February 2024

EDITORIAL: In an

age

of mistrust, accurate reporting shines

A meta topic for this month’s editorial: student journalism.

Editorial Board

TheunsignededitorialrepresentstheopinionoftheEditorialBoard,whichconsistsofthemajorityofthestudenteditorialstafflistedonthispage.

Maybe you’ve picked up this paper for the crossword.

Maybe you were interviewed, or know someone who was.

Whatever your reasons for reading, this student paper was written for you.

It feels like now, more than ever, the news is difficult to watch.

Everything feels far away, but close enough to make you wildly uncomfortable.

This is why student journalism exists, to clarify the uncomfortable, and make it relevant to you. First and foremost, The Panther Press is written by students, about students, and for students.

eyes light up, something that you could talk about forever, something that gets your heart pounding at the mention of it.

Maybe it’s your new art project, a club you started to combat cancer, or in the case of February 13—you just really wanted to rant about how if every other school in the Central League is having a snow day, we should too.

Everyone has a story, and the job of student journalists is to find those stories and share them with others.

Every teenager is part of the future, and we should get a voice. The stories this paper writes do their best to give that voice to everyone. That’s our commitment as journalists, but also as fellow students. We give the familiarity that national news lacks.

Everyone has a story, and the job of student journalists is to find those stories and share them with others.

We tell the stories that matter to people inside and outside of Strath Haven High School. Feature stories about artists, athletes, and clubs are written because they matter to us, and that’s more than enough.

We’re not perfect, and there’s so much we don’t know about the people here. We don’t know how you hold a job while balancing your schoolwork, we don’t know about the small business you have, and we don’t know about the traditions your teammates have before a game.

We want to learn and tell those stories.

That’s why we ask so many questions— as any interviewee for our paper knows.

That’s the beauty of journalism. You discover something new every day.

Strath Haven is full of passionate people. We all have something that makes our

We love to listen. Because the more stories we get out, the easier it is to capture that passion you have and shed light on your perspective. Student journalism is a camera, and our stories are your pictures, except so much richer, because we talk to at least three sources to get as much variety of opinions as possible.

Without student journalism, those stories would be lost, and that’s simply not fair. Everyone deserves to be seen through this lens of words.

That’s why it’s so important for student journalism to stay active.

If we publish something wrong, we lose trust. We have many layers of rules to keep everything factually correct so that if our writing is questioned, we can defend it.

When we join the paper, we learn how to write for you, but we also learn how to protect each other. It’s a team sport, and we couldn’t create hundred to thousandword articles without making sure we’re supporting everyone on our staff.

A few of the first things you’ll learn about as a student journalist are two Supreme Court cases.

One: Student journalists everywhere are shielded by the Supreme Court ruling on Tinker v. Des Moines, 1969, where a student, Mary Beth Tinker, came to school wearing a black armband with her friends to protest the Vietnam War- and got suspended for it.

The court ruled in favor of Tinker, most

notably declaring, “It can hardly be argued that either students or teachers shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate.”

Two: Only a handful of years later, in 1983, a student principal removed two articles about divorce and teen pregnancy from Hazelwood East High School’s student newspaper. In that case, 1988 Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier, the students lost the battle when the court ruled that it didn’t violate the First Amendment to pull the pieces because the journalism class was an extension of the school and therefore was allowed to be regulated, according to administration guidance.

Tinker and Hazelwood almost directly contradict each other.

We walk a tightrope between Tinker and Hazelwood, uncertain of which one will win out if our story doesn’t make everyone happy, in an age where it feels like society can’t trust any side of opinion except its own.

At Strath Haven, just this past year, The Panther Press has reported on the new high school renovation plans, Pride crosswalks, menstrual products, and the homework pressure on students. After we published, often the topic we wrote about got more attention, and sometimes even tension.

We’re proud of what we write, and as Student Press Freedom Day, February 22, comes to a close, we implore you to just think about the importance of free speech when it comes to student journalism.

We want to write about topics that you, the student, care about, not just topics that the school cares about. Free speech and factual information are not exclusive, and when it comes to journalism, they’re inextricably linked.

Student journalists are taught to exercise their First Amendment rights respectfully, and for that, are the heartbeat of democracy.*

OPINION: It wasn’t a question of free speech vs. hate speech

Free speech and hate speech are not mutually exclusive, especially when it comes to antisemitism

Kaitlyn Ho ’26

Managing Editor of Web / Health and Sciences Editor

On December 5, 2023, presidents of MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn), and Harvard were the focus of a hearing led by Republican New York Representative Elise Stefanik.

They were asked about how they would respond to calls for Jewish genocide at their schools. Their answers stirred up a lot of dissent—and UPenn and Harvard’s presidents resigned soon after.

Colleges have always been viewed as the core of self-expression and free speech. Some of the greatest societal changes have emerged from colleges– especially MIT, UPenn, and Harvard, which are all known for their selectivity and resources.

Free speech is at the center of every political issue, ranging from gun control to abortion. The First Amendment protects our right to free speech, and it has always been a keystone quality of America.

However, when it comes to speech that calls for elimination of the Jewish people—or of any group or race—the answer should be clear. It shouldn’t be tolerated anywhere, even at colleges—especially at colleges, many of which are cultivating the students who will change the world.

Former president of UPenn Elizabeth McGill claimed that it depended on the context and that there would be no punishment unless someone made a specific threat to a certain person.

Even if someone is making a vague threat, there is no way of telling if they will act on it, and simply, people who believe

in genocide should not be anywhere near places that claim to be safe learning environments. That is what the presidents should have, and failed, to say.

Colleges such as MIT, UPenn, and Harvard should be held to an even higher standard than others. With higher prestige, they carry higher responsibility, because other colleges will follow in their footsteps.

While there is not always a clear line between free speech and hate speech, a call for genocide is very clearly hate speech, which is defined by the United Nations as “offensive discourse targeting a group or an individual based on inherent characteristics (such as race, religion or gender) and that may threaten social peace.”

Ask yourself: would you feel comfortable being on campus knowing that some of the students there thought that a certain group of people should be killed?

At our very lowest bar, there should be no hate speech at all in any place that considers itself the pinnacle of diversity and inclusion. This means no antisemitism, no Islamophobia, no racism, no bigotry, no homophobia– these are just a few basic rules of respect for other human beings.

Eliminating hate speech does not mean we’re eliminating free speech. It’s our responsibility as students to be a part of a world that knows that.

There is still much discourse over the UPenn and Harvard presidents’ resignations. All three of the presidents are women, with Harvard ex-president Claudine Gay being Black as well.

About

The Panther Press is the student-run publication of Strath Haven High School in Wallingford, PA. The Panther Press publishes 500 copies bimonthly in print and is distributed to classrooms and students at Strath Haven High School. The publication is also online at www. shpantherpress.com

The Panther Press is first and foremost a reflection of the opinions and interests of the student body. For this reason, we do not publish any anonymous or teacher-written submissions, and we do not discriminate against any ideology or political opinion. While we are bound by school policy (and funding) and we will not render any article neutral, although individual points may be edited for obscene or inflammatory content. Finally, the articles published in The Panther Press do not necessarily reflect the views of the editors or advisers.

Submissions

All Strath Haven students are welcome to learn the basics of journalism and become contributors to The Panther Press. Our 2023-2024 Google Classroom code is rhupbc. Interested students should join the page to learn about upcoming meetings and training sessions.

Letters to the editor are encouraged. Any reader may submit a letter to the editor via email to strathhavenpantherpress@gmail.com. Anonymous letters will not be published. Editors reserve the right to contact letter writers or edit submissions for reasons of space or clarity.

Our staff also welcomes feedback in the comments section of The Panther Press online or via our social media. Each comment is subject to review by a student editor with support from the adviser. Online commenters on our website must have a verified email address, and comments are reviewed for defamation, profanity, obscenity, libel, and invasion of privacy. Not all comments are published.

Bylines

All contributors are listed in the bylines of stories that appear in print and online. Photography, graphics, art, illustrations, and other creative work will be given attribution. Unsigned editorials, when published, feature the byline of the Editorial Board

Social Media

The Panther Press maintains social media accounts on Twitter (@shpantherpress) and Instagram (@shpantherpress). The editors-inchief and social media editor manage the social media accounts in consultation with the adviser. We encourage community members to follow us on social media for online posting and discussion of student news.

Our staff members do their best to ensure that social media content is accurate and verified. Any inaccurate information will be corrected with corrections acknowledged.

Social media participants should remember that anything posted in response to The Panther Press social media is public and reflects on our publication, our school, and the poster. Social media replies and comments will be screened for defamation, profanity, or libel.

Advertising

Print and online advertising is at the discretion of our editors. The Panther Press reserves the right to refuse advertising deemed inappropriate for high school publication or not addressed to our audience of student readers.

2023-2024 Editorial Staff

Editors in Chief

Sasha Binder ’24

Evelynn Lin ’25

Managing Editor, Web

Kaitlyn Ho ’26

Managing Editor, Print

Matteo Ventresca ’25

Social Media Editor

Matthew Ramirez ’26

Haven Happenings

Editor

Evie Fernandez ’27

Sports Editor Jillian Thomas ’24

Health & Sciences

Editor Kaitlyn Ho ’26

Detours Editor Luci DiBonaventura ’25

Schoology sparks students and staff discussion

With the new semester started, Schoology is now our school’s learning management system.

Advaya Singh ’27 Reporter

As any first day of a new semester goes, excitement, tiredness, and boredom filled the school in January. We learn our teachers’ and classmates’ names and interests. We learn classroom rules and maybe play awkward introduction games.

feels less efficient.

“I don’t like how confusing it is, and it also just seems like it is a really old website,” junior Snehal Pandey said.

Pandey said that the interface even encourages her to put off homework because it is not Google Classroom.

Unite for Her Volleyball event wins support for cancer charity

Club organized volleyball tournament to raise money for the larger organization.

Madalyn Posternack ’26 Contributor

This time around, we also had to learn a whole new learning system.

Schoology launched for all students at the start of the spring semester. Some teachers in a pilot group used Schoology in the fall semester, but now all teachers

With Schoology, after logging in, you are greeted with a customizable dashboard displaying relevant updates, announcements, and course information. The next thing you will see are the courses. Courses serve as the primary organizational unit within Schoology. Teachers can create courses, add students, and manage course materials.

On the top bar, you will find the Calendar. The calendar feature displays upcoming assignments, events, and deadlines. Teachers can create course materials, including assignments, quizzes, discussions, and multimedia content. They can organize course content into folders and modules for easy navigation.

Assignments can be graded within Schoology, and feedback can be provided to students. Schoology offers various communication tools, including announcements, messages, and discussions.

Another feature is that Schoology integrates with third-party tools and platforms, including Google Drive, Microsoft Office 365, Kami, and Turnitin. High school students previously used Google Classroom before the midyear Schoology launch. According to the district’s Tech Resource Center website, Schoology should provide more interaction with teachers, students and their families.

According to the WSSD Educational Affairs Committee meeting on January 17, all teachers need to be prepared by the start of the fourth quarter to fully utilize Schoology. Google Classroom will no longer be available to students as of July 1, but teachers will be able to resource their materials created in Classroom through July 1, 2025.

Despite Schoology’s features, students have expressed problems with adapting to the new learning management system.

“The navigation is way different, and it’s kind of harder to understand. My teachers don’t get it, I kind of don’t get it. My classmates don’t get it, even worse,” freshman Brendan Godo said.

Some students have noted that the new platform

The Guardian wrote an article on the possibility of racism and sexism at play. It quoted Janai Nelson, the president and directcounsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. She wrote on X, “Attacks against Claudine Gay have been unrelenting & the biases unmasked. Her resignation on the heels of [UPenn president] Liz Magill’s set dangerous precedent in the academy for political witch hunts. The project isn’t to thwart hate but to foment it thru vicious takedowns. This protects no one.”

The Guardian further quoted other leaders combating racism, citing Ibram X. Kendi, the founder of the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research, who wrote: ‘Racist mobs won’t stop until they topple all Black people from positions of power and influence who are not reinforcing the structure of racism. What these racist mobs are doing should be obvious to any reporter who cares about truth or justice as opposed to conflicts and clicks.’”

Even the grounds of the hearing itself, which is speculated to be an attack on free speech at

“I dislike it, honestly, it’s kind of more confusing,” freshman Zach Chandler said.

Some teachers like English Teacher Ms. Reagan Lattari are also struggling to adapt to the changes. Along with the rest of the ninth grade English teachers, Lattari is using Google Classroom for her year-long freshman classes. She has transitioned to Schoology for her second semester Creative Writing Class.

“I haven’t really found anything that I’ve been like, ‘Wow!’, or that it is so much better than Google Classroom. It’s brand new to us, and the timing of the rollout was kind of stressful with the switching of the semesters,” Lattari said. “I can only imagine how semester-based teachers felt.” Godo notes the switch felt inconvenient and poorly timed.

“It’s just such a sudden change and in the middle of the school year, too,” Godo said. “They couldn’t have just introduced it at the beginning or the end of the school year. Just straight up in the middle kind of makes everything a little bit more difficult.”

The reason for this change is that Google Classroom is not a true learning management system. According to the WSSD Educational Affairs Meeting presentation on February 1, 2023, a learning management system simplifies teaching and learning by organizing content in a central location, enabling teachers, administrators, students, and families to have access to up-to-date information.

According to Lattari, this benefits the parents and administrators, because parents can more easily access grades and assignments as compared to Google Classroom. WSSD has posted parent and student instructional videos that demonstrate the platform’s features.

“I think for teachers and students, we aren’t going to see any of the benefits that Google Classroom didn’t already serve,” Lattari said. It is clear that Schoology has been an adjustment. Students expressed that it would be a matter of time before they will get used to it.

“I think I’ll get used to it, but I don’t like it right now,” Pandey said.

Lattari agrees, and is focused on learning to make the best of the platform.

“I think it will be a matter of time,” she said.

“Luckily, on YouTube, there are so many videos of teachers who’ve been using it.”*

universities overall, are worth considering. Any double standard seems unfair. Despite that, if we can hold people accountable, we should start with people in high positions, such as presidents of elite universities. We should continue to probe beyond here, to CEOs and executives because saying you believe in inclusion is very different from actually doing anything about it.

As for the hearing itself, I do hope that the intent was not to eliminate freedom of speech. In terms of that, I strongly disagree with putting gags on college campuses. Both sides of every argument should be heard, and that’s something I have cemented in my values as a student journalist.

But when it comes to genocide, there is only one side, and that is the one that is not calling for the extermination of an entire group. Free speech means exploring all sides of the situation respectfully.

Hate speech isn’t trying to broaden a spectrum of arguments, it’s trying to dominate and hurt other people.*

On Friday, January 12, three Haven students hosted a high-energy volleyball fundraiser for Unite for Her, a local nonprofit benefiting women undergoing breast and ovarian cancer treatment.

The night was filled with volleyball, music, snacks, speeches, and friendly competition.

Volunteers from Strath Haven High School, along with family members and school faculty, raised over $700 for the Unite For Her organization.

The event, held in the Strath Haven gym, was organized by Strath Haven juniors Zoe Likely, Emily Reilly, and senior Francesca Clark. Likely became aware of the cause through her mother’s close friend, who benefited from Unite’s efforts while undergoing cancer treatment.

“Our goal with this fundraiser was to help support anyone affected by breast or ovarian cancer, as well the families and friends of those receiving treatment,” Likely said. “At the same time, we wanted to raise awareness among the student population, because this is a universal danger that can happen to anyone.”

Despite not being volleyball players themselves, the trio felt that the sport was an accessible and inclusive way for attendees to show their support while having fun.

The tournament was made up of ten teams. One of the two faculty teams made it to the finals, but they were edged out by the student team, The Sixers. Each member of the winning team was awarded a Wawa gift card.

English Teacher Mr. Kevin Haney, the academic supervisor for the club has a personal

The

connection to the cause.

“For me, the event was about paying homage to the people in my own family who have suffered from breast and ovarian cancer,” Haney said. “Also, by donating my time and playing on a team, I get to pretend that I am young again.

But I learned the hard way that I’m getting older than I think.”

Haney’s faculty team made it to the semifinals.

The event also had two guest speakers from the community, science teacher Mrs. Sheryl Ursillo and Ms. Gail Gill.

Ursillo talked about her experience battling cancer, and she explained how the organization helped her and her family through the relentless challenges.

Gill shared how she was diagnosed with cancer at a young age, and she celebrated the increased awareness and education over the past several years, much as a result of the efforts of such organizations.

The founder of Unite for Her, Sue Weldon, started the effort in 2009 after her battle with breast cancer. She was frustrated by the lack of information on therapies that could better her life during medical treatment, such as counseling, nutrition, acupuncture, massage, and yoga. Based in West Chester, PA, Unite has since grown to provide services, support, and education to those affected by breast and ovarian cancers nationwide.

Likely and her partners are already planning for a follow-up fundraiser in the spring, which will be expanded to include face painting, on-site babysitters, food trucks, and live music.*

FRESHMAN FESTIVITIES • The freshman Girls Basketball team celebrates after a point during the Unite for Her Volleyball Tournament on January 12.

PHOTO: ANNIKA SLOOTMAKER ’26

>FREE SPEECH VS. HATE SPEECH, 2

DISCUSSIONS EXPLORE NEW ARTIFICIAL TURF FIELD

A second turf field has been added to the list of potential renovations to the high school—despite ongoing national debate about safety.

Clark Kerkstra ’27 Reporter

Just six months after installing new artificial turf at King Field, the WSSD School Board is exploring the idea of installing a second field below the gym.

The District’s growing use of turf comes amid an ongoing national debate about the safety risks associated with chemicals found in artificial turf.

Last spring, the board approved a $1.12 million project to replace the worn-out turf at King Field. The dissenting member of the board, Ms. Nanette Whitsett, expressed concern at the time that the artificial turf might contain PFAS, or polyfluoroalkyl substances, a family of “forever chemicals” that some studies link to cancer and other health concerns.

Her concerns came despite assurances from FieldTurf USA, the turf company.

“I know that the company has said that the [PFAS] are minimal and that it holds no risk to the student-athletes, but [it does] pose a risk to them playing on it,” she said at the public meeting in March 2023, citing injury concerns and concerns about the temperature of the turf, as well as various health problems that have been linked to PFAS exposure.

Whitsett prioritized the importance of student safety as a reason for not installing the field.

“I’m just asking that before we vote yes for this, that we consider some of the environmental and health issues that can affect our athletes as they grow older. So for four years, they play on this turf, and then when they go to college they all of a sudden have liver problems, thyroid issues,” Whitsett said.

“What’s in it? It’s a synthetic grass infilled with two types of material: a sand mixture, and then crumb rubber,” Maloney said.

Henry confirmed that the field contained crumb rubber.

“It’s not like it’s made of good stuff,” Henry remarked.

A Yale University study published in 2019 suggested crumb rubber turf fields may contain carcinogens.

FieldTurf USA declined to comment for this article.

Environmental advocacy group Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility science policy director Kyla Bennett has worked with environmental groups battling turf fields in their communities. Bennett slammed the use of crumb rubber in the field, citing safer alternatives.

Artificial turf is a synthetic grass infilled with two types of material: a sand mixture and crumb rubber, according to Director of Buildings and Grounds Mr. Bob Maloney.

Whitsett did not respond to an inquiry for this article.

According to Board Vice President Kevin Henry, the District trusted FieldTurf USA’s statements that the turf contained no PFAS and chose it over other companies for that reason. If the District elects to install a second turf field, Henry said they would look to a company that could make the same promises.

“The new turf fields that go in, they don’t have those contaminants in the new fields, and we got that in writing from the company,” Henry said.

Artificial turf has caused its share of controversy in the past year. In September 2023, NFLPA, the NFL Player’s Union, called for artificial turf fields to be replaced by natural grass.

Last March, the Philadelphia Inquirer published an investigation in which they found PFAS in the turf that was installed at Veterans Stadium from 1977 to 1981. Six former Phillies who had played on the turf died of glioblastoma, a rare and aggressive form of brain cancer.

FieldTurf USA, the same turf company contracted for King Field, has had its record called into question.

According to an August 2022 report in the environmental news outlet E&E News in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, FieldTurf USA installed a turf field approved on the premise that it did not contain PFAS chemicals.

“There are a lot of infills . . . that are not made with tire,” she said, noting some infills use walnut shells or coconut husks.

“I’m shocked that your town is using that. Having crumb rubber with the artificial turf is the worst possible combination.”

These were the same concerns raised by Whitsett last year at the school board meeting.

“The fake blades and black crumbs that hold them together routinely break down. The particles become airborne and are inhaled. Bad for our respiratory system.

There have been studies that show the introduction [of the broken down turf particles] into the respiratory system and then to the nervous system, it has been associated with brain cancer,” Whitsett said at the meeting.

It is important to note that no direct link has been proven between PFAS exposure and a higher risk of cancer, and the topic remains the object of significant debate within the scientific community.

In response to Whitsett’s concern, other board members noted that the previous turf on King Field had reached the end of its useful life.

But the proposed new field below the gym would be replacing a grass field rather than an aging turf field.

T he current grass fields present different concerns.

According to Maloney, the district had contracted consultant group ELA Sport to assess the quality of their athletic fields. The report found the grass fields to be in poor condition.

It is important to note that no direct link has been proven between PFAS exposure and a higher risk of cancer. The topic remains the object of significant debate within the scientific community.

However, once the turf had been installed, testing by local advocacy group Non Toxic Portsmouth later confirmed that there was indeed PFAS in the turf.

Director of Buildings and Grounds Mr. Bob Maloney, who has been involved in the installation of four turf fields, said artificial turf contains crumb rubber, the black pellet infill in the turf made from recycled tires.

“[The report] was pointing in the direction that we should have a second [turf] field,” Maloney said.

One main reason that the old King Field wore out so quickly was that it was used so frequently. According to Henry, the second field originated as an idea to reduce the usage of King Field.

“We realized how and why it was worn out so quickly,” Henry said. “So we’re trying to brainstorm ideas. How can we prevent that again, because it’s so expensive? And that came at the same time we got a report on our grass fields and the poor condition a lot of them were in. And so we were trying to discuss: How can we better utilize our fields? And one of the ideas was if you had a second field, football could practice on that, or band, or field hockey could practice on that instead of King Field.” The second field would work in conjunction with the maintenance of King Field to extend the lifespan of the field.

However, Kyla Bennett of PEER, speaking generally about turf fields, said she believes the need for turf

maintenance signals a bigger problem.

“One of the things they have to do is add more infill,” Bennett said. “They have to add hundreds and hundreds of pounds more every year. You have to ask yourself, ‘Where did all that stuff go?’ Where it went is off the field. It blew off, or it came off with rain or precipitation, and it’s in all the adjoining areas, and that is called pollution. And each one of those little pieces of plastic that blows off that field or drains off that field is a little toxic time bomb filled with all those chemicals.”

Maloney’s position is that consistent maintenance of the turf keeps the crumb rubber in the field.

“The biggest thing on turf is maintenance, and that’s done internally by my staff,” he said. “Turf needs to be groomed and groomed to ensure that the crumb rubber stays within the playing surface. Turf fields can last a long time, especially if they’re maintained correctly.” Henry thinks the field could last even longer if it had a counterpart.

“It would [extend the life of King Field] in the sense that it takes pressure off of King Field,” Henry said.

Athletic Director Lynelle Mosley felt that a second turf field would help greatly.

“Would we love to have new turf down there? Absolutely. It would open a lot of opportunities up for us as far as practice and games,” Mosley said.

When asked about concerns related to turf and PFAS, she alleged that harmful chemicals could be found in places other than artificial turf as well.

“I’m sure there’s harmful stuff everywhere in the world,” she said, regarding PFAS and turf.

The field would be part of the renovation project that involves the removal of the trailers, among other things.

At the January 3 Facilities and Finance Meeting, a second turf field was added to a list of renovations included in the project. However, not all of the renovations currently listed are likely to stay in the project.

“You kind of come up with a wish list, right? And then you kind of narrow it down,” Henry said.

According to Maloney, the field is one of seven top priorities.

These priorities include the removal of the trailers, renovated life skills classrooms, renovations to the locker rooms, renovations to the library, renovations to the media center, an auxiliary gym, and of course, a new turf field.

Despite being top priorities, it is unlikely that all of the renovations will come to be.

“It’s all based on budget. How many dollars we have, what we can spend. That’s the driver. It’s all about money,” Maloney said.

While the decision has yet to be made, two renovations seem to stand out above the others.

“I would say the modulars, and then the life skills area are the two top non-negotiables,” Maloney said.

Henry stressed the fact that the renovations would take time.

“These things take time. There’s a lot of planning stages. There’s a lot of financing. There’s a lot of public presentations… It’s a long-term project for sure,” Henry said.

The School Board is still considering whether or not to install the field.

“You do the pros and cons and you see what comes out of it,” Henry said. “That’s why no decision really has been made. It’s not only financial, it’s environmental. It’s also the architects. I mean, like, does it even fit? Are you able to structure it so that the water runoff is correct? Those are all questions that have not been answered yet.”*

New state bill may impact school days and hours

The passing of the PA School Flexibility Bill could have many impacts on school year schedule and programs.

Evelynn Lin ’25 Editor-in-Chief

Have you ever wondered why the schedule for a school year runs the length that it does?

Up until recently, all Pennsylvania school districts were required to meet a minimum of 180 days and 900 hours at the elementary level and 990 hours at the secondary level.

However, on December 14, Governor Josh Shapiro approved the PA School Flexibility Bill or House Bill 1507. The bill gives school districts the option of meeting either the 180-day requirement or the 900 elementary hours and 990 secondary hours that shape a school year schedule.

The bill passed unanimously in the House and Senate and originated to give School Districts more flexibility in correlating schedules with opportunities outside of the classroom.

The act “shall take effect immediately,” meaning that in the coming school year, schedules may look different at some schools, following either set of requirements for time.

According to Rep. Jesse Topper (R, Bedford, and Fulton counties), who sponsored the bill, school superintendents have suggested that they would like to have more flexibility in the school schedule.

“I was meeting with a member of the Superintendents Association, and one of the issues that they have brought up was this idea of seat time, that they really would like to have more flexibility in scheduling, particularly students like juniors and seniors, that may want to engage in internships or spend more time at a CTC,” Topper said.

WE ASKED: What is your ideal school year schedule?

“Start school at 8 and end school at 3, and then every other week, a 3-day weekend. Not longer breaks, I think the breaks are fine.”

The PA School Flexibility Bill gives school districts the option of meeting EITHER the 180day requirement or the 990 secondary hours that shape a school year schedule.

According to Topper, the flexibility this bill provides has advantages for students at the high school level.

“They can choose how they structure their schedules, and then choose how they do that in terms of their educators, their school bus contractors,” Topper said. “This simply gives them another tool in the toolbox. And I think that flexibility helps students’ achievement.”

The act establishes that it will not affect the Public Employee Relations Act of 1970, the bargaining agreements between a school employer and employee representatives.

“I don’t know that every school district is necessarily going to use it, but this is an option,” Topper said. “This will be a school district usage, but at the end of the day, what I’ve heard from superintendents is that they want flexibility, and this is something that gives them building flexibility.”

However, there are still many questions about some of the bill’s other impacts. No immediate changes are planned at Wallingford Swarthmore School District, according to Assistant Superintendant Dr. James Conley.

“The last thing we want to do is negatively impact people with our programming or something like that,” Conley said. “So that’s why [I] really need to ask a lot of questions and understand it [the bill] so that I can share

Teaching the teachers

Quinten Saylor ’25 Contributor

Normally, students are the ones who start each day at Strath Haven expecting to learn from their teachers, but often, the various things teachers and administrators learn from their students can be just as inspiring and powerful.

“My ideal school year is we start later in the school day, and we have more 3-day or 4-day off for the weekends. But I’d much rather start later than end earlier. That would mess up the sports, but I think that would be better just so we can all sleep in, just because I’m not a morning person and I’m always late for things.”

with the community and say, if we go 990 or 900, what does that look like? And if we go 180, what does that look like? What are the expectations?”

At Haven, no decision has been made yet regarding changes to the school hours or lengths.

“We really need to understand how this impacts [Class of] 24-25,” Conley said. “This sounds like a great thing, but then the unintended consequences; it impacts programming and impacts student learning, a lot of things we don’t know.”

As he learns more, Conley hopes to continue having discussions with other administration members about potential changes and courses of action.

“We haven’t talked a lot about it because we really don’t know enough about it,” Conley said. “And I think that as we start to become more educated on it, then we have those conversations. Administratively, we make recommendations to the board.

According to Conley, as more information emerges, discussions will take place with the district’s calendar committee.

“ The calendar committee—we will meet, we will talk about it. I want to be able to say to the calendar committee, the questions you are asking me, here’s the benefit,” he said.

Any actions will have to revolve heavily around the various programs Haven hosts.

“We don’t know the impact [this bill] is going to have on our programming because we’re still waiting on guidance,” Conley said.

“Certain school districts, they might do different things. So we could say we’re going 180 [days] and Ridley or Rose Tree could say they’re doing 990 [hours]. So does

Mr. Daniel Peterson

English

Read more teachers’ perspectives at shpanthpress.com

"I’ve learned that if you bring a group of teenagers to a Chinese buffet, they can do some major damage. But I guess when you get old like me, you kind of feel like you’ve seen it all. Still, every group of students is unique, and so it kind of reminds you that life is fun.And you get to learn stuff all the time, even if you keep doing the same thing over and over.”

“I think my ideal school year is to keep summer break, winter break, and spring break, but make every school day a little longer, like an hour longer, and then, we have one less school day. So, we have a 3-day weekend. Also, we should have school start later, because I’m not trying to wake up that early. And keep the block schedules.”

“I think I’m pretty okay with how it is now. I definitely think our winter break is bogus. I know that other schools gets two weeks and ours get one, and I think we should get more time there. But overall, we’ve gotten more days off this year. People will always have complaints, but I think we’re fine. Except for the winter break. Maybe a later start to school.”

that impact programming? We have students that go to the IU for the VO tech program. Is that going to impact? We don’t know. There’s a lot of pieces of this that we have a lot more questions for that I don’t have any answers for yet.”

Actions will also have to meet the needs of students’ parents and the community.

“There’s 500 districts in the state, and everybody’s a little bit different, communities are different. The academic calendar really has to meet the needs of our students and our families, and that’s what it is,” Conley said. “Meeting those needs, where we’re getting the most opportunity to have quality education and the time to do that, that’s the key.”

Conley also noted how the Strategic Plan will also be taken into consideration. The Strategic Plan was developed by the administration to address topics like student experiences and learning, community stakeholders, equity, inclusion, and time.

“Part of our strategic plan outcome was time, but how do we examine time?” Conley said. “We talked about school start time, we talked about schedules, we talked about that kind of stuff. This [bill] to me is part of a larger time conversation. And one of the things that’s an outcome of time for us certainly is schedules, like what do schedules look like?”

Still, there is much to look forward to about the bill’s plausible implications.

“I think it gets more districts using it [to their advantage] as time goes on and become more comfortable with it, and I think you’re going to see more students take advantage of it as time goes on,” Topper said.

“I think the really big point of the bill is to help strengthen the educational process, particularly students that are later on in their school careers.” *

Mr. Robert Zakrzewski

English

“I came into the teaching world hoping to just pass on my love for reading and writing, which was very limited to the reasons and ways that I loved it. Instead, I realized it has to be able to fit other people’s lives, not just my experience. So I’ve learned that a lesson, an idea that I thought was brilliant and worked really well with one group isn’t going to be the same in every group. And often, each new group brings fresh takes to things that I should be open to.”

Mrs. Kathy Freeman Science

“I’ve noticed Strath Haven students tend to over-commit, but also they tend to be highly anxious because of their commitments and their desire to achieve or want to do well in everything. And so one of the things I do in my class and one of my goals as a teacher is to lower that anxiety level in my classroom.”*

Jeffrey Bohr ‘25

Liv Bradford ‘24

Vincent Zhu ‘26

Meg McManus ‘24

THE WALL: ASK fills funding gap for students

Although ASK is not on the Wall of Honor, it is an honorable organization that supports students with financial need in paying the extra costs of WSSD.

Matteo Ventresca ’25 Managing Editor of Print

Alumni & Friends Supporting Kids (ASK) is a non-profit organization that provides support for the “extras” for the Wallingford-Swarthmore School District.

ASK has been aiding students in the WallingfordSwarthmore School District since 2010.

“We try and bridge the gap between what families can provide at home,” ASK Board Member Katherine Crawford said.

An article from The Swarthmorean explains that the history of the ASK organization starts with Sandy Sparrow, principal of Swarthmore Rutledge School from 1987 through 1999.

Sparrow learned that the cost of school sports was prohibitive for some families. She formed the ASK program with the help of family and friends after her retirement in 2007.

The ASK organization is under the support of the Foundation for Wallingford-Swarthmore Schools.

According to the Foundation for WallingfordSwarthmore School’s website, “Since its inception in 2010, the Foundation for Wallingford-Swarthmore Schools has managed $480,000; funds that support special projects and teaching tools in the arts, music, science, reading, math, environmental science, physical education, and technology.”

“We are a nonprofit. We’re under the auspices of the Foundation for Wallingford-Swarthmore Schools. So if you ever go to the link for the Foundation for WallingfordSwarthmore schools, there is a description of ASK there,”

Crawford said.

The Swarthmorean article described scholarships that ASK provided for students ranging from after-school art classes to lacrosse and gymnastics. According to the program description on the website for the Foundation for Wallingford Swarthmore Schools, ASK provides “financial help for the ‘extras;’ from sports camps to music lessons, prom costs to calculators from sports camps to music lessons, prom costs to calculators.”

The money ASK gives to students and families for aid comes from donations from the community.

Over the past year, Alumni & Friends Supporting Kids (ASK) has helped pay for SAT tutoring, the senior cruise, and sports team fees.

“100% community donations and that has been the same since its beginning. We just had a fundraiser in November.” Crawford said. Aid can vary from elementary school to high school. Funds can go towards any extracurricular activities that students participate in.

“The idea is that we want everybody to be able to participate fully in the experience of being a WSSD student,” Crawford said. “At the elementary school level, it looks a little bit different than it does at the high school level. But at the

high school level, we’ve had students that want to travel to a competition with their sports team. We’ve helped fund those because of their families [being] unable to do that.”

All it takes to get aid from ASK is a Google Form filled out by a counselor. “We have a Google Form which has been distributed throughout the community and to the counselors,” Crawford said. “If there is a student in need, a counselor will fill out the form. It can be completely anonymous. They submit the request to us through their Google Form and then we review it and decide whether or not we’re going to [fund the request], if it’s something that’s within our mission to provide funding for.”

Over the past year, ASK has helped pay for SAT tutoring, the senior cruise, and sports team fees.

“If somebody wants to do something outside of school, we really want to encourage that at the elementary level, or, particularly at the high school level, if there are extra costs involved in participating in a high school activity, we’d like to support that,” Crawford said.*

Speech and Debate members recap season, describe events

The team’s season involved a winning record and plenty of new friendships.

Luci DiBonaventura ’25, Josie Wieland ’26 Detours Editor, Reporter

Speech and Debate students are getting ready to prepare for the National Speech and Debate Qualifiers on March 2. There have been over 100 awards won by Strath Haven’s speech and debate team this year, with the team placing second in sweepstakes at the Dallastown Wildcat Invitational and fourth at the Ridge Invitational.

58 students on the Strath Haven Speech and Debate team have competed this year, with 35 of them being new to the team. At this point in the season, the team has earned 132 awards.

In Speech and Debate, there are different events a student can participate in. It’s divided into two categories: speech and debate. There are four events in debate and ten events in speech.

Freshman Lavanya Dixit, holding the most National Speech and Debate Association points for her class, recommends speech and debate for everyone.

“Speech and Debate is a great opportunity to learn and make friends,” Dixit said. “It’s honestly really fun, and it’s genuinely addicting. Like sometimes I just find myself on a Friday night working on a case with my friend. Overall, it’s improved my rhetorical skills, and I get to learn so much.”

History Teacher Jeffrey Kahn, the coach of speech and debate, feels optimistic about the team.

“The fact that the team has doubled in size, and we have so many new kids has been a lot of fun,” he said. “It has restored the energy that I felt around the team, and it has made it so much easier to do all of the things you have to do to be the team. It’s been really cool to watch all these new kids just keep coming and then coming and coming. And there’s new kids all the time.”

Here are some events Speech and Debate members recommend.

Ella DiBonaventura ’25 recommends Info.

“I really like Info. Basically, how you prep is you write a ten-minute speech on an informative topic and make posters for it. I chose this event because I wanted to make the posters for it. I really like doing info and would recommend it to anyone who is creative and passionate about a certain topic. It’s really interesting to hear the speeches.”

Linden Corbett ’25 recommends Congressional Debate.

“I participate in Congressional Debate. It’s basically an event of around 15 to 17 kids, and it’s really everybody for themselves. But it’s a really nice environment because you stay with the entire group of kids and compete with them throughout the entire tournament. You mainly prepare three-minute long speeches, but the trick is that there can be anywhere from 12 to 20 topics, so sometimes it takes a long time.

[Speech and debate] just really helps you out in the grand scheme of things. I would not be where I am right now with my skills in public speaking if it wasn’t for speech and debate. Mr. Kahn is an amazing coach. The team environment is a really good, strong environment and you’re never going to find somebody that you don’t get along with.”

Aditi Halpe ’24 recommends Program Oral Interpretation (POI).

“I do program oral interpretation. It’s a program, a combination of different media, so with movies and different stories like prose, poetry, some scripts, or you’re allowed to really use any type of media you want. In my POI last year, I had a documentary, and I also had a couple lines from Mean Girls. It’s really open to anything and you use all those different media to show a message or some type of thing that you’re passionate about. I would say [speech and debate] is like the best thing I’ve done in high school. I think I’ve just grown so much throughout it, whether it’s just having to improve my public speaking and get better at talking in front of people or even just learning to go and travel beyond places that you know about.”

Elizabeth Mboowa ’26 recommends Original Oratory.

“I do original oratory. It’s very fun to write your own speech, and I think researching is very fun. And I feel like it’s easier to memorize something that you write in your own words. I think it’s very easy to choose something that interests you too.”

Casper Stockman ’26 recommends Impromptu.

“I do the event impromptu, and I love it. There’s pretty much no prep for it. You have seven minutes to prepare and give a speech. Then, you pick a random topic and give a speech about it. For example, one of my topics was

Taylor Swift lyrics where I had to give a speech pertaining to the lyrics. This is my favorite event, and I recommend speech and debate so you can do this event. A bonus is you also get Mr. Kahn as your coach.”

Greg Guron ’25 recommends Public Forum.

“I do a public forum. It’s an event where you’re on a team with someone else, and your goal is to debate on a monthly topic with a partner against the other team of two. Since I’m the second speaker, it’s more of reading. I don’t do a lot of case writing and research. I do a lot of the stuff for responding to other people’s cases. So I read a lot of resources about, like, all the different kinds of arguments that people could have. And then I do research on how to give different kinds of responses for different kinds of cases.

Speech and debate is one of the many things I do. So it’s an extreme balancing act to get everything done. It fits in there. I can say it has given me some stress, but as long as you’re good at time management, it’s not too bad, especially if you’re not doing anything else.”*

DISCLAIMER: Both of the reporters who wrote this story are in Speech & Debate.

LOGO PROVIDED BY KATHERINE CRAWFORD

RELATIONSHIPS AND REWARDS • The Speech and Debate team all smile with their rewards in hand after the La Salle competition on December 9, 2023. PHOTO: JOSIE WIELAND

Bouncing back for a cause

School community will join together in remembrance of Chris King at 25th annual basketball marathon.

Sasha Binder ’24

Editor-in-Chief

On Friday, February 23, the Chris King Memorial Basketball Marathon will be held in the Strath Haven Gymnasium. This event will mark the 25th anniversary of King’s passing in 1998, and will be the first time in many years when a Thursday night game open to all WSSD community and alumni is held.

Each year, a Basketball Marathon is held for students and teachers to participate in. The event was organized in 2002 by members of the then-senior class with the help of English Teacher, and Class of 2002 Faculty Adviser, Mr. Matthew Wood.

The fundraiser is held in honor of Chris King, a former Strath Haven student who passed away from cancer. The Marathon has taken place each year since King’s passing as a way to remember him, in addition to raising money for the Chris King Memorial Scholarship.

“He was a doer. He was a leader... His spirit was huge and his energy was huge. Very much an inspirational person.”

Mr. Matthew Wood

King, who lived most of his life with cancer, is spoken of highly by those who knew him.

“I only personally knew Chris for a short time, but I came quickly to understand what everybody– all of his peers and former teachers– had felt about him, which was that this was a very energetic person,” Wood said. “He was a doer. He was a leader... His spirit was huge and his energy was huge. Very much an inspirational person.”

Following his passing in 1998, members of the Class Cabinet came up with the idea of a nighttime Basketball Fundraiser, where students and teachers from the community could join together to celebrate King’s legacy and support his family.

What originally started as a nighttime event, eventually became the daytime event that students are familiar with now.

“It reached a point where it wasn’t working to hold it at night anymore… And that’s when we shifted it to a daytime event, which really rejuvenated the whole thing; classes sign up, go down, and play in a fun game,” Wood said.

According to Assistant Principal Thomas McLaughlin, this year will include more spaces to play and other opportunities for students to be involved in the event.

“We’re going to play three half-court games, and we’re also going to try to do a bump or knock out kind of game that you guys can play,” McLaughlin said. “The class that comes down to play, if they want to stay with their teacher for a while, can watch the next game if they can. We’re going to have people in the gym all day long, and we’re selling snacks so you can buy snacks if you want.”

This year, the 25th anniversary game, will also be the first in many years where a nighttime game will be held prior to the school event. The game will take place on Thursday, February 22, and will be open to the public so that alumni and members of the King family can attend.

“We’re putting together two teams with students, alumni, and some faculty members, and we hope people will come out and maybe buy a T-shirt or just come out, watch, and have it be a fun night, so the King family who can’t make it during the day can come out,” Wood said.

This event, in addition to raising money for the King family, raises money for the Chris King Memorial

Scholarship, which is presented to one member of the graduating class each year.

“The merit for the Chris King award is really about your character, and how you handled and overcame it. Someone who has overcome some sort of hardship, it could be a physical thing, a health thing, or it could be, you know, particularly difficult family circumstances, or just a hardship of some sort,” Wood said.

This year, the goal is to revive the event that the marathon was a few years ago. The student body is encouraged to bring in their money to support a good cause, but also to have fun and build a sense of community.

“Just the overall idea of it, all you have to do is just pay $1, you’re supporting a really good cause, and then you get to play basketball for five minutes, and then just get to watch other people play… I think that’s pretty cool,” senior Nick Costa said.

Other students are looking forward to the game as well.

“The money is going to a good place, and I’m excited to participate with all of my friends,” senior Julian Mendez said. “I think we’ll have a good time.”

All students are encouraged to bring in one dollar for each class that is attending the game, but are not required to play. Students will be able to hang out, eat snacks, buy shirts, and watch their classmates and teachers play.

“To me, it builds community, when you’re in the gym, you’re having fun, you’re playing against other classmates. You take a little break from school, but you’re still doing what you need to do in class and we get to enjoy ourselves, have fun and do so by helping raise money for a good cause. We don’t get that opportunity often,” McLaughlin said. *

Mistreatment of school and classroom libraries prompts staff intervention

Teachers and staff members created their own measures to protect their libraries from abuse.

Claire Salera ’27, Lavanya Dixit ’27 Reporters

About sixty students spend their fifth block in the library each day, according to School Librarian Ms. Beth Cohen.

Libraries are a huge resource for students all across the country. In addition to students using Strath Haven’s library during fifth block, about five hundred books are checked out a year.

However, teachers have been noticing stolen or damaged books and facilities, forcing them to find ways to adapt their library systems. Whether it be a public, school, or classroom library, the mistreatment of these resources leads to a lack of resources among students.

With so many students using the library each day, keeping it clean and usable is essential. Cohen admits that students are not always respectful of the library’s shared space.

“People leave trash around, or there’s lots of gum stuck on the undersides of chairs and tables,” Cohen said.

Senior Leah Gonzalez-Diaz, who is also an Editor-in-Chief of Jabberwocky (Haven’s Literary and Arts Magazine), finds that the vandalism of the library’s furniture has also occurred.

“In a lot of the old chairs that there are, people will carve things into the back and write things on them,” Gonzalez-Diaz said.

On the other hand, when there is damage found in the library’s books, Ms. Cohen finds that the damage is little and not severe enough to be of concern.

“It’s either a little bit of water damage because people will put [book] in their

bags and then their water bottle will leak, and every now and then there will be crumbs in it because people were eating while they were reading the book. Minor damage like that,” Cohen said. “I don’t get them back with pages missing or huge stains.”

An innocent droplet of water or a measly little crumb may not be all that the library

sees when it comes to book treatment. In the case that any books are not returned at all, the library is prepared.

“We have a security system, that’s what those pillars are in the doorway,” Cohen said. “All of the books have a security tag. When the security system is turned on, the book beeps when you leave. And when you check out a book, we put the due-date sticker over it, so it doesn’t beep. Most public libraries have similar systems.”

Many students are unaware that this security system exists in our library. While the security system is news to GonzalezDiaz, she agrees with Ms. Cohen about the lack of damage to the library books.

“To be honest, I haven’t noticed any vandalism personally. I’ve never really heard of any strict measures or specific surveillance that’s been going on for this kind of thing,” Gonzalez-Diaz said.

In addition to the school library, classroom libraries are often taken advantage of, specifically by students who take books and never return them. This leads to teachers needing to implement their security initiatives.

Freshmen English and Creative Writing Teacher Ms. Reagan Lattari uses an online system called Libib to keep track of which of her books are out. Libib is a service that helps schools or libraries catalog and keep track of books and other resources.

“What I try to do with kids who aren’t in my class is I try to have them write down their name and the book they have taken out, and later import it into our Libib

account,” Lattari said. “With my students, I try to spy on the titles that they have and check those into our Libib account. Once in a while, I’ll go around and check in with people to see what books they have out.”

Lattari finds that instances of lost books are often accidental, usually resulting from students forgetting what books they took out.

“People just pick up a book, throw it in their bag, and then just pick a different book the next day and forget they had it, things like that,” Lattari said.

Other teachers have found different workarounds to help prevent books from being lost, some making sacrifices to keep books safe and plentiful. Freshmen English Teacher Ms. Kate Evans uses one of these different systems.

“The kids don’t take the books home, they leave them in the classroom,” Evans said.

Let this story be a lesson to treat our school’s libraries (and all libraries) with respect, remembering that a lot of work goes behind the scenes to keep them functioning and enjoyable.

And remember one of the most important reasons to return your library books.

“Anything that isn’t returned has to get paid for before a senior graduates,” Cohen said.*

BOOKS FOR ALL • Free books line a cart outside of the library for students to take. PHOTO: CLAIRE SALERA

Look for photos from the evening and school-day Chris King games at shpantherpress.com

Seniors share tips for college application process

Underclassmen, take note: Seniors have fresh insight into the college application process. Save this article and ask questions while they are still around.

Elise Molloy ’24, Talia Rittenhouse ’24 Contributors

The college application season has shown to be a difficult time for many seniors. Now, their experiences can provide future senior classes with newfound knowledge and advice on overcoming the challenges this process may present.

More senior tips at

Kairaluchi Odenigbo

Q: What is one thing you wish you had known before beginning the college process?

A: “I think that getting one rejection doesn’t mean your whole application process is done. Personally, I messed up on a few of my applications. And you know, never lose hope because I still got into the schools that I messed up on the applications for. Never count yourself as the underdog, always believe. And essays and supplementals really carry you.”

Q: What did you find to be the most difficult part? What did you find to be the easiest part?

A:“The easiest part was probably signing up for the Common App; the hardest part, writing the essay, had a few sleepless nights about it, but at the end of the day, it all works out.”

Q: What advice do you have for rising seniors?

A: “Never count yourself out. Always remember that colleges are always looking for different things. So just because you don’t get into one, doesn’t mean you won’t get into another. And, stay positive. I know it’s hard to compare yourself but try and focus on yourself and what path you want to take in life, and you’ll be successful no matter what.”

Chloe Browne

Q: What is one thing you wish you had known before beginning the college process?

A: “I wish I would have known that test scores don’t matter as much as they used to. I was really stressed about taking the SAT, but then I didn’t end up submitting it to any of my schools. So it’s obviously important and you should try hard, but it’s not the end all be all.”

Q: What did you find to be the most difficult part? What did you find to be the easiest part?

A: “The most difficult part for me [since] I decided to go for cross country and track was balancing finding a good school for athletics, academics, and then also the financial part of it. Because we’re young, we don’t really have to think about money as much in a serious way, and so I really had to sit down and think about what my priorities were and if I wanted to spend a lot of money on certain things. The easiest part was that I committed in October, so I only had to do one application and so that definitely took off the pressure. And I kind of knew I was going to get in, so it was pretty nice.”

Q: What advice do you have for rising seniors?

A: “I would say do your essay in the summer, and do a lot of your applications as early as possible. Because once school starts, you just don’t have that much time. And I was lucky but I saw a lot of friends struggle with the time, so do it early. And also don’t stress too much about whether you get in or not. Obviously, you want to get into your schools but at the end of the day, there are so many schools that will probably work and just because you want to go to a certain place, if you don’t get in, that doesn’t mean you’re going to hate the school you end up going to.”

Nico Taylor

Q: What is one thing you wish you had known before beginning the college process?

A: “I wish I knew that there are schools outside of Pennsylvania. I know it sounds dumb, but that’s really all I looked at. And yeah, I kind of wish that I knew that there were ways to rank schools and research them more efficiently than I did.”

Q: What did you find to be the most difficult part? What did you find to be the easiest part?

A: “I think the hardest part is easy to say [was] probably the essay, or probably researching schools. They’re kind of tied up there. Because they just take a lot of time and are thought to be perfect especially the essay. All the supplementals—you cannot forget about the supplementals. They take a lot of time and effort to do, so it was probably the hardest part. There was no easy part, really. I think it was just kind of putting in your information. That’s the easy part.”

Q: What advice do you have for rising seniors?

A: “I’d say my advice is get started on making your Common App ID, or the other one’s called Coalition or something like that. Make your ID as soon as you can. Start that essay, your personal essay, as soon as you can, because it really does take a lot of thought.”

Calvin

Warner

Q: What is one thing you wish you had known before beginning the college process?

A: “I wish I had known how important it is to budget time for important forms such as the CSS (College Scholarship Service) Profile that took way longer than expected. And I really wish I had known what that was going to be like beforehand.”

Q: What did you find to be the most difficult part? What did you find to be the easiest part?

A: “I would say that the easiest part of the college application process was definitely getting in contact with college admissions counselors. They’re very open and willing to help you if you have any questions. The hardest part for me personally was keeping track of all the specific deadlines. Each college may have a different deadline for the CSS Profile, or the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) or other important forms. And it’s very important to keep track of those deadlines. They’re not always in the clearest spots either.”

Q: What advice do you have for rising seniors?

A: “Doing your Common App essay in the summer before heading into school, because the schoolwork doesn’t really let up either in the first semester. So it’s important to give yourself time to complete the whole process to the best of your ability.”

Paige Trout

Q: What is one thing you wish you had known before beginning the college process?

A: “That once you submit your college applications you’re not actually done. You still have to do all the scholarships, and all the other stuff that comes with it, like financial aid, scholarships, filling out your portals, getting in contact with schools. Like, once you think you’re done, you’re never done.”

Q: What did you find to be the most difficult part? What did you find to be the easiest part?

A: “The easiest part for me was honestly just staying on track and submitting my schools because I submitted them all in August and September. So I was done, or at least I thought I was done. But then it was relaxing and I was really relaxed, and I was able to focus on school. And then I got back my college acceptances really fast. I got them all back by January, and now I already know where I’m going to school.”

Q: What advice do you have for rising seniors?

A: “Get it all done in the summer. I’m telling you, it was the best thing ever, like the relief was crazy. And I am so happy I pushed myself to get my essay done in the summer. And to fill out the Common App before it actually opens in August. If you do all that and just break away at it hour by hour, it makes it so much easier. And then once you’re done, you’re done and everyone else is struggling, and it’s really sad to watch your friends struggle, but it’s kind of funny.”

Assembly kicks off Black History Month

Students filled the SHHS auditorium on February 1 for the YAC Black History Month assembly.

Matthew Ramirez ‘26 Social Media Editor

During second block on Thursday, February 1, Strath Haven’s Young Activists Coalition (YAC) presented their annual assembly to the school to commence Black History Month. The assembly featured a variety of speakers, art, singing, and writing.

Superintendent Dr. Wagner Marseille opened the assembly by delivering a speech, quoting acclaimed American writer and civil rights activist James Baldwin twice. One of these quotes included, “It is certain, in any case, that ignorance, allied with power, is the most ferocious enemy justice can have.”

Dr. Marseille urged students to consider the deeper meanings of Black History Month.

“These moments of reconciliation and moments of celebration, whether it is today where we celebrate Black History Month or whether it is any month in celebration,” Dr. Marseille said. “… It is an opportunity to see your own reflection, for you to be reminded of our collective identities.”

The assembly also included solo speeches from juniors Zoe Likely, Josiah Robinson-Leary, and

Jordyn Thurmond, who acted as the emcees of the event.

“Even beyond black history, storytelling has a long-lasting effect as it keeps our stories and memories alive for generations to come,” Robinson-Leary said.

Junior Brandon Seals and sophomore Elizabeth Mboowa delivered a presentation on the importance of art was delivered. As they answered questions about their personal journeys as artists, the stage screen projected their art.

“Art is a connection that we all share,” Seals said.

Senior Oyindamola Songonuga sang the solo piece “If I Have a Son” by Ruth B. and the YAC dance team performed a dance routine to “AMERICA HAS A PROBLEM” by Beyoncé (ft. Kendrick Lamar) and “FTCU” by Nicki Minaj.

Poems written by political activist Lamont Lily and a showcase of African-American hairstyles were presented at the assembly. The emcees gave one final remark before the lights came back on.

“Don’t forget to join YAC,” they said.*

POWERFUL PERFORMANCES

Mateo Moreno

Q: What is one thing you wish you had known before beginning the college process?

A: “I wish I knew more about the deadlines because I was aware of some of them, but there were a lot of schools that I actually liked that I wasn’t able to do early action because I missed a deadline or because I didn’t really know, so I kind of wish I was more aware of all the deadlines, whether it be early action or early decision.”

Q: What did you find to be the most difficult part? What did you find to be the easiest part?

A: “The most difficult part was probably finding the time to do it because it’s very lengthy. So I wanted to find a time that was a good time to do it if I wasn’t doing much that day. But the easiest part was probably knowing what I liked. So when they asked questions for essays about what would you like, what your interests are, and what do you like doing, I found that pretty easy, because when it’s stuff I like writing about, I can very easily get into it.”

Q: What advice do you have for rising seniors?

A: “The advice I would have is just try and open your opportunities as big as possible. Open up your school [options] and open up any majors you’re interested in. There’s a lot of great schools out there, there’s a lot of great majors. So I recommend that you kind of go in with an open mind, and you have a lot of colleges that you can apply to and have a lot of majors. Just be very open-minded.”

Jordana Jasner

Q: What is one thing you wish you had known before beginning the college process?

A: “One thing that I wish I had known before beginning the process is don’t expect anything because there’s a lot of factors that play into it. And especially with the Early Action round there are a lot of deferrals, and it can feel defeated when it comes back. There’s still hope, and there’s still other ways to get accepted. So I would just say don’t get your hopes down.”

Q: What did you find to be the most difficult part? What did you find to be the easiest part?

A: “I think the most difficult part was just managing my time and writing my supplementals. Personally, I applied to a lot of schools, and a lot of them had around the same due dates and on top of all the work that I was already receiving, it was a lot to manage. The easiest part was probably asking teachers for recommendation letters, I enjoyed asking them.”

Q: What advice do you have for rising seniors?

A: “I’d say my advice is get started on making your Com“My advice would be to start early because you can actually open up a Common App as a junior and fill it out, and it’ll transfer your senior year. I think that’s really helpful. Start writing your Common App this summer because once school comes, you’re gonna have a lot to do with your schoolwork and supplementals. So the earlier you start, the better it’ll go.”

Aiden Gold

Q: What is one thing you wish you had known before beginning the college process?

A: “I wish that I knew when the process would be over because I only submitted five applications. But then I kept doing supplementals until I heard back from a few of those schools, and one of [them] was my top choice. So I wish that I knew that I was done when I was done. So I didn’t have to, you know, keep stressing out about it before I finished.”

Q: What did you find to be the most difficult part? What did you find to be the easiest part?

A: “The easiest part was the relief after I got it in. And I know that’s the end of the process, but it still felt amazing to just be done with getting them in, and being done with the whole process, with the proofreading, and with the writing. The hardest part was definitely the Common App essay because every single draft that I wrote, I was not happy with. I think it was seven or eight before I inevitably submitted it.”

Q: What advice do you have for rising seniors?

A: “Don’t only look at [only] the schools, also look at both their grading systems and their scheduling systems, because there’s a lot of schools that do it differently, like a trimester schedule, which is slightly faster paced, or even weird GPA based grading systems. I looked at a few schools that I decided not to apply to because of those.”*

TOP: The YAC dance team perform choreography to Beyoncé’s “AMERICA HAS A PROBLEM” and “FTCU” by Nicki Minaj for the Black History Month Assembly.

LEFT: Juniors Zoe Likely, Jordyn Thurmond, and Josiah Robinson-Leary open the Black History Month assembly. The juniors served as emcees throughout the performances. PHOTOS:

>SENIORS SHARE TIPS, 8

OCTOBER 14, 1983

IHERE TO STAY

Sasha Binder ’24, Matteo Ventresca ’25 Editor-in-Chief, Managing Editor of Print

n the first-ever edition of The Panther Press at Strath Haven High School after Swarthmore High School and Nether Providence High School merged, the editorial board chose to write a column reviewing the beginning of Strath Haven’s founding school year. They discussed the great start to the school year and stated that they hope “it will maintain its swift pace.”

MATTEO: I like that they reviewed the school. It gives the new administration a morale boost that could have helped them improve the new school even more.

SASHA: We did something like this at the beginning of the year. For the first issue, I think it’s a great way to start off. A good introduction to the year; making a statement.

Also in the first edition, 40 years ago: A second editorial that describes the conflict between classes that meet during “ninth period”—think fifth block, like chorus and band—and clubs, activities, and publications that also need to meet during this time.

We think the loud ‘pop’ in the corner of the classroom was our adviser’s head exploding when she read this column, and we haven’t really seen her since.

OCTOBER 14, 1983

Also in the first edition, a reporter chose to write a comical story about ‘Smurf Day’. It is an entertaining read about a student who goes to lunch and struggles with obtaining his food in the cafeteria because the dining staff was selling Smurfette Burgers. We have been unable to confirm whether any part of this story is factual.

MATTEO: I found it very funny. I liked the way it was written because it started off as a normal event, and ended as an embarrassing event. We need this.

SASHA: Smurf Day: the kind of story I’d want to read in every issue.

DECEMBER 11, 1987

In 1987, The Panther Press wrote a best and worst column. In this column, they surveyed the positive and negative aspects of the 1987 school year at Strath Haven. They came up with many subtopics to review, including the best and worst album, the best and worst place to go on a date, and the best and worst day way to reject a date offer.

MATTEO: I like how this column combines comedy and advice. It helps people while still keeping its comedy

SASHA: “While I disagree with some of these takes— for example, getting out of a date with the excuse, “I have to visit my sick aunt”—I think it’d be fun to review the bests and worsts every now and then.”

“Here to Stay,” the theme of this year’s Scholastic Journalism Week, highlights the importance of student journalism in schools all over the world.

The Panther Press has worked to inform Strath Haven students about local and global issues as well as document important events and trends over the last 40 years.

As we look back through old print issues of the school’s paper, events from four decades are recorded along with entertainment columns that showcase the essence of the paper over time.

JANUARY 29, 1988

The Panther Press covered news on the Hazelwood vs. Kuhlmeier Supreme Court Case, which surrounded issues of censorship in school newspapers. The article discusses how the Hazelwood cases are relevant to Strath Haven and gives examples of student and administrative feedback. Censorship was and still is a prevalent issue for student-run newspaper publications and The Panther Press’s 1988 article focuses on Hazelwood’s impact. A related editorial in the same issue takes the stance that censorship threatens academic freedom.

MATTEO: I’m glad that The Panther Press covered this topic. It shows how this newspaper used to cover heavy topics with no fear at all.

SASHA: This is a vital story for a newspaper staff to cover. We still discuss the Hazelwood Case now in 2024, so I’m grateful for their coverage of it when it first sparked concern.

Read scans of the full articles we selected from the archives at shpantherpress.com

DECEMBER 15, 1989

“Fads, Facts shaped the decade”, was written in a 1989 edition of The Panther Press. The article showcased features from the eighties and what made the decade what it was. It includes fun facts and vital trends from each year. Some of the notable events were the death of John Lennon and Prince Charles’s marriage to Lady Diana’s marriage, with trends like Pacman, Lasertag, and Madonna’s increasing popularity listed as well.

MATTEO: This is similar to the ‘Year in Review’ that we do now. It contained the interests of anyone because it included world news, games, and music. We do some global events columns in The Panther Press and I believe that we should write more. The only problem is that it is hard for someone to write about a heavy topic in which people have various opinions.

SASHA: Everyone loves a good fad or fun fact… especially me. Why did we stop noting the breaking news events that take over the minds of students the way these events did in 1989? I think discussing important global events and phenomena is as relevant as discussing school issues, especially in terms of student interest. Obviously, we are a school paper, and our main focus is the school and its students, but our job is also to document things that impact the student body besides school. After all, teenagers love their fads.

DECEMBER 15, 1989

T he Panther Press, continuing its review of the decade, lists slang words that shaped the eighties. Phrases like “Boo on You Goober” are coined and put into perspective changes made over the last thirty years. Familiar slang words like “chill out”, “dude”, and “awesome” were just starting out in 1989; meanwhile, we don’t bat an eye at those common words nowadays. How bizarre is that?

MATTEO: This is just comedy. I will be honest: I feel like this was put in The Panther Press just to cover some space. Maybe it was; the column states it is a reprint from 1984. It is a useless article but it is funny. It does also count toward a document that will be seen in the future so that people can see what language was like in 1989.

SASHA: I think it’s funny how teens form slang words, and how we use them in different ways. This article makes a spectacle of the word, “Goober,” meanwhile my friends and I use it to poke fun at each other while also recognizing that it’s out of date. All of the words noted in this article are familiar to me, except I don’t view them as slang–-to me they’re just normal, everyday words. I wonder if the words we use in 2024 will sound as funny to kids 30 years from now as words like “goober” and “gnarly” do to me.*

ARTIST

SPOTLIGHT: Rae Caruso illuminates science through illustration

Senior balances her passions by merging creativity with environmental and scientific topics.

Josie Wieland ’26 Reporter

For senior Rae Caruso, combining her interests in biology and art in environmental illustration has allowed her to learn things about herself and the world around her, while also educating others.

Whether it is through her independent study with Ms. Kathleen Freeman or AP Art with Mrs. Jennifer Rodgers, Caruso has several outlets that allow her to take her interest in different directions. Specifically within her independent study, she was exposed to several aspects of scientific illustration.

“I actually learned quite a lot from each topic I drew,” Caruso said. “I did the muscle and skeletal system, which I learned about in anatomy, but drawing it out and all the research that went into that specific piece really ingrained that information into my brain. Or for example, I did pond organisms. I got to learn about all the little critters in the Strath Haven pond.”

“One of the things with scientific illustration that differs from art, in general, is that you have to have strong attention to detail,” Freeman said. “We think about scientific illustration as being before technology when field ecologists would go out, sketch what they see, and then bring it back to try to identify species. The level of detail that is required of a scientific illustration artist is something I see in Rae.”

Not only has Freeman seen Caruso’s dedication shine through her art, but her hard work is apparent to Mrs. Rodgers as well.

“...people often say I have great talent. And I’m like, ‘It’s not talent, it’s practice.’ You really have to put in the effort.”

Rae Caruso ‘24

For as long as she can remember, Caruso has always loved animals and spending time in nature, which is what initially piqued her interest in this form of art. However, it has taken lots of time and effort for her to get to where she is now.

“Since I’ve been drawing for so long, it started on paper and I would just sketch,” Caruso said. “Then, I got an iPad for Christmas one year, and I found Procreate. I started off with really poor drawings. But over time, practice and practice, they slowly got better. I still think there’s a lot of room for improvement, but I think I’m finally at that point where I’m starting to develop an actual art style.”

Illustrating scientifically is a unique and intricate form of art that Caruso practices and it requires a lot more work than what meets the eye.

“She is always seeking ways to improve and will work tirelessly to get the technique down or to work with how to create value in contrast with layers of paint or layers on her tablet digitally,” Rodgers said. “And that all just comes from the practice that she does. It’s sort of this constant reworking and revising, which I think speaks a lot of her work ethic as an artist who continually wants to grow and learn and improve.”

As with any form of art, environmental illustration can be challenging at times, but Caruso encourages those with a passion like hers to keep working at it despite any difficulties.

“Try different approaches, try different ways,” Caruso said. “ Because you’ll get there. It may not be the best originally, but if you keep doing it, you’ll be able to draw. That’s just how it works. Speaking from lots of experience, people often say I have great talent. And I’m like, ‘It’s not talent, it’s practice.’ You really have to put in the effort.”

Caruso’s passion is fueled by the knowledge she gains by studying her surroundings, and her goal is to pursue some aspect of it in the coming years.

“I’m not exactly sure what I want my career path to be, but I definitely want to incorporate some form of scientific illustration. I love doing it and I hope I can do something more biology-related in my future,” she said.*

SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATIONS

Cast, tech crew make preparations for opening night

“Mean Girls” cast and crew members reflect on the past few months of work and look ahead.

Evelynn Lin ’25 Editor-in-Chief

Starting on Friday, Feb. 23, the Haven community will be able to see the hit Mean Girls musical come to life on the high school stage.

Beginning in late November and early December of 2023, Haven’s spring musical has been long in the works. Months of time and dedication were put in by all aspects of the musical: the cast, tech crew, pit, and costume crew.

“The costume crew’s working on costumes, the stage crew, they’re building sets,” Musical Director Mr. John Shankweiler said.

“The choreographer is working on choreography. We have rehearsals in here that work the music. And then I have a rehearsal that will just be with the pit. And then… it all comes together.”

with the tech crew, who have been using weekend hours to build moving pieces that will be used in acts.

Senior Lanie Clark leads the tech crew for this show. “It’s definitely been challenging with the builds and making the stage since we’re not having an actual set for the show,” she said. “We have a lot of different scenes that we have to make and a bunch of different props. So trying to figure out where to put all of those [was difficult]. But we managed it.”

“I think the energy on opening night is going to be so electric and I’m so excited to just show people.”

Julia McLean

As the show comes closer, one of the biggest challenges and efforts is to bring all these parts together into a cohesive show.

“All of the stuff that’s happening around me, and all these different costume changes and stuff like that, it’s kind of just so much to put together,” junior Josie Tolson, who plays Cady Heron, said. “And I feel like it is starting to come together a lot, but there are things that I’ve just been so worried about like, ‘Oh my God, how is this even gonna work?’”

With rehearsal every other day and on weekends, progress was made, especially

This has allowed tech crew members to build strong relationships from a shared interest, which is important to help put the show together from behind the curtain.

“We’re all like one big family and since we spend so much time together, we enjoy the time we spend together, and I think part of the reason we like being here is because we get to hang out with other people,” Clark said. “And it’s a lot of fun to set things up and learn how everything fits. With me running sound, it’s kind of like putting puzzle pieces together until things finally click into place.”

Like the tech crew, many of the cast members have felt so much connection with their peers in bringing the musical to life.

“I think it’s just been a great community that I’ve been part of,” senior Henry Reacher, who plays Damian, said. “I’ve met, especially, a lot of underclassmen

who I wouldn’t have known who play ensemble roles. And I definitely learn more about the people, a lot more about how they act, how they portrayed themselves, that I wouldn’t have known from just Silvertones, and it’s just been a great community to be part of and just from all these different aspects.”

The cast and crew behind the scenes are excited for the audience to see what they have been working on for so long.

“I think the energy on opening night is going to be so electric and I’m so excited to just show people,” senior Julia McLean, who plays Regina George, said.

The cast also hopes the show can help people relate to messages like fitting in, mental health, teenage life, and more.

“I think it’s exciting that we’re doing a high school show about a high school, and that even though there are parts that are weird and maybe we can’t relate, it’s a relatable show,” senior Brianne Caldwell, who plays Gretchen Wieners said. “Especially Gretchen, sometimes you can relate to her that she’s very anxious. And even Cady trying to fit into all of this, everyone feels a little bit of each of these characters.”

Opening night is February 23, with shows also on February 24 and 25, March 1, 2, and 3.

“You should definitely come watch Mean Girls,” tech crew freshman Sara Farrington said. “It’s going to be one in the books.”*

SHE’S AN APEX PREDATOR! • The Mean Girls cast act out as predatory birds in their Apex Predator dance choreography rehearsal. PHOTO: MATTHEW RAMIREZ

• RAE CARUSO

Barbie snub sets back feminism

The movie about women winning over sexist standards won Ryan Gosling, the male lead, an Oscar nomination.

Claire Salera ‘27 Reporter

The catchy song “I’m Just Ken” may have stolen our hearts, but it gives no reason for the patriarchy to suppress the matriarchy in real life.

There’s no denying the popularity of Barbie in 2023.

The movie, released in July, grossed $1,445,638,421 worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo. The film follows fan favorites Barbie and Ken as they leave the matriarchy of Barbie World to partake in a quest in the world of humans. Nonetheless, the film is tied together by powerful feminist elements, from a high-powered monologue that conveys how difficult it is to be a woman, to a scene where all of the female Barbies must unite to take back control of Barbie World from a patriarchy of the male Kens.

And what nominations and acclamations did this dominant movie gain from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AKA the Oscars)? A nomination for Best Supporting Actor for Ryan Gosling, the male lead of Ken.

I know what you might be thinking.

male-dominated industry, was not nominated for Best Director is also upsetting. She is an extremely gifted and accomplished director. Her remarkable work helped propel a movie about women triumphing into superstardom.

Interestingly, many female directors were notably absent in the nominations for best director. All of the nominations were for male directors, except for Justine Triet for her directing of Anatomy of a Fall.

The fact that women have to do so much to prove themselves to be considered equal to men in almost any job is horrendous.

Not a nomination for Best Actress for Margot Robbie, who played the titular role of Barbie and also served as a producer of the film? Or not the Best Director nomination for Greta Gerwig, who beautifully directed a female-driven film as a woman herself?

For one thing, Margot Robbie is an insanely talented actress, who was able to nearly impeccably capture Barbie’s innocence of how frightening the world can be, and her desperation in letting women know that they are enough. She showed America (and the world) how emotionally disturbing it is to not know who you are or what your purpose in life is. Robbie beautifully conveyed that being a perfect woman is an unattainable goal that can be hard to come to terms with.

It leaves me completely befuddled that the Academy analyzed her performance and decided that she would not make the cut.

The fact that Greta Gerwig, a female director in a

In my opinion, this only adds to the belief that there was some sexist discrimination behind this year’s Oscar nominations. The fact that women have to do so much to prove themselves to be considered equal to men in almost any job is horrendous, and frankly, upsetting, considering how far women have come in asserting equality to men.

Of course, a snub this huge does not come without publicity or a few celebrity reactions.

Margot Robbie’s initial response to the snub was professional and selfless. According to Deadline, Robbie addressed the snub at a Screen Actors Guild (SAG) event on January 30th.

“There’s no way to feel sad when you know you’re this blessed,” Robbie said. “Obviously, I think Greta should be nominated as a director, because what she did is a oncein-a-career, once-in-a-lifetime thing, what she pulled off, it really is.”

Additionally, Ryan Gosling praised Gerwig and Robbie’s performances, according to The Los Angeles Times.

“There is no Ken without Barbie, and there is no Barbie movie without Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie, the two people most responsible for this history-making, globally celebrated film,” Gosling said.

Despite my rant so far, there is still a speck of hope that Barbie’s message reached the Academy. Billie Eilish was nominated for Best Original Song for “What Was I Made For?” from the movie. Also, America Ferrera, who plays Gloria, (a Mattel employee tormented by her unachieved

dreams) received a nomination for Best Supporting Actress. This nomination wasn’t without controversy, though, as Ferrera still wasn’t a Golden Globe nominee for Best Supporting Actress.

Nonetheless, Ferrera is very deserving of her Oscar nomination. She gave a strong feminist monologue in the film about the trials and tribulations of womanhood that was positively received by many.

What justice does this entire ordeal do for the film’s timeless message? Ironically, the Oscars haven’t caught up to the film’s theme yet. The writers, directors, and particularly, actresses, did everything in their power to captivate and reach out to women all across the world and let them know that they are enough and that they will receive representation.

All that this snub did was knock girls over and tell them that men will always be more acknowledged than women. But we, as women, can’t believe that.

The fact that an entire female-dominated movie was able to simultaneously call out the patriarchy and inspire women all over the world, while shattering box office records, is progress for feminism in and of itself.

Women should not let this infamous snub define who we are.*

Who is the real Mean Girl? The answer will surprise you.

Regina and Cady are mean, but Janis is just as bad.

Madalyn Posternack ‘26

Contributor

Janis was mean. Bringing in a (clueless) external factor because of eighth grade drama for no reason is rude, manipulative, and weird. With the Mean Girls musical opening on the Strath Haven stage at the the end of February, this is the perfect time to discuss who the real mean girl is. Everyone talks about how Regina and Cady are horrible, but they were both pawns for Janis’ big plan. Cady was an innocent girl when she arrived, and then Janis blamed Cady for turning into the girl that Janis had meant for her to be.

could have acted better, regarding Cady’s position.

“I would not do what Janis did,” she said. “I think I would try to make Cady help Regina and make her not such a mean girl, and help her to apologize because that makes Janis just as bad, if not worse, than Regina.”

Janis was the ultimate mean girl. She was rude, and manipulative, and took advantage of Cady’s lack of social cues and knowledge.

Regina was fine living life before Janis brought up eighth grade problems. No one was even mad at Janis or gave her a second thought, but she decided to turn the whole school upside down for something that happened three years ago.

“I think that Janis is the real mean girl because she turned Cady into a plastic and got revenge on Regina and ruined her life,” sophomore Lily Newport, who plays Karen Smith in the musical, said. Newport gives insight about how Janis

Janis was rude to Cady and took advantage of her because she started the plan by talking about how she had to get back at Regina but didn’t tell Cady why.

Cady thought that Regina was sweet and was surprised when she was told to sabotage her. Janis turned Cady into the girl that she wanted her to be and to do something that she wanted to do. What is revealed later in the movie is that Regina got creeped out by Janis, and then mistook Janis’ sexuality for her nationality—lesbian for Lebanese. Regina got a boyfriend and spent less time with Janis, making Janis feel left out and alienated. Regina felt like Janis was in love with her, and, as a result, teased her.

However, from what we were told,

Regina was never outwardly bullying Janis, but instead only said a couple of rude comments. When Janis returned, she distanced herself from everyone and was rude, even if they were nice.

Further, Janis would also get annoyed when Cady got so into the character, even though she pushed her to do that. Cady was new and didn’t have many social cues because she had previously been homeschooled. Janis saw that and used it for her revenge. She pushed Cady to be a Plastic but got mad when that was the outcome.

“The way that [Janis] used Cady to target Regina, how she made Cady pretend to be friends with them and then later used Cady’s anger at Regina to fuel her revenge… Just kind of using Cady for her gain,” sophomore Eli Graves, who plays Janis Ian in the musical, said.

Despite this, Graves understands the circumstances Janis was placed under. “I feel like if someone did to me what Regina did to Janis, where Janis was completely alienated by the entire school, I think I would definitely feel like I would want some revenge, but I don’t know if using Cady for revenge was exactly the right idea… I think Janis was [partially justified],” they said.

Junior Josie Tolson, who plays Cady in the play, also agrees with Graves’

reasoning.

“I think high school girls are all a little mean sometimes, and Janis had good intentions when meeting Cady, but I think she took advantage of her a little bit,” she said.

Janis was the ultimate mean girl. She was rude, and manipulative, and took advantage of Cady’s lack of social cues and knowledge. Not only did she force Cady to spy on Regina, but she also got mad when she got what she wanted. Even after Regina was hit by the bus at the end of the musical, Janis was still mad and rude.

No one talked to her much and she lost most of her friends and their respect. Even so, Janis’s choice was to fully isolate herself, pushing away people who liked her and who tried.

Yes, Janis wanted to keep Regina as a friend. Did she have to push her to the point that Regina thought that Janis was in love with her? Many people would be creeped out by that. Adding onto that, Janis seems to be very protective of the people she hangs out with getting mad when Cady hung out with Regina or did her own thing.

While no one was innocent in this battle, the king wasn’t better than the army.*

PHOTO PROVIDED BY CLAIRE SALERA ‘27

Strath Haven cheerleaders excel during season, Districts, States

The cheerleading team reached new levels of success in their season this year, making history.

Evelynn Lin ’25 Editor-in-Chief

For the first time in Haven’s cheer history, on January 6, the Strath Haven cheerleaders were announced PIAA District 1 Co-ed Champions.

This was a surprise for the team.

“We were kind of just speechless,” senior cheerleader and flier Natalie Craig said. “As soon as they call our names, in videos that we have, everyone’s jaw kind of just dropped, and then, it just kicks in, like, ‘Oh my gosh, we just won’ and we all were standing up and cheering and shouting, and just getting hyped as a team.”

The win was a clear indicator of the long months of team practices, games, and competitions beforehand.

when they come in April or May, they don’t really have the cheerleading skills, and we build up those skills. And then I’ve seen them progress throughout the season, and as they progress, the bonds are formed, there’s friendships formed.”

Many challenges had to be overcome to get to their point of excellence.

“We were kind of just speechless”

Natalie Craig ‘24

Practices ran three times a week, on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and sometimes Fridays. The team also cheered at school basketball games and attended local competitions on the weekends to help prepare.

“From the local competitions, we get a lot of feedback from judges, which helps us think about what we need to improve for bigger competitions,” senior cheerleader and flier Madison Landau said.

Cheerleading Head Coach Ms. Heather Burns also noted that the success showed how much the team has all grown and gotten closer since the start of the season.

“When we came in [for the new season], we had a lot of new cheerleaders, so it was a very young team,” she said. “So

“I think [one] of the biggest challenges is when we have to change the routine for unusual circumstances like someone could be sick or someone gets injured or ineligibility, and depending how close we are to a competition, this makes it really like difficult and stressful to have to not only change and fill people in but change their positions,” Craig said. “We’re always able to work through them though and make it happen.”

Following Districts, the cheer team also took an overnight trip to Hershey, Pennsylvania, where they performed at States and made it to the finals for the first time, skipping right through the semifinal round.

“In the past, we advanced to the semifinals, but the fact that we got to skip semi-finals because we did so good in prelims was just such a crazy thing to us,” Landau said. “We really just proved ourselves.”

The overnight trip also acted as a strong bonding point with all cheer members.

“It’s kind of a preliminary for what

nationals is going to be like,” Burns said. “We started camp with four nights overnight in a cabin, like learning to bond together, and then that starts our season, so then Hershey is another time to bond.” Nationals bring cheer teams from all over the country to Orlando, Florida to practice and compete together. The cheer team placed 12th for the traditional cheer competition and 13th for the Game Day competition. The competition marks the end of the 2023-2024 cheer season.

“[We] just want to say thank you to the school, our teammates, coaches,

OPINION: Ronaldo is greatest soccer player of all time

The Ronaldo v. Messi debate is as old as time (not really), but it’s clear who is the winner.

Advaya Singh ‘27 Reporter

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have stood out as the greatest soccer players of our era and of all time. This has sparked debate among soccer fans worldwide, but it’s clear who is better.

If you know much about soccer then the biggest debate is who is the better player, Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi. The reason this is so tricky is for a few reasons:

- Ronaldo has played for longer than Messi.

- They play different positions.

- They have played for different teams and leagues.

But to a soccer fan and a player for eight years, it could never be clearer.

Most professional players agree that consistency is very important in any sport especially in soccer considering how it is played year-round. Messi is less consistent than Ronaldo.

and everyone who has helped our team get to where we are today and for us to continue growing. It’s just been the best opportunity that we’ve ever had,” Craig, Landau, and Coppock said.

There is much to look forward to with many goals to continue to excel as a team. “We’re losing two of our fliers and some talent in our seniors, but I’m excited to get started again,” Burns said. “Knowing that it’s still such a young team, we’re going to hopefully continue to grow. I would love to have a JV team next year. There’s a lot of potential.”*

However, to say this puts him in front of Ronaldo in a G.O.A.T. argument, or even the international G.O.A.T. argument, is crazy!

Let’s look at it with some context. Ronaldo has the most international goals of all time. He beats Messi by 21. Let’s also take into consideration that, without Messi, Argentina would have 2 other World Cups, and without Ronaldo, Portugal would have nothing.

After Messi scored his historic 91 goals in a year, he then scored only half of those goals per year. If we make a graph of his total goals, the line would look more like a heartbeat! Ronaldo, however, consistently scored more than 50 goals for seven calendar years! To this day, he scored more than 50 goals. This brings me to my next point.

Longevity, for the greatest player of all time, is important. You can’t just be a great player only in your prime.

So let’s look at the facts. After he turned 30 years old, Messi scored 127 goals, while Ronaldo scored a whopping 414. That’s almost 4 times more than Messi. Even if we account for the extra two years he has on Messi, it is still close to 3 times more.

Now, let’s move on to International play. Messi won the FIFA World Cup in 2022 with his “amazing” team. This is an incredible award that few players can accomplish.

And in this recent World Cup, Messi had one of the best teams the world had ever seen with Julián Álvarez, Ángel Di María, Alejandro Garnacho, and Emi Martínez, while an aging Ronaldo had to lead his team of youngsters. Also, Argentina was awarded the most penalties this World Cup, most of which Messi took.

This further invalidates the “Penaldo” argument that the penalties padded his stats. However, Ronaldo has around only 40 more than Messi, who is number 2 on the all-time list for penalties. So, maybe “Pessi” is better fitting.

Messi, at the start of his career, was led by the world’s greatest players, his first goal was assisted by Ronaldinho! His team included the likes of Xavi, Andrés Iniesta, and Carles Puyol. Initially, Ronaldo had to earn his spot on his local Portuguese team, and then move to Manchester United where he won them a UCL.

If we look at the more personal aspects of the game, it is clear that Messi is a very talented dribbler and playmaker, better than Ronaldo. However, this is completely outweighed by Ronaldo’s skills. Before his injury (2008), he too was a talented dribbler, shooter, free-kick taker, goal scorer, and finisher. After his injury in 2014, he changed to more of a striker and finisher.

Even in the year that he was injured, he still won the Ballon d’Or, the most prestigious award that is winnable by any player.

Speaking of the Ballon d’Or, Messi has eight! That is three more than Ronaldo. However, let’s remember that the Ballon d’Or is a journalist-voted accolade. And this year the journalists were frankly wrong.

Many people agree that this year, it should have gone to Erling Haaland who won the Premier League, Champions League, and FA Cup, and broke plenty of records. Messi had a decent year but somehow they used the World Cup clause from 2022, which is outdated and amusing. In 2021, it should have gone to Robert Lewandoski, which many agreed on.

Honestly, Messi is FIFA’s poster boy and Ronaldo is the people’s champ.

Ronaldo is also Mr. UCL, winning five UEFA Champions Leagues and having the most UCL goals, assists, and appearances. It is almost as hard to win a UCL as it is to win a World Cup, if not harder! This is because there are two games in the knockout rounds, so flukes or lucky goals won’t matter at times.

Also, the talent pool is significantly greater than that of the World Cup since these European clubs usually gather the best players from these countries. Mohamed Salah, for example, is one of the best players in Europe right now, however for his national team they can’t seem to break into the knockout stage.

The debate between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will likely continue for years to come, with passionate arguments on both sides. While Messi’s dribbling and playmaking abilities are exceptional, Ronaldo’s consistency, longevity, and impact on the game make a strong case for him being considered one of the greatest players of all time.

Ultimately, the answer to who is better comes down to personal preference and interpretation of their respective contributions to the sport.*

CHEERING TOGETHER • The Strath Haven cheer team executes a formation for the student body at the Homecoming Pep Rally on October 13. PHOTO: KELLY MONTAGUE

RONALDO VS MESSI • PHOTO: MATTEO VENTRESCA

TWO HAVEN COACHES INDUCTED INTO DELAWARE COUNTY ATHLETES HALL

OF FAME

Football Coach Mike Connor and Baseball Coach Brian Fili were inducted into Delco’s Sports Hall of Fame 2024.

Kaitlyn Ho ‘26, Mia Fagone ‘26 Managing Editor of Web / Health and Sciences Editor, Contributor

“Dedicated, hilarious, mentor.”

These were the three words senior and varsity baseball player Matthew Kane used to describe varsity baseball coach Mr. Brian Fili.

Coach Fili and assistant varsity football coach Mike Connor led their students into Districts victories in the Central Athletic League during the 2022-2023 seasons.

They will both be officially inducted into the Delco Athletes Hall of Fame at the 2024 Induction Dinner on Sunday, April 21—Fili, for his accomplishments as a baseball coach, and Connor for his record as a football player.

players. He’s very accepting of all of us.” Strath Haven Middle School Principal Dr. Christopher Matsanka also noted the way Fili lights up his team.

ON FILI: “They play harder for him than other teams [and] kids play for their coaches, he’s just able to bring that quality out of his players.”

Middle School Principal Dr. Christopher Matsanka

“I think I speak for a lot of people that [Fili] has been the greatest coach that I’ve ever had, and I’m really excited for this year with him,” Kane said.

Fili was inspired by other mentors he had.

“For example, my college baseball coach was also a teacher, he was a high school teacher,” Fili said. “I originally wanted to be a pre-med major at Villanova, and when I decided that was going to be really tough, to play baseball at Villanova and also be a pre-med major, I switched my major to education and wanted to become a teacher because of the teacher and coach that I had.”

Fili recounts the moment when he found out that he got the award.

“In my classroom, teaching math, I got a phone call, and at first I didn’t recognize the number, so I didn’t answer it,” Fili said. “I was in the middle of a lesson.”

“What I really noticed is that I think his kids play hard for him. And they play harder for him than other teams [and] kids play for their coaches, he’s just able to bring that quality out of his players,” Matsanka said.

Matsanka was also impressed with how Fili paid respect to people even if they weren’t on his team during a 2021 game against Marple Newtown.

“I think at our home game, he honored a student from the opposing team, who I think was having some health problems,” Matsanka said. “And I just thought that’s an amazing thing to do at our home game: to honor a student from an opposing team who’s having some struggles.”

A.J. Grande was a student at Springfield High, whose last game of the season had been played on the Strath Haven field after a cancer diagnosis. Fili gave a speech during the game stating the Central League’s support of Grande. He also let Grande throw a pitch home.

18 Delaware County athletes will be inducted to the Class of 2024 at the Delaware County Athletes Hall of Fame on Sunday, April 21.

He appreciates his assistant coach, Mr. Kane, who he commends for helping him manage and run the team.

“I was a baseball player, but also now to get inducted as a coach,” Fili said. “I think it’s really cool. And it’s a lot of credit to the players that I’ve had. I’ve had a lot of talented players, but a lot of great kids too, and that’s important.”

According to Kane, Fili’s upbeat personality is why the team loves playing for him.

“Honestly, just a really fun guy,” Kane said. “He’s very extroverted. He makes a lot of jokes, which I think also makes him a really good coach. He’s open to all the

“I just remember watching that game, it was when we honored him at the start of the game,” Matsanka said. “And it just was a very classy thing to do, and it just showed how much he cares about kids and how much he cares about the game of baseball.

I just think he has a huge heart.”

Fili has continued to inspire. Last season, the baseball team was undefeated 5-0, until they played Ridley at home. They lost that game 10-0.

“He brought us in, and we kind of expected him to be mad,” Kane said. “But it was kind of the opposite. It was kind of like, ‘Hey, you guys thought that you were this good, but you’re not’, he kind of just set it straight to us. He’s like, ‘We have to work a lot harder in practice. We have to focus more,’ and I think after that game, we really turned it around. We’d won, I’d say, 14 out of our next 15 games after that.” This optimistic yet tough outlook drives Fili’s coaching style.

“As a coach, I believe you can win every game and that’s how you got to approach it, too,” Fili said. “Like, if I go into a test, I want to get the best I’m going to get on the test. I’m gonna do well. If I’m pushing a game, we’re gonna go in, and we’re gonna win. And your players feed off that if your players see, ‘Coach thinks we’re going to win,’ then they’re going to have that same thought process.”

Success to Fili isn’t just measured in athletic talent.

“Not only do I have good players, but they’re also awesome kids, and you can’t be successful unless you have both of those,” he said.

Some of Fili’s favorite moments are visiting his old baseball pupils, and watching them play for colleges. Most recently, he went to Penn State and visited Strath Haven alumnus Alex Pak ’23. Fili teaches a baseball camp during the summer and can watch kids grow from learning basics to being varsity athletes.

“Some of these kids were in my camp since they were in first grade, which is incredible to see,” Fili said. “And I love kind of seeing some of these kids that were on [the] state championship field last year. They were in my camp when they were first and second graders, which was kind of cool.”

Kane was one of those kids.

kid because every player is so different in what motivates them, and where they’re at from an ability standpoint,” Connor said. “So I try to know the kids as well as I can so that I can reach them as best I can, with the ultimate goal being to help them be the best player they can be as a football coach.”

Senior and quarterback Jake Kitchin, another player for Connor, was positively affected by his coaching methods and admired his skills back when he played for the Panthers.

“He’s fixed a lot of dumb things I’ve done, and he’s made me more mature by just realizing how to play the game,” Kitchin said. “Also I watched film of how he played, and I kind of idolized the way I played because of him.”

According to Law, Connor is also an extremely organized coach.

ON CONNOR: “I undoubtedly think he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. I’m not surprised one bit that he’s in it.”

“He did just about everything. As our head coach, Coach Clancy used to say that if he were to just get sick and not show up one day, he would 100% have a job,” Law said. “He was always on top of everything, and he never missed a step. It was very impactful and it showed how much he cared.”

Offensive Starter Carter Law ’24

“I was the bat boy when I was four or five, and he kind of brought me into the team when I wasn’t on the team,” Kane said. “It kind of made me have the first sense of what a team was back when I was young.”

As in many sports, the idea of a team is synonymous with family. Fili also has three words to describe them.

“Gritty, smart, competitive.”

The students who played for football coach and former quarterback Mike Connor, who also teaches at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School and is the Strath Haven Youth Football Director, described him in similar terms, and emphasized that Connor is one of the most determined people they’ve ever met.

“Every day, all day, he always was persistent. He always had something for us to do, and he’s just determined,” senior offensive starter Carter Law said.

When Connor was a student and quarterback at Strath Haven, he won two PIAA state championships as well as three Central League and a District 1 championship. He went on to play for the University of Delaware, leaving Strath Haven with a record of 43-1.

Law recalls his first impression of Connor from his sophomore year, highlighting the coach’s inclusivity.

“I remember that even when you weren’t participating in the game the next day, he still critiqued your form, he still critiqued everything you did,” Law said. “And so I always appreciate his idea of everyone should be as perfect as they can, no matter if they’re going to play or not.”

Having been a star player for Strath Haven himself, including being the 2001 All-Delco Football Player of the Year, Connor echoes that idea of selfbetterment when reflecting on his coaching techniques.

“I try to hit the right buttons for each

Connor’s time playing on and coaching the Strath Haven team has impacted him in turn, something he reflects on after being inducted into the Delco Athletes Hall of Fame for his role as starting quarterback.

“It’s given me a lot of time to find appreciation for the people that helped me,” Connor said. “The coaches I had, the players I played with, I’ve just come to appreciate them even more.”

Another achievement for the Strath Haven Football team was making it to the State Championship Semifinals during the 2023 football season. Even so, Connor emphasizes that the team was the most important part.

“Whether it was the state semis we made or whether, you know, maybe it’s just being a 500 team,” Connor said. “It was more special just to be part of that group and watch them just work and compete and be so humble but also not be afraid of any opponent, not be afraid of any environment, not be afraid of any challenge.”

It’s because of this attitude towards coaching that Kitchin expresses his appreciation for Connor.

“He’s one of the greatest coaches I’ve ever had. I’ve been playing football since ten, he’s top two, top one to be honest,” Kitchin said. “He’s just a great coach, great guy, and it really sucks I’m done playing with him because I loved just speaking with him because he’s a great guy to talk to. Hopefully, I’ll see him down the road.”

Law shares similar sentiments about his former coach and congratulates him on his induction.

“I undoubtedly think he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. I’m not surprised one bit that he’s in it,” Law said.

As for words to describe the wellrespected football coach and admired former player, Kitchin sums it up in three.

“Definitely passionate. He’s very intelligent and inspiring.”*

Mike Connor PHOTO PROVIDED BY STRATH HAVEN YOUTH FOOTBALL

Brian Fili PHOTO: KELLY MONTAGUE

Jacob Jurkech competes in Junior Olympics

Junior Jacob Jurkech shares difficulties and accomplishments throughout his fencing career.

Jillian Thomas ‘24 Sports Editor

Philadelphia Fencing Division Youth Liaison and seasoned fencing competitor junior Jacob Jurkech participated in the Junior Olympics in Charlotte, North Carolina from February 16-19.

His final placements were Cadet Men’s Saber 289th/295th, Junior Team Men’s Epee 63th/63th.

It has been a long road to get to where he is today. Even though Jurkech is nationally recognized, it didn’t start that way.

“When I started, I originally viewed fencing more casually,” Jurkech said. “However, I just kept on practicing at home and practicing at the club. It allowed me to just progress pretty well.”

Shortly after Jurkech started his fencing career, the COVID pandemic disrupted his progress, which he says was a huge obstacle in progressing and reaching higher success.

“I took a little break for COVID because fencing was unsafe to do inside,” Jurkech said. “The biggest obstacle was probably COVID because it was right in the middle of my fencing time. [I] was halfway through just a season, I went to a tournament, and bam! Right after, I just couldn’t do anything.”

Jurkech says that tournaments were the main way for him to grow, and that practicing by himself hindered his progress. Still, he also expressed that putting in hours of practice paid off, even

CTE

if it was without an opponent.

“I’m our team captain for the area [for Junior Olympics],” he said. “I also have gone to Nationals and [done] somewhat decently. And I’ve gone to multiple large regional tournaments as well.”

Sophomore Jason Zhang, who has been competing with Jacob for five years, shares what he admires about Jurkech.

“I really admire his tenacity, when he wants something he’ll work for it, he’ll put his head down and just get it done,” Zhang said. “I think it’s really helpful in fencing.”

In these tournaments, Jurkech, who is 6’4”, works with an extended arm.

“I’m tall for my age. So when I was fencing, I was much taller than the competition, which definitely gave me an edge in the reach. So that definitely aided me and got me on the right track for fencing,” Jurkech said.

Jurkech often uses his skills to unofficially coach people at his club, which he finds satisfaction in.

“I think it’s fun,” he said. “It’s fun to see other people succeed. And when someone really wants to learn, it’s great teaching them and then having them do it. It’s a really nice experience.”

Through coaching, Jurkech has garnered an appreciation for teamwork, which comes in handy during the team portion of fencing tournaments.

“I enjoy teamwork. Often times at tournaments, I’m with the friends at the

club, talking to them, coaching them through what to do, so and so. So I often help my teammates out, even though it’s not a team event. So I think a team event will be very interesting,” Jurkech said.

Zhang said that Jurkech has been a good teacher.

“We often exchange tidbits, I have definitely learned skills and other things from Jacob at tournaments and stuff,” Zhang said.

Jurkech offers some advice for fencers, athletes, and people in general.

studies question school sports’ safety

“The most important thing I would say I’ve learned is that, if you really commit time to something, put your mind to work, [and] put in absurd hours, you can get things done,” he said.

Being a national-level athlete is extremely difficult, and Jurkech looks back on his progress with awe.

“I would never have imagined when I was younger being where I am right now,” Jurkech said.*

Updated research on head trauma in youth sports means that athletes and staff should stay vigilant.

Lavanya Dixit ’27, Claire Salera ’27 Reporters

New research indicates that head injuries in youth sports may have a more serious longterm impact than previously understood.

152 brains of athletes who died before the age of 30 were donated to Boston University and Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare. Researchers found that 40% of the brains had Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, according to the New York Times.

Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, commonly known as CTE, is a disease that causes the death of the brain’s nerve cells and affects people who have experienced traumatic head/brain injuries, including concussions and head impacts. The threats CTE poses on athletes, specifically studentathletes, are new, yet CTE has been reported to increase confusion, memory loss, aggression, impulsive actions, feelings of depression, and suicidality.

necessary.

“What’s good about it is that we’re all much more educated about [concussion signs], so we’re much quicker to look for them and signs for them,” Fleming said. “So, hopefully, we’re spotting that sooner and getting them treatment sooner, which is always a good thing.”

Such openness to new research allows for an upto-date protocol regarding studentathlete health. Changes to sports gatherings and even equipment in youth sports could help reduce the risk of CTE in drastic ways.

“In very very basic terms, you only get one head, so the biggest thing to do is to be honest about it and advocate for yourself when you’re not feeling right.”

Ms. Sara Fleming School Nurse

Recent studies like this challenge previous ideals of sports. Knowing the long-term consequences of concussions raises questions regarding the safety and future of student-athletes. Such consequences urge crucial revision and maintenance of the school’s health and safety departments.

“I think it’s a really interesting topic and I’m excited to see, as it progresses, what the research shows: especially in terms of youth development and the impact that concussions or full impact sports have on youth, and what dangers or risk that might pose for them later in life,” School Nurse Ms. Sarah Fleming said.

Emphasizing recent studies on CTE allows for better education on the topic, which Fleming says is

“The more we learn about it and the more we know about it, the better we will be able to develop interventions to either lessen its impact or, develop different ways of playing sports,” Fleming said. “It’ll impact equipment, how we run sports and practices, in terms of student-athletes, it might impact how much class time they miss, how much recovery time they get, and any other classroom accommodations they might get.”

While there’s always the possibility of changes, Fleming and Athletic Director Lynelle Mosley agree that the school’s current protocols ensure safety and aim to prevent underlying symptoms.

“Our trainer is very well-versed in the procedure with concussions, and when any student has any sign or any injury in a game that may look like a concussion, they’re immediately tended to,” Mosley said. “We have a lot of protocols that we have to go through before they’re okay to go back onto the playing field. I think we handle it the way we’re supposed to handle it, as of now, to prevent our student-athletes from suffering from concussions or any lasting effects.”

Knowing the ropes of how to get through a concussion can help to reduce anxiety surrounding any kind of concussion. Set procedures and accommodations allow for a healthy, stress-free recovery.

After he was diagnosed with a concussion, sophomore Jordan Alexander experienced the school’s concussion protocols as a process.

“I had headaches almost every day,” sophomore Jordan Alexander said. “I wasn’t really scared because I knew I’d be fine. I just had to get through it.”

Understanding the long-term threats head injuries cause only urges the necessity for further safety regulations and honesty. Considering the strength of the current protocols, Fleming stresses honesty about symptoms for all student-athletes.

“One of the biggest things a student can do is be honest. When they hurt their head, if they don’t feel right, they need to communicate that to someone,” Fleming said. “In very very basic terms, you only get one head, so the biggest thing to do is to be honest about it and speak up and advocate for yourself when you’re not feeling right.”

Although immediate changes may not be made in school sports in relation to the newest research, Fleming notes that staff will continue to pay attention to the research—and to Haven’s athletes.

“I think we’re all aware now that concussions can pose further risk down the line for any individual, so we’re all more vigilant about watching and spotting them and making sure that the person is getting the appropriate treatment and rest and accommodations they need to truly recover,” Fleming said.

“What that means for sports down the line, I couldn’t tell you.”*

BLADE TO BLADE • Junior Jacob Jurkech parries an attack with his epee during Junior Olympics on February 17 in Charlotte, North Carolina. PHOTO: JASON ZHANG ‘26

INSET: Jacob Jurkech

Increasing temperatures in the poles doesn’t mean increasing temperatures here

Hear from an environmental scientist about why we’re getting snow despite global warming.

Evie Fernandez ’27 Haven Happenings

Editor

Climate change has become a bigger issue over the years, and it’s influencing our climate even though we don’t always see it.

And although global warming is a big part of climate change, it’s not the only one.

“I’d consider climate change to be unnatural changes to the environment that are caused by humans, such as global warming,” said senior and president of Green Haven Chloe Browne.

Margaret Orr, a PhD Candidate at the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication, said that one of her undergraduate professors described climate change as a shift towards extremes.

“So she would say that if a place that’s already wet gets a lot of rain, it gets wetter,” Orr said “What is hot gets hotter, what is cold gets colder

Even though the weather is getting colder, the earth is still warming.

“It’s not that this recent cold snap was directly caused by global warming, but that it was made more extreme– more cold– by global warming,” she said.

An article by the Center for Disaster Philanthropy explains how warmer temperatures in the north and south poles cause problems that intensify

cold weather.

According to the article, “There is a direct connection between human-caused climate change and increased occurrences of extreme cold. Specifically, warming temperatures are disrupting the polar vortex and pushing cold air into non-traditional areas.”

The polar vortex relates to another scientific problem, which is how the jetstreams that control our wind are affected by global warming.

“The jetstream that controls our weather is these winds that go across the whole planet’s latitudes horizontally,” Orr said. “It sort of acts as a barrier between the colder polar air at the really high Arctic latitudes and what we know here. So when there are fewer differences in temperature between those two areas and when global warming causes that jet stream to kind of curve, it can bring that colder air farther down.”

Though climate change is a huge problem, we need to stop catastrophizing and start taking action on our own.

“There are a lot of individual-level actions, and those can often feel like you’re not doing a ton– like carrying around your reusable water, air drying clothes, or not using a plastic straw,”

GSA returns to health classes

Orr said. “Those little individual actions can feel like you’re not doing much, but they really do add up”

In the end, though, it’s good to start considering how your actions will affect the environment.

“Climate change is definitely a serious issue, and we should really be thinking about it because we only have one earth and we can’t get it back,” Browne said.*

NEWS IN BRIEF

Changes in Course Registration

On Tuesday, February 20, Assistant Principal Ms. Andrea LaPira spoke to 9th and 10th graders about course registration. There are some changes to the Silver Guide, including that taking a language, e.g. Spanish, in middle school, counts as one credit for high school. There is only a need to take two (of that same language) credits in high school, though LaPira recommends talking to your counselor about the decision.

Masks and Mystique

Frosh, an annual event where upperclassmen ask underclassmen to dance, will be happening Thursday, March 14. The dance will be centered around a masquerade theme, so bring your facial coverings of mystery!

Puppy Visit

The puppies returned on Thursday, February 8th during 5th block. Their fluffy love could be enjoyed outside the counseling center in the second floor lobby. Watch your email for the next puppy visit.

Full of Senior Spirit

Permission slips for the senior cruise, which will be on June 7 are open. They are due May 17, with the cost of the event being $115. More information can be found on Dr. Hilden’s weekly announcements, which are emailed out to the school.

SPORTS IN BRIEF

Bocce takes on playoffs

After a hiatus last year, GSA students returned to sophomore health classes in the fall semester to present on LGBTQ+ topics.

Kaitlyn Ho ’26

Managing Editor of Web / Health and Sciences Editor

Senior Francesca Clark, co-president of the Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA), decided to bring back GSA peer education to sophomore health classes after last year’s GSA leaders decided not to visit the health classes.

According to Clark, the decision to suspend the visits last year was not made by all members of the club.

“That decision wasn’t really talked about with GSA, and I was a junior leader last year,” Clark said.

Clark emphasized the importance of the visits, and how students’ learning experiences change when being taught by fellow students.

helped connect the health teachers and the students to work out a plan of action.

“The GSA peer education is really directed by the club, and several people in the club this year felt really strongly about bringing it back, and the health teachers were very into it,” Morris said.

Sophomore Sonya Blum found the GSA visits to be informative.

“I think that the leaders did a great job speaking, and I think that they were respectful and wellspoken.”

Francesca Clark ’24 GSA Co-President

“I think it’s really important to go more in-depth about sexuality and all of that that the curriculum doesn’t allow you to do normally,” Clark said. “Peer education is like a huge part of learning, and it’s more hands-on, it allows people to pay more attention and feel more connected to what they’re learning. We felt really, really good about it. We were really happy that we started it up again, instead of just letting it not happen and leaving it all on the teachers.”

GSA Advisor and English Teacher Mr. Matthew Morris agrees with Clark. He

“I think some definitions were clarified,” she said. “And I think I learned, it was solidified, what is respectful and not respectful.”

Clark notes the lack of discussion around many queer topics, such as preventative measures for queer sex. She hopes that the GSA presentations will spark further amendments to the curriculum and improve representation of the LGBTQ+ community.

“When it comes to queer relationships, the curriculum is not doing its best to teach students,” Clark said.

GSA talks are also a way for students to learn more about what GSA does and make the club’s resources more accessible.

“GSA is about education, but it’s also about support, community support for each other, and about advocacy,” Morris said.

The presentations can help to clear

misconceptions about GSA.

“I think a lot of people don’t really think of GSA as a club that is productive per se, they kind of just think it’s a hangout club for the weird kids,” Clark said. “But it’s not. There’s a lot of people in it, and it’s really important.”

Clark, Morris, and Blum felt there was positive engagement during the talks.

“I think that if anyone in the class wasn’t engaged, it wasn’t about the lack of effort on GSA’s part,” Blum said. “I think that the leaders did a great job speaking, and I think that they were respectful and wellspoken.”

Morris commends the time and effort GSA student leaders put into the presentations.

“I sat in on one of the sessions, and I think it went pretty well,” Morris said. “People paid good attention and participated really actively. The students who ran the education session had done a lot of pre-work to get ready for it and updating it even from last time that it was run, and I think that paid off.” There is much to look forward to for sophomores taking health in the spring.

“I think that we want to include more interactive activities. We wanted to do a project where we would create pronoun pins where you would make your own pronoun pin,” Clark said. “We had a button press and everything, but it broke so we couldn’t use it. So, hopefully, we can add that in this semester.”*

The Panthers hosted the Unified Bocce Delco Championship on Wednesday, February 21 at 3:00 in Team 1 competed against Garnet Valley Team 1, Haverford Team 1 and Team 2. The team earned gold medals and moved on to Regionals on March 7 at Glen Mills.

Winter track sets records

Members of the boys and girls indoor track and field teams travel to Penn State University to compete in the PIAA State Championship on Sunday, February 25. On February 16, AJ Glavicic broke the school’s 400M indoor record at the Garden Invitational in New York. At the Track & Field Coaches Association of Greater Philadelphia Meet of Champions on Saturday, February 17, senior Gavin Schmidt set a new school record for shotput.

Swimming and Wrestling qualified for District Championships

Members of the Swimming and the Boys’ Wrestling teams will compete in District Championships next weekend. Swimming takes place on February 23 and 24 at the York YMCA. Boys’ Wrestling is on February 24 at Hatboro Horsham High School.

Freshman dominates Girls’ Wrestling District Championship

On February 17, freshman Lane Harrington won her weight class in the District Championship and was the District Girls Champion for Girls’ Wrestling! Congratulations Lane!

Spring sports incoming!

Spring sports pre-season begins on March 4. All PIAA Comprehensive Initial Preparticipation Physical Evaluation form must be completed via Powerschool by March 7. *

SNOW DAY • PHOTO: MAGGIE PETERSON

Top Rom-Com Movies

The best Valentine season movies that radiate a lovey-dovey mood.

Luci DiBonaventura ’25

Detours Editor

Looking for some romantic movies to get into the season of love? Here’s a list:

Tina Fey’s “Mean Girls”

On Valentine’s Day, we wear pink. Mean Girls revolves around a girl named Cady and her experience with public school. She soon falls victim to Regina George and articulates a plan for revenge. If you like romance and drama, then this is a must-watch! Get prepared for the student musical coming up in a few weeks of featuring this movie.

Gil Junger’s “10 Things I Hate About You”

I hate when you’re not around, I hate when you don’t call, and I certainly would if you didn’t watch this movie. Bianca Stratford is not allowed to date until her sister Kat Stratford gets a boyfriend. Kat is not one to fall for a man, but that doesn’t stop her sister from trying. This is a great movie for those who love romance and Heath Ledger.

Betty Thomas’s “John Tucker Must Die”

Play the movie or get played. John Tucker is a serial cheater and once his three girlfriends find out they decide to team up and get revenge. In doing so, they get a new girl to get him to fall in love and break his heart. This is the perfect movie to watch with friends and laugh!

Nick Cassavetes’s “The Notebook”

“The Notebook’’ is a classic tearjerker based on Nicholas Spark’s novel. With a heartless story by Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams, it’s a timeless choice for those who appreciate emotional and romantic films.

Andy Fickman’s “She’s The Man”

Amanda Bynes kicks up the laughs with this movie as she pretends to be her brother in college to play soccer. It’s a hilarious movie for those who are craving a good dose of goofy movies.

Luca Guadagino’s “Bones and All”

This movie is for all the horror fans out there. In “Bones and All” starring Timothee Chalamet, love is destined between these lovers, but their terrible past seems to interfere between them. If you like scary movies but still want a romantic feel, then this is a great watch.

David Raynr’s “Whatever It Takes”

Whatever, watch this movie or not, but you’re missing out if you don’t. Ryan falls in love with the most popular girl in school, Ashley, who has no interest in him. Meanwhile, his jockey friend Chris has a crush on his friend Maggie. The two work as each other’s wingmans but the closer they get to their goal the more they seem to question if they’re falling for the right girls. It’s a hidden gem for those who love classic rom-coms.*

February Book Recommendations

Evie Fernandez ‘27 Haven Happenings Editor

Senior Katie Foca recommends “The Invisible Life of Addie Larue” by

V. E. Schwab.

“The Invisible Life of Addie Larue is about a girl who goes through the world. She’s immortal, but nobody recognizes her. So she goes through life, and the second a door closes, nobody can remember her anymore. So she’s practically invisible. It’s the invisible life of Addie Larue, and she eventually meets one person who remembers her, and it’s about why this happens and their journey. I listened to Addie Larue on audiobook because I’m an audiobook person– because very busy times call for audiobooks. And it was well written enough that you can understand everything that is going on in the book with the scenery. You’re involved in the story, and it never lost me. Schwab is a really good writer.”

15 Songs

Senior Caeli Rieger recommends “The Grass Dancer” by Susan Power.

1

2

3

“So, the story is about the relationship between these two children from different families, and then it goes back through their parents’ generation and their grandparents’ generation, giving you the full context for how they got to where they are before sort of skipping up to the present. When you come back to the present, it is less about the relationship between the two children and more about their families and how their families affected them. I really like the way the story plays with time. Each chapter is set in a different time period, which is a very interesting method of storytelling that people don’t see a lot.”

Freshman Evie Fernandez recommends “Powerless” by Lauren Roberts.

4

5

REPORT CARD

“The book is about the main character, Paedyn, who lives in a world of Elites–people with superpowers. Those without powers are executed. Paedyn is powerless, but when she’s dragged into the world of the Elites, she must pretend to have powers to save her life. The book follows Paedyn through her relationship with the Elites and her journey through the Purging Trials, a ritual made to show the power of the Elites to the masses. I really liked the romantic subplot in this book, and the cliffhanger was brutal. It made me want to keep reading. I’d say that if you enjoyed The Hunger Games, you should try this out.” *

Students share favorite presidents

President’s Day just left us with a long weekend. Which presidents do students celebrate?

Lucy Karn ’24 Reporter

Fletcher Noto ’26

“Abraham Lincoln is the best president because he’s tall and he’s got a cool hat, and he did just so many great things, and he’s on the penny. He’s also got a great beard.”

Joe Lynch ‘24

“John F. Kennedy. I think he was ahead of his time on a lot of social policies.”

Riley May ’24

“Obama is my favorite president because his name sounds funny, and my mom likes him, and he is Hawaiian.”

CJ Chen ‘24

“I don’t know any presidents, but maybe the guy that got stuck in the bathtub because I read that in a picture book, and I thought that was funny.”

Maysie Sentivan ‘27

“My favorite president is Taft because he got stuck in a bathtub.”*

New semester

+ A fresh start! New classmates and teachers!

- Change can be TUFF

Schoology

+ Calendar feature

- It looks like Facebook from 2001

- The assignment won’t go away after submitted

- The testing format is weird

- Middle of the school year?

Lack of snow day

- Did you see how much it was snowing?

- Many cars had trouble getting to school

- A bus hit a car

Black History Month Assembly

+ The dances, singing, and speeches SLAYED

+ Entirely student-run

+ Showed different parts of Black culture in America

february crossword

Luci DiBonaventura ‘25

Detours Editor

Down

1. Tallest grass on earth

3. Opposite of “begin”

4. Actress in the movies “Mean Girls” and “The Notebook”

6. A toy that speaks a language called “furbish”

7. Academy Award for the film industry

8. Car named after a horse

9. Only planet that spins clockwise

11. God of love and desire

13. Platform Strath Haven switched to from Google Classroom

15. water and cornstarch

17. Capital of France

19. Roses are red, violets are ___

Across

2. “Mirrorball”

5. Mozart’s first name

10. Symbol of love

12. pink holiday

14. “I’m addicted to you don’t you know that I’m ___”

16. The new 2024 Jaberwocky theme

18. Male sheep

20. Card game for one

21. Spiderman

22. Strath Haven’s musical*

CHEESE CORNER:

Welcome back to the Cheese Corner. For this edition, I decided to start with a cheesy dad joke:

What happened after the explosion at the French cheese factory?

All there was left was de-brie.

Brie cheese is a soft, creamy cheese that originated in the region of Brie in France. Brie is traditionally made from raw cow’s milk, although pasteurized milk is also commonly used today.

The quality of the milk is a big factor in the flavor and texture of the cheese.

After the milk is heated, rennet, a set of enzymes found in mammals, is added to solidify the milk. This causes it to thicken and form curds.

Once the milk has hardened, it is cut into small curds. The size of the curds will influence the texture of the cheese. The curds are then gently stirred and allowed to settle. The whey is drained off, leaving behind the curds. The curds are transferred into molds, typically cylindrical. These molds help shape the cheese and allow excess whey to continue to drain off.

After molding, the cheese is salted. Salt helps to flavor the cheese and also acts as a preservative. The cheese is then left in a cool environment. Brie typically ages for several weeks, depending on the wanted flavor and texture. During this time, the

PHOTO: STEVEN VENTRESCA

cheese gains its texture and flavor.

Once the cheese is ready, it is packaged for sale. Brie cheese is often wrapped in a layer of paper or plastic to prevent it from drying out.

The packaging of the cheese says that it “pairs beautifully with crisp white wine and fresh fruity jam.”

Now, I can’t drink white wine, or any wine in general. So, I decided to try it with some random cracker I found in a cabinet in my kitchen. It was very soft but when it’s blended with another food item, it loses a lot of its flavor.

I still think that it is good. I’m sure that there are many different foods to combine with Brie that make it worth trying.

But I do not recommend random crackers in a random cabinet in the kitchen.*

CRITTER CORNER:

Tiny, the musical mastermind

Staff member has a special connection to his chihuahua.

Lavanya Dixit ‘27 Reporter

For this publication’s regular feature of the Critter Corner, technology support specialist and theatre backstage guru Mr. Jonathan Hardy talks about his bond with his dog, Tiny. One of Tiny’s special feats is his musical presence at Strath Haven. Tiny has been involved in the past three musicals.

Q. What’s your pet’s name?

A. His name is Tiny.

Q. How old is Tiny?

A. I think he’s six. He’s my girlfriend’s dog, but when we moved in, I’ve been watching him for the past five years.

Q. What breed is Tiny?

A. All I know is Chihuahua, but I think there was a dog show recently, and apparently, he’s a different breed of Chihuahua… if I had to enter him into a show, they’d have to evaluate him and put him on a different list.

Q. How has Tiny been able to maintain his involvement in the musical program?

A. He’s a chill dog, which is why he can interact with the students here. He’s the official “unofficial mascot” of tech crew. I typically bring him to the set builds over the weekends, so that’s where he’s seen a lot.

Q. How is the bond between the two of you?

A. He does whatever he wants but he’s annoying, in a good way! I can’t have

PHOTO:JOHNATHAN HARDY

anything to myself. I’ll go home, sit on the couch, and maybe play some video games. If I get up, he takes my seat. If I’m sleeping in bed, he will whine even though he can get up on the bed himself. The longest I haven’t touched him would be fifteen minutes, for him to get up on the bed, and he will whine for fifteen minutes straight, and it’ll start to mess with my brain.

Q. What’s something special you and Tiny do together?

A. We just go for walks. He gets an attitude sometimes on his walks. He likes to dictate where we go, so he’ll pull and go the other way. Sometimes he hates the rain, so when it was raining and snowing two to three weeks ago, he’d take a sniff when I opened the door and get mad bougie.

Q. What do you love most about Tiny?

A. We’re both two peas in a pod. Except for maybe his pea squishes my pea to the other side of the pod.*

ANSWERS

Silvertones serenade students

On Wednesday, February 14, the Silvertones filled hallways and classrooms for the annual Singing Valentines tradition.

Matthew Ramirez ‘26, Roxy Shelton ‘27 Social Media Editor, Contributor

Each year, the Silvertones sing to students all around the school in order to raise money for their Italy trip in March. They prepare acapella arrangements of popular songs, like Britney Spears’s “Toxic”, Billy Joel’s “The Longest Time”, and the Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way,” which are then sung for recipients.

“We then go into classrooms and interrupt the class, crowd around a person, and sing to them,” senior Katie Foca said. “It’s like a singing telegram, but Singing Valentines.”

The Silvertones spend months preparing for Valentine’s Day, and sell during all lunches the week before.

“It’s a fun little thing that the Silvetones do, it’s all student led, we spend a few months preparing the songs and then during lunches we sell,” sophomore Eli Graves said.

In addition to the short ensemble pieces, chorus members performed small Valentine’s Daythemed gestures like drawing hearts and swaying on chairs.

“My colleagues like to go on their [recipients’] Chromebook and search up hearts and like to draw hearts on their paper and notes,” sophomore Ryan Markey said.

Singing Valentines are a way for students to show love and support for their friends on Valentine’s Day.

“They can buy a Singing Valentine for their friends and we go and sing to their friends,” Markey said.

The Silvertones tradition has always brought joy to the chorus members.

“It’s so fun to see people absolutely mortified, it’s the best part, one guy who we sang to looked like he was about to start crying,” Graves said.

According to members of the Silvertones who have done Singing Valentines before, the system was more organized this year than it had been in past years.

“The sheets of names were broken into classrooms and by block,” Foca said. “We weren’t disrupting class as much, we would go to multiple people simultaneously in one class.”

Other Silvertones agreed that the new system helped them stay organized.

“This year was a lot less stressful, and was less rushed around,” Markey said.

For other chorus members, the tradition had been easier to execute than it was before due to a lower number of students who were given a Valentine.

“There were a lot more people we had to sing to last year, so this year was easier,” Graves said.

The Silvertones take great joy in interacting with their student body.

“It’s fun to embarrass people, in a nice way, and I like to see their reactions,” Markey said. “It’s a really fun experience, and I’m glad our school offers it.”

SWEET CELEBRATIONS • 1. The Silvetones male ensemble serenade senior Priya Sidhu on Wednesday, February 14. The Silvertones sang small acapella pieces of popular songs for their annual tradition of Singing Valentines. “It’s fun to embarrass people, in a nice way, and I like to see their reactions,” sophomore Silvertone Ryan Markey said. 2. The Silvertones girls ensemble clap while they serenade senior Mekhi Clark. 3. Junior Matteo Ventresca laughs his way through a valentine from the boys ensemble. 4. Senior Katie Foca sings to senior Nadir Tinsley for Singing Valentines on February, Wednesday 14. Singing Valentines are delivered during class. “We go into classrooms and interrupt the class, crowd around a person, and sing to them,” Foca said. PHOTOS: MATTHEW RAMIREZ