Childhood class sends emotional farewell to preschoolers

Underwater themes in art, food, and origami filled the choral room to celebrate another successful preschool year.

Evelynn Lin ‘25 Reporter

There is nothing like seeing proud Haven students and teachers cheering with tears in their eyes at the sight of colorful rows of preschoolers celebrating the end of a school year.

On May 11, parents, staff, and Childhood students filled the choral room to watch these young children graduate and say goodbye to their fellow peers.

The Exploring Childhood and Advanced Childhood classes are Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) electives taught by Mrs. Jennifer Zanoni for grades 10-12, where students receive the hands-on experience to work with young kids via the Little Panthers Preschool Program. Families can apply for preschool-age children to be taken care of and taught by Zanoni’s Childhood students. Haven students learn from Mrs. Zanoni what it takes to help these young children grow and learn. According to the Silver Guide, Haven students develop preschool lessons for art, math, science, nature, physical games, music, story time and literacy

This year, senior Laura Conner, who had already completed the Exploring Childhood and Advanced Childhood classes, decided to take an independent study with Zanoni, furthering her passion for childcare.

“It’s emotional because we’ve taken it for so long that we’ve seen some of the kids that we had last year grow in so many different ways,” Conner said.

Four preschoolers graduated this May and are leaving for kindergarten in the coming year.

Junior Liang He, who had the chance to look after one of these four students, feels emotional watching them move into the next chapter of their life.

“I had Wes, so I’m never going to see him again.

So, I’m gonna cry for the next five business days,” she said. “However, it was really cool because I know how excited Wes was to just grow up.”

Junior Julia Selcuk added how the event had an emotional impact on her.

“It was really sweet to watch,” she said. “I just loved the whole ceremony, and I did tear up a little bit. I definitely feel like I learned a lot from this class.”

With the school year coming to a close and preschool graduation behind them, the memories made for all involved will never be forgotten.

“Watching them graduate is just the cherry on top of a great school year with them. There are so many funny stories and I am so proud of them,” senior Ava Santisi said.

Like Conner, Santisi had also chosen to take an independent study with Mrs. Zanoni to continue building her caretaking experience.

“It’s the best class ever,” she said.*

Ball ‘26

To many in the Haven community, including senior Jack Santee, stickball is more than just a game.

“My mood for the day is very dependent on the outcome,” Santee said.

As a lunchtime routine for Haven students, stickball is like baseball with some changes. There are usually four innings each lunch period. Scavenged sticks are used in place of traditional baseball bats, and a tennis ball is used in place of a baseball. The sticks often get lost or broken and the new and different sticks constantly change the game.

Stickball games have been part of nearly every lunch block this spring that weather permits. According to senior Jake Goodwin, many unique rules have been added and evolved.

“We banned shirt catching. It’s really easy to just open your shirt and catch it. If it goes foul into the bushes and it goes far enough to the point where you can’t grab it, you’re out,” Goodwin said.

“Some weeks, people hit home runs all the time. Some weeks, it’s a defensive battle,” Santee said. “We’ve been losing a lot this week. I’ve been kind of frustrated but when we win, it’s a great feeling. The kids on the other team, I always talk trash to them.”

Goodwin believes stickball is a great way to end senior year. He always looks forward to it and does more with the game than just playing—he also reviews the statistics. “We have a Google Sheet full of everyone’s batting averages and errors and all,” he said.

He also used stickball as inspiration for a photography project.

“I wanted to make sports cards of

As the 2022-2023 year comes to a close, jobs for the summer are being decided on. What will students be up to?

Kaitlyn Ho ’26 CopyEditor/Health&SciencesEditor

Summer means no school, and for some SHHS students, it’s a great time to focus on working.

stickball. And I went down and took pictures, either as we were playing or when people were batting because I thought that looked the best,” he said.

Goodwin’s favorite memory of playing stickball is not about the game itself. It involves a slip-up by one of his peers.

“Someone hit it really far and it was all the way to the bleachers at the tennis courts and they fell onto the bleachers backing up,” he said.

For Goodwin, college stickball could never be the same as the experience at Strath Haven High School.

“The scenarios are just too perfect. I don’t know if it’s something that can happen anywhere else because it’s just perfect for 40-minute lunch with the bases already set,” Goodwin said. *

Whether it be working the snack bar or managing a team, the jobs students work during the summer can help them earn money, even if they aren’t sure what they want to do after they leave school.

“I’m just going to be a food runner/table busser for the Broad Table Tavern in Swarthmore,” senior Caleb Young said.

From

Young initially had to work on Fridays and the weekends, but he was able to get that changed so that he could have more time.

“So far, I like it, actually,” he said. “Makes me feel productive.” However, Young said his summer job has nothing to do with his plan for his future career.

Conversely, junior Jillian Thomas is preparing for a month-long summer job that is strongly connected with what she wants as her career: being a geneticist.

“I applied and got into an internship at the Wistar Institute in Philadelphia, it’s right near the University of Pennsylvania,” Thomas said. “So I’m going to be working on the P-53 tumor suppressor gene this summer, so hopefully working to create more drugs to help suppress genes that cause cancer.”

Thomas is not the only one looking for a job related to her interests. Freshman Hari Ghatpande applied for a database management job for a startup app. “I want to do coding or something related to it as my job, so I think it’d [database management job] be very useful,” Ghatpande said. Summer jobs are also an excuse to spend time with friends. Senior Erich Boerth is working in the office at the Swarthmore Swim Club.

“The staff is pretty much all high schoolers. I know most of the people there and I’m friendly with almost everyone there,” Boerth said. “So it’s a really chill environment.”

Application processes can be intimidating, and finding a job can also be difficult. Junior Olivia Bradford used Indeed.com to find and apply for her jobs.

“Either you could submit a resume or you could fill out a resume on the app,” Bradford said. “And then, it usually gives you a survey to answer, but it’s pretty simple. It’s a good way to get a job, to fill it out.”

There are a multitude of reasons why one might want a job over the summer. Maybe it’s for money, experience, or just a place to meet with friends. Whatever the motivation, getting a summer job can fill the newly formed six-hour gap in a student’s day.*