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The Index Ευταξια Σωζειν Δοκει
December 2018
Volume LXXXIV, No. 4
Haverford, Pennsylvania
www.havindex.com
Students, administration wrestle over fan behavior Nick Chimicles ’19
A parade of ugly Christmas sweaters marches from the locker room, past the weight room, up the stairs, and into McBride Court. The festive mass settles in its home
MR. JIM ROESE
The student fan section at EA Day’s football game, November 10, 2018.
on the near-side bleachers. It is Friday night, “Silent Night,” and our sweatered gentlemen lie anxious for the tenth point like one dormant volcano.
More than omelettes TYLER ZIMMER ’21
Fourth Former Tyler Seward steps up to the free throw line with nine points on the board. He bounces the ball twice, then flicks it into the air. The ball hangs above the players, all
eyes locked on its flight, as it grazes the rim and slips through the net. cont. pg. 3
Chess is back GRADY HERBERT ’22
Chef Henry Ruffin serves up more than delicious omelettes and pancakes. He also creates a lively dining experience from the first breakfast sandwich through the last blackjack chicken. Chef Henry embodies the goals of the dining hall staff, “nurturing the minds and bodies of the students at Haverford.” “It’s no big secret. I love working here,” said Chef Henry. “I love coming here and spending my time with the fellas.” The feeling is mutual. Nearly all students
and faculty who wait in long lines for his daily dishes agree that Chef Henry makes Haverford a better place. Fifth Former Daniel Chow said, “He’s a great example of how warm and friendly the community is at Haverford.” Hungry Haverford students aren’t always the most patient, waiting in 20-minute lunch lines, but “Chef Henry makes the lunch line a lot more bearable,” Chow said. cont. pg. 19
Chef Henry serving up his famous omlettes to Jaamal Shaw ’19 and Jordan Berry ’19.
NICK CHIMICLES ’19
INDEX STAFF
Connor Devine ’19 reflects on the Poetry Slam pg. 18
So far this year, chess has taken the Upper School community by storm. If you ever go to “The Street” during any block of the day, you will most likely see Haverford students sitting down for a quick game of chess. Chess, while always having a small presence at the school, has not been this popular recently and certainly was not a fixture of The Street. Dean of Students Mr. Mark Fifer said, “I don’t know [how it grew. It is] possibly from the Big Room, or from previous chess clubs.”
However, unlike some other trends, Mr. Fifer calls the exponential growth of chess “exceedingly positive” and a “great use of downtime.” Chess is a phenomenon which has grown to great heights. As the newest trend in the community has been received positively by all, the game of chess and The Street have now become a second community room, where students battle with their minds instead of their athletic prowess at the ping pong table.
Trent Davis ‘21 thinks through his next move on The Street.
COURTESY OF MR. JAVIER LLUCH
Immigrant stories: Señor Lluch pg. 4
TYLER ZIMMER ’21
Page 2
The Index - Editorial
December 2018
Students need to understand immigration first hand As we head into the thick of the winter season, the halls of Haverford are busy as ever and, at times, high with tension. As our country’s political climate becomes ever more polarizing, we’re starting to see Haverford’s “semi-permeable membrane” bubble over. The debate on immigration is becoming increasingly more relevant as we see waves of immigrants looking to cross borders. With cries from one side to “build a wall” and from the other rebuttals calling for a more case-by-case and relaxed approach; our country’s leadership is in a period of political turmoil. Haverford engages with the political world. The Index’s placing Fords immigrants under the spotlight, in a comprehensive series of stories from real-life immigrants about their struggles and triumphs through America’s convoluted immigration process. This issue, Spanish teacher Mr. Lluch’s story highlights our Features section. Hearing these stories allows us to consider the perspectives of those who are directly involved in a process that has been influenced so much by debate. It allows us to empathize and put ourselves in others’ shoes. Immigrants bring a new perspictive to American culture and America may
provide them with a better life. Mr. Lluch’s story of immigration exemplifies the great determination that immigrants bring to our
country. We should all take time to understand their stories, as these are the stories that
shape America and her people.
Index Editors-in-Chief Nick Chimicles ’19 and Neetish Sharma ’19 and Managing Editors Toby Ma ’18 and Yan Graf ’18.
INDEX STAFF’
Upcoming service events Toys for Tots: will pick up on Thursday, December 13 at noon. Donations of new, unwrapped toys and books for children will be accepted until then. Annual Notables Holiday Toys for Tots Concert: Wednesday evening, December 12 at 7 p.m. in the Big Room in Wilson Hall. Always a great event, filled with fun and holiday energy! Admission is one toy donation. Coat Drive: We are collecting gently used coats for the homeless. And, Sharing the Warmth Trees: always look better with lots of hats, gloves, mittens and scarves decorating their branches. Deadlines for both of these is Friday, December 14.
The Notables performing at the 2017 Notables holiday concert. The 2018 concert is on December 12.
MS. JESSICA WELSH
The Index’s 2018-2019 Staff
Nick Chimicles ’19 and Neetish Sharma ’19, Editors-in-Chief Yan Graf ’20, Managing Editor Toby Ma ’20, Features Editor Obaida Elamin ’20, Design Editor Matthew Schwartz ’20, News Editor Vincent Scauzzo ’20, Features Editor Daniel Chow ’20, Features Editor
Nick Chimicles ’19, Head Web Editor Lleyton Winslow ’20, Head Web Editor Noah Rubien ’20, Web Editor Aditya Sardesai ’20, Web Editor
All opinions and viewpoints expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of The Index or the school. The Index is designed and produced digitally. Photographs may be retouched. Submissions and letters to the editors regarding any and all articles are welcomed at index@haverford.org. The Index, a member of the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, is composed on Mac OS X, using Adobe InDesign CS 2018. Its surveys are conducted via SurveyMonkey and are advertised on Facebook to current Haverford students. Graphic designs are created by Index staff via Canva. Southern Dutchess News prints 200-400 copies of each issue, and its editorial staff distributes them in the Upper School on the day of release. The Index serves the needs of a total school population of 1156 community members, consisting of 956 students and 200 faculty and staff members.
Robert Esgro ’19, Opinions Editor Yeshwin Sankuratri ’20, Asst. Opinions Editor Jon Krouse ’20, Off-Campus Opinions Editor
The Index is a student-run publication of the Haverford School that does more than bring news: it provides the diverse perspectives of the Haverford student body. It is an outlet for student writers to take stands on issues they deem important. It chronicles the daily struggles and accomplishments of the Haverford community. The Index also provides a forum for discussion of pertinent issues, such as student culture, academic policy, and Haverford’s place in world affairs. The Index presents new ideas and aspires to influence constructive change.
Tyler Zimmer ’21, Arts Editor Augie Aliaga ’21, Arts Editor Ms. Alicia Evans, Faculty Advisor Ryan LaRocca ’20, Sports Editor Mr. Thomas Stambaugh, Faculty Advisor
Contact The Index: 450 Lancaster Ave, Haverford, PA 19041 index@haverford.org Twitter: @Haverford_Index http://www.havindex.com/ (610) 642-3020 x. 1222 Volume LXXX, No. 5 - February 2, 2018
Page 3
The Index - Features
December 2018
Students, administration wrestle over fan behavior continued from the front page... The students erupt, spewing victorious roars and throwing their fists to the sky. The opposing team sits stupefied, overcome with respect and fear. This is the student fan section. These are “the Gents.” “There are indications that this class, this group of fans led by the class of 2019, does not behave as well as prior classes,” said Dr. Nagl. “I believe that that is because of a couple of leaders of the class who feel less restraint or are rowdier or have less self control.” This edition of the student fan section has fervently cheered at major Fords’ sporting events throughout this year, equipped with the shortest of jorts and even chicken nuggets. At the first football game of the season, Head Football Coach Mr. Mike Murphy sent the fan section home for unruly behavior, which even long-term faculty members cannot remember occuring before. Over the course of EA Week, continued discourteous actions set student fans fans on a collision course with the administration and brought the very existence of EA Day into question. “Our job as a school administration is to try to emphasize the positive, to have a good rivalry, but to find the line that we don’t cross,” said Mr. Andrén. “And there were a series of behaviors that didn’t put both schools in the best light.”
“We believe that you guys are your brother’s keeper, and if someone is out of control you will cause them to pipe down. We did not see that at the level we hoped.” Some of these “behaviors” include social media attacks, the use of a historically homophobic term in chants targeting EA, the verbal mocking of specific EA players and parents, and the Fifth Form banner depicting a fire behind EA’s chapel. Several Haverford students have defended themselves with context. Students argue that EA students first deleted their own comments from an online post before submitting aggressive Haverford responses to the EA board.
They state that they were not aware the word used was homophobic, and meant it only as an equivalent to “weak.” Authors of the poster point out that the banner is in reference to Marvel’s latest Avengers movie: Infinity War. Still, Dr. Nagl believes students should rise above this behavior no matter the context: “It’s not the guy that commits the initial foul who gets penalized. It’s the guy who responds when the ref is looking. We have to be bigger than that. We have to be smarter than that.”
“Being a new guy in any situation, especially one of high power, is not easy. I know Mr. Andrén has the school’s best interest in mind, but it is hard to navigate a situation like EA Day when you haven’t previously experienced it.” Though the administration views some of this context as warranted, Dr. Nagl added that, “From most accounts it was lopsided. The bad behavior was mostly a Haverford School issue. Haverford School and EA parents, Haverford School and EA students, Haverford School and EA faculty and staff, all universally said that the Haverford student behavior at this particular EA Day was worse than it has ever been.” Yet, Student Body President Biagio DeSimone ’19 stated that the fan-section behavior was not out of the ordinary: “I believe that the [student fan section] acted the same way that it always does… There was a lot of back and forth bantering between us and EA. To say that only Haverford acted poorly paints us as the culprits.” On EA Day, Mr. Fifer positioned himself in the stands at the water polo game and Mr. Andrén along the fence at the soccer game, both as preventative measures. For the football game, the administration decided to move the fan section to a position closer to Lancaster Avenue. That final action greatly upset students. “The Fieldhouse Phanatic” said, “It was disrespectful. It was a bad idea. It only [angered] the student body more.”
DR. MIKE NANCE
Jon Williams ’19 howls for the soccer team, backed by the student fan section on EA Day, November 10, 2018.
“The seniors felt unapproached, unvalued, policed,” student council Vice President William Clark ’19 said. “They didn’t feel like friends.” As EA Day continued, this feeling of “policing” inspired a conflict between the fan section and the administration with many students scapegoating Mr. Andrén. At every event on Saturday, the fan section chanted the praises of former Upper School head Mr. Green with the intention of indirectly antagonizing Mr. Andrén. “What am I supposed to think?” asked Mr. Andrén. “It’s fine. I get it. I’m new. I’m different. I’m not Mr. Green, I’m not going to pretend to be Mr. Green. I’m not going to get upset about that because I realize that it comes with the territory.” “A first-year upper school head confronting a particularly rowdy student section: there’s going to be a clash there and there was,” said Dr. Nagl. DeSimone added, “Being a new guy in any situation, especially one of high power, is not easy. I know Mr. Andrén has the school’s best interest in mind, but it is hard to navigate a situation like
Sweater-equipped basketball fans preparing for the eruptive tenth point at the Academy of the New Church game, Friday, December 7, 2018.
MS. LINDA GENTER
EA Day when you haven’t previously experienced it.” Compounding this scapegoating was Mr. Andrén’s statement to DeSimone, “I’m not here to make friends,” which quickly spread throughout the Sixth Form. Mr. Andrén said, “I did say that statement. But let me give you the context: I want to have deep relationships with students, but sometimes deep relationships can be confused with us standing by the ethical standards of this school. It doesn’t mean we’re always going to agree.” On his adjustment to Haverford, Mr. Andrén said, “It’s slow. It’s frustrating because there are times that I feel a step behind in understanding the culture. I need to make sure I hold up what my job is asking me to do, but to do it with a sense of reverence and respect to the place.” Dr. Nagl said, “I’m confident that it will all smooth out. I remember how hard it was getting to know this place and understand this place, and getting to know you guys and understand you guys. There’s a learning curve on both sides.” As the administration investigated the events of EA Day, it heard rumors that students may have been intoxicated in the stands. Dr. Nagl said, “We believe that you guys are your brother’s keeper, and if someone is out of control you will cause them to pipe down. We did not see that at the level we hoped.” “Showing up to school drunk is unacceptable,” said Clark. “It’s just unacceptable.” Despite the hubbub of this EA Day, Mr. Andrén does not see it as some final word: “We have blips in the road all the time. I don’t consider this the concluding nail in the coffin of what I think of the senior class.” “You certainly have the reputation as a rambunctious class with big personalities,” added Dr. Nagl. “That is both good and bad. As long as those rambunctious personalities use their powers for good, you could be one of the best classes to ever graduate from here.”
Page 4
The Index - Features
December 2018
Fords immigrants under the spotlight: Mr. Lluch JEFFREY YANG ’22
Mr. Javier Lluch with fellow University of Georgia international students heading to Walmart on their first week in the U.S.
The topic of immigration is on most American minds. The increasingly interconnected world has made immigration accessible to all corners of the planet; modern transportation has enabled an easier, cheaper, and faster means for searching a better job, education, and opportunities. Nevertheless, conflict, poverty, inequality, and a lack of sustainable life necessities compels and forces people to immigrate. Immigrant stories are sometimes joyous and successful, but other times feature the adversities and complications immigrants face in their journey. While we may know of some narratives that spotlight members of the global community, some are unaware of the Haverford community’s stories.
Señor Javier Lluch
Mr. Lluch grew up in Spain. Before finishing college in 2006, he decided to attend graduate school in a place where he could advance his studies in English. At that time, Mr. Lluch was 23. Unsure of how long he wanted to stay in graduate school, he planned on at least obtaining a masters degree. Mr. Lluch was in luck, as his hometown university had a well-developed exchange program with the University of
YAN GRAF ’18
Georgia. “I first came on an F-1 Visa, which is a student visa. I had that for a couple of years until I graduated in 2008,” said Mr. Lluch. He ventured to attend grad school in America independently, without any schoolmates or family from home. “[A]t that point, I looked for jobs and ended up getting an offer at a private independent school in Toledo, Ohio, not too different from Haverford, except they were a co-ed school,” Mr. Lluch said. “The curriculum was very similar, teachers had similar freedoms, and the students were also motivated.” In his first year there, Mr. Lluch used the government-provided optional practical training year, or OPT. During this year, no other papers were required aside from that document. No boundaries were set on organization or income. “You could basically do anything that any other American could do,” said Mr. Lluch. However, the OPT is only valid for a single year. Mr. Lluch then applied for a work visa which, in his case, was a H1B visa. He was accepted for the visa, but had to hold it up for seven years in three yearincrements. “In my second year in Ohio, I applied for a green-card, or permanent resident permit. That whole process for the first one took a total of five years, but was denied,” Mr. Lluch said. “So at that point, I had a couple of options: I could have tried again with my previous school, or I could start over somewhere else. Regardless of what I did, I had to start over with a whole other green-card process.” “So, since I was ready to move away from Ohio, I decided to move to the East Coast; I’ve always wanted to live here. I started to look for jobs in this area, and I heard from Haverford,” Mr. Luch said. When the school reached out to Mr. Lluch, he only had one year left in his H1B visa with an additional optional extension. Therefore, the remaining two years were about to expire, and Mr. Lluch needed a plan. “As soon as I got hired at Haverford, I let them know I want to be a permanent resident, so they needed to sponsor me. That whole process took about two years, and I finally got my green-card last summer, July 2017.”
COURTESY OF MR. JAVIER LLUCH
After having that for about a year and a half, Mr. Lluch plans to apply to be a citizen. “I need to be able enough to be an immigrant for five years before I can apply to be a citizen,” Mr. Lluch said. Mr. Lluch is also looking into keeping his Spanish citizenship in order to continue to be able to travel to the European Union relatively easily.
“You leave, and then people move on with their lives. When you come back, you sort of expect things to be the same, but they can’t possibly be the same” When queried about his family’s opinions on his decision to come to America, Mr. Lluch said, “They had a ton of opinions, and they still do to this day. They were happy for me, but they weren’t happy that I was leaving.” “I come from a family-oriented culture that is also very collective,” Mr. Lluch said. “I’m the first person to ever go anywhere outside a 50-mile radius, let alone a whole different country. My whole family lives back home; my brother actually lives in the house where we grew up. My parents moved out of that house, but they moved like 30 minutes away. For them, to drive two and a half hours is a huge deal. I’m the only person in the family that isn’t in the immediate area where everyone grew up. So that was tough for them.” When Mr. Lluch first left, he had planned to stay for a extended period of time, but really did not know if he wanted to stay long-term. “It took a good seven or eight years for my family to be at peace with the idea of me staying here,” Mr. Lluch said. Mr. Lluch finds that the hardest part in leaving Spain was leaving friends and family. “The fact that you leave, and then people move on with their lives. When you come back, you sort of expect things to be the same, but they can’t possibly be the same,” Mr. Lluch said. “My brother now has three kids, and that part is tough because I like spending time with him, and I love them very much. Not being able to see them often is tough. Also, my parents aren’t getting younger, and in a few years, they might need me to take care of them, and I’ll
have to make a decision.” Mr. Lluch returns to Spain once or twice year to visit the things he misses to most from Spain: the people and the food. “Some of the things we ate growing up I sort of try to replicate at home,” said Mr. Lluch. “But it’s just not the same, it’s different.” Mr. Lluch’s relatives also visit him at times as well, “but not as often as [he] would like.” With the exception of his father, who does not enjoy traveling, Mr. Lluch’s mother has visited about six times, and his brother visited him after Mr. Lluch graduated from graduate school. A few cousins he is close with have also met with him. As far as the cultural shock of moving to a new country, Mr. Lluch finds uncomfortable situations thrilling. “Even though the culture is very different, I’ve always been curious about different cultures and enjoy the thrill of being in a place and not knowing what’s going on,” said Mr. Lluch. The biggest cultural difference Mr. Lluch presented was a collective culture in Spain versus the United States’ more individual lifestyle. America’s focus on the pursuit of happiness and “following your dreams” was a foreign concept to him. “[In Spain,] family’s very important, friends are very important, and people just love to socialize out on the streets,” he said. “There’s very little interest in privacy or self-promotion.” Furthermore, Mr. Lluch noted the diversity in the United States as something that contrasts Spain’s more homogenous culture. “Seeing all the cultures that coexist in the same city is a very different thing,” said Mr Lluch, who enjoys, “all the different foods you can find and museums for everything.” “In Spain, you could walk down a street, and if there’s fifteen restaurants, they will all be serving the same things. That’s not the case here.” A struggle Mr. Lluch faced with was always having the legal insecurity looming overhead. “So when I finally got my permanent residency,” said Mr. Lluch, “It was a huge weight off my shoulders because, as a visitor and not even an immigrant, you can only make plans for two years ahead. You never know what’s going to happen when your time expires.” Having gone through the process, he feels that the current immigration system is outdated and contains steps that are lengthy and complicated. “I guess you can come out of it with two different mindsets,” Mr. Lluch said. “Some people come out thinking if it was so hard for me, it should be just as hard for everyone else. I come out of it on the other side, where I feel this was very difficult for me, [but] it should be easier for everyone. As much as it was complex and complicated for me, I know that I am in a much better shape than a lot of other people. “I remember talking to my immigration lawyer when I wanted to get my first work visa. She said to me that ‘Being a person from western Europe and having a college education gave me about an eighty percent chance of getting in. And if you were from a country that sends more immigrants, we would be having a much more different conversation.’” Mr. Lluch believes that the current American system is not designed for the present. “I think it needs to be simplified, streamlined, and needs to pay attention to the current needs of the world.”
Page 5
The Index - FEATURES
December 2018
Fords faculty fantasy football feuds fester MATTHEW SCHWARTZ ’21
Almost a decade ago, Chemistry Teacher Mr. Thomas Trocano, only three years into his Haverford career, began a yearly tradition that has continued since: a faculty fantasy football league. Now, the league is comprised of fourteen different faculty members ranging from Head of Upper School Mr. Patrick Andrén to brand new teachers, such as Science Teacher Mr. Chris DiBello ’12. There have been highs and lows throughout the years. For example, this year Spanish Teacher Ms. Brooke Kenna, who before joining Haverford was the threetime champion of her previous faculty football league, traded away her first overall pick and number-one overall player, Todd Gurley.
Now one might wonder: “For what was the current MVP candidate traded for?” and to that I present you the trade: Todd Gurley II for Corey Clement, John Brown, and Chris Hogan. “Perhaps it was karma,” English Teacher Mr. Jesse Sataloff said, “Maybe, good fortune; ultimately, success.” In the spirit of the fantasy playoffs, The Index asked each member of the league a couple questions regarding important topics such as team name origin, who talks the most smack, and drafting strategy.
How did you join the league? “I didn’t join the league. Eight years ago, the league joined with me.” Why do you enjoy playing fantasy football? “Does a Visigoth enjoy the invasion of Rome?” What do you enjoy about playing fantasy football with colleagues? “Like the Dothraki, I enjoy the smell of molten gold in the morning. It smells of victory.”
Mr. Keefe, “Ickey Shuffle”
What’s your drafting strategy? “Make excellent picks and then laugh at the rest of the owners as they draft kickers and defenses.”
Are there any memorable moments? “After the defeat of Trocano this year, I might have bellowed, ‘I’ll drink that milkshake!’ when finishing my copies, to the horror of Jesse Sataloff, who is lactose intolerant.”
What is your team name and origin? “DiBelloware Valley - It’s an old name from past leagues, based on John DiBella’s radio show on 102.9 MGK. He called it the DiBellaware valley. No, I am not related to John DiBella.”
Mr. DiBello, “DiBelloware Valley”
Why do you enjoy playing fantasy football? “Playing Fantasy with colleagues creates new and different moments of interactions. These interactions can be good trade conversations, trash talk, or just advice on a line-up. Interactions with colleagues about topics other than school can be enlightening.” Are there any memorable moments? “I won my last matchup by .14 of a point.” Mr. Gaudreu, “It’s a Me Mariota”
What is your team name and its origin? “Shld B Lessn Plng. Before being coerced into the league by the crooked commissioner, Mr. “Goodell” Trocano, I lesson-planned for approximately 12 hours a day. I believe the whole league is a scheme to undermine other academic departments, leaving the power-hungry commissioner to slowly overtake the school and implement a science-only curriculum. Imagine that, nothing but honors chemistry quizzes all day, every day. Commissioner and Science department chair - conflict of interest? You tell me.” Are there any memorable moments? “Once the season seemed dim Dreams out of reach. Drowning in sorrow. Mr. Sataloff, “Shld B Lessn Plng”
How did you join the league? “I founded the league. I am the almighty Commissioner.”
Greatness slipped almost out of reach Until Reliable Todd, lightning fast, Lacerating ACLs, one jump cut at a time Eviscerating defenses Your Defense”
Mr. Trocano, “Philadelphia Fission”
How did you join the league? “I used to spend more time than I would like to admit researching my fantasy team; I would buy magazines, spend hours reading blogs and player highlights, etc. So when I told the commissioner, Mr. Trocano, that I won my league when I worked in NYC three years in a row, I was invited in. It was like going from Little League to the Majors. At least that’s what Mr. Trocano thinks.” Are there any memorable moments? “It was awkward when Trocano only drafted Browns players as a sacrifice to the fantasy gods in hopes that Cleveland would be over .500 sometime this century.”
Ms. Kenna, “Mother of Dragons”
What is your team name and origin? “The Horsecollars. Hengst means stallion in German, and a horsecollar is a vicious type of tackle in football. Surely it strikes fear into my opponents.” Why do you enjoy playing fantasy football? “I love the NFL. Honestly, fantasy is an easy excuse for me to follow the league more closely.” What is your drafting strategy? “I always try to get my RB’s and WR’s as soon as possible, then a value QB in the 5th. But, I’m currently in last place, so maybe I’ll draft a kicker first next year.”
Mr. Hengst, “The Horsecollars”
How did you join the league? “I was invited by Mr. Trocano. Apparently, there is a tradition that the Upper School Head joins the league and performs laughably. I am fulfilling that tradition with full honors.” Are there any memorable moments? “Mr. Trocano likes to stop by to point out when Mr. Fifer and I lost. It is a highlight of my week.” Mr. Andrén, “Karl Patrick’s team”
Page 6
The Index - Features
You gotta drive it: Tesla Model 3 review
Vincent Scauzzo ‘20 LEO NGUYEN VIA WIKIMEDIA
Released in July 2017, the Tesla Model 3 became one of the best-selling cars in North America in August 2018.
In the beginning, Elon Musk created the Roadster, and he saw that it was good. With its unique propulsion and environmental benefits, he knew there was a market for something like this. There was trial and there was error, the first Tesla. On the second day, Elon created the sedan. Built for families of the upper class who wanted to be on the cutting edge of the auto industry, the Model S brought Tesla to the public and business eye. Elon saw what he created, and he saw that it was good. The second Tesla. On the third day, Elon took on a new challenge. With a rapidly expanding market for crossovers and other family vehicles, he decided to make a large car. This car had wings like an eagle, yet quiet as a mouse. It took pity on drag strip legends like Dodge, Ferrari, and Lamborghini. And yet, it did all this with seven seats and weighing almost three tons. Alas, the eagle could not fly, for it was birthed with broken wings. Impressive as it was, the Model X came out years after it was due to, though loyalists clung on to the beast’s strange looks and stunning performance. The third Tesla. On the fourth day, Elon got greedy. He did not only want to satisfy his fans; he wanted to reach a new audience: a new age for Tesla. He wanted everyone to be a part of his empire and reset the standard of what a car is. Elon thought and Elon did. Although like the Model X, his new experiment stayed in the factory for an extra two years. Until at last! The Model 3 was born, the people saw that it was good. Very good. The Model 3 seems to sell like a Toyota Rav4 based on the amount I’ve seen on the road. Everyone wants their little slice of Elon. And I can see why—it is a solid choice for someone who wants to get in on the electric car. It is less expensive (sort of ), it handles well for what it is, and it has some pretty cool party tricks. The Model 3 has a comfortable, smooth suspension, ironing out most bumps it encounters. Tesla engineered the suspension so that it favors comfort more than sporty control, at least in the non-performance model tested. Now, of course, the driver can change the suspension settings in the infotainment system—in fact, the driver can change everything about the car from the infotainment system, but we’ll get to that later. The neat thing about the Model 3 is that, even though it has lots of batteries underneath that power the car, it only weighs as much as a normal combustion engine sedan, so weight doesn’t
really interfere with handling too much. However, it’s not like that battery can sit by unnoticed. Well, actually it can—the car doesn’t make any noise. Because the battery is between the axles, and thus takes up space under the passengers, legroom, especially in the rear, is compromised. The battery makes the footwell almost nonexistent, so your feet rest higher than in a normal car. It’s not like you’re in the fetal position, but it was not very comfortable sitting for the first time in the back. In the front, because there is no engine or fluid tanks, passengers can extend their legs straight out into the long footwells under the glove compartment. Speaking of the interior, it is the most minimal of any car I’ve ever been in. Tesla has redefined the essentials with the Model 3, eliminating the instrument cluster in front of the driver and all buttons for music and climate control. You can’t even manually direct the flow of air. All that remains is the shifter on the steering column, which is ironically old school, the turn signal lever, and an enormous monitor for everything else controlling the car. It goes beyond navigation and radio. I’m talking air-conditioning, battery level status, an internet browser, mini Atari games, heated seat control for front and
very smooth and all the icons were very clear. It really functions like an iPad. As for the rest of the interior, it is underwhelming for the cost of the vehicle. Nothing really stands out in the car—it’s too minimal for my taste. I like it when there are dark, glossy wood and chrome accents on the vents—it makes me feel like I’m in an important vehicle. The Model 3 is too plain to be called luxurious. It certainly isn’t cheap; in fact, everything feels well made. It’s just that for a car that can cost up to sixty grand, I would like it to feel more special inside. This feels like a $35,000 car, not the $50,000 car it actually is. And let’s talk about price. The Tesla Model 3 is supposed to be the cheap electric car for the everyman. Not only did GM beat Tesla to that title with the Chevrolet Bolt, but Tesla hasn’t even released the $35,000 version yet. You do get $9,500 back from the government (!) for buying an electric car in Pennsylvania, which brings the price down significantly, but without that, it’s a $47,000 car. Ideally, you get the money back in the long term from the government and by saving gas, but Tesla needs to get that cheap version out soon if they want to compete in the not-so-distant future.
STEVE JURVETSON VIA WIKIMEDIA
“As for the rest of the interior, it is underwhelming for the cost of the vehicle. Nothing really stands out in the car—it’s too minimal for my taste.”
back, parking sensor settings, autonomous mode settings, performance settings, and a backup camera. Now, I didn’t mess around at all with the controls while I was driving, though I think it would take a long time for them to become second nature. However, I noticed when parked that the interface was
The car handles well for something that’s top priority is point A to B. The steering feedback and feel were not as numb as I was expecting, though it leaves a lot to be desired; there isn’t any torque steer, which was confidence-inspiring. The steering wheel itself feels different, made of some material
DECEMBER 2018
that feels like plastic microfiber—I prefer leather or Alcantara. Now, I talked about this car having some party tricks, so let’s talk acceleration. This thing rips. Putting your foot on the gas—excuse me, the accelerator—is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. It’s like being in a fighter jet. The only time I’ve felt this acceleration is when I’ve ridden shotgun with Jim Lowe (he wrote a book, by the way). It’s honestly amazing how different the electric motor behaves compared to an internal combustion engine. For what is really a pretty dorky car, this thing can put a lot of purpose-built hot rods to shame. But what is a fast car with power without good brakes? Nothing, most serious drivers will tell you. Well, Tesla figured this one out, too. When the driver takes his foot off the accelerator, the car does not coast. Instead, it slows down significantly due to the way the electric motor’s torque works with the wheels. It transfers kinetic energy into energy for the batteries as it glides under deceleration. The effect is you can almost drive this thing with one pedal if you leave enough room to stop. As for the pedals themselves, they were the most disappointing part of this car. The brake pedal had very little travel which made it feel like I had to stomp down on the brakes every time I wanted to come to a complete stop. The accelerator was touchy, but that’s probably me not being used to the instant torque and can be adapted to quickly.
It’s honestly amazing how different the electric motor behaves compared to an internal combustion engine. For what is really a pretty dorky car, this thing can put a lot of purposebuilt hot rods to shame. What is unique about Tesla car culture is that the people who buy them are not necessarily all that interested in cars. They might know what the Ford Mustang is, but they do not know that Land Rover is Indian. I mentioned that this car’s job is “A to B,” meaning it’s not for fun, it’s for transportation. A big reason why Tesla has drawn such a following is that it develops semi-autonomous cars. I say “semi” because the driver (or passenger?) cannot just punch in the directions into the nav and have the car drive him. Rather, the car’s standard autonomous features include the ability to stay in lane and follow the car ahead, while taking some winding turns. This is not to say Tesla doesn’t make cars that are nearly fully autonomous. The $3,000 optional autonomous package gets you really close to full autonomy, though I haven’t tested that option...yet. But! Let me make this clear: the world is not ready for autonomous cars. Autonomous cars need to communicate with each other the same way people do in regular cars. You can’t have an autonomous car communicate with a person in a regular car, especially if that person is eating, texting, or driving like a maniac. However, like the rest of the tech industry, autonomous technology is advancing so rapidly that pretty soon, I probably will recommend getting an autonomous car. Except that’s not the kind of guy I am. I like feeling the surface of the road through the steering wheel, having the car slide through a fast slippery turn, rev-matching downshifts. But you know what? You can do all that with the Model 3. Because under that plain, faceless facia with it’s boring interior and dorky gimmicks lies one of the quickest accelerating cars on the road, and you better believe it put a smile on my face.
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The Index - Features
DECEMBER 2018
Diplomacy detects diminishing devotion ADITYA SARDESAI ’20
While the student Diplomacy Society may be dwindling, the faculty game is thriving. Led by math teacher Mr. Justin Gaudreau, music teacher Mr. Mark Hightower, theater teacher Mr. Darren Hengst, science teacher Dr. Daniel Goduti and a few others, Diplomacy, much like the Fantasy Football league, is just another aspect of the faculty culture at Haverford. For the faculty, the game serves as a break from all their other responsibilities. “It’s an opportunity to talk smack, to have some fun, to build relationships... which then you immediately betray [in the game],” says Science Chair Mr. Thomas Trocano. The game isn’t for everyone; however, the nature of the game revolves around building and breaking alliances strategically. Naturally with a game full of deceit and backstabbing, “It can get a little cut-throat, and I think it can leave a bad taste in people’s mouths,” says Mr. Gaudreau. According to Mr. Trocano, the rigorous competition has not crossed the line between game and real life, but “Some people do take the game more seriously than others.” Mr. Keefe has officially retired from playing Diplomacy on account of the excessive lying and backstabbing that occurs. After playing a single game, he vowed to never play Diplomacy again describing it as, “the game that ruins friendships.” When it comes to Diplomacy one name seems to stand above the rest. Mr. Keefe said, “Mark Hightower is a wonderful human being, but he is a wicked, mean and
terrible person inside of Diplomacy.” This has put a target on the Mr. Hightower’s back. Mr. Trocano said, “He is also very deceptive. In the very first game I played, he backstabbed me. I have a vendetta out [against] him ever since. I will do whatever I have to do to make sure he’s one of the first people eliminated.” Other than Mr. Hightower, Dr. Goduti also plays the game skillfully. “He plays everyone against each other,” Mr. Gaudreau says. “The more experienced players,” such as Mr. Gaudreau and Mr. Hightower, “are the best,” Mr. Trocano says. But the playing field seems to be leveling out. Mr. Trocano continues, “We are all intelligent people, we all know how to play the game, and apparently we can all lie pretty well as well.” Mr. Gaudreau says, “Everyone has different strengths in the game.” But the faculty Diplomacy game is at risk of falling into a lull like the student game. “You need seven players to play, and sometimes it’s hard to get that many faculty to play depending on coaching and other responsibilities,” says Mr. Gaudreau. This leads the game to be comprised generally of the same group of teachers and, “the problem with playing with the same people is you learn to expect their tendencies,” Mr. Gaudreau says. But recently new blood has entered the game, with teachers like Mr. Bridge getting in on the action.
INDEX STAFF
The faculty Diplomacy board outside of Mr. Gaudreau’s room, the scene of many deceitful, cutthroat strategies.
“Mr. Bridge played last year for the first time, and he learned quickly,” says Mr. Gaudreau. With new players comes a new perspective and a new way to play the game. The hope is that the faculty game can spur interest back into the club and rebuild student interest. The faculty try to play at least one game every year because the large Diplomacy board which hangs outside of Mr. Gaudreau’s room seems to garner much attention when the game is in full swing.
“I think that we have created some interest this year, but it’s going to take some time to build it back up to where it was two or three years ago,” says Mr. Gaudreau. Part of the reason behind the drop in interest, Mr. Gaudreau thinks, is because the Diplomacy club moved buildings to Mr. Hightower. Mr. Gaudreau hopes that by bringing the game back to Wilson Hall, Diplomacy will soon regain its hype and popularity amongst the student body.
Haverford goes green to save greenbacks OBAIDA ELAMIN ‘20
Since 2014, Haverford has decreased its spending on energy by nearly 20%. The school spent $556,626 in 2014, coming down to $457,022 now. Those are savings of over a hundred thousand dollars. More than likely you’ve walked by the maintenance building, wedged in between Memorial Field and Centennial. It is home to the staff in charge of keeping our school clean, running, and most importantly, sustainable. Mr. Bob Wisler, the General Manager for Sodexo, is in charge of implementing the changes to make the school more efficient. On November 26, Mr. Wisler held a meeting with Dr. Nagl and others to discuss the school’s sustainability, possible future steps, and the returns on their investments. Mr. Wisler feels informing the administration increases the organization’s effectiveness. “Awareness is the greatest measure,” Mr. Wisler said. “Informing our organization on what we are doing and how we are doing adds to the total buy-in from top to bottom.” This summer, Sodexo got to work implementing several systems that conserve energy and resources. A document Dr. Nagl shared with The Index states, ”We have instituted technology throughout the campus like updating all lighting to LED, installing motion detectors, updated water fountains, install[ed] auto flushers on toilets and spigots, and utilize[d] the building automation system for off-hour usage and non-usage, and better utilization of grey water for everyday use.” One of the biggest changes are the LEDs all around campus. Mr. Wisler said, “We are continuing to replace the outdated and less efficient electrical lights with LED technology.” LEDs are more efficient light bulbs, uti-
OBAIDA ELAMIN ’20
Mr. Wisler’s command center in the maintenance building, where he can control temperature, lights, and other energy consumers to save electricity costs
lizing a circuit allowing electrons to become excited, and then releasing the energy in the form of a photon much more efficiently. LEDs lose a minimal amount of heat energy compared to that of a conventional light bulb. Because of this technology, LEDs need much less electricity. Compared to an incandescent light bulb, an LED putting out just as much light uses around six times less electricity. The heat in an incandescent lightbulb produces makes for a short life of about two years, while most LEDs last ten or more years. Looking at these stats, it is easy to see how LEDs pay for themselves. This summer, Sodexo replaced many of the lights in Blue and Red lots, as well as all of the lights in the squash courts and the basketball court. The school spent approximately $180K replacing those lights in the hope that they’ll pay for themselves. As of November 26, 2018, the total savings in energy
are approximately 25%. These are only some of the things that concern Sodexo on a day-to-day basis. Some changes are quite small. A small size increase in the opening of the recycling bins has decreased the amount we are wasting. Mr. Wisler says, “We have painted and enlarged the holes in all of our blue outside trash receptacles.” One of the bigger responsibilities that Mr. Wisler has is to utilize the BAS (Building Automation System). He says it helps him to, “automatically lower the temperature, lights and other means of energy during non-peak hours.” Although there are thermostats in almost every room in the school, Mr. Wisler has final say over each temperature. This helps prevent feedback loops from occurring. For example, Mr. Long has a notoriously cold room. If his thermometer is set to 65 degrees, while the temperature of the Street is 73 degrees, both the heat and cool-
ing will run simultaneously, wasting energy. The greater the difference, the faster the air will try to achieve equilibrium between the two rooms. Mr. Wisler has to take into account individual temperature preferences from room to room and has to do his best to satisfy that desire while also keeping the temperatures through the whole school fairly uniform. Another big cost-saving measure is the school’s grey water system. We collect the water that comes during rainstorms and the snowstorms. This water runs into a tank that holds several hundred gallons under the space between the Upper School and Centennial Hall, the same passage connecting the Amphitheater and Memorial Field. This water is then run through a series of filters to remove sediment. Then, a UV filter wipes out the majority of bacteria. While this water is not clean enough for consumption, it is used in toilets and urinals. This means we don’t pay for flushing the toilet or urinals. Mr. Wisler says, “This has helped to lower our water consumption by an average of 13% a year.” The last measure discussed in the administration’s deliberations was adding sensors to the toilets, urinals, sinks, and the bathroom lights. These small changes cost little to nothing for the school but should save significant amounts by minimizing the amount of water and electricity that’s used unnecessarily. All of these changes are made possible by our ability to afford the large upfront price needed to “go green.” “The cost of sustainability is still a concern,” Mr. Wisler said. “It has come down in recent years due to technology. The return on investment takes a longer time than it should. This has improved over the last decade but is not where it needs to be in order for all of the companies to totally buy into this process.”
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The Index - News
December 2018
Work to begin on new middle school this spring RYAN RODACK ’22
Following the conclusion of the 201819 school year, the school will knock down Crosman Hall in order to replace it with a brand new middle school. Over the past few years, students, faculty, and teachers have all been giving their input in order to make the new middle school building the best possible. The school has been outlined in a “master plan,” as described by Middle School Head Mr. Jay Greytok ’83. The master plan began first with the reconstruction of Wilson Hall, followed by the lower school in 2002, and now to cap it off, the demolition of Crosman Hall beginning in June of 2019 and ending just in time for the 2020-21 school year. The construction of this new Middle School will come with many challenges, but will also bear many new and exciting features. “The primary challenge going into this project is managing the size of the new building as it relates to the surrounding areas. The area where the construction crew will have to build the structure is quite small.” The primary challenge going into this project is managing the size of the new building as it relates to the surrounding areas. The area where the construction crew will have to build the structure is quite small. The area in which the new building will be laid down is in the exact same location as Crosman Hall, but it will be extended a bit farther east towards the “blue” lower school parking lot and the school cafe. However, the building will not interfere with either the parking lot nor the café. The new structure will not be extended in any direction other than east for a variety of reasons. The building may not be extended any farther west because of the bench ball court, any farther north because of Wilson Hall, and south due to the dining hall.
Concept photo for the new middle school near the Ampitheater, in front of Centennial Hall.
Another challenge the Haverford School and the construction crew will face is making sure construction does not interrupt the academic day. This conflict will be resolved as a result of the school and the construction firm coming to an agreement that the construction workers are to arrive at 9:00 am (after all students are in place) and depart at 5:00 pm (after all students have gone home). Mr. Greytok said, “They (the construction firm) have adjusted to both parties, which is pretty neat.” One of the few downfalls of the creation of the new middle school is that students will not have a building to operate in during the 2019-2020 school year. Taking that into account, a “learning village” will be constructed for one school year on the tennis courts. All classes excluding physical educa-
Concept photo of the interior of the new middle school.
RYAN RODACK ’22
tion, art, drama, and music will take place in this learning village. Although there are quite a few challenges to building a new middle school, this new structure should a prove worth it with its many new and exciting features. Some of these features include an innovation space, the opportunity to expand the language program, and a learning commons. As mentioned, one of the most intriguing facets of the new middle school building will be the new innovation spaces. Mr. Greytok said, “The middle school has always been lacking an innovation space. We are going to have a maker space similar to the design studio that they have in the high school and a makerspace that they are also putting together in the Lower School.”
“This makerspace will allow for collaborative work among students with access to computers and technology.” This makerspace will allow for collaborative work among students with access to computers and technology. “If the school decides they want to expand our language program,” Mr. Greytok said, “we could add another classroom to add a language, which we are looking into.” As of now, Middle school students take one semester of Latin and one semester of Spanish in sixth grade. After sixth grade, students decide whether they want to take Latin
Concept photo for the new middle school near the benchball court, between the athletic complex and Sabol Field.
RYAN RODACK ’22
RYAN RODACK ’22
or Spanish in Forms I and II. If another language is to be added, all signs point towards Chinese because that is the only language that is offered in the Upper School. Crosman Hall currently does not have a learning commons or a library. Mr. Greytok said, “This [learning commons] will be a place where guys can go and relax. It is very similar to a library as it will encourage reading and will encourage folks to spend a little bit more time in school getting work done and have access to teachers as well.” The need for a new middle school is evident for many reasons other than to complete the Master Plan. There are parts of Crosman Hall including small locker space, narrow and crowded hallways, and occasional minor flooding in classrooms that will all be resolved once the new Middle School is built. As Form I and II Spanish teacher Dr. Gerhard Reich said, “Since I don’t teach marine biology, I have very little use for the occasional flooding of my classroom after heavy rain!” Many upper school students who have spent time in the Middle School are aware of the needed rebuilding of the structure. Third Former Max Rosenberger, who spent time in the Middle School stated, “Although Crosman Hall has many features, it does not have enough room for everyone to walk around in the hallways which would cause chaos at times.” Third Former Brooks Nemo who attended the Middle School for all three years stated, “ One of the main reasons a new Middle School is needed is because more locker space is needed.” Appropriate locker space is another factor that Haverford School faculty and staff have taken into account while designing this new building. Mr. Greytok and his faculty have researched the measurements of average gym bags in order to grant students an appropriately sized slot under their lockers in order to store their gym bags during the school day. Also, closets on each of the three floors of this new building will keep any sports equipment including baseball bats, tennis racquets, hockey sticks, and lacrosse sticks during the school day. All alumni, faculty, students, and staff of the Haverford school are excited going into the construction of the New Middle School due to the planning that has gone into it. Although everybody involved in this process is excited, the person most ecstatic about this new building is Mr. Greytok. “We will finally have new academic buildings for all three divisions,” Mr. Greytok said, “and that is what I am most excited about.”
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The Index - news
Student Diversity Leadership Conference: the power of story NEETISH SHARMA ‘19
We normally hear about the achievements of our football, basketball, lacrosse, swimming, or other athletic teams. Sometimes, we hear about our programs in the arts, or in theater. Maybe even teams like Model UN or VEX Robotics. But this past week, a cohort of five students have returned from a life-changing experience known as the Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC), in association with the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS). This year, the conference was held in Nashville, Tennessee. So, what is SDLC? That is a question that has many answers for different people, but at its essence, SDLC aims to bring together students from independent schools across the United States to a space where they can feel empowered to grapple with difficult issues regarding race, sexual orientation, gender, socioeconomic status, and much more. As they engage in these conversations, students begin to realize how they interface with the unique student environments of their own schools. “It felt great. It also felt empowering, to say the least. I think there are people who are open to listening to you and open to receiving feedback. They were there for what you had to say and you were there for what they had to say,” said Fifth Form SDLC participant Caleb Reed. “It wasn’t a battle, where people were trying to win an argument. Instead, everyone was just trying to have a conversation to learn and understand more about the people and where they come from.” At SDLC, students are able to understand one another’s backgrounds via the power of story. People at SDLC come from all across the country and many walks of life, to share a diverse array of stories. A SDLC participant found it beneficial to be an active listener and engage with other stories, which allows for the key trait of empathy.
Today, our world suffers from a lack of empathy; why we can’t put ourselves in someone else’s shoes. Lack of empathy creates toxic assumptions that impede progress, the same reason individuals from one background seem incompatible with those from another. With empathy, we can understand one another’s nuanced stories, allowing us to develop constructive solutions — together. The purpose of SDLC is to build empathy. To be a child of color in my community is both a source of struggle and a source of strength. At a predominantly white institution like Haverford, I’ve been under fire all my life for the customs I follow, the beliefs I hold, the color of my skin, and more. I have been the minority in most of the spaces I am a part of, and it is draining at times. I might have every reason to hate the majority. But I don’t. Instead, I strive to empathize and under-
stand. Why? Because being a minority in my school is a source of strength for me. I feel ever more prideful the more I get put under fire, as I know I can emerge from the flame victorious. SDLC helped reaffirm this. SDLC allows those who feel attacked in their normal environments to find refuge in a place where people understand them and their stories. This culture of safety and vulnerability allows many to consider new perspectives, see things differently, and exercise their empathy muscle. This way, each individual can consider multiple stories, arming them with the ability to have tough conversations. People at SDLC do not shy away from the tough topics. Part of what makes SDLC so important and heavy is the students’ ability to handle jarring subjects such as institutional racism, police brutality, white privilege, LGBTQ+ violence, age discrimination, socioeconomic stereotypes, and many more. “The importance of taking time for yourself. Self-love. Self-care. The fact is that many people worry and stress about other things and other people,” said Reed, on his biggest takeaway from SDLC. “However, when you do that, you’re forgetting the most important person you’re supposed to worry about, which is yourself. Finding time maybe once
Faculty and students that visited SDLC from November 28 to 30.
December 2018 a week to just sit down and breathe is so important. You know, relax, do something you enjoy doing, and find time to just have a conversation with somebody. SDLC definitely helped me take time for myself and figure out a space where I can just be me.” The SDLC cohort plans share their experiences with the school community. SDLC equips students with the tools they need to make change in their own environments, and through programs such as Diversity Alliance, Black Student Union, the Pan Asian Alliance, the upcoming Gay Straight Alliance, and many more, SDLC participants will be able to apply the lessons they learned and make an impact. To any of the underclassman or those who are not Sixth Formers, SDLC is an invaluable opportunity that will change your life. SDLC brings a new perspective one could have never gained anywhere else, simply by virtue of the people from so many different walks of life sharing their stories. Participants strongly recommend this experience to those who will not be graduating. As we head into the holidays, we should think about what we can to further inclusion in our own Haverford community. SDLC has sparked the flame of conversation, and it is our job to tend to the flame.
COURTESY OF NEETISH SHARMA ’19
The state of the school’s racial literacy A.J. SANFORD ’21
In today’s society, as well as our own community at school, people, especially black people, are faced with interactions packed with racial tensions and are often unequipped with the tools to handle these uncomfortable dialogues. Caught in the heat of a moment, we freeze because we feel trapped and fail to express our emotions effectively. Or we choose to act by our emotions because we feel pain and choose to release that pain impulsively. But we do not need to freeze up or rely on our emotions if we are to master racial literacy.
University of Pennsylvania Professor Dr. Howard Stevenson gave the faculty and a handful of students an interactive seminar centered around racial literacy. Stevenson defined racial literacy as “the ability to read, recast, and resolve a racially stressful encounter.” When faced with hardship, we often fall back on this “fight-or-flight” mentality when we feel discomfort. Stevenson pushed participants through critical thinking to perform a verbal “do over” of a racial moment a student may encounter. If the student had prior
Dr. Howard Stevenson speaking on Ball Auditorium on Monday, November 14, 2018
MS. JESSICA WELSH
knowledge to “Calculate. Locate, Communicate. Breath and Exhale,” he may handle a situation differently. Fifth Former Tyler Rippie shared a police encounter he experienced right outside of our own space on his way to the local Wendy’s. With no prior violations, Rippie had simply put his hoodie up when he heard the beeping noise of a police car. Rippie recounted, “I immediately froze. It’s weird because even after everything I have been told to do in that situation, it felt like I had never had any of these conversations in my life.” Had racial literacy been widespread in our culture already, some racial incidents may be averted. We should be thankful nothing extreme occurred to Rippie, but it is only one of many stories, and we all need to be aware of our place and space in our community. A bystander is a silent witness with a lack of ability to exercise their moral compass, whereas an ally analyzes and intervenes, hopefully with the goal to defuse a racially provoked encounter. Unfortunately, racial literacy is not a concept that we can understand by ourselves. We can’t be dependent on others, but allies and accomplices will often be required to handle racist moments or even microaggressions. English Teacher Ms. Alicia Evans found herself needing an ally on a collegiate level, showing how these conflicts, unfortu-
nately, don’t disappear. Someone had violated her space by writing a racial slur in her dorm room’s dry erase board. “This was not only frightening because he hates me on something I can’t control, but what really bothers me was the fact that there were 22 students in that hallway,” Ms. Evans said. “I was gone for 12 hours, and no one said anything. Maybe if they had some racial literacy, they would have helped me deal with it.” Ms. Evans experienced a racially charged moment herself and although she dealt with it herself, the words of one person will never change what people think — this is why strength in numbers would prove to be effective. As defined by Psychology Today, racial literacy does not simply pertain to responding to blatant racism, but also micro-aggressions, which are everyday verbal, nonverbal, and environmental slights, snubs, or insults, whether intentional or unintentional, which communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative messages to target persons based solely upon their marginalized group membership. We are brought up with a basic understanding of racial socialization, but this is not enough. Dr. Stevenson discussed the idea that “Racial Socialization can help young people negotiate 60-second encounters, but it requires racial literacy.”
Pages 10 & 11
The Index -
3-D design end-grain cutting board.
Barnwo
Rob Herrmann’s fu
JONNY SONN
Sixth Former Rob Herrmann has spent much of his time at school working towards implementing form and function into his artwork. If one were to look at Herrmann’s beautifully intricate cutting boards, it would be hard to believe that he has only been studying woodworking for a little over three years. Herrmann began his artistic pursuits his Third Form year, as most students do. He completed the four fundamental classes of Art Foundations and found that he “was only really good at the woodworking one,” Herrmann said. “That is where it all began.”
There is something special about functional artwork — it is not often that practicality and beauty can be found in the same place. In Fourth Form Herrmann took a course devoted solely to Woodworking. There he learned the majority of his skills, which he has “been developing ever since,” Herrmann said. Cedar Box.
Brick and mortar end-grain cutting.
Walnut desk.
- Arts
ood mirror.
December 2018
Walnut and oak coasters.
unctional artwork
NENFELD ‘20
“My favorite part is definitely finishing the piece, seeing the final product,” Herrmann said. “It is really interesting to see the wood ‘pop’ after sealing it.” Herrmann’s artwork consists almost entirely of practical items, including cutting boards, coffee tables, boxes, and dog bowl holders.
“I think it is cool to make a nice piece you can actually use instead of just look at. Usefulness is a big part of it for me.” Hermann’s simple, yet elegant and refined artwork reflects this idea. His “live edge coffee table” makes it appear as though the tree from which this table was made is still alive, asking for items to be placed on it. His walnut and oak coasters are bright and stunning and look even better with a full glass set on top. Herrmann credits his development and passion for woodworking to Mr. Mark Thorburn and Mr. Greg Ressler, who taught him the basics and guided him on his path to excellence in the Design and Engineering Studio.
White oak dog food holder.
Live edge coffee table.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF ROB HERRMANN ’19
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The Index - News
December 2018
Squishy Fords attend Boston conference TOBY MA ‘20
From November 26 to 28, the Soft Robotics Team attended the Materials Research Society Fall Meeting in Boston, where they presented their research in soft robotic actuators. The MRS Fall Meeting is a gathering of material scientists, researchers, and engineers from around the world. Third Formers Josiah Somani, Elijah Lee, Bram Schork; Fifth Formers Alexander Greer, Aditya Sardesai, Daniel Chow, Yeshwin Sankuratri, Toby Ma; and Sixth Former Intel Chen attended the conference. Students had a packed schedule at the Hynes Convention Center and Sheraton Hotel in downtown Boston.
“Just being in the presence of so many intelligent people and hearing extremely high-level terminology used everywhere I went was eye-opening and very rewarding.” “Our typical day at MRS was packed with activities,” said Chow, “Mainly presenting our work and attending talks.” “There was very little down time during the MRS trip,” said Greer. “On both days, we got up at around 8, had breakfast, and headed to the convention center, where we set up our own demo booth.” From about 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Haverford students “[divided themselves] among three different locations: the Robotics Exhibition Room, the Public Outreach Center, and the coffee breaks.” “During the conference, there were various “coffee breaks” in between chunks of talks and presentations,” said Sardesai, who also attended the MRS Spring Meeting last year. “During these coffee breaks, we set up a table by the coffee station and talked about our soft robotics project to anyone who was interested.” The team showcased their research from the past two years, including soluble insert actuators, the ceramic glove actuator from last year, and edible soft robots from two years prior. They explained to curious observers, among them college students, university professors, and professional researchers, how they developed and tested
the actuators that the team built. “I was very happy that our research was so well-received by a group of such high-level researchers,” said Greer. “While intimidating at first, I was glad we were able to hold our own in conversation.” The team had time to attend many talks hosted by the conference, where researchers discussed their work in a presentation and fielded questions from the audience. One such talk was by engineering teacher Dr. Holly Golecki about the development of Haverford’s soft robotic program. Other talks focused on individual research such as nanorobots and flexible solar cells. “Many of us saw a lecture presentation about soft robots being used to capture and study deep-sea marine life, which was very interesting,” said Greer. From 8 to 10 p.m., the Soft Robotics team attended poster sessions, where they had the chance to present a poster that explained their research alongside posters by other research groups. Greer, who designed this year’s poster, was satisfied with the result. “Our poster was, I hope, a great representation of the research content we had to offer at the conference,” said Greer. “Many of the other hundreds of posters at the conference utilized a much more data-driven presentation style. “This was different from our largely qualitative content, which, in addition to us being high schoolers, helped us stand out and attract interest.” The team also had time to view other posters and attempting to decipher the high level of science language and terminology. Greer said, “Much of the information being presented at MRS was well above our knowledge level. Thankfully, most of the researchers were able to simplify their content to a level we could understand and learn from.” Overall, the conference was a great success. The Haverford Soft Robotics team picked up a greater insight into the world of materials science and scientific research. “I saw and learned so much more about material science and soft robotics than I had expected to in such a short period of time,”
said Greer. “Just being in the presence of so many intelligent people and hearing extremely high-level terminology used everywhere I went was eye-opening and very rewarding.” Sardesai agreed, saying, “My expectations were to meet some cool people, to listen to and understand some cool talks, and to have fun learning and presenting our research. I was very satisfied by how the conference went.” “I was also fascinated by how expansive scientific research is, because although this was a materials conference, the variety of different fields that were presented was cool to see…I learned a lot from the conference, especially discovering fields of science that I previously had no idea about,” Sardesai said. The team is already looking towards
future steps for the program coming from the conference. Currently, they are “in the incipient stages of [their] third Soft Robotics Toolkit entry and looking into submitting our past work for publication in a research journal and other competitions such as Google Science Fair.” “We met a lot of interesting people and were inspired by much of the content we saw at MRS, all of which we hope to implement to some degree in our future research projects,” said Greer. “I am interested in seeing how we can apply some of the concepts we learned about at MRS into our next project,” said Sardesai. “Inspired by the research at MRS, I think that we will continue to explore new designs and applications of soft robotics.”
INTEL CHEN ‘19
Obuz (left), Greer (middle), and Lee (right) man a conference table at the MRS Fall Meeting, where Haverford Soft Robotics Team presented their research from the past two years.
New creative technologies in the visual arts JONNY SONNENFELD ‘20
department to acquire these new technologies, Ms. Zoë Blatt, visual and digital arts teacher, explained, “We actually had one 3D printer before I got here three years ago, but it wasn’t really up and running. We felt as a department that this was a direction in which we wanted to go in terms of bringing in new technologies and bringing in new ways of creating.”
“The final product does look professional,” Ms. Blatt said. “It is a product that many students are proud of and eager to share.”
With the new 3D printers, students can create high-quality, detailed works of art.
“Wow! We have one of those?” These are common phrases to hear when a non-art student ventures into the art studios. With countless iPads, Macbook Pros, 3D printers, cameras, laser cutters, and more woodshop machines than most know existed, it seems
TOBY MA ‘20
as though the studios warrant the protection of an armed guard. In the past three years alone, three 3D printers and a much photography equipment have been added to the studio. When asked what inspired the art
New machines are complex and require an extensive knowledge base to operate. Ms. Blatt said, “I had to learn a lot along the way. I did a ton of research and watched a lot of tutorials. It has been a lot of trial and error.” There are many different options when it comes to 3D printers, and it can be hard to distinguish between them. “I did a ton of research on what is on the market and trying to find what out there that really fit our needs,” Ms. Blatt said. “We were definitely looking for reliability. We were thinking principally about a com-
bination of quality and reliability.” “The technology is constantly changing, and we cannot keep up with the new technology as quickly as it is coming out, so it is most important to me that students learn, when confronted with something new, how do they go about using it? How do they figure that out?” Ms. Blatt said. Many have noted the uptick in quality of student artwork since the machines arrived. “The final product does look professional,” Ms. Blatt said. “It is a product that many students are proud of and eager to share.” The future of the studios looks promising. Ms. Blatt said, “I am trying to incorporate the laser cutting into some of my classes. Mr. Ressler is interested in a CMC machine in the woodworking arena, a machine that basically cuts on three axes…I am personally interested in digital embroidery and would like to bring that into my classes, like designing something on the computer and being able to have the machine embroider that on fabric.” These machines are open to all students, providing the means to expand artistic potential further and faster than ever before.
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The Index - Opinions
DEcember 2018
Common sense gun regulation NELSON LIU ’19
The year was 2018, and it seemed like the shootings would never stop: Sandy Hook, San Bernardino, Orlando, Las Vegas, Sutherland Springs, Stoneman Douglas High. A dam had burst, and the world watched on as the United States struggled to respond. The national media, consumed by the stories of survivors and loved ones, highlighted Congressional inaction and bitter partisan divide. Yet mass shootings constitute only a sliver of gun-related deaths in the United States; according to FiveThirtyEight’s “Gun Deaths in America,” they are but one piece within a larger array of issues spanning suicide, homicide, and domestic violence. At the root of the problem lies the Second Amendment: what rights does it actually protect and to what extent? As the only developed country in the world with a gun problem of this scale, the nation requires immediate government action to tighten gun control and improve early prevention programs. The United States is unique in the constitutional protections of the Second Amendment: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” Individual interpretation of these words lies at the heart of the gun control debate. To me, the idea and spirit of the well-regulated militia is the focus of this Amendment. The following two clauses serve as appositives to this central idea of the militia, and not as independent statements in and of themselves. Adam Winkler, professor of law at UCLA, similarly believes that the definition of the militia as “well regulated” suggests that “gun control” is as intrinsic to the Second Amendment “as the right to keep and bear arms.” Winkler argues that while the Founding Fathers did not wish for the “citizenry” to be “disarmed entirely,” they nonetheless believed in government’s ability to adopt “reasonable regulations of guns and gun owners.” Professor Nelson Lund of George Mason University disagrees, claiming that “abundant historical evidence” suggests the Second Amendment was meant not to protect “a right of the states or a right of the militia,” but rather was meant “to leave citizens with the ability to defend themselves against unlawful violence.” Lund fails to consider that it was unnecessary for the Founders to offer “such an interpretation” of the “right of the militia” because in 1789 the United States lacked both an army and a domestic police force. The right of citizens for self-defense was thus the same, for contemporary audiences, as the right to militia. But since law enforcement is today a universal institution in America, there is now less need for the common citizen to provide for his own self-defense. Because of this, the right to bear arms should today be reduced, though not eliminated. Winkler reveals that the “right to keep and bear arms,” which Lund values as guaranteed to all “law-abiding citizens,” was for the Founding Fathers “not a libertarian license for anyone to have any kind of ordinary firearm, anywhere they wanted.” Instead, there were a “wide range of Founding-era laws” regulating guns and gun owners for the common welfare. We should try to emulate this approach of reasonable regulation—especially in light of our current situation.
According to “Gun Deaths in America,” there are over 33,000 gunshot fatalities in the United States every year. Citizens have become so used to hearing about the next mass shooting, to reading about the next unsolved murder in the newspaper, that our emotional responses have been numbed. Our approach to solving the problem should be two-fold. Firstly, we need to tighten gun regulations. There needs to be universal and stringent background checks on all gun purchases, as well as a ban on selling firearms to people with a history of mental illness (propositions which the majority of Americans support). Accessories — including but not limited to bump-stocks, high-capacity magazines, suppressors, hollow-point ammunition — which increase collateral potential but for which the normal citizen has no reasonable need — should be prohibited. There should be mandatory training for all gun owners, with regular reassessments for proficiency and safety skills. All gun-owners living with, or who are regularly visited by, minors should be required to verbally explain to a proctor at these assessments the extreme difficulties a minor would have to go through to access a gun. Secondly, we should focus on mental health and early prevention programs. Nearly two-thirds of gun fatalities result from suicide; of these, over 85% are male and more than half are men aged 45 or older. Homicides constitute about a third of total gun deaths; over half these victims are young men, two-thirds of whom are black. Studying urban gun violence, Yale sociologist Andrew Papachristos identified “networks of violence” within Chicago and other cities, in which a “small group” of citizens was responsible for “an outsize share of shootings. Papachristos found a consistent trend throughout the country: only “3 percent to 7 percent of the population is responsible for 50 percent to 60 percent of the shootings.” The common thread between these observations is the identification of a specific group of people who are at a higher risk of suffering from gun violence. We should focus on these people. We need to identify and help people suffering from mental health problems, especially those who demonstrate an increased risk not only to themselves but to others. We should focus on early education within the school system, teaching kids about the world around them so they are better prepared to face it. We should be focusing law-enforcement efforts on Papachristos’ networks of violence and working insideout to reduce the number of people on what Tulane University professor David Seal termed “concentric circles of risk.” We need to “break the chain early.” I admit, these policy proposals would not be easy to implement. They require a substantial increase in government spending both to fund law enforcement and to establish and maintain early prevention programs. They require a triumph over the grassroots power of the NRA. They require the reduction of existing individual liberties. They require the bridging of partisan divide; only 46% of GOP poll respondents supported stricter gun laws, as opposed to 87% of Democratic respondents, according to statistics from FiveThirtyEight. I don’t know whether we will be able to do it, to reach a common consensus and finally take action. I can only hope.
Gun policy: stop debating, start talking This opinion, stemming from a Government & Politics paper about gun policy I wrote almost two weeks before the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, has nothing to do with what I personally think we should do with guns. I know what you are thinking, however. How can you write a gun article without including your policy bias? Well, you’re about to find out. Not once will you hear my personal opinion about the laws we should put in place, or how I feel about the NRA. Not once will I blame the dumb Democrats or the damn Republicans without mentioning the other party, because at this point, those opinions do not matter. Our political parties and overall leadership have failed us on gun policy. I will not mention these things not because I cannot vote yet (still 17 and yeah, that’s kind of annoying when all of your friends voted in the midterms), but rather because nobody’s opinion on gun reform really matters in this country at the moment. We are stuck, and what we have tried to do has not worked. I know what you’re about to read is not what you typically get in an opinion piece, but my opinion on guns can actually be used to solve issues. So what is this crazy opinion? Start talking. Here are a couple of widely known facts about guns in the United States: Shootings in this country happen. There are mass shootings, suicides, and homicides occurring at disturbing rates. There has been almost zero movement on gun policy since the Clinton Administration. Our government has put a ten-year assault rifle ban in place, which had numerous loopholes and was just as ineffective as it was effective. Since then, there has not been much. A lot of talk. Not a lot of action. We are polarized as a nation. The political climate now is not one from the youths of our parents or our teachers. Never before has Washington been so divided, and Congress is essentially a dysfunctional mess. The United States lacks the bipartisanship needed to be an efficient nation when it comes to passing legislation. So let’s talk about guns, but using a different approach. The 2nd Amendment? Written differently than the rest of the Bill of Rights and is up for interpretation just as much as the purpose of the Stonehenge? Throw it out the argumentative window. Defenestrate it, as Mr. Traynham would say. The number of deaths? More than any other developed nation and a graphic that affects men, women, blacks, whites, rich, poor, urban, rural? Well, let’s just get rid of that too. Now this may seem ridiculous to some, if not all. How can you have a gun discussion without the 2nd Amendment or the history of gun safety? Democrats and Republicans in Washington certainly could not. I think we can. All movements have to start somewhere, and everybody knows the cliché you have to
JESSE GOLDMAN ’19
walk before you can run. Congress and our politicians are not even trying to run, they are trying to teleport. Our representatives are trying to solve a stalemated issue by going to an extreme in both directions. Democrats scream “Gun Control” and “Strict Gun Laws” while Republicans scream “They Are Taking Our Guns” and “This Violates Our Freedom.” This works great in each side’s ideal world, but it is not realistic in the world in which we live. I’m sorry, but the total ban of guns or the ignoring of gun safety just is not going to happen. So we need to take some baby steps. As a nation, we have tried these techniques in politics for years, and it is not working! Shocker, I know. Inaction is not getting this country anywhere; therefore, we need to find the common ground in gun policy and accomplish those goals. And yes, there is common ground. According to FiveThirtyEight, 76% of Americans think the purchase age should be raised to 21, 87% support background checks for all purchases, 86% want to prevent people with mental illness from purchasing guns, and 67% of people support banning highcapacity ammunition magazines, including a majority of Republicans (53%). There is all this low-hanging fruit for Washington to grab, yet party politics and ego get in the way. It simply does not make sense that for 20 years there has been accordance on certain issues in this country, and zero legislation has been passed to address it. It is time to put aside the D and the R, the blue and the red, and make some progress. As the great Herb Brooks said, “The name on the front is a hell of a lot more important than the one on the back,” and the name on the front is The United States of America. We idolize a southern white guy that has any gun you can possibly own, when everybody knows it is unnecessary and absurd. We idolize students from Parkland that ask Republican senators to no longer accept money from the NRA in their reelection campaigns, even though anybody slightly educated on politics knows that a Republican not funded by the NRA has no chance of reelection. At some point, a party is going to have to agree to something they do not 100% agree with, but that is called compromise. This country seems to forget that compromise is what this country and democracy has been based on. As of now, neither the Democrats nor Republicans are satisfied with our current gun situation, and I promise you that will not change unless somebody is willing to sacrifice short-term legislation for the long-term result and health of our nation. Not only will movement and compromise on gun legislation help fix that issue specifically, but it can be the gateway to erasing the polarization that has torn this nation and its congress apart. So stop yelling, stop accusing, stop being unrealistic, and start talking.
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The Index - Opinions
Bush’s funeral questions U.S. political future JON KROUSE ’21
December 2018
Are we in a Cold War with China? AGUSTIN ALIAGA ’21
On November 30, 2018, the United States lost a true man of character and a natural born leader. George H.W. Bush was arguably one of the most impressive resumes in American history. Born on June 12, 1924 in Massachusetts, Bush was a World War II hero, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, head of the Republican National Committee, congressman, director of the Central Intelligence Agency, and, of course, 41st President of the U.S. Throughout the many tears shed and eulogies given during the funeral, everyone who spoke offered the highest praise for the former president. As described by his son, former President George W. Bush, during the funeral, Bush was a “great and noble man… a man of the highest character and the best dad a son or daughter could ask for.” In addition to the many people who attended Bush’s funeral, President Donald Trump and former president Barack Obama were also present. Not only did they attend, but they also sat next to each other, which seems almost unbelievable in our current political environment. Why are our political parties so combative and contentious that it would seem unbelievable for two men to sit next to each other? Will there ever come a time again where politics is formal and dignified? Today, politics consist of people attacking and undermining each other
to reach a position of power. These politicians speak about morality and character, yet in the same breath say horrible things about their adversaries. How could a person be a model for the people if they set a bad example? Why is it tolerated for a person to put down another to succeed? This political warfare was not a problem of the same magnitude during the Bush presidency. Is there something that happened which made people think it is fine to humiliate one another to be popular? What happened to civility, teamwork, collaboration? It is certain that the U.S. does not need more hostility. Something needs to change, especially between Americans. We are all on the same side, and we all want America to succeed, so why fight amongst each other? In addition, the passing of President Bush was a time of mourning and unity throughout the country. Why? Why is it that deaths, mass shootings, or other horrific things are the only reasons for the country to unite? Why can’t we unite around someone doing a good deed or something of that nature? Does it always have to be something negative? The desire for change in the American politics and society is widespread, yet it is up to the people if they would strive for what President Bush would say is “a kinder, gentler” nation.
China has now long surpassed the United States in manufacturing and mass production of goods, but the U.S. is indifferent to the fact. The U.S. has pursued scientific innovation and development with regions like Silicon Valley driving our economy. But China is now challenging our global economic leadership once again. China has been recruiting scientists and students and en-
world, even the newly-crowned-second-placespender: China. While China is heavily on the rise, the National Science Board in 2016 projected that by the end of 2018, China will surpass the U.S. in spending on the sciences. As China is rapidly getting on pace to match or even surpass the United States in scientific inno-
JERRY MORRISON VIA WIKIMEDIA
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping meet at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, on January 10, 2011.
JOSEPH LOZADA VIA WIKIMEDIA
George H.W. Bush and his wife Barbara Bush during his presidency. He died on November 30, 2018.
hancing funding for academic research, trying to pass the U.S. in yet another area of industry. This is seemingly similar to the type of escalation that started the Cold War, where the Soviet Union and the United States engaged in an arms race of nuclear weaponry. So this poses the question: are we engaging in a second Cold War — of the sciences? According to Joe Palca of NPR, “China has been expanding its commitment to scientific research, and it shows. Chinese researchers now produce more scientific publications than U.S. scientists do, and the global ratings of Chinese universities are rising.” This is an alarming statistic, as this challenge to American dominance has rarely happened before. Only adding to this serious problem for the United States government is that the tech field alone accounts for more than half a trillion dollars, according to Ben Guarino of The Washington Post, which is far more than any country in the
vation, the U.S. should be increasingly afraid of the implications this may bring. The U.S. needs to increase its production of publications, discoveries, and inventions at the same pace as China to remain in its state of economic hegemony. While it is still debatable whether or not the U.S. and China are locked in a Cold War, the current situation is certainly frightening to a declining hegemon that is the U.S. The science and technology industry is only one of many areas where China is looking to surpass the United States. China has long been the global leader of production, and is on a steady rise with a growing middle class, infrastructural advancement, and even a world-class military as predicted by Chinese President Xi Jinping. Cold War or not, the U.S. will need to do something in the near future if it wants to remain the power it has been for so much of its history.
New schedule needs reevaluation JACK PHELAN ’21 Arguably the biggest change of this school year has been the new schedule. After being tested for a few weeks at the end of the 2017-2018 school year, it was ready for deployment this year. The introduction of flex blocks, the decrease in classes per day, and increased free time were all welcome additions, and the schedule is commonly seen as an upgrade. But that does not mean it is perfect. In fact, it has some glaring issues that students would greatly benefit from if resolved. Flex blocks were introduced as a way for students to be more productive; whether it be by meeting with a teacher or getting homework done. And for the most part, students use this time wisely, bringing stress levels down. The problem, however, lies within the distribution of these flex blocks within a student’s schedule. For some, flex blocks are distributed evenly across each day, leaving some days with two flex blocks and another with one. For others, they could
have most flex blocks stacked into one day, leaving little for the rest of the days. Some may enjoy having over half of their flex blocks on one day, as it gives them a time where they can just relax or get a ton of work done. I personally find this to be the worst part of the new schedule and would love to see it changed in the coming years. Sure, it feels great to have your day with four flexes on a Friday, but for every great day, there are another four days where I have no flexes at all. Even though the new schedule was designed to alleviate stress, the inconsistency makes it difficult to appreciate the efforts. On paper, it seems like this has an easy fix, which would be just to limit the number of flexes in a day for a student’s schedule. The problem with this would be that more students would be free at a single time. This could make it harder for people in class to focus, as the more people out of class means more noise, which would lead to people getting less work done during their flex
blocks. Another large shift from the old schedule was the amount and length of classes we had each day. The previous schedule featured one 80-minute class and five 45-minute classes, while for most the new schedule has two 45-minute classes and three 80-minute classes, with one being the last block of the day. While I think these changes overall are positive, one small thing that should be changed is the order of the last two periods. Currently, the last two blocks of the day are a 45-minute period followed by an 80-minute period. The increased number of 80-minute periods was meant for teachers to fit more into a single class block, but it feels like I learn less in an 80-minute period at the end of the day than a 45-minute period in the middle of the day. As the school day goes on, it gets increasingly hard to focus. Switching the 45-minute block with the 80-minute block would help students focus for the whole block and also let teachers
cover more information, given that focus usually leads to being engaged in class and the class moving at a faster pace. The new schedule also has some smaller problems, but they also have their own tradeoffs. The lunch block each day is about 40 minutes, not including time spent getting to and from the cafeteria or waiting in line. Time could be added to lunch, but right now there is no spare time in the schedule to add, as all of the passing time was removed. The Tuesday and Friday early dismissals were also removed in order to maintain the same amount of class time in a day. I, as well as many others, see the new schedule as a vast improvement to its predecessor. Problems are acceptable within a product this early into its lifespan, and the ability to go from good to great is certainly in reach. I am excited to see how the schedule develops and changes in years to come for the current and future members of the upper school.
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The Index - Sports
December 2018
After injury, Yager eyes professional career MITAV NAYAK ’22
January 2016. The venue is the British Junior Open, the most prestigious junior squash competition in the world. A 14-yearold boy is battling a higher-seeded foreign player in the round of 16. A win will take him to the quarterfinals, which would tie the best American finish in that tournament. As the match goes back and forth, the atmosphere is electric. The young American lunges for a ball slightly out of his reach, then he feels his leg give and he winces in pain. He has a torn hamstring and microfractures in his hip bone. His tournament, his season, and maybe even his career, is over. Sixth Former Spencer Yager faces the challenge of his life. Since the age of six, Yager has spent countless hours training and competing in junior tournaments. Yager’s love for the game and his competitive mindset assisted in his success. “I’m someone who really likes to win,” said Yager. “With squash, it’s all about what you do — you control whether you win or lose. You control every outcome. I love how because of that, it becomes very strategic. It’s not just who can hit the most accurate shots. It’s like chess being played at a hundred miles an hour.” In the U15 age division, Spencer worked his way to the top of the national rankings. But after traveling to Europe to represent USA in the British Junior Open, Yager suffered his devastating injury. In an instant, his squash future looked uncertain. “I couldn’t go on the court for almost a year,” said Yager. “I couldn’t defend my titles. I couldn’t get a good start in the U17’s. I couldn’t get any better. I couldn’t even do workouts.” After coming back from the injury, Yager was not the same player. “I had no stamina. No skills. No confidence,” Yager said. “When you can’t do the one thing you love to do, it sucks. I started
Coach Asad Khan confers with Spencer Yager ’19 at a match against Conestoga on December 4th.Yager is a nationally ranked squash player.
to think: Will it actually ever heal? Will I ever be good again?” But Yager did not quit. Instead, he chose to fight back. “I started playing three times a day,” said Spencer. “Nothing gives you confidence like knowing you’re the most prepared you’ve ever been.” “So, I would get up at 6 a.m. I would go solo for an hour and a half. Then right after school, I would either do school practice or I would do fitness and drills. And then at night, I would do match play or condition games.” This persistence resulted in going from
unranked to number 5 in the U17’s within six months. While Yager loves the individual side of the sport, some of his favorite moments have been with his school team. In fact, winning a National Title for Haverford was one his favorite squash experiences. Last season, Yager had to win his match to bring the Fords to the finals. “I was playing a kid who had traditionally been ranked higher than me and was older,” said Yager. “About 50 of my friends came, and there were 200 people watching the match. I end up winning 11-9 in the fifth to bring us to the finals, which was unreal.”
MR. JIM ROESE
As of now, Yager plans to take a gap year after his senior year. “I basically want to go pro for a year,” said Yager. “I’m going to travel the world playing pro tournaments and the top junior tournaments. So I’ll commit to a school this spring for the year after.” Yager is currently playing in the U19’s. With more than a year to go in the age group, he is already ranked 9th nationally, making it very likely that he will end up at the very top again. He hopes his squash life will come full circle.
Ray, Nelson prepared for hoops success AUGISTIN ALIAGA ’21
COURTESY OF CHRISTIAN RAY
Christians Ray ’19 dunks on a St. Paul’s player during the Don McBride Classic championship on December 8, 2018. Haverford triumphed 71-53.
This year, The Fords basketball season began with a slam. Literally. In their first scrimmage, Sixth Former Christian Ray threw up a pass that looked completely out of place. Or so it did, until Sixth Former Jameer Nelson came flying through the air over his defender, to batter the stray ball through the hoop. What seemed like a mistaken pass was actually an assist — one of the craziest plays you will see in Inter-Ac basketball. “[Nelson] makes it [look] easy,” Ray said. “I had to make a good pass, but he puts it down a lot. The kid’s very athletic.” While this was one of the most unbelievable plays so far this season, Ray and Nelson see it as a sample of what is to come. Success comes from the team’s preseason preparation, Ray and Nelson explained. Both players did workouts every day and practiced shooting at school and open gyms in addition to summer programs. In addition, they often try to stay healthy — especially for Nelson, who suffered an unfortunate mid-season injury last year.
“I think my injury was because I wasn’t taking care of my body, and I wasn’t putting the right stuff in my body for me to play at a high level,” Nelson said. “My body couldn’t take it anymore, [but] I’m doing a lot better now… I take supplements and protein just to keep my bones strong, and I also drink a bunch of milk.” Ray, who has had injuries, takes a more moderate-yet-healthy approach. “I try to eat as best I can, but I drink a lot of water though,” Ray said. “That’s the one thing to do. I don’t really drink juice or anything like that.” These two stars are hoping that all of this work will pay off. “We got a better team this year,” said Nelson. “I think we got a lot of guys that know their roles.” Ray said, “I think we have a lot of work to do, but I think we’re better off this year than this point last year. I think we all know how last year went, so we’re excited.” Just to be sure, I asked him if he meant Haverford is going to win the Inter-Ac again. “Yeah,” Ray said, “I mean, there’s no
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The Index - sports
December 2018
Dr. Ehrhart’s final coaching lap OBAIDA ELAMIN ’20
Winter track is the epitome of the grind. The sport can be summed up in three words: train, test, repeat. History Teacher Dr. William Ehrhart loves the runners’ hard work and the results that come from it. Cross country, spring track, and unofficial winter track coach Mr. Brian Long says, “Dr. E. brings the utmost passion to winter track like no one I’ve ever seen before. He just absolutely loves this season, I’m confident it is the best part of his day.” Dr. Ehrhart loves seeing everyone improve, although most don’t get recognition, break records, or make headlines, he is there anyway. Head winter track Coach Mr. Luqman Kolade says, “He likes winter track — like he loves it. He likes the hard work of it. He is all about the kid who comes in, who runs hard for four years, and maybe doesn’t get a lot of publicity and see some success because he’s worked hard.” Athletes strive to match his energy and dedication. His encouragement pushed many runners to perform better, become more resilient, and, in the end, develop a love for the sport and the hard work. Dr. Ehrhart had a huge spot in his heart for the team. “He cares a lot… He loves the winter
Dr. Ehrhart, Sam Lindner ’18, and Mr. Kolade at States on February 25, 2017.
track team and program,” Mr. Kolade said. During the meetings in the classroom right in front of the locker room before practice, Dr. Ehrhart recognizes the runners who ran well despite their place or time. Dr. Ehrhart always sees the spirit and work that someone has put into winter track. Mr. Kolade said that Dr. Ehrhart is “a nice compliment to me, in that he’s nicer about certain things than I am.”
“It’s gonna suck, you know. I’m gonna miss him”
INDEX STAFF
Sixth Form runner Biagio DeSimone works on his form with Dr. Ehrhart during practice, December 6, 2018.
But his sympathy should not be taken as a weakness. He will have runners doing the whole workout at 110% and more on top of that without saying a word. A glance is all he needs: runners want to impress your friends, the coaches, but eventually themselves. Mr. Long said, “If you ask alumni what they remember about winter track, they will tell you about the passion and energy Dr. E. brings every single day and how much he pushed them to be better not only as runners but to be tougher humans.” That drive to impress pushes runners through the pain to see that smile, to get that pat on the back. Soon enough, the success of seeing yourself grow and improve are motivators enough that will not need
COURTESY OF MR. LUQMAN KOLADE
another’s acknowledgment, but it still feels great getting it. Before practice, Dr. Ehrhart always sits at the far left corner of the room with his tracksuit and clipboard taking attendance and talking with the runners. He contributes a sense of order, always taking down times and running drills and meets. “He helps me a lot in some of the logistical things that I am not as attentive to, and so that’s been really helpful for me, and I’m definitely gonna miss that,” Mr. Kolade said. The winter track team, as well as the school, will suffer a massive loss in Dr. Ehrhart’s retirement. Nobody really knows how the team will be without him, or if it will ever be the same as it had been since he was coaching. “It’s gonna suck, you know. I’m gonna miss him,” said Mr. Kolade. “He’s helped me out a lot, giving me advice… and he’s also just a nice voice that’s separate from mine that can maybe say things in a way differently that I can’t.” Mr. Long said, “He has been an integral part of the program since its [early years]. We wouldn’t have winter track if it wasn’t for Dr. E… he has left his mark on so many young men who have come through this place. He is an invaluable part of this community.”
Jimmy Butler acquistion unites EA Day fans RYAN RODACK ’22
On November 10, Haverford School students enjoyed a cold and windy Saturday as the Fords recaptured the sweater from the Episcopal Academy Churchmen. At around 12:30 pm, news broke regarding the Philadelphia 76ers’ blockbuster trade, where the Sixers acquired star forward Jimmy Butler as well a reserve center Justin Patton in exchange for Robert Covington, Dario Šarić, Jerryd Bayless, and a 2022 second-round pick. Students watching Fords soccer lead Episcopal received the news of the trade from friends and on their phones. Students transferred the energy and excitement from the trade and used it to cheer on their Fords to a 4-1 victory over the EA soccer team. Haverford fans united as one, feeling both excitement due to reclaiming the sweater and the hope that the beloved 76ers will become known as one of the elite teams in the NBA with the acquisition of four-time
all-star Butler. Out of the many people who attended the soccer game on EA Day, Third Former Damian Ferraro put it best. “The Jimmy Butler trade helped improve the passion for sports in Philadelphia,” Ferraro said. “I, as well as many of my classmates, felt more energized while watching Haverford play knowing that all the sports teams we root for are doing well.” Fifth Former Ryan LaRocca, who is also a passionate 76ers fan, was struck by the vibe in the stands after the trade occurred. “The atmosphere following the trade was electric,” LaRocca said. “It undermined a potential comeback attempt by EA, as soccer continued to bolster their lead.” The Butler trade clearly energized the rowdy Fords fan base. Although the Fords triumphed on EA Day, it is yet to be determined whether the 76ers trade as equal a success.
CATHERINE SALAÜN VIA WIKIMEDIA
Jimmy Butler sets up for a foul shot in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio.
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The Index - sports
Two years ago, the lure of the new hot tub enticed Nelson Liu to try diving. Today, the Sixth Former produces significant points in close meets and competitions, and serves as a senior leader for the Fords Swimming & Diving Team. Transferring to Haverford at the beginning of sixth grade, Liu eventually decided to row. Possessing the perfect body frame for a coxswain, Liu immediately impacted the crew team when he entered high school. In addition to diving and crew, Liu also loves music. “I’m president of our jazz band and the principal second violin in our string ensemble,” said Liu.
Liu revels in diving team unity
Ryan LaRocca ‘20
Nelson Liu ’20 performing a dive last year.
MR. JIM ROESE
“There’s a very positive team atmosphere. Everyone is focused on improving and expanding their dive lists, but we make conscious efforts to be supportive of each other and keep practices fun and exciting.” In addition to the lure of the new hot tub, another rower contributed to inducing Liu to dive. “I started diving sophomore year after Joe O’Brien ’17 (crew and swimming) mentioned that the team needed more people and that [Swimming Head Coach Sean Hansen] had just gotten a new hot tub. I thought it would be fun to try something new and branch out from winter crew,” said Liu. Though O’Brien didn’t know it at the time, his recruit ultimately contributed to the Fords winning two-consecutive championships and Easterns. During his two-year diving tenure, Liu experienced tremendous success on a team that lacked sufficient divers for years.
December 2018 Despite his individual success, Liu attributes his improvement and results to the team’s community. “There’s a very positive team atmosphere,” said Liu. “Everyone is focused on improving and expanding their dive lists, but we make conscious efforts to be supportive of each other and keep practices fun and exciting.” “We’re all really close, especially in such a mental sport,” Liu said. “I feel like the divers’ cohesion and unity with the guys on the swim team has been critical to our success.” Liu added that head diving coach Mr. Justin Gaudreau also contributes to the team’s positive spirit and success. “Coach Gaudreau is really good about balancing personal development and improvement with a relaxed team culture, constantly encouraging us to reach beyond our comfort zones,” Liu said. Lui hopes that this strong team unity will lead to more success this year. “Our performance at Easterns last year was a good starting point (and undoubtedly the highlight of the season), but we definitely have room for improvement in regularseason dual meets. Our immediate focus is preparing for our meets against EA and Malvern,” Liu said. The dive team also seeks to improve compared to last season’s results at some of the larger meets. “Long-term, we’re looking towards strong performances at Inter-Ac Dive Championships and Easterns,” said Liu. “The goal is to place top three and outscore our competition in every meet. Especially with some underclassmen and middle school talent coming up, we’re hoping to continue making an impact as the season progresses.”
New sixth formers flood hockey program WILLIAM MORRIS ’22
Despite the popularity of sports such as squash, rowing, and lacrosse, the hockey team experienced a larger turnout than in years’ past. Out of these players, about sixty percent are Sixth Formers. Many students questioned why. Not all of the seniors are new, but they are the majority. Some even wondered if they tried out as a joke. Either way, the number of seniors who tried out, particularly new players to the team and to the sport, is surprising. Long-time goalie Carson Rooney, who played in middle school and currently plays both for the high school team and the Haverford Hawks, said, “Many more guys showed up this year, and I was shocked by the turnout we had. We had a lot of guys that were new but had experience in lacrosse. I was skeptical and annoyed at first because there were so many new skaters that did not have a lot of experience with the sport.” He came to understand that the seniors weren’t playing as a big inside joke, they were all playing for different reasons. A few of them had been managers on the team for the last couple of years and, after being around the sport for a while, they decided to give it a try. Some of the players skated as kids or played in middle school and decided to pick up the sport one last time. Some of the players had never worn a pair of skates or held a stick. Many hadn’t played for a significant period of time played when they were younger but grew more interested in lacrosse and dropped the sport. Many who never skated before have played lacrosse at a high level throughout their lives. “Connor Devine has never played hockey before,” Rooney said. “He is one of the well-known lacrosse guys that is playing on the team.” Lacrosse and hockey are not that
different from each other. Many of the team’s underclassmen on the team have more experience with the game. Rooney said, “Our freshmen are usually our better guys, and we need to start getting more younger guys, because next year all the seniors will be gone. We are also going to need a new goalie that is hopefully a freshman or a sophomore.” Coach Dan Goduti is similarly concerned. He is currently in the process of trying to find a freshman or sophomore goalie recruit because no one in the school has expressed interest. “We’ve started to get more multi-sport athletes joining our program in their junior
and senior years,” Coach Goduti said. “This is good, because we need all kinds of talent in order to be competitive in our league. I welcome them to the team, and I only regret that they weren’t able to join us sooner — for all the practice and improvement they are seeing now, imagine what they could have done even more over an entire high school career!” Rooney said, “On my Hawks team in practice, I just yell at my guys to pass the puck to someone either up the boards or open ice when we have the puck in our zone, and they do that without looking up. We are not there yet. Many guys stop and look around and then pass the puck.”
Carson Rooney ’19 forms a wall against EA, January 10, 2018.
Hockey and lacrosse employ similar plays, both on offense and defense. There is also a similar fast pace to both games. Both share the motto about keeping your head on a swivel so you don’t get hit by an opponent. One of the more important similarities is the power and size that a person has to be to truly accel. Many lacrosse players possess the raw strength and power for the sport. The new seniors adjusting best to the hockey environment are those who had the strength and experience from lacrosse. A few Sixth Formers, like Mac Costin and Connor Devine, have even earned leadership roles on the team.
MR. JIM ROESE
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The Index - Arts
Greer hits the right notes Dan Chow ‘20
Alexander Greer playing piano at the age of 8.
Fifth Former Alexander Greer is commonly known for his keen intellect and his numerous accomplishments in the robotics and soft robotics programs. Less well-known is his talent in the arts. More specifically, his skill on the piano. Over the years, Greer has become quite in tune with the piano, participating in in-
COURTESY OF ALEXANDER GREER
ternational competitions. His mastery over the instrument didn’t come out of nowhere, however. Twelve years of continuous practice has shaped his technique. “It all started when I was four years old,” said Greer. “My grandfather suggested that I learn an instrument, and then he pushed for piano. Then my parents just got me into it.”
December 2018
Greer, now 16, is content with the choice. “I think it’s a really unique instrument because early on the learning curve is really simple for anybody to pick up,” said Greer. “You don’t need to really train your hands or your lungs or any particular part of your body in any special way, you can just use your fingers to press keys, it’s like pressing a keyboard on a computer.” “It’s simple enough early on, but then it’s kind of like an exponential curve where, as you keep learning, you have to overcome more and more pieces and more and more difficult techniques,” said Greer. “The challenge of it grows with time, which I think is interesting and has helped me to stay interested in the instrument for so long. There are always new things to learn and new things to try.” After twelve years of training, Greer has accumulated a substantial number of accolades, some of which allowed him to perform at New York City’s Carnegie Hall. “The first competition I entered was the Golden Key Festival when I was around eight years old, and I won silver,” said Greer. Recently, after a brief hiatus from competitions, Greer won another silver at the same competition, returning to Carnegie Hall once again. Besides the Golden Key Festival, Greer has competed on the international level in the Crescendo International Competition and the Geneva International Competition, where he won third place. At the American Fine Arts Festival, Greer took home a firstplace award. Greer attributes his successes to his disciplined practicing. Even in the arguably busiest year of high school, junior year, Greer still finds time to practice for multiple hours a week. How does he do it? “It’s just a discipline regimen,” said Greer.
“The competitions usually help me to set a deadline, a goal, which is nice. It’s easier to have something to work towards, whereas if you were just doing it for a hobby instead of competing, you wouldn’t really have a defined goal that you would have to make a deadline to meet, to meet somebody else’s standards.” Following a disciplined regimen has not always been a smooth path for Greer. From what he remembers, his years of training involved “a lot of arguments and torturous hours practicing.” “I mean 12 years is a long time and it’s been a bumpy road,” said Greer. “I used to have to practice an hour a day when I was in elementary school.” “If I’m going to be honest, I didn’t always like it,” Greer said. “I think I’ve only recently, in the last maybe year or so, come to appreciate how much it’s done for me actually.” Through the hardships that come with practicing an instrument, Greer has learned much, “in terms of discipline, music education, and just general goodness of character even.” “I think that being able to have a hobby or passion and really stick to it is important. Piano has been that for me,” Greer said. Aside from competitions, Greer enjoys showcasing his skill in less stressful environments as well. He has performed in both middle school and upper school talent shows, most recently playing Maurice Ravel’s “Pavane pour una infante défunte,” or “Palace Dance for the Dead Princess,” at the EA spirit week talent show. All quarrels aside, Greer is more than glad he went down the musical path. “I thank my parents for making me stick to it for so long,” said Greer. “Without them, I would have quit way earlier. I definitely appreciate it.”
The transformative experience of slam poetry CONNOR DEVINE ’19
On Thursday, December 6, Troy Barnes and the Black Student Union hosted Haverford’s second slam poetry event. I did not walk into Ball Auditorium with the intention of writing an article for this paper my intention was to support my friend Troy Barnes. What took place after I walked through those doors was one of the most impressive events I have attended here. Members of the audience created for the artists a sense of community unlike anything I have seen at any school sporting event. At first, I mentioned to a classmate how I could never get up on stage and perform something that I wrote. By the end of the night, I felt as if I could have gone up on stage, and, as long as I performed something genuine, I would have had the support of my classmates. That is such a rare occurrence in our community that is often quick with wit and keen to berate. Three performances were particularly moving, the first from a senior at Mastery Charter Pickett who goes by the slam poetry name, “Jinx.” She performed two original poems, but her rendition of “The Black Boy” drew large-scale empathetic response from the crowd. She alluded to specific failures in law enforcement that have torn apart homes and peoples lives. Her art was ultimately thought-provoking, upbeat, and suspenseful. While the slam was mostly a celebration of spoken word, at times the open forum shifted to monologue and personal narrative. It takes all of the guts in the world to step in the spotlight and share something personal. Sixth Former Jackson Overton-Clark captivated the audience with an essay about his relationship with his grandfather. I am in
Jackson’s grade and worked out with him all fall. We have casual conversations, but we never delve deep, as this isn’t the custom in our masculine environment. Even though his performance was not a one-on-one conversation, his essay developed my understanding of who he is as a human being. Slam poetry, much like peer counseling, can strengthen your bond with a classmate, especially one you don’t even know.
vertise it more. After doing some research, I found out that a lot of slam poetry events are competitions. The event might benefit from student and teacher judges selecting the top-three students. As I walked out of Wilson Hall, with more than enough time to do my homework and write this article, I thought to myself of
all of the people who would have enjoyed the event and missed out. Slam poetry is special, a public forum where anyone can showcase their poetic skills, a piece of writing of importance, tackle a difficult topic, or anything he feels deserves the spotlight. If you attend the next poetry slam with an open mind, you will be glad you did.
I did not walk into Ball Auditorium with the intention of writing an article for this paper my intention was to support my friend Troy Barnes. What took place after I walked through those doors was one of the most impressive events I have attended here. The star of the night was undoubtedly Troy Barnes. His fluid diction and metaphors ranging from droll to dark, inspired an intense reaction from the crowd, leaving no questions about his passion for poetry. This event deserves support from more members of the student body. There is no pressure to perform anything, and you can show up merely to listen to the works of your classmates and students from our sister schools. After a number of pre-scheduled performers, there is time for any number of people to step up into the spotlight. The event could benefit from wider promotion. I found out about it the day of and made a last-second decision to attend. Not everyone has the liberty to do so, so the key to getting a larger turn out would be to ad-
The poster advertising the Poetry Slam.
DESIGN BY KHALIL BLAND ’19
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The Index - arts
December 2018
Tackling the fall play’s falling attendance
Dan Chow ‘20
The cast of An Enemy of the People bowing after the conclusion of the show on November 16, 2018. Attendence for the fall show was less than the average spring musical.
When the time comes for the spring musical, Centennial Hall will be packed, as it is every year. Historically, the 655-seat auditorium has almost always been sold out for the musical — last year they sold out on two of the three performances. This should come to no surprise. After all, the musical is a great community event, and the students deserve a grand audience for all the time and effort they put into the production. So why does the fall play, whose participants put in just as much work, garner a crowd less than one-tenth the size of its spring counterpart? Theater Department Chair Mr. Darren Hengst has some ideas. Now onto his sixth year as head of Haverford’s theater program, he has witnessed the sparse audiences for the Fall play more than once. “[The audience] actually varies greatly, and it’s something that we’ve been trying to tackle, with not much success actually,” Mr. Hengst said. “This year, and this is very similar to the past two or three years, the plays have had maybe 50 or so people come — the highest we had might have been 65 or 75.” These numbers come nowhere near the musical’s audience numbers. “I know musicals are appreciated more than plays,” said Mr. Hengst. But still, he said, “the turnout was disappointing.” “I think it was disappointing for the kids
especially this year because they knew they had a great show that had a wonderful message. They worked really really hard, spending the same amount of rehearsal time as the spring play, so it’s a little bit of a downer when you put in that much time and you go out in the audience and see there are 35 people there.” Mr. Hengst sees several reasons for the low audience turnout. In addition to the nature of the spring musical being more energetic, Mr. Hengst thinks that a large part of the problem is due to the scheduling of the play, which he has worked on fixing. “I used to do our plays at the end of October,” Mr. Hengst said, “and I had feedback from parents that it was too strenuous on the senior boys with all their college applications.” “Then I thought it was the perfect time for the week after EA Week because during our busiest week the boys don’t have sports in the afternoon. So I feel that’s the perfect week for us to do it. But unfortunately, it coincides with Agnes Irwin’s musical.” Having the fall play at the same time as Agnes Irwin’s musical creates a slew of problems. Mr. Hengst feels that a large number of potential audience members are lost, including Haverford parents, Haverford students, and especially Agnes Irwin students. “We just unfortunately didn’t get them there in the audience this year,” said Hengst.
Chef Henry continued from the front page...
“He’s one of those guys who makes you smile all the time, and he just gives off this awesome, positive vibe.” Fourth Former Quintin Campbell said, “[Chef Henry] is a constant for me. I go to him almost every morning. He knows my order and gets my day off to a good start.” For Chef Henry, it is more than just the food that he prepares, it is the personal connections that he makes.
“He brings a joy to the community. It is clear he loves his work and that he values every interaction he has with you. he makes every meal feel like it was made for you.” “I work so hard to memorize the students’ names and orders so that they can go on to handle their own business,” Chef Henry said. “I know all these students work hard on their studies and have a lot going on, so if I can make any impact or speed up their mornings and make their lives easier, I know I am doing good work.” Few doubt that Chef Henry’s efficient work style makes mornings easier. Faculty members appreciate his work as well, wheth-
er they eat his fresh meals or not. English teacher Mr. Luqman Kolade knows that Chef Henry “brings a joy to the community. It is clear he loves his work and that he values every interaction he has with you.” Even for lunches that are made similarly for everyone, “he makes every meal feel like it was made for you,” Mr. Kolade said. “We put in the work. They just don’t put the same time and care into the food that we do,” Chef Henry said. His dedication to Haverford does not go unnoticed, as “one of [his] best moments was when [he] got the yearbook dedication. This was cool, but the best part about it was when everyone was chanting ‘blackjack chicken, blackjack chicken!’” While this recognition highlights his work, it is important to acknowledge the atmosphere he cooks up every day. Henry’s impact is widely known throughout the community, but some students either do not know him or have not eaten his legendary breakfasts before school. Yet. To those students who have not had the privilege to start their days off on the right note, Henry has a message for you: “Come and get some. You don’t know what you’re missing.”
Mr. Hengst and the theater department are still intently working on resolving the issue. “In the last two years, I’ve offered free tickets to students. I have changed the schedule to have a Sunday matinee too, but it seemed pretty much the same this year,” Mr. Hengst said. Targeting accessibility of attendance and even student participation in the play seem to be the next steps for improvement. “What I’ve done is I’ve tried to produce plays that create opportunities for different levels of participation for the boys,” said Hengst. “But still, with An Enemy of the People and even with Henry V last year I had maybe at most 20-25 guys.” Mr. Hengst has also reached out to Ms. Karen Stait, the Theater Director at Agnes Irwin, to brainstorm about possible solutions. “She and I have had a discussion about doing a combined production of just Agnes Irwin and Haverford boys, and maybe possibly doing it in both spaces,” said Hengst. “It’s just about finding the right play and the right people to do it, but I think that is what will be coming in the next couple of years.” In addition to potential collaboration projects, Mr. Hengst is trying to increase accessibility. “I’m trying to create the easiest access for people because I know everybody’s busy here and everybody is involved in tons
Caleb Reed’s violin success
COURTESY OF THE COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE
of things — especially the faculty,” said Mr. Hengst. “We’re trying to figure out ways to make an easier way for them to come see the boys on stage.” One of the proposed solutions to accessibility is to have an earlier in the day dress rehearsal. “What we do the Thursday before the show is we do an invite dress rehearsal, and I invite the entire community and parents, just so the actors can get feedback on the show just like a real performance,” said Mr. Hengst. “What I want to try to do is have an earlier dress rehearsal that day and maybe people in the community would stay around a little bit after school by starting it at 4:30, and they could see the show.” All in all, the lack of audience for the fall play still remains an unsolved issue. But it is clear it is not due to the community’s lack of appreciation for theatrical art — shown by attendance at the spring musical. Mr. Hengst and his team are looking to replicate that kind of support for the fall play. “I think that the upper school musical is something that people put on their calendars as an event,” Mr. Hengst said. “Before my time and before my predecessor’s time, the spring musical has been a highlight of the art season. So that’s something that, it’s been a challenge, that I’ve been trying to make happen and move on to with the fall play.”
Evan Brabson ’21
Caleb Reed walking the streets of Wilson Hall. He started playing violin at age three.
Fifth Former Caleb Reed has developed a remarkable ability to play the violin. He plays in the school’s orchestra as well as the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra, and he has travelled around the world to play with other musicians. Reed started playing when he was three years old “because of a toy I had as a child and it played many musical instruments, but the violin was my favorite.” Soon afterwards, he started taking violin lessons. Reed also enjoys Fritz Kreisler’s Preludium and Allegro, as well as Max Bruch’s Concerto in A minor, two classical pieces. He has also played a plethora of compositions in other genres, including hip hop, country, and rap. “I can play around with the music, and I’m not stuck to the composer’s notation,” Reed said.
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Reed has played in Verizon Hall at the Kimmel Center and Carnegie Hall in New York City. He also recently travelled to Cuba to play with professional musicians. Despite the language barrier, Reed and the other musicians found a common ground with music. The ability for Reed to communicate to the other musicians through music was a unique experience. “Music has no bounds and can do so much without saying anything,” Reed said. Outside of his orchestra, Reed practices five or six times a week, for an hour and a half at a time. He is currently at work on the Concerto in A minor. He also works on scales, bow technique, and other fundamental elements of playing. “Technique is more important,” Reed said, “because having better technique allows me to play five-or six-page pieces.”
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The Index - Features
December 2018
Chris Moller’s paintings astound TYLER ZIMMER ’21
If you are looking for Fourth Former Chris Moller, the art studios are the first place you will find him. Taking advantage of all the artistic opportunities provided to him, Moller has produced art based on many different styles and techniques. “Look what you can do over time,” his art teacher Mr. Fox said. “He is always trying to get better and rarely sits idle.” Moller’s efforts allow a near-mastery of many skills, resulting in pieces that will not only be hung in Wilson Hall but also in the Yellow Springs Art Show in April of 2019.
“I am very excited about [the gallery],” Moller said, “because I will be able to meet other artists and speak with them about their work and techniques.” While Moller’s artwork catches the eye of many people within the school community, he is eager to see his work paired against other pieces. Moller is the only minor to have his work accepted into this gallery. While Moller has made many pieces, he has not attempted to sell thus far. Patience is key when developing as an artist because
when you “hold on to your work for a while, you create a long-term evaluation,” Moller said. “Weeks, months, or even a year later you may notice problems or feats that were not apparent to you when you finished the piece.” Forty or eighty-minute class blocks are not enough, so Moller “works outside of school frequently. The biggest advantages of working outside of school are time and inspiration. I work outside when I can, but also work in a makeshift studio in my home.”
In school, Moller works at a quicker pace than his fellow classmates. To compensate, Mr. Fox said he “tries to evaluate where everybody is on their learning curve. He is close to the top of students I have taught, so we are moving a little faster.” While most students are finishing up color theory, Chris has recently delved into a new study of self-portraits. Fourth Former A.J. Sanford said, “He challenges ideas and works really hard to be the best while keeping a humble attitude.”
Some of Chris Moller’s paintings. Vases (top) and Farm House (bottom).
PHOTOS COURTESY OF CHRIS MOLLER