordsWorth has you covered for everyone on your list. From the PE/Health department to the Math department, it’s all inside.
What’s CLICKIN’ ON MFSWORDSWORTH.com What’s Our Status? By Alex Horn
MFS Students and Alumni React Online to 2016 Election From Moorestown to the Big Screen By Kayleigh Schweiker
MFS Runs Commercials on TV MFS Seniors at the Polls: Some First Times During a Year of Last Times By Chloe Jones & Ali Chesnick
“While senior year is filled with nostalgic “last” experiences, it is also filled with brand new experiences; this year, numerous MFS seniors will vote in their first Presidential Election.” Field House Gym Gets a New Coat of Paint By Noah Magaziner
“The Field House Gym (FHG) had not been refurbished for many years, and with the other ongoing refurbishments, this year was a perfect time to make sure the gym stayed up to date. KEEPING THE FAITH By Chloe Jones
Checking in with MFS’s New Quaker Leadership DAN SUSSMAN Q&A By Ewan Larkin
“While the transition for new teachers can be tough for some, Sussman has seemingly slipped effortlessly into his new routine, adding his own creative spark to the MFS English Department.”
GALLERY
A rush of buzzing noise enters the Head of School’s office as middle schoolers push their way through the doors of Stokes Hall. “All the energy, just all the noise we just heard in Stokes Hall, I love that, and I’ll miss that,” said Lawrence Van Meter, Head of School. “Because in retirement I won’t be in settings where hundreds of kids of all ages are running around and enjoying their experience.” In November, Van Meter surprised the MFS community with the news of his forthcoming retirement, effective June 2018. As perhaps the most prominent figure in the MFS community for the past 15 years, this announcement shocked students and teachers alike, who were left to wrestle with the truth that all things must come and go. When Van Meter first came to Moorestown Friends, it was as a student. As an “original,” he spent 14 years at MFS, graduating with the class of ‘68. When Van Meter compared the MFS he knew as a student to the MFS today, it was clear that he is proud of the changes that have been made: “[When I was a student] it was not diverse at all. There were no students of color, and my class was mostly either Quaker or other Protestant kids and Jewish students. For the most part, there were no Catholic students and there were certainly no Hindus or Muslims.” In addition to the lesser diversity of the time, MFS was also a much smaller place: Van Meter’s graduating class consisted of just fifty students, and even that was unusually large for the time. This smaller scale meant not just fewer students, but fewer teachers, classes, and extracurricular opportunities. However, Van Meter recognized that many things have indeed stayed the same, and he said he likes it that way. “So those things were very different, but I would say that the really important things haven’t changed much, and I’m thinking particularly of the sense of community in the school, and the incredible teachers we had then and we have today,” said Van Meter. He especially noted the supportive relationships students and teachers had then, and continue to have today. Somewhat ironically, Van Meter noted that while more Quakers attended MFS during his time as a student, what he calls the “Quaker Dimension” of MFS actually feels stronger today. “[It’s] what I like to refer to as the Quaker Dimension of the school, which was sort of automatically strong back in the ‘50s and ‘60s because about a quarter of the students were Quaker,” said Van Meter. Today, only about 3% percent of MFS students are Quaker, which is typical for a modern Friends school. Yet despite this decline, Van Meter argues that the Quaker aspects of MFS education have only gotten more prominent over the past 50 years. He noted “[That is] in part because we are much more intentional about it, and we teach more about it. We take Meeting for Worship more seriously than we did when I was
a student here,” Van Meter said with a laugh. “That doesn’t mean every student today thinks Meeting for Worship is wonderful, but I would say most students respect it, and appreciate it for an important part of the life of the school.” Van Meter also reflected on coming back to MFS as an adminisrator, and not as a student. Despite the fact that the middle and upper school hadn’t changed much physically since his time as a student, there were still changes to transition to; “I hadn’t been in these halls for, at that point, around 30 years, and just being in the spaces as a middle-aged adult, was very different, “ said Van Meter. Being back in South Jersey was a transition as well, considering the area was more suburban than both what it was before and the places he had been living. “But coming back ... became, ‘It’s my home, and it’s my work,’ and I tended to reflect less on my ancient history in the school.” Referring to the “call of Moorestown Friends” in his letter to School Committee Clerk Nick Smith, Van Meter elaborated on this phenomenon. “It’s my hometown, home school, I grew up in this Friends Meeting, my sisters went to school here, my mother was on the school committee, so there were all of these pieces that collectively were a very strong draw.” Of all of his plans for his time post-MFS, Van Meter’s move out of the Head House will be one of the most interesting. Van Meter shed light on this transition, saying, “Yeah, we own an old farmhouse about 40 miles South of here. We’ve owned that for about 15 years, so it’s long been our plan to move there.” With some current repairs and renovations, the house will be ready by the time Van Meter retires. “So we’ll remain in South Jersey, but not right here in Moorestown,” he said. Considering Van Meter has the same amount of time left at MFS as current juniors, he is already facing junior-year nostalgia. “Yeah, for sure, and that’ll only become more acute as the time passes,” he said. Due to the time he’s spent with the class of 2018, such as Lower and Middle school class trips, Van Meter feels a special connection with the junior class. “I’ve known for quite some time that that would be the class I would graduate with, so yeah that’ll be pretty emotional,” said Van Meter. As for his successor, while Van Meter will not be officially involved in the search, he remains a resource for the Search Committee. He told WordsWorth, “The Search Committee needs to be able to choose the person they think is going to be the very best, and that may be somebody who is a lot like me or maybe someone who is totally different from me, and that’s fine.” And in regards to the new Head of School, Van Meter had some advice.“Two things, really,” said Van Meter. First, he urged the new Head to be receptive to new ideas, while also respecting the traditions and culture of MFS. Secondly, he stressed the importance of the MFS sense of community, pointing out this is the most special thing about MFS. “That’s a culture that
Photo by Kat Clark, Former Assistant Director of Marketing and Communications
Van Meter giving a presentation about Quaker values to 2nd Grade in 2014. needs to be, that dynamic is one that needs to be fostered, supported,” said Van Meter. “I think it’s especially important that whoever comes in here is committed to fostering the great relationships that exist in the school,” he added. And as a message to the rest of the MFS community, Van Meter hopes they support the new Head. “Make that person feel really welcome. Present to that person all that’s great about this school,” he said. Of all things in and about Moorestown Friends, Van Meter will not miss just one specific thing; rather, in his own words, he will miss the “totality” of it. “It’s the totality of all of those everyday events,” he said. Connecting this feeling to the play Our Town, one of his favorites, he expanded on this idea. “The theme of Our Town is that it’s not the special events in life. If you could look back on your life much later, in the end what’s so important is just the everyday aspects of having spent — by the time I retire I will have spent, let’s see, 17 years here as Head, and 14 years as a student, — 31 years here, on a daily basis, over a nearly 70 - year period, so that’s a lot of collective experiences.” Despite the news of his retirement, Van Meter still has a year and a half or so to appreciate the joys of the MFS community, and to enjoy the sounds of hundreds of children outside of his office.
Then and Now: Head of School’s Impact
By Andrew Rowan ’19, Multimedia Editor
Photo by Andrew Rowan ‘19, Multimedia Editor
Dodgeball Tournament Winners Brendan Filoramo (‘20), Surya Reddy (‘18), Andrew Lin (‘18), Menarsh Patel (‘18), Lawrence Miles (‘18), Alyssa Runyan (‘18) See albums from Snowball, Dodgeball, and more on
Facebook.com/MFSWordsWorth
Back in the distant year of 2001, the average price of a dozen eggs was 90¢, a gallon of gas was $1.46, and the freshman class was not even born yet. However, between then and now, one thing has remained a constant: Larry Van Meter has been Head of School at MFS. By the time of his retirement in 2018, he will have sat behind the Head of School desk for 6208 days, and in that time, MFS has changed a lot. Perhaps most importantly is Van Meter’s creation of a plan that emphasizes two twin pillars as the school’s foundation. As noted on mfriends.org, one focuses on “academic rigor” while the other focuses on “spiritual and ethical growth.” Students and parents will agree that this is one of MFS’s greatest assets.
Van Meter has also overseen major improvements to academics, extracurriculars, athletics, and even facilities. His list of accomplishments goes on and on: He added the Senior Capstone program, took part in acquiring Hartman Hall in 2012, and saw the opening of the Field House and Arts wing in 2003. Van Meter also supervised the introduction of Mandarin into the World Language department, and to this day the Chinese program remains a core part of many students’ academic experience. And as School Committee Clerk Nick Smith noted, Van Meter has seen “three Friends Schools League championships (in field hockey, baseball, and boys’ soccer), ten NJSIAA South Jersey
Photo by Andrew Rowan ‘19, Multimedia Editor & Larry Van Meter ‘68
Head of School takes the first ever selfie at the 2015 Thanksgiving Happening
championships, and four boys’ fencing NJSIAA state championships.” Yet despite all these tangible accomplishments, perhaps Van Meter’s greatest asset has been the attitude and ethos he has established from the top. His down-toearth personality, combined with his motivation for each and every student to succeed, has allowed hundreds of students to successfully learn and grow over the last sixteen years.
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Gift Guide 2016
The Gift Guide has been an MFS WordsWorth tradition for many years, but perhaps this year more than any, our staff was glad to make it. 2016 has been a difficult year for many of us students; full of national division and ideological unease, not to mention the usual (read: excessive) amount of schoolwork. But as 2016 draws to a close, WordsWorth would like to take advantage of this holiday season to remind everyone of what is truly important: each other. No matter what happens, the holidays always come. Make sure to give more than you get, and to spend the season with the ones you love. We’ll see you next year. —The Staff of MFS WordsWorth
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From The Students, To The. . .
Math Department A Drone Math teachers, have you ever wondered if your students were walking slowly to your class? Now, there’s a solution! This Holy Stone Drone can provide you with live video feed of your students on the path. The “Altitude Hold” feature allows for clear videos and images to be taken on the drone (students can be caught red-handed). Photo evidence will make it pretty difficult to lie about walking speed. Now, math teachers in Hartman Hall never have to wonder who was hustling, and who was lollygagging! Available from Amazon, $119.99
English Department Math Department
History Department
500 Pack of Index Cards
Tarantula Keeper’s Guide
Debate This! The Board Game
It is a truth universally acknowledged that an entire year of vocabulary quizzes makes students go through enough index cards to top off a landfill. Still, index cards remain the best way to memorize all that pesky vocabulary: a teacher’s supply would go a long way towards helping students to learn words other than “I forgot it was today,” and “Is this close enough for partial credit?”
Are you a teacher struggling with an unruly class? Spare the speeches for missing homework. This Tarantula Keeper’s Guide will get your class curious about your ability to handle “scary” or “freaky” animals as well as develop an appreciation for your lessons. Simply display this book prominently on your desk, and watch as they gain a newfound respect for your class and your imaginary, dangerous pet keeping skills— lest you unleash it on them. Who knows, this book might inspire you get your own tarantula, or some blood-curdling beast.
Debate This! is a board game that allows for all the history teachers to debate against each other. They will all be experts because of all the interesting games Mr. Thomson throws at his AP U.S. History students. Will be great for the holidays to gather around the Teacher lounge and battle to see who is the best debater. Could be an advantage to those teachers who have participated in Model U.N.
Available from Staples, $5.49 Available on Amazon, $9.99
BookLender Subscription
This Holy Stone Drone is easy and fun to use—and unlike the drones used by the U.S. government, it would never hurt a soul. Probably. Fly with caution. Picture courtesy of Quadcopter Arena.
Science Department
Buying books can get expensive—maybe that’s why English teachers always pick such depressing novels for students to read. But now, those teachers can read to their hearts’ content with BookLender, a service that lets you rent unlimited books and audiobooks. Renting your books saves mone and shelf space, not to mention helping the environment. And here’s the best part - no due dates! The Librarians have some serious competition on their hands. Available from booklender.com, prices vary
Available on Amazon, $12.11
Popcorn, AKA The Key to Student’s Hearts Are you finding that your students are having trouble paying attention in class? Do they look tired, or uninterested? Look no further; we’ve found the solution. For a small monthly fee, and an investment in a classroom microwave, we can guarantee that your students will never leave your room. As soon as your next class, your students will be energized and entertained, and will connect the buttery popcorn you provide with interesting lessons. Come on, people: we all need to share in Barb Kreider’s buttery legacy.
Available on Amazon, $29.99
A Sack of Yams As Head of the History Department, it is obvious that Clark Thomson goes through quite a lot of sweet potatoes: with such greats as Abra-yam Lincoln and Alexander Yam-ilton meeting their ends, the History Department definitely needs more spuds to go around.
Erasable Pens
Available at your local Farmers’ Market, 90¢ a pound (Vase and pun-tastic name not included)
Available from Target, $4.99
Erasable Pens Have students who insist on using pens on all their math tests? These erasable pens are the perfect option for those stubborn students, whose papers are constantly covered in scratch-out marks. Just substitute their old pen with a new erasable pen. Now they can have the same pen feel when writing, and you can have clean papers with the only flaws being mathematical.
Available on Amazon, $9.99
A Blood Pressure Monitor
A Microscope
The English Department is well aware of how frustrating it is when students submit their essays incorrectly. Whether it is a student forgetting to share a Google Doc, submitting a paper on myMFS the wrong way, or just turning in something filled with typos, English teachers tend to bear the brunt of the very worst of our mistakes. This handy Blood Pressure Monitor provides a quick and easy way to check how exasperated our English teachers can get. Maybe it will engender some sympathy the next time an essay is due—then again, maybe not.
Even a simple compound microscope can allow science students to unlock hidden worlds of wonder, from the intricacies of the cells in plant tissue or the movement of bacteria. It can also help students to discover even smaller things, like their class’s average grade before the curve. Available from microscope.com, $61
With a bucketful of yams, Mr. Thomson will never new ways to yam it up. Picture courtesty of Wikimedia Commons.
Available from Amazon, 19.99
Fitbit
Virtual Reality Headset
Walking back and forth from Hartman Hall to the main building everyday is a long and dreadful walk for the teachers in the Math Department. A Fitbit is the best thing a Math teacher could have. Knowing how many stairs climbed, miles trekked, and steps taken is a necessity for all Math teachers wondering how much they have walked in a day. The prices start at $49.95 and it would be perfect for any teacher wanting to calculate their walks.
As Intensive Learning demonstrates, getting outside of the classroom is a terrific way to learn, but it is not always possible. The new Samsung Gear Virtual Reality Headset may be the best way to take a field trip, without ever leaving your classroom. Forget those musty old textbooks: now you can watch Alexander Hamilton get shot in crisp, beautiful 3-D vision, blood and all. History has never been so real!
An Endless Supply of Mints and Jolly Ranchers
Available from Amazon, $99.99
Available on Fitbit.Com, $49.95 There’s no doubt that a commonality of devastation is felt among all MFS students upon walking into Head of the English Department Mrs. Galler’s room and realizing that her trusty bin of mints, Jolly Ranchers, and other assorted candies is empty. With this gift, that feeling of desperation will be eradicated and her candy bin will never run dry, projecting that jolly Christmas cheer all year long. Cooler than a Ppedometer, less pretentious than an Apple Watch. Picture courtesy of Fitbit.com
Available from candywarehouse.com, 5.5 lb bag for $27.50
This compound microscope is just the type of frustratingly oldfashioned gadget that MFS Science Teachers can really get behind. Picture courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
A Stove Pipe Hat A stove pipe top hat is a perfect prop to get students in the 19th century mood while recreating historical events. Wearing a stove pipe hat gives students a perfect air of dignity and sophistication, ideal for the chaos that is an MFS history class. Available on partycity.com, $14.99
Fruit Fly Traps X-Y Axis Stamp
It’s hard for both students and teachers to stay focused with fruit flies swarming around their heads. Swatting at the air the whole class period is hardly productive, but that problem can be fixed with these simple, non-toxic traps. Available both singly and in eight-packs, these traps also offer science students a unique—albeit unpleasant— dissection opportunity.
Everyone hates graphing, mostly because one has to draw that dreaded coordinate plane that takes so long. This stamp makes coordinate graphing a breeze. With 12 coordinates on each axis, it is sure to save time on all assignments. It’s perfect for all the math teachers and fanatics in your life! Ink pad not included. Available from Amazon, $8.04
Available from Amazon, $6.99 This obscenely large bag of jolly ranchers will sure your English Department has a sweet Christmas. Picture courtesy of Walmart.
Even Honest Abe rocked a top hat. Picture courtesy of CelestialHats.com
Gift Guide 2016
Thursday, December 15, 2016
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MFSWordsWorth.com | @MFSWordsWorth | journalism@mfriends.org
From your students, to the... TEACHERS For Ms. McFeely’s Classroom: Office Toasty Sticky Notes While Room 106 is known for its drink station, it’s always nice to have some toast to go along with your hot chocolate or tea. Feel free to spread notes on them just like jam. Toasty notes for McFeely’s office Available on Amazon, $8.99 would be the perfect addition to hot chocolate and tea.
PE & HEALTH A Thermostat Haven’t we all had Gym first period in the Field House? Isn’t it always below freezing? Well now there’s a solution! This manual thermostat gives the teacher total control over the temperature. Teachers will appreciate better performances from their students in the raised temperatures as well! Why did the thermostat go to college? To get a higher degree.
Available on Amazon, $20.88
Gym Clothes for Every Student Giving the gift of gym clothes for everyone promises full participation in every gym class! There will be no more students sitting out because they forgot the proper attire. Having uniform gym clothes also promises good grades for the whole class; and what teacher (and what student!) doesn’t want that?
GRADES For the Juniors: Senioritis The Seniors give the Juniors the gift that keeps on giving! Bad grades and missed homeworks, that is. Gift is not valid until the year of 2018. WARNING - In order to minimize damage, do not use Gift until accepted into College. Free, but believe me it is costly
For the Juniors: Stress Relief Package Junior year is known to be the most rigorous year of high school since it has the biggest impact on college and college applications. This package has everything the juniors will ever need to survive this stressful year. The stress relief pack contains snacks, candy (something sweet to lift your mood), bath bombs (to treat yourself), and candles (to relax). Available on Amazon (1, 2) & Lush, $129.85
For The Sophmores: The Inability to Pull a Rope For two years, the class of 2018 has tried to beat the class of 2017 in boys’ tug-of-war - and for two years, the Juniors have failed. In attempts to see success in Spirit Week next year, the class of 2018 gifts the sophomores the inability to pull a rope, hopefully disguised as an Airband or Jello-eating win, or maybe something a little more tangible, like a new pair of hiking boots with grip. MFS Junior boys demonstrate their gift, the “inability to pull a rope,” for Available on REI.com, $125.00 the Sophomores.
ARTS
Rock Band
The gift of MFS apparel for gym clothes will excite any student.
After a long day of practicing, why not have a little competition with your students? See who’s really the rockstar in band class! If you really want to go all out, you can get the full set complete with drums, guitar, and a microphone.
Available on MFSGear.com, prices vary
WORLD LANGUAGE Soundproof Padding Walking by the World Language rooms, most people would love some headphones because of how loud the rooms are. Instead of everyone putting headphones on, the teachers should install soundproof padding around the entire room. The padding would help everyone walking by and in the classroom. A 12 pack only cost $35 and are very easy to install. Available on Amazon, $35
Avaiable on Amazon, $152.49 Drums, part of the rock band set, will undoubtedly benefit the arts department.
Flexible Pencils Tired of students snapping and damaging your pencils? These flexible pencils are an easy solution to the problem. They can bend, twist, and even be tied into knots without breaking. Never again buy a new set of pencils every quarter, and inspire a new respect for your class supplies. Instead of spending time lecturing your class on their bad pencil breaking habits, you could spend many worry-free periods watching the flopping of your student’s pencils as they complete their work. These will also allow you to establish a new reputation as the teacher with the cool supplies. Available on Amazon, $7.99
Spotify Subscription For most MFS students, the best part of any day is listening to the unbelievably catchy World Language songs! Subscribe to Spotify to make your own foreign language playlist and keep the party going! This playlist will come in handy for class parties, as well as for when you have a song stuck in your head! Available on Spotify.com, $9.99/month
Sennheiser Wireless Headphones
Slate Art Tablet Any artist knows the irritation and difficulty that comes with creating digital art using only your finger or a stylus. The Slate Art Tablet allows you to enjoy the traditional feel of paper and pencil, while utilizing the wide range of possibilities available with digital art. Go forth and create! Available on iskn.com, $169
These slate art tablets will revolutionize MFS art classes.
Teachers in the Language Department are always having to listen to their students not-sowonderful recordings either with uncomfortable earbuds, or out in the open. With some comfortable new headphones to relieve the pain, Chinese, Spanish, or French teachers can endure the screeching pain of their student’s recordings. Available on Amazon, $129
WordsWorth Staff
Lavalier Lapel Clip on Condenser Mic for Smartphones The World Language Department will be very satisfied by improved sound quality in Google Voice and other audio recordings. Students will enjoy not having to talk into their cell phone, but can simply clip the microphone to your shirt, plug into your phone, and you are ready to record. The microphone is omnidirectional, so students won’t have to worry about background noise, and teachers will be happy not to have to listen to the background noise. Available on Amazon, $12.99
With this lapel mic, world language students and teachers will record homework with ease.
Staff Advisor Debra Galler Staf Advisor Diana Day Editor-in-Chief Alex Horn Multimedia Editor Andrew Rowan Blog Editor Chloe Jones Staff Writer Samuel Abiola Staff Writer Dyan Carilli Staff Writer Alison Chesnick Staff Writer Julia Holiday Staff Writer Yashnoor Kaur
Staff Writer Aaron Klein Staff Writer Ewan Larkin Staff Writer Noah Magaziner Staff Writer Eve Mikes Staff Writer Esha Nittoor Staff Writer Henry Powell Staff Writer Kayleigh Schweiker Staff Writer Andrew Shah