World Cup

elliot lee ’25

Just before Thanksgiving Break, upperschool students sat next to their peers in the middle and lower schools, leaving many students across Haverford confused. It was part of an effort by Director of Global Studies Mr. Andrew Poolman, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Ms. Rhonda Brown, and more, to help bridge students across different branches of the school, all through the World Cup.

For the first time since 2014, the United States of America qualified for the World Cup, bringing both teachers and students together to cheer for the United States, discuss matches and rivalries, and debate questionable calls by the referees.

Hoping to take advantage of the infrequent occasion, Mr. Andrew Poolman believes the World Cup competition will build relationships across the school for years to come.

“The main goal was to promote crosscultural understanding: understanding of the world, different countries, and cultures. The World Cup is such an amazing event that highlights so many countries and cultures,” Mr. Poolman said.

Middle schoolers met with lower schoolers and designed a flag for their country together. Upper schoolers will also interact with other members of the community to create a jersey, accomplishing the second goal of the project.

“The second goal is to promote the interaction between divisions. It is a good opportunity to bring students together that may have never talked before and have fun together,” Mr. Poolman said.

The project has been a long time in the making. Starting at the end of last spring, Mr. Poolman, Ms. Brown, and others met to discuss the idea of the World Cup. From there, it blossomed into an inter-divisional, cross-cultural project with goals far beyond the soccer field.

Although the World Cup is ending soon, Ms. Brown and Mr. Poolman hope that students will gain something that lasts.

“It’s a good time to think about community and empathy and other cultures. I think oftentimes we are a school of almost a thousand students that have little interaction beyond our groups,” Mr. Poolman said. “Having fun with members of the community, learning about countries and cultures across the world, really makes for a positive change to community life.”

“It’s a good time to think about community and other cultures.”

MR. POOLMAN

“The World Cup is such an amazing event that highlights so many countries and cultures.”

MR. POOLMAN

Members of the Turlish, Romero, and Cahill advisories unite around Serbia’s World Cup bid

MR. EAMON GLAVIN ’14

Christmas tree sale unites students

max sides ’26

The annual tree sale is a longlasting tradition run by the Fifth and Sixth Form students and faculty with the goal of raising money for prom. This year the school bought a load of 309 trees—the most trees ordered since the sale began, coordinated by history teachers Mr. Timothy Lengel and Mr. Brian Long for the past several years.

The trees come from multiple locations across the United States—and even other countries. In the last three years, the two suppliers have been Klem Tree Farms in Benton, Pennsylvania, and T&S McCleod Tree Services in Nova Scotia, Canada.

The trees, ranging from five to eleven feet tall, are sold in two types, Fraser firs and Balsam firs, and the prices of these trees range from $80 to $150. However, for any students or faculty that are still in need of a tree, or just want more, there are discounts. The way to buy trees? “Cash and check,” according to Mr. Lengel.

This year, 65 Fifth and Sixth students participated in the vending of the tree sales, which is required in order to earn a prom ticket. Fifth Former Garrett Kriebel spent time working on the tree sale in order to earn his prom ticket, and it’s been a great bonding experience for him.

“Be friendly with people, [and] schedule [your tree sale hours] with people who you don’t usually hang out with.” Not only was the tree sale a great experience for him, but he also added that it brings important work experience. “It helps the students make new friends, learn how to sell, and learn how to interact with different people.”

“Be friendly with people, [and] schedule [your tree sale hours] with people who you don’t usually hang out with.”

GARRETT KRIEBEL ’24

“It helps the students make new friends, learn how to sell, and learn how to interact with different people.”

GARRETT KRIEBEL ’24

Elon Musk Speaks at a Tesla Event in 2014

VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

“Whatever it takes to preserve democracy, I’m in favor of [it],” Ms. Turlish said. “And so, when something is destructive to democracy, I’m in favor of the regulation of it. I understand that’s tricky because free speech is a very important thing to have, but putting things out there that are false, and that are invented specifically to undermine our trust in democracy—I personally do not see that as something that should be permitted on Twitter or any social media platform.”

Advocates of Musk’s purchase pointed to Twitter’s previous suppression of free speech as a cause for change, as many felt it violated the First Amendment.

“Private corporations are not in any way constitutionally obligated to allow any speech,” Ms. Turlish said. “I get tired at this school hearing students talk about ‘cancel culture’ and ‘first amendment rights’—it’s not any corporation’s obligation to give a platform to everything.”

Regarding censorship, Musk has given the impression that he is handpicking who is allowed on the platform.

“I think it will be interesting for censorship especially,” Sixth Former Orion Wister said. “With [Musk] running the show, it’s a bit more of a dictatorial type of company now, where he controls who’s on the platform and who’s not.”

After taking over Twitter, Musk—a self-proclaimed “free speech absolutist”— brought back the accounts of several controversial figures, including social media presence Andrew Tate, political commentator Jordan Peterson, and, temporarily, rapper Kanye West.

“It allows for more free speech, so I love it,” Fifth Former Blake Paul said. “Everybody’s voice should be allowed, no matter what their viewpoints are. Extremist, nonextremist, doesn’t matter.”

One of the major concerns is the effects of such figures on young, impressionable minds. But some students argue that they can make the decisions for themselves. “I think Andrew Tate should be allowed on Twitter,” Raleigh said. “I think everybody should have the ability to voice their opinion, no matter how crazy it is. It becomes difficult because you don’t want hate speech on the platform, especially now with so many young people on it, but I think if you’re a parent, and you’re allowing your kid to have Twitter, that’s a mistake on its own.”

Policies aside, the move is also significant because of the man who made it. While skeptics of Musk have been outspoken, so have his fans.

“Our country overall, but young men in particular, are attracted to this myth, and I’m going to emphasize myth, of the oddball genius white man,” Ms. Turlish said. “And I think nine times out of ten it’s just a facade, and these are not special people.”

Ms. Turlish believes that Musk could be a role model for many students hoping to achieve financial glory.

“It seems that Elon Musk is this ultimate quirky oddball, who’s also the richest person on the planet and a white man,” Ms. Turlish said. “It just checks a lot of boxes on what young men, and young Haverford men, would find worthy of looking up to.”

Raleigh provided an alternative for why some may idolize a person like Musk.

“Personally, I don’t feel too strongly about him, but I know that he has Aspergers, and I think that’s a good representation that you can be successful with having a mental disability,” Raleigh said. “He is a very progressive mind, with space and car science, and possibly bringing about the green revolution for cars.”

Even more empathetic perspectives toward Musk often do not completely support his new role. What many will hope for going forward is a proper balance in all aspects of the platform.

“I don’t really think it’s right for one person, especially a person who’s not really known as the most logical person, being at the head of it,” Raleigh said. “I’d hope to find some type of middle ground.”

features

Ms. Jini Loos at work in her office Busy Service Board engages students

PIERCE LAVERAN ’24

Connor Simpkins ’25

Community service is not required; instead, it is integrated into the curriculum in the lower and middle schools so that by the time students reach upper school, participating in service and engaging with the wider community is a natural part of life. “Service is part of the educational foundation of Haverford,” explains Ms. Jini Loos, Director of Service Learning at Haverford.

In the lower and middle schools, community service activities are integrated into the curriculum in a way that helps boys make connections between what they are learning in class and how they can contribute to communities in need. By the time students arrive at the upper school, most are eager to seek service opportunities.

This fall, upper school students were engaged with a wide variety of community service projects: participating in the AIDS Walk, the Parkway Run & Walk for Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, volunteering at the Special Olympics Fall Festival at Villanova University, and working one on one with children with special needs in a variety of settings, including a new tutoring partnership with the Overbrook Educational Center.

Ms. Loos is incredibly proud of the work students have done with children with special needs.

“Many boys have preconceived notions of what people with disabilities can and cannot do—but after volunteering they come away with a new understanding and sincere appreciation of how capable individuals with disabilities are.” Students also supported the annual can drive, which collected over 6,200 cans, the frozen turkey collection which resulted in almost 100 turkeys donated, and the Peanut Butter and Jelly Club, where students make sandwiches to pass out to the homeless.

Fourth Former Brady Stallkamp was one of the students who worked on the Turkey Drive this year.

“Helping out with the Turkey Drive is simple and easy but makes a big difference for so many families in our area during a holiday that is literally about giving,” Stallkamp said. “That is the good thing about our community—that we help out wherever we can and the opportunity to do so is everywhere.”

As a kick-off to EA Day festivities, in collaboration with Agnes Irwin and Episcopal Academy, students helped bag over 1500 lunches sent to nine different organizations. Students added handwritten notes of thanks and appreciation.

Ms. Loos described how meaningful those notes are.

At one community organization for veterans, the men sat in a circle and read each other their notes. One of the gentlemen then pulled out his wallet and shared all the messages he had received from previous years’ lunches. He had saved them all.

The Service-Learning Initiative also fosters connections between older and younger students. The Brotherhood Project brings upper school students into the lower school, where they read books and share time with younger boys.

“Upper school boys don’t always realize that they are role models for what the younger boys do; they watch and see that it’s important to the older boys. Then, they emulate that,” Ms. Loos said.

More service opportunities are on the way.

Winter service opportunities include the coat drive and the Toys for Tots Holiday Toy Drive, both happening before winter break. The Notables, in support of the Toy Drive, will perform on December 13 at 7:00 p.m. in Centennial Hall. Attendees are asked to bring new, unwrapped gifts for a child.

Finally, in January students will hold a gently used clothing drive and a book drive as a part of Martin Luther King, Jr., Day activities.

“Upper school boys don’t always realize that they are role models for what the younger boys do; they watch and see that it’s important to older boys. Then, they emulate that.”

MS. JINI LOOS

“That is the good thing about our community--that we help out wherever we can and the opportunity to do so is everywhere.”

BRADY STALKAMP ’25