December 2021 Index

the index The student voice since 1888

The Haverford School · Haverford, PA 19041 · December 2021· Volume 89, No. 4 · thsindex.org

Community wrestles with gender and sexuality Jeffrey Yang ’22

P

rologue: “Respect and value people of different genders, backgrounds, and opinions, and live as a cooperative and engaged citizen of the global community,” the first of our principles of community, as listed in the Strategic Vision.

Now, enter the “Gents’ Club”—the upper school students’ group chat named after strip clubs designed for men—where a thread rallies for “wife-beaters,” a slang term for sleeveless white shirts, i.e. tank tops. Jorts complete the requested outfit.

Now, two Notables singers perform on stage, they act out an embrace: jabbing chuckles proceed.

Now, a female actor enters from stage-

A theme runs through our culture, but many students lay entranced, perhaps innocently, unexposed to and unaware of the show that it puts on. right: whistles hail her entrance.

A theme runs through our culture, but many students lay entranced, perhaps innocently, unexposed to and unaware of the

Basketball season preivew, p. 20

COMMUNICATIONS

show that it puts on.

On Wednesday, December 1, 2021, the Honor Council met with members of

“Our goal was to bring people together as a community, and we would not have put anything in the video unless it was meant to do that.”

ANONYMOUS SIXTH FORMER ’22 the Character Mentorship Program and the Diversity Alliance to discuss the state of our community. During two sessions of the meeting over lunch, one point commanded the conversations: the EA Day video, even though it premiered three weeks before.

A developing tradition coordinated by a group of Sixth Formers, this video intends to unite the community before the athletic matchup against the Episcopal Academy.

One Sixth Former involved in the video said, “Our goal was to bring people together as a community, and we would not have put anything in the video unless it was meant to do that.”

Thus, coordinators of the video searched

Adam Marshall ’23’s costumes, p. 13

MS. SARAH DICICCO

for inspiration in a platform that many students would be familiar with: TikTok. “There is a viral trend on TikTok that girls make that is “POV when a [insert any descriptor] boy picks you up,” another Sixth Former involved in the video said.

This trend was a satirical joke directed towards the general “awkwardness” of boys on a first date with girls. And this was the understanding of the clip that many students received when initially watching it in Centennial Hall.

“My initial reaction to the video was that it was funny. I just thought of it as a joke or as playful banter. I didn’t really look much

Were you offended by elements of the EA Day video?

89% No

“[My reaction] was more or less utter shock.”

11% Yes

CHASE NELSON ’24 con’t on p. 4

Google Forms poll of 141 respondents, Between December 12-14, 2021

Arcane, p. 19

into it,” Sixth Former Jahmon Silver said.

Upper School Dean of Students Mr. Luqman Kolade shared a similar perspective and described how the video that was shown, having undergone some edits, on initial glance appeared to be typical of a high school student production.

“It was typical. It was fine. There were some parts that I found that were kind of funny, and there were some parts that I didn’t find as funny at all,” Mr. Kolade said.

In fact, around ninety percent of 141 students polled felt that the video was not offensive, or at least not to them. But, not everyone understood the playoff of the “viral TikTok,” with members of the community interpreting the date as happening between two male students, instead of the intended roleplay.

But, with the version that was in fact presented, those with the latter interpretation viewed the video with a starkly different response than many students.

NETFLIX

Hockey looks to revitalize, p. 20

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the index 2021–2022 Staff Mitav Nayak ’22 Editor-in-Chief Ryan Rodack ’22 Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Yang ’22 Editor-in-Chief Austin Zhuang ’22 Senior Managing Editor Senior Design Editor Jingyuan Chen ’23 Managing Editor Joey Kauffman ’23 Managing Editor Connor Pinsk ’23 Managing Editor Quinn Luong ’22 Senior News Editor

December 2021

editorial

Choose your new year’s resolution wisely

A

s winter breaks inches closer and 2021 concludes, we encourage you all to make (and keep) a new year’s resolution. The common stereotype associated with new year’s resolutions is failure.

So, how should we go about achieving our new year’s resolution?

Your resolution should be specific and clear-cut. Instead of saying, ‘I want to spend more time with my family,’ you should address how you are going to achieve that goal.

For example, ‘I’m going to spend more time with my family by eating dinner with them every Sunday night.’

Your resolution should also be relevant.

It should be a goal that you care about and

would make a positive difference in your life if you were to achieve it. Some of the common new year’s resolutions include spending more time on homework, getting organized, losing weight, and exercising more. While those are all relevant and attainable goals, there are some school specific goals that we encourage you all to consider.

In a poll with more than 135 responses sent to upper school students on December 12, almost 75% of students revealed that they have not participated in or attended a service board event this year. We understand that you are all busy, but consider carving out some time from your schedule in 2022 to help improve the lives of others. Partici-

pating in service learning will improve your quality of life as it will hopefully bring you joy to help others.

Another new year’s resolution that we encourage you to think about is supporting our Fords at sporting events. While it is great that we fill the student section at basketball games on Friday nights, consider cheering on our highly ranked squash team, the revamped ice hockey team, our fierce wrestling team, or our talented swimmers and divers.

Gentleman, enjoy the break, stay safe, and take some time to consider: what will your new year’s resolution be?

Ethan Lee ’24 Assistant News Editor Owen Yu ’23 Features Editor Adiyan Nayak ’24 Academics Editor Ethan Chan ’23 Neighborhood Editor Arsh Aggarwal ’24 Campus Opinions Editor Bowen Deng ’22 Off-Campus Opinions Editor Colin Stewart ’22 Off-Campus Opinions Editor Christopher Schwarting ’24 Arts Editor Jake LaRocca ’22 Sports Editor Pierce Laveran ’24 Staff Photographer Jack Suter ’23 Staff Photographer Mr. Thomas Stambaugh Faculty Advisor Ms. Emily Harnett Faculty Advisor

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.

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 using the applications of Google Suite and Adobe Creative Cloud. Its surveys are conducted via Google Forms and are advertised via email 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 1160 community members, consisting of 960 students and 200 faculty and staff members.

Contact The Index: 450 Lancaster Ave, Haverford, PA 19041 thsindex.org index@haverford.org Twitter: @Haverford_Index Instagram: @Haverford_Index Volume 89, No. 4 - December 16, 2021

2021-22 Editors-in-Chief (clockwise from the left, Ryan Rodack ‘22, Mitav Nayak ‘22, and Jeffrey Yang ‘22)

CONNOR PINSK ‘23

Letter from the student body president Mitav Nayak ‘22

D

ear Fords,

For those of you who do not know, last weekend, Fords squash had a match against Brunswick, the defending national champions. It was a match I have had circled on my calendar since late summer, when our coach first told us Brunswick was coming to play us at home this year.

They were favored, but our team felt that we could give them a competitive match.

However, we also knew that it was going to be a challenge: we would need support.

And on Saturday, we did receive support. There were more people in the squash center than I have ever seen. The student fan section was there in full force alongside teachers, coaches, and faculty.

When I had my match against my opponent, I fed off the support of the crowd, and I know my teammates did the same.

This, ultimately, allowed us to upset Brunswick in a thrilling 4-3 finish.

Time and time we have heard it this year: this loyalty and support we have for each other is what separates Haverford from other schools. But on Saturday, I saw this firsthand. It resulted in the best experience I’ve ever had playing squash and one of the best experiences of my life.

COURTESY OF MITAV NAYAK ’22

Mitav Nayak ’22 As we head into the second half of the year, I want to remind you all to make sure that everyone can have an experience like that this year. During my opening day speech, I told you guys that everyone at Haverford has an “event.” I encourage you to find your event and ask for support.

Because at Haverford, support will always be given.

Sincerely, Mitav Nayak

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December 2021

news

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Mr. Thorburn meets with a student on opening day

Administration considers policies amid Omicron, mandates Mitav Nayak ’22

T

he 2021-2022 school year has been one of relative normalcy.

EA week, reflections, lunch in the dining hall, and form meetings have returned, allowing students to feel a sense of community and brotherhood that many felt was lacking last year. Still, some restrictions linger: students remain masked and three feet apart, the dining has yet to reach full capacity, and students and faculty still await a full, upper school wide assembly in Centennial Hall.

At the midway point of this year, the School’s COVID-19 Task Force, chaired by Assistant Head of School Mr. Mark Thorburn, continues to closely monitor local recommendations and case numbers.

“Our policy coming out of last year and going into this year has been to comply with the national, state, and local recommendations.”

MR. TYLER CASERTANO “Our policy coming out of last year and going into this year has been to comply with the national, state, and local recommendations,” Head of School Mr. Tyler Casertano said.

Some policies—such as masking, the quarantine and isolation charts, and contact tracing—are mandates: the school has to

comply with them. Mr. Casertano described the process of how the school enacts policies in response to mandates and recommendations.

“The COVID Task Force decides on the big picture policy, and then what that looks like is often up to the division head or other senior leaders,” Mr. Casertano said.

Head of Upper School Mr. Mark Fifer outlined the goals he has for the upper school amid continuing restrictions.

“We want to keep students engaged in in-person school programming as much as we can,” Mr. Fifer said. “And so that is the filter through which we make our decisions.”

Mr. Casertano has the same mindset.

“The Task Force met this summer to think about our priorities and our goals for the year. Right away, two goals emerged: keeping the community safe, and keeping the students and teachers in the classroom all year long,” Mr. Casertano said. “We didn’t want to have to go to any type of hybrid learning model. It was a priority to re-establish the form of education where students and faculty are fully present and engaged every year.”

Through their meticulous planning, the school has achieved this goal.

“We built our systems around making sure that if a student tested positive here on campus, other people around him would not have to be quarantined for ten days,” Mr. Casertano said. “We knew that there would be moments with the disease on campus, and we wanted to limit the impact of that, both from a health standpoint and from a culture standpoint: we really wanted to avoid scenarios where you have to quarantine large groups of people.”

In terms of external organizations, the school relies heavily on the CDC, the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Montgomery County, and CHOP policy lab. The restrictions have led to some challenges.

“There are still these remnants of COVID that are lingering with us and impacting our ability to come together fully like we would like to to come together.”

MR. MARK FIFER “It’s been an interesting year because it is obviously a different health context from last year, and there have been so many more opportunities, but there are still these remnants of COVID that are lingering with us and impacting our ability to come together fully like we would like to to come together,” Mr. Fifer said. “I’m thinking about not being able to have the Third Form in Centennial Hall and not being able to do a school dance this fall, which are both not ideal.”

The overall sentiment from students and administrators alike, however, is that the school has done a remarkable job maintaining and possibly reviving the sense of community and togetherness under these policies.

As the Omicron variant emerges and policies begin to shift during the second half of this year, decision-makers will face more

challenges.

“We’ve talked with some experts locally about when we might see Omicron based on the modeling that’s been done over the last few days,” Mr. Casertano said. “The other thing we are waiting to see is if the vaccine is equally effective against this variant, and that would be hugely helpful in our thinking.”

Mr. Fifer added, “Some of the pieces that will go into the extent to which Omicron will impact policy are information on vaccine efficacy and information on how transmissible Omicron is. Ultimately, as we’ve done with other decisions, we’ll look for guidance from external organizations.”

Science Department Chair Dr. Daniel Goduti weighed in on vaccine efficacy against Omicron. “[Omicron] is a mutant strain of the virus [that causes COVID-19]. The question is did the virus mutate so much that vaccines no longer work,” Dr. Goduti said.

“People were testing positive for COVID-19 but negative for the spike, suggesting that the mutation is in the spike. The spike is also what the vaccines are made to target, so the worry is that if the spike is mutated, will the vaccines no longer work?”

Dr. Goduti explained that recently experts have suggested that this is likely not the case.

“They’re finding that recognition might be reduced, but it’s not absent. The big fear was that the virus is not going to be targeted by the vaccine, and we would be back to square one. In brief, it turns out we’re not back to square one, so we should be okay.”

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December 2021

Gender and sexuality, cont. from front page

INDEX STAFF

The Principles of Community Fourth Former Chase Nelson said, “[My reaction] was more or less utter shock.

Seeing it, I was really offended by what was said, but I think I was more shocked that everyone was laughing as if it was a plain joke. I felt like I was the only one that wasn’t laughing at it, and I felt really out of place, like I was cut out of the narrative.”

“The date was pretty outrageous, in terms of playing two boys out on a date for laughs. I found nothing funny about it; it was painful to watch it.”

MS. HANNAH TURLISH Others didn’t take direct offense from the scene but were similarly appalled by it.

“The date was pretty outrageous, in terms of playing two boys out on a date for laughs. I found nothing funny about it; it was painful to watch it,” History Department Chair Ms. Hannah Turlish said.

And for some who understood the roleplay of a girl, the clarity of the joke and its impact, rather than the intended perception, harbored concern.

“I don’t think the intent of the scene was to offend anyone or to make homophobic or sexist jokes. So even if the intent of that scene wasn’t two men kissing, that was the effect it had on people. Intent versus impact definitely comes into play here,” Fifth Former Roch Parayre said.

And, to be clear, the final part of the date scene was supposed to be cut out in the version that the deans approved for showing to the community in the assembly.

“The date scene—that was a scene that the other forms deans said, ‘You know what? we should cut the scene that out,’ and it was cut out in the version that was supposed to be shown,” Mr. Kolade said.

But the perception of homophobia in

the video was one of multiple issues members of the community flagged; further, the deans did request the other discriminatory scenes to be removed in the final version.

A Sixth Former involved in the video said, “There were certain clips throughout the video that had to be edited due to cursing or possession of alcohol done by Eagles fans at the Eagles game tailgate. They also felt that some of the fun we poked at EA students was too targeted but nothing more than that [in addition to the final clip of the date scene].”

For one, various members of the community, one of them College Counselor Ms. Heather Stinson, found homophobic sentiments in the EA student character. Though she saw both potential sides of the joke, one side appeared more present in the action.

“I very much read into the portrayal of the EA student as being stereotypically homosexual.

With the skipping, the dramatic actions, the fastidious nature of wearing masks, all those things struck me.”

sexism and patriarchy for some.

“Another issue for me was how [the video] represented femininity, and how it was considered as a weakness,” Nelson said.” Because the EA student was shown to be more feminine, and [for that] they were looked down upon as lesser.”

The interview sequence at the tailgate further sparked concern over the interpretation of the scene as perpetuating male power and prejudice against women.

Ms. Turlish said, “I’m all for women wearing what they want, and putting on the makeup that they want, and speaking in the inflection that they want. But when you put on a series of blond young women in front of a group of five hundred boys, that’s not going to go well. I would love for a world where it would, but it doesn’t here.”

Ms. Stinson elaborated on that segment of the video, emphasizing that, while the situation could have been much worse, she still felt anxious throughout its playing.

“I went in [to Centennial Hall] with my guard up … and I felt like the part where the guys were interviewing the young woman at the tailgate was uncomfortable for me. Not because of anything transpired that was inappropriate, but because the potential was there for that. I felt myself tense up for what could’ve happened,” Ms. Stinson said.

Sexism is often overlooked at Haverford. For one, many students did not register any issue of discrimination against anyone, except for perhaps EA students, let alone women.

“I have heard nothing but good things about the video from faculty and students schoolwide.”

world.”

Silver echoed this sentiment of the norm as being problematic.

“As an upper school, none of us thought anything was wrong with it. We [students] thought that it was normal, but it wasn’t okay at all. The thing about our school is that this is the norm, and it shouldn’t be the norm at all,” Silver said.

In the context of Haverford being an all-boys institution, Parayre connects our demographic to our response toward issues regarding gender.

“There’s ignorance surrounding feminism and women’s rights. And it’s very much more normal to everybody at an all-boys institution.

People are so used to it, . . .”

ROCH PARAYRE ’23 “There’s ignorance surrounding feminism and women’s rights. And it’s very much more normal to everybody at an all-boys institution. People are so used to it, [as opposed to] racism and homophobia, that it just almost always goes undiscussed,” Parayre said.

Nelson emphasized another point: the community does not react negatively unless an action is egregious.

“They don’t understand that sometimes slight or microaggression or ‘jokes’ that are intended to be jokes are offensive.”

ANONYMOUS SIXTH FORMER ’22 “I have heard nothing but good things about the video from faculty and students schoolwide,” a Sixth Former involved in the video said. “I didn’t even know that anyone had a problem with it. … I haven’t heard of a single teacher who has a problem with it, and I have yet to talk to a student who has a problem with it.”

But even for those who eventually interpreted the video in the context of sexism, these scenes were less glaring than others that they immediately saw as problematic.

Ms. Tulish said, “I’m still not sure how to process that I barely realized the sexist side to it. Like it didn’t even register. I’m concerned that it’s because I’m so used to it here at Haverford and in the larger context of the

CHASE NELSON ’24 “When it comes down to being offensive and being in that place of when you’re oppressing specific people, especially at Haverford, they don’t see it until someone calls someone a slur or says a blatant phrase that can’t possibly be argued as a joke,” Nelson said. “They don’t understand that sometimes slight or micro-aggression or ‘jokes’ that are intended to be jokes are offensive.”

Others, however, felt tension in areas of the video, but could not pinpoint the issue.

Sixth Former Ian Rush said, “It was fun-

MS. HEATHER STINSON

“I very much read into the portrayal of the EA student as being stereotypically homosexual. With the skipping, the dramatic actions, the fastidious nature of wearing masks, all those things struck me.” Ms. Stinson continued, “And I can see both sides: I can see how someone might interpret it as infantilizing that student, like ‘EA students are immature, childish, they’re baby-ish,’ but that was not how I read it. I read it as all the negative stereotypes of a student that might identify as being gay.”

And if not for implied homophobia, this portrayal of the EA student also signaled

Ms. Stinson helps Jaamir Shaw ’21

MATTHEW SCHWARTZ ’21

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December 2021

ny, but I could sense that there was a void, an elephant in the room. I was surprised that I didn’t hear any initial pushback.”

But, to Nelson’s point, Rush has found that generally in conversations involving more than his friends, jokes or other offhand comments involving homophobia or sexism are downplayed.

But in larger conversations [with more people], [the discrimantory joke] just kind of flows awkwardly, and then the conversation shifts to another topic.”

IAN RUSH ’22 “In times when I’m with my closest friends at Haverford, I always get into a verbal argument with my friend [if something discriminatory is said]; and then it usually turns into a larger conversation [discussing these issues]. But in larger conversations [with more people], [the joke] just kind of flows awkwardly, and then the conversation shifts to another topic.”

While not always addressed openly, the administration recognizes that microaggressions exist in the community but has found these actions particularly challenging to tackle.

“It’s how students talk to each other, how they interact with other female faculty members that don’t blow past the boundary, but still not producing a healthy culture and community.”

MR. MARK FIFER Mr. Fifer said, “There have been some high-profile moments, but there also have been not so high-profile moments that are in some ways more difficult to address. It’s how students talk to each other, how they interact with other female faculty members that don’t blow past the boundary, but still not producing a healthy culture and community.”

The video, as a “high-profile moment” fraught with not-so-high-profile offenses— i.e. microaggressions—uniquely generated both discussion but was also passed under the table.

Parayre said, “It definitely reignited that flame to restart talking about these things, but it was definitely not out of the blue. It

Jahmon Silver ’22

COMMUNICATIONS

Head of School Mr. Tyler Casertano speaks at the Opening Day assembly was certainly both, but it was a spark that lit discussions because this was such a specific blatant incident, we can really use this as a way to jump off into the conversation.”

Head of School Mr. Tyler Casertano thinks issues of gender and sexuality are core to Haverford.

“I’m not sure about the larger conversations that we have been having as a school over the past few years. … But I definitely think that [the video] has fostered discussions about gender and sexuality, conformity, and masculinity at Haverford,” Mr. Casertano said.

And while these conversations are not new, some of the people who are concerned are newly so. With that, the video was necessary.

“As somebody that believes that as a boys school, those are questions that are fundamental to who we are and what we do and our mission, I am often having [these conversations] normally, but there were new people that I was talking about it with as a result of the video,” Mr. Casertano said.

“And while I certainly wish that we weren’t

“And while I certainly wish that we weren’t experiencing the pain that they had felt as a result of the video, I’m also glad that we as a school are able to have these conversations . . . so that we can grow as an institution.”

MR. TYLER CASERTANO

JEFFREY YANG ’22

experiencing the pain that they had felt as a result of the video, I’m also glad that we as a school are able to have these conversations, and I’m eager to continue them so that we can grow as an institution.”

But in the effort to create a safe, inclusive, space for all students, Mr. Fifer thinks we should not need these incidents to have discussions about gender and sexuality.

“Proactive programming is always better than reactive programming,” Mr. Fifer said.

This mission to create a school-wide culture of acceptance, mitigating discrimination on scales as small as peer-to-peer interactions to as large as school-wide assemblies, is deeply personal to some.

“This is a place where everyone should feel safe. If anyone doesn’t, there’s a problem. I’m in a position of power in this place, but I’m also a marginalized community. I have a son that goes here, I hope to be happy that my son goes here.”

MR. LUQMAN KOLADE Mr. Kolade said, “This is a place where everyone should feel safe. If anyone doesn’t, there’s a problem. I’m in a position of power in this place, but I’m also a marginalized community. I have a son that goes here, I hope to be happy that my son goes here.”

All these issues generally boil down to a matter of everyone feeling they belong at Haverford.

Mr. Casertano said, “When we as a community are at our best, everyone feels a deep sense of belonging, and there are no patterns to that belonging. While we all may experience belonging differently because we’re different individuals who perceive the world in our unique ways, there are no patterns in that sense of belonging that are related to race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status, or gender, or sexuality, or participation in a certain group on campus.”

But, in fact, the culture as it stands renders those in our community who do not fit the norm, students and faculty alike, outside of the institution’s unity. And often, the traditions that are passed down from class to class, push those marginalized even further away from the supposed community.

Ms. Stinson said, “The jorts make me really uncomfortable; [they] are over-exposing and inappropriate for school. I feel like it puts me in a position, as a faculty member,

to be uncomfortable at my place of work, and that’s not okay.”

And this discomfort from female faculty is furthered by overhearing comments from students that objectify women.

“I have heard voices of boys, when I’ve led practices before, from the locker room talking about girls. I am concerned about the level of objectification about girls, and there’s no talk about a girl’s intellect or sense of humor. And I’ve heard boys talk about grown, female teachers at this school in ways that are really disturbing,” Ms. Turlish said.

Regardless of who is harmed and where, the focus remains, at least in a school setting, on how these actions impact the students.

Ms. Turlish said, “At the end of the day, what we’re really concerned about is how it’s going to make the boys feel, and what goes through the minds of the boys who see it as funny or don’t see what’s wrong about it.”

On the other hand, many students view those who voice their sentiments of marginalization as pulling conclusions out of thin air.

A Sixth Former involved in the EA Day video said, “There will always be people who try to find controversy in things like our EA Day video. That being said Mitav, Mr. Casertano, Mr. Kolade, Mr. Fifer, Ms. Kenna, and I, all looked over the video. If there was a real problem within and not just people looking to find problems with everything, we would have pulled it out.”

“There will always be people who try to find controversy in things like our EA Day video. . . . If there was a real problem within and not just people looking to find problems with everything, we would have pulled it out.”

ANONYMOUS SIXTH FORMER ’22 And this understanding is one that those who feel othered have recognized pervades the community, and thus are trying to change.

“A lot of students are saying that this is an overreaction, that the proposed new rules [regarding a broader vetting process for community programming] are too much, that it’s all unnecessary. But for real, in reality, this is necessary because this shouldn’t be a normal thing. [The belief is that even] if it’s an offensive video, it’s for humor, and it’s a joke, and that’s okay. But our community shouldn’t be built on that [belief ],” Silver said. con’t on p. 6

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Gender and sexuality, cont. from p. 5 In order to see how our community should be built—theoretically, in upholding our school values and mission—and how to then build that community, members must understand why issues of discrimination, particularly homophobia and sexism, manifest in our culture. Though contentious, one possible answer lies in the school’s founding.

“The problem is that our culture and people in our community are having a hard time trying to move forward in the world, and a hard time trying to accept that there are students of different color and sexual orientation and gender from the average [student] at Haverford then..”

CHASE NELSON ’24 “It does all come back to the core root of our culture, all the things that we originally stood for when Haverford first started as a school all those years ago. The problem is that our culture and people in our community are having a hard time trying to move forward in the world, and a hard time trying to accept that there are students of different color and sexual orientation and gender from the average [student] at Haverford then. They refuse to catch up with the world.

They’re stuck back in 1884,” Nelson said.

Mr. Casertano questioned the school’s mission at its founding, but due to his relatively short time here, he’s still unsure of its repercussions in the present-day Haverford.

“Do I think that there is privilege at Haverford? Absolutely. How much of that privilege is the direct result of our history as a school that afforded education to only one population? I’m not sure if I’ve been here long enough to know the answer to that question,” Mr. Casertano said.

But we can concretely examine the current education provided to students in the context of “preparing boys for life.”

“The reason why our community is struggling is because we are not doing the job of preparing boys for life. They won’t understand that there are boys different from

“There’s this penchant towards letting the ‘boys be boys.”

MS. HEATHER STINSON

them outside of our school walls,” Nelson said.

And education in smaller class sizes has created flexibility, some argue too much, for “boyish” actions.

Ms. Stinson said, “There’s this penchant towards letting the ‘boys be boys,’ and ‘nobody means anything by it.’ In a community that’s this small, those lines get blurred between the character of the person and their intention, so it’s really hard for us in this community to not get defensive over an offensive action.”

And, compounded by the small size, members of the community argue that an all-boys education creates meager space for perspectives from women.

And, compounded by the small size, members of the community argue that an all-boys education creates meager space for perspectives from women.

Ms. Stinson continued, “Not having more than one gender represented openly lends a different vibe here. That vibe is something that I love about this place, but it can also be our biggest challenge. That all our students are looking to teachers, moms, and sisters as representing all women is really a challenge. It means that we open ourselves up to being blind to some of our issues that other students in schools with different genders discuss.”

Some of these issues that we may turn a blind eye to include the aforementioned objectification of women and homophobia, and, consequently, problematic human relationships.

“[The all-boys education] makes men and boys have this weird relationship with women: we are taught that we can’t associate with women in society properly, and that affects us for the rest of our lives.”

ROCH PARAYRE ’23 “[The all-boys education] makes men and boys have this weird relationship with women: we are taught that we can’t associate with women in society properly, and that affects us for the rest of our lives,” Parayre said.

On the other hand, some students and faculty argue that an all-boys environment

JEFFREY YANG ’22

Ms. Hannah Turlish limits student growth, which then leads to various forms of discrimination.

“The fact that we don’t have any [female students] at this school also leads to this hyper-masculine environment, which is highlighted by the locker room incidents, and sort of how we can all can just talk about being [dominant] ‘men,’ talk sexually about women, and badly about gay people. Racism can tie into that too because there’s this whole superiority complex,” Parayre said.

“So I think that the fact there’s no women at all makes kids feel an excessive need to express ‘masculinity.’”

With these concerns in mind, members of the administration think that all-boys schools play an even greater role in building discussions that foster healthy men in the real world.

“[Haverford] has a role in building healthy conceptions about gender and sexuality that not only impact a supportive, inclusive environment at Haverford but also healthy relationships and healthy experiences when students graduate from this place. ” MR. MARK FIFER

Mr. Fifer said, “I think one of the responsibilities of an all-boys school in the twenty-first century is to ask those hard questions. It has a role in building healthy conceptions about gender and sexuality that not only impact a supportive, inclusive environment at Haverford but also healthy relationships and healthy experiences when students graduate from this place. Healthy relationships in the role world require a good foundation of understanding of these conceptions.”

Mr. Casertano further believes that this development applies to boys’ understanding of healthy masculinity.

“While male power is still very much present in society—and one of the things that we as a boys school need to do is educate boys on male power—boys are suffering nationwide.”

MR. TYLER CASERTANO “While male power is still very much present in society—and one of the things that we as a boys school need to do is educate boys on male power—boys are suffering nationwide. They are lagging behind girls in many important ways, and part of that, in my opinion, is because of how the traditional construct of masculinity can limit boys’ development,” Mr. Casertano said. “There are still so many societal metrics that demonstrate that boys lag behind girls in terms of development, wellness, and achievement.”

In fact, the CDC reports that boys are four times more likely to die from suicide than girls.

Mr. Luqman Kolade

INTEL CHEN

In fact, the CDC reports that boys are four times more likely to die from suicide than girls. To counter the backdrop statistics such as this, Mr. Casertano hopes that Haverford is a place where one can engage without feeling the pressures of the social constructs of traditional masculinity.

“So often, being a boy means opting out of things, but at Haverford, when we are at

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Mr. Mark Fifer our best I want students to opt in, not just in terms of their physical participation, but also their intellectual, social, and emotional participation,” Mr. Casertano said.

An important solution to these recurring conflicts of homophobia, sexism, and racism, and hyper-masculinity lies in awareness through education, and Nelson emphasized that this awareness begins with analyzing small acts of discrimination.

“We need to start talking more about… these small forms of aggression that cause just as much pain as slurs.”

CHASE NELSON ’24 “We need to start talking more about… these small forms of aggression that cause just as much pain as slurs,” Nelson said.

And while these conversations are occurring—the Diversity Alliance and Gender and Sexuality Alliance met with Mr. Casertano and other administrators on Friday, December 10, 2021, in a panel discussion— they are happening within those who recognize the problem. Instead, through activities led by the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Ms. Rhonda Brown, the goal is to educate students starting from younger ages.

“What I would like to do is to look at the uncomfortableness of middle school … the awkwardness of coming to your own and observing others.”

MS. RHONDA BROWN “The Lifers come here, they have wonderful experiences in lower school, it gets crazy in middle school, and then they sort through that craziness and find their own voice in the upper school. What I would like to do is to look at the uncomfortableness of middle school … the awkwardness of coming to your own and observing others,” Ms. Brown said.

As students grow in the middle school, Ms. Brown has found, some start reacting

RYAN RODACK ’22

negatively to the tension they find as they begin to explore their identities, not just in terms of race, gender, and sexuality, but also the type of personality that they take on; and she hopes that shifting the timeline of when students are exposed to these will mitigate this tension and create better-prepared students for their futures.

“And often the approach is to make the awkwardness seem different—and that’s why different [friend] groups form and why middle school is hard for some but not as much for others.”

MS. RHONDA BROWN

And Ms. Brown further hopes to begin education on identity and, with that, inclusion of others, with the school’s youngest students, a project that Mr. Casertano eagerly supports.

“I’m really excited about the work that Ms. Brown is doing in the school—how it’s starting in the lower school, and how it’s rooted in our virtues of compassion and courage, as well as awareness and tolerance. I think that the success that we will have long term will come through having a bottom-up, unified, whole-school approach,” Mr. Casertano said.

In the upper school, curricula changed in recent years are now more inclusive, exposing students to diverse perspectives through academics. And in this aspect, the English and history departments have modified their courses drastically in recent years.

English teacher Ms. Smith-Kan said, “When I first started teaching here seven years ago, [the department] was at the beginning of adding books by women. Now just in the freshman curriculum, we have three texts written by women: The Hate You Give, A Raisin in the Sun, The Emperor was Divine, and we’ve taught Eleanor Park before. Some think that Lorraine Hansberry might’ve been gay. And in the English IV course, of the four books that we read, two of them are by women.”

Aware of the smaller representation of diverse sexuality in texts, one being in finding these texts, the department wants to be careful to not just “checkboxes off a list” to satisfy representation. In fact, other factors beyond the text itself are equally important.

“Representation matters, but it’s more than having authors.

It’s about how you teach those, and how you address the elephant in the room.”

MS. TAYLOR SMITH-KAN “Representation matters, but it’s more than having authors. It’s about how you teach those, and how you address the elephant in the room. Like in Lord of the Flies,

December 2021 where there is no apparent racial or gender discussion, pointing that out is part of it.

You can really teach gender and sexuality in the absence of them. If we suddenly have a

Even in the traditional classics, often written by straight, white, males, Ms. Smith-Kan described how there’s branching off points for a discussion on gender and sexuality. text by a female writer, a gay writer, that’s not going to suddenly solve the problem of how kids perceive things,” Ms. Smith-Kan said.

Even in the traditional classics, often written by straight, white, males, Ms. SmithKan described how there’s branching off points for a discussion on gender and sexuality. However, these discussions, as both Ms. Smith-Kan argues, have fallen heavily on the English department.

“It’s not just about English. To suggest that diversifying the English curriculum can solve sexism and . . . is naive.”

MS. TAYLOR SMITH-KAN “It’s not just about English. To suggest that diversifying the English curriculum can solve sexism and ... is naive. It also falls on administration, programming, and expectations of students. It’s just more complex than choosing a curriculum. The English department is definitely doing their part, but do we also need the others to do their part too.”

The history department has made strides to discuss LGBT history, women’s history, black history in its courses, and have introduced the course “History of Science, Sex, and Culture” taught by history teacher Dr. Bridget Gurtler, but, just as Ms. Smithcon’t on p. 8

“And often the approach is to make the awkwardness seem different—and that’s why different [friend] groups form and why middle school is hard for some but not as much for others. But if we recognize that [awkwardness] for what it is, that it really is development and doesn’t have to be as painful as it is in some cases, what wonderful men could we create.” Ms. Brown said.

“Because, instead of the moment of awakening in ninth grade, you might have this awakening in seventh or eighth grade, come to yourself in ninth or tenth, and then have two more years here to advance yourself, to develop who you are and really get a sense of self.”

“I’m really excited about the work that Ms. Brown is doing in the school—how it’s starting in the lower school, and how it’s rooted in our virtues of compassion and courage, as well as awareness and tolerance.”

MR. TYLER CASERTANO

Roch Parayre ’23

INDEX STAFF

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the signs of relationship abuse, so that will hit on some of the themes of healthy relationships,” Mr. Fifer said.

In addition, Mr. Casertano added that, for upper school students, seeing reflections from peers is also important.

“I think when we are at our best, we have a culture that promotes vulnerability and honesty.”

MR. TYLER CASERTANO

RYAN RODACK ’22

Mr. Michael Murphy Kan said, these conversations can feel like a burden mainly falling upon humanities teachers.

“It’s exhausting.” Ms. Turlish said.

“Curriculum changes, conversations about hot-button issues. Oftentimes when people criticize the job that ‘teachers are doing’ with curriculum and conversations, it’s only [for] the English and history departments. And we’re taking it on, we’re not turning our backs on it, but sometimes it can feel lonely.”

“It’s exhausting.

Curriculum changes, conversations about hot-button issues.

Oftentimes when people criticize the job that ‘teachers are doing’ with curriculum and conversations, it’s only [for] the English and history departments.”

MS. HANNAH TURLISH With these concerns, Mr. Fifer noted that the faculty from all departments are having discussions about how to include conversations of gender and sexuality into their teachings.

“Certain disciplines that talk about the human experience lend themselves to discussions. But I know the other departments are

committed to the education of the whole child and want to work outside of their specific academic discipline styles to think about how we can all speak a common language and build a community.”

“I think when we are at our best, we have a culture that promotes vulnerability and honesty. I’m eager to continue our effort of encouraging students and faculty to speak about their experiences, such as through reflections that generate empathy, compassion, awareness, and respect,” Mr. Casertano said.

The significance of students speaking to other students was echoed by other faculty members, especially in situations where

“If things are going on, we need folks to speak up. I know that it’s difficult at times. I say it to our parents and students every year at the beginning of each season: It’s very hard to address something months later, not that we won’t go back to look at it, but I don’t think that it’s very effective,” Mr. Murphy said.

Moving forward, in athletic spaces, Mr. Murphy will continue to challenge the common perception of athletic spaces as being particularly fraught with discrimination

“One of the things that bothers me is the narrative that athletics, whether it’s here at Haverford or in general, tends to be a place of toxic masculinity.

MR. MICHAEL MURPHY

“. . . I know the other departments are committed to the education of the whole child and want to work outside of their specific academic discipline styles to think about how we can all speak a common language and build a community.”

MR. MARK FIFER Another form of raising awareness through administration comes with programming. Within the community, the Human Relations Seminar and Third Form seminars in past years have educated students on inclusion. And, though the pandemic has limited outside programming that has addressed students on issues of gender, sexuality, and healthy relationships in the past, Mr. Fifer hopes to bring these experiences back this year.

“Earlier in the fall, we started looking for programming in the spring as things will start to open up. We’re already in discussion with the One Love Foundation, which is focused on relationship abuse and how to spot

faculty are not present, but this in itself is a challenge.

“Student-driven things are more effective than adult-driven things, but that’s hard for a kid who feels marginalized to do that, and it’s unfair to ask a kid to do that.”

Mr. Kolade said, “Student-driven things are more effective than adult-driven things, but that’s hard for a kid who feels marginalized to do that, and it’s unfair to ask a kid to do that.”

This creates difficulty in addressing, for example, the cases of discrimination in the locker room. As Director of Athletics Mr. Michael Murphy said, the department was unaware of the situation.

“If things are going on, we need folks to speak up.”

JEFFREY YANG ’22

JEFFREY YANG ’22

Ms. Rhonda Brown

MR. LUQMAN KOLADE

Ms. Taylor Smith-Kan

December 2021

MR. MICHAEL MURPHY

against people of different genders and sexes.

“One of the things that bothers me is the narrative that athletics, whether it’s here at Haverford or in general, tends to be a place of toxic masculinity. Let’s face it. I think there’s a little bit of difficulty when we talk about going out on the field, and competing and winning, and striving and giving our best—some sports are physical in nature,” Mr. Murphy said.

Despite that limitation, he emphasized that students should be held to the same expectations regardless of what space they’re in.

“But that doesn’t mean that when we step off of the field, we can’t be Haverford gentlemen and comfort ourselves in the values of our school—just as we do on the field.”

MR. MICHAEL MURPHY “But that doesn’t mean that when we step off of the field, we can’t be Haverford gentlemen and comfort ourselves in the values of our school—just as we do on the field.

I wouldn’t expect that just because we’re being competitive on the field, we aren’t losing our minds and acting out of those values.

The two [athletics and our school values] can

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“Conversations about identity are often emotional and uncomfortable and complicated because you’re talking about what it means to be human and what it means to be a boy, or a man, or a woman, and what it means to be those things on this campus.”

MR. TYLER CASERTANO

Chase Nelson ’24 certainly coexist,” Mr. Murphy said.

And to address the issues that do exist, first, Mr. Murphy met with Ms. Brown to discuss potential separate spaces for any student that may feel uncomfortable changing in the upper-school-wide locker room. The two are also collaborating with Assistant Director of Athletics Mr. Brendan Dawson to create a training program required for any prospective team captain.

“Ms. Brown and I have talked about having this type of topic being part of that leadership training program. Coach Dawson and Ms. Brown will be working together on that.

Is that the large student body? No, but hopefully we can start small and work larger.”

MR. MICHAEL MURPHY “Ms. Brown and I have talked about having this type of topic being part of that leadership training program. Coach Dawson and Ms. Brown will be working together on that. Is that the large student body? No, but hopefully we can start small and work larger,” Mr. Murphy said.

“I’m now going to start meeting with each boy participating on teams each season to discuss not only this issue but other issues of locker room decorum and hazing, head-on.”

MR. MICHAEL MURPHY Furthermore, Mr. Murphy plans on meeting with every athlete, each season, to continue emphasizing the expectations of

JEFFREY YANG ’22

their behavior.

“At the start of each season, I currently have a meeting with parents. I’m now going to start meeting with each boy participating on teams each season to discuss not only this issue but other issues of locker room decorum and hazing, head-on. I think we’ve done a pretty good job in addressing it [in the past], but this is one of those areas, that as an athletics director, needs constant attention and education.” Mr. Murphy said.

Students from the Diversity Alliance are also looking to amend the Honor Code to include provisions addressing a wider range of discrimination.

However, they expect making these amendments to be a difficult task.

Students from the Diversity Alliance are also looking to amend the Honor Code to include provisions addressing a wider range of discrimination. However, they expect making these amendments to be a difficult task.

Parayre said, “The problem with the Honor Council is that nothing can be proposed unless two-thirds of the Honor Council or ten percent of the upper school signs the petition, and that petition only passes if two-thirds of the entire student body votes in favor of the amendment. But with the Honor Council being all male and ninety percent white or so, it may be extremely difficult.”

But perhaps the biggest roadblock of all is discomfort.

Mr. Casertano said, “Conversations about identity are often emotional and uncomfortable and complicated because you’re talking about what it means to be human and what it means to be a boy, or a man, or a woman, and what it means to be those things on this campus.”

Despite this discomfort, through Peer Counseling, a safe space provided for Fifth and Sixth formers to discuss anything with their peers, Rush has found that these tough conversations have both helped him grow personally and understand, and have more empathy for others.

“Peer Counseling has given me insight into other people’s lives, and it’s made me feel more normal because we’re all going through similar problems. And even if we aren’t going through the same things, it’s great to know that someone is there for you—and that has helped me a lot in finding myself and becoming a man because the whole angry male stereotype, [unhealthy] masculinity, in that room I feel that it’s completely erased when we feel like we’re all in the same boat,” Rush said.

“Peer Counseling has given me insight into other people’s lives, and it’s made me feel more normal because we’re all going through similar problems.”

December 2021 Further, Mr. Casertano sees this discomfort as what the community needs to tap into in order to move forward.

“But, when we are at our best as a community, we create a sense of comfort that allows us to embrace inherent discomfort, whether that’s intellectual discomfort in the class, or physical discomfort on fields, or social discomfort in interacting with people who you haven’t become friends yet.”

MR. TYLER CASERTANO “But, when we are at our best as a community, we create a sense of comfort that allows us to embrace inherent discomfort, whether that’s intellectual discomfort in the class, or physical discomfort on fields, or social discomfort in interacting with people who you haven’t become friends yet,” Mr. Casertano said. “Discomfort is at the root of growth.”

“Discomfort is at the root of growth.”

MR. TYLER CASERTANO

IAN RUSH ’22

Ian Rush ’22

JEFFREY YANG ’22

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December 2021

Oxford High School shooting unnerves a nation Ian Rosenzweig ‘25

N

ovember 30, 2021, amid a resurgence of debate and reporting about COVID-19 caused by the Omicron variant, a tragic incident shook the United States. The community of Oxford High School in Oakland County, Michigan, was victim to a school shooting perpetrated by fifteen-year-old Ethan Crumbley. Crumbley killed four students between the ages of fourteen and seventeen and injured seven other people. The school’s community and the entire nation are now left mourning the deadliest school shooting in three years—and the 28th shooting of 2021.

Just days after the shooting, Crumbley was charged with 24 crimes including firstdegree murder and terrorism. His parents were also charged with involuntary manslaughter, accused of failing to act to prevent a situation that had an unreasonable risk of harm to others.

The couple bought their son the handgun he used in the shooting just four days before the incident as an “early Christmas gift.” Ethan was reported by a teacher on Monday (the day before the shooting) for searching online for ammunition during class. His mother was contacted twice. She failed to respond to school administration and instead texted her son, “Lol. I’m not mad at you. You have to learn not to get caught.” The day of the shooting, Ethan was removed from his classroom after drawing a handgun and writing, “The thoughts won’t stop. Help me,” and “My life is useless, the world is dead.”

Crumbley’s parents were subsequently brought into the school and told to seek counseling for their son within 48 hours.

Neither parent asked Crumbley if he had his handgun. They did not check his bag. Instead, they refused to take him home, leaving Ethan behind, against the recommendations of the school. Later that day, Crumbley went into a bathroom with his backpack, exited with a gun, and began shooting at random in the hallways.

Oxford High School administration recognized the threat that Crumbley posed.

They took action and attempted to avert a calamity. School officials sought help and requested the support of his parents, but

they did not require his immediate removal.

This small distinction between request and require resulted in tragedy. Administrators made a fatal mistake and returned Crumbley to his classes.

Hot debate has erupted regarding all aspects of the tragic shooting, but, as more details arise, people have begun to question Oxford High School’s actions. Although the school attempted to intervene in the situation, contacted Crumbley’s parents, and asked that he be taken to counseling, Crumbley was allowed to return to class after his parents declined to take him home.

Upper School Head Mr. Mark Fifer shared that although every situation is different, in situations like these Haverford administrators will “err on the side of caution when concerns [about threats to school safety] are brought to [their] attention… every piece of information needs to be engaged with in a deliberate, intentional manner.”

Mr. Fifer also emphasized the importance of the school’s relational model and the importance of connections with advisors and other trusted adults.

“What we try to rely on and leverage are the relationship structures that we have in the school so that students feel comfortable sharing information,” Mr. Fifer said.

Assistant Head of School Mr. Mark Thorburn also shared how important these relationships are to the school.

“[Safety in schools] shouldn’t be on the forefront of our minds in a way that would be a distraction to our learning.”

CONNOR SIMPKINS ’25 “It’s so important to have a venue by which [the administration] can direct information [about safety concerns]... to make sure that kids are emotionally safe… and physically safe as well,” Mr. Thorburn said.

As the country continues to grieve the murdered students, discussions regarding

Main entrance of Oxford high school school safety and gun control have taken center stage in national discord and debate once more. Not only are parents forced to think about their children’s safety in school, but children are forced to consider their safety at their daily “workplace.”

Fifth Former Ethan Chan says that the recent uptick in school shootings around the nation is “quite alarming” even though “the threat is not apparent [to him] every day.”

As these issues lurk in the back of students’ minds, students and administrators alike consider how the Haverford community should address them.

Third Former Connor Simpkins believes that “discussing school safety and violence is tricky.” While he believes that it is an important topic to address, he expressed that “[safety in schools] shouldn’t be on the

FIBONACCI BLUE VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

High school students protest in Minnesota for gun law reform

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forefront of our minds in a way that would be a distraction to our learning.”

Chan, meanwhile, believes that students need to discuss these issues more. He believes that students’ comfort and confidence at school and their mental state are important topics.

“Men’s and boys’ mental health is not talked about enough, and creating a space where everyone can feel even a bit more comfortable to open up [about their feelings] would help a lot,” Chan says.

Mr. Fifer is attempting to address both Simpkins’s and Chan’s concerns as well as others from the student body.

Mr. Fifer says that the administration has to “[think] carefully about how [safety] is discussed in the school community…

We’re always trying to figure out the correct calibration in order for students to feel safe in a school environment.” He believes that certain conversations have forums in which they should be discussed and some don’t.

Similar to Simpkins, Mr. Fifer expressed concerns about these discussions becoming distractions to learning. “You don’t want to get into a situation [where] students [feel] paralyzed by fear… which can happen when attention is drawn to [school shootings].”

Mr. Fifer said.

As the Haverford community confronts the effects of a shooting at another school, safety protocols have certainly been a prominent topic, but Mr. Thorburn shared that these protocols are always adapting—not just in the aftermath of a tragedy.

“We’re always looking at [reports on school shootings] to see how [they] could’ve been prevented, what kind of strategies they could’ve put in place to mitigate,” Mr. Thorburn said. “It’s a constant evaluation.”

While our school community has the luxury of debating where, when, and how to discuss school shootings, The Oxford High School community does not. Their protocol, regardless of intention, failed to keep their students safe: four people have lost their lives and countless others are forever traumatized.

Nothing can ever repair these losses.

As Haverford administration continues to work tirelessly to keep the community safe, we must remember to appreciate all those working on our behalf and, together mourn the lost lives at Oxford High School.

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December 2021

Robotics wins to National event Adiyan Nayak ’24

E

very year, the Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts holds a signature event entitled “The Wave.”

On December 3, teams from all over the country gathered to compete over the weekend in a robotics competition. This year, the Fords sent three teams to the tournament: 169Y, 169E, and 169A. Sixth Formers and members of team 169A Adamya Aggarwal, Ethan Saddler, Josiah Somani, and Elijah Lee competed throughout the weekend before eventually making their way to the championship round. Head Coach Mr. Adam Meyers had already foreseen the team’s success.

“I knew we were going to have success on the first night when we were able to focus on scrimmages instead of some of the other preliminary tasks,” Coach Meyers said. “Because the boys knew that everything else was taken care of, they could focus on just having success during the rest of the tournament.”

Coach Meyers also sensed the confidence gained by the team during the qualification rounds.

“The fact that they did well in qualifications meant that when they went into the elimination rounds, not only were they in good spirits and attitudes, they had the confidence to meet the moment,” Coach Meyers said.

The Sixth Formers were able to close the weekend with an impressive victory.

“In the final round, it was best-ofthree,” Sixth Former Adamya Aggarwal said.

“We actually lost the first round; they had a

Adamya Aggarwal and Josiah Somani compete in a robotics competition WPI on December 4th, 2021 better strategy there. And then we finally figured out our strategy in the final two rounds and won by a pretty big margin.”

The team had several reasons for their success, starting with the robot itself.

Sixth Former Elijah Lee said, “I think we had a very well-designed robot, with good speed relative to other competitors and defensive capabilities.”

During the tournament, they also received help from an ally, which, according to Coach Mr. Will Leech, was one of the key reasons for their success.

“They allied with a team from Colorado who had a very good robot that had slightly different skills to the robot that we had,” Mr. Leech said. “So we were covering a wide area of bases: we weren’t focusing on one thing, we were looking into the whole tactics of the game, which was a really big advantage.”

169A displayed exceptional teamwork throughout the tournament, a defining characteristic of the team.

“The best part is the cohesion between us, especially because everyone has their own role,” Aggarwal said. “We have two coders and two builders on our team, but we can look at what another person is doing and try to help out or comment on something.”

The team clearly shares a bond, one which has allowed them to overcome adversity this year.

“After an unsuccessful tournament in Tennessee, the seniors responded by recognizing that there are some parts of robotics that just don’t work,” Coach Meyers said.

“Being able to go in and work relentlessly every day, just on the hope that you make improvements, shows a lot of resolve, and I think speaks to the bigger mission of the

ELIJAH LEE ’22

school.”

The coaches were impressed with the team’s work ethic and determination to achieve their goals.

“We’ve got a really hard-working robotics team,” Coach Leech said. “The boys have put in hundreds and hundreds of hours into this program—boys that understand a lot about coding, about the construction of a robot, but also the game dynamic in terms of how to play the tactics of the game.”

Eventually, the efforts paid off, as the seniors left Massachusetts with the tournament championship.

“It felt really good because we had come off a not-great showing at the last competition we went to,” Lee said. “It was good to see our hard work pay off and to be able to celebrate.”

Underclassmen move into Community Room for lunch cleaner, there are complaints about the lack of space for students because of the rule of only five people at a table. It can be hard to

“It was also freezing out, so overall sitting inside is better, except for the five-person per table rule.”

ALEXANDER PESHEK-PERCEC ‘24

PIERCE LAVERAN ‘24

Third and Fourth Formers enjoy their lunch in the Community Room Lucas Harrington ’24

T

hird and Fourth Formers have been eating outside to combat the spread of COVID-19 when students are maskless and eating. As temperatures have been dropping, the Third and Fourth Formers had to battle the cold as they ate outside.

Now, they eat in the Durham Community Room, where the ping pong tables usually are located. Even with warmer conditions, students are expressing some frustrations with their new dining arrangements

including the long walk to the cafeteria and the limit of five people to a table, a rule that is strictly enforced.

Fourth Former Adon Gross considers both indoors and outdoors dining to be similar, giving a slight edge to eating indoors.

“Eating inside is good, and I guess I would say I prefer it to eat outdoors because it’s cleaner, but overall I think they are the same,” Gross said.

While underclassmen generally prefer eating indoors because it is warmer and

find a seat if you are late for lunch, and it can also be hard to find a seat with your friends.

Fourth Former Alexander Peshek-Percec has a stronger opinion than some of his peers.

“Personally I think that the five-person table rule is bad. We are constantly around each other throughout the day, and when we were outside there were way more than five people per table,” Peshek-Percec said. “However, eating outside was horrible because the ground was muddy and our shoes and bags were disgusting. It was also freezing out, so overall sitting inside is better, except for the five-person per table rule.”

Eating inside provides an alternative for underclassmen who had previously been breaking the rule by eating inside the cafeteria.

An anonymous underclassman who has

been eating in the cafeteria.

“I was eating in the cafeteria because it was too cold to eat outside. On some days it was even around 30 degrees, and spending more than five minutes in that temperature is horrible, especially when you’re sitting. A lot of people were eating in the cafeteria, and lots of teachers didn’t seem to care, so I just did it.”

Most Third and Fourth Formers are happy with the shift to indoor eating. But the lack of seating and the five people per table rule frustrate many underclassmen who feel like they can’t get a seat, let alone a good seat, at lunch.

In light of COVID concerns, do you believe we should have indoor dining for all students?

19% 81%

No

Yes

Google Forms poll of 141 respondents, Between December 12-14, 2021

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December 2021

features

James Gates dazzles Haverford community as piano star Tate Conklin ’24

O

ne performance from the talent show leading us into Thanksgiving left the audience stunned. The murmurs amongst teachers and students remarking on the incredible performance were drowned out by the rapid and complicated tunes springing to life from the piano. Behind the keys, playing with astonishing composure and eloquence, was 16-year-old Fourth Former James Gates.

“My mom decided to give me lessons at a very young age, and that’s where it all started.”

JAMES GATES ’24 Gates’s piano skills have been in the spotlight since he was a small child.

“When I was a baby, my parents gave me this little toy piano. It had preset buttons that you could click that would play music, and I’d be singing and playing around with it,” Gates said. “My mom decided to give me lessons at a very young age, and that’s where it all started.”

to a big competition. My mom figured I should try it out too,” Gates said.

“I got tons of messages from younger kids and even adults saying that I inspire them to do music, which made me really happy and inspired to keep going.”

JAMES GATES ’24 Gates began competing seriously at this young age with hopes of expressing his talent and improving. As he piled more and more hours into playing, more opportunities fell his way. He ended up taking it to a state level as his first ever large-scale event.

“At that time in our area in Iowa, none of the kids there had ever won states, so nobody had any hope for me,” Gates said. “I gave it a shot and won the regionals, and then went on to win states. It was really cool to be on the news and receive recognition, especially being from this small town in Iowa.”

Moving from his remote town in Iowa to a much more populated area led to a

James Gates posing near a Steinway & Sons piano

Gates still had limited opportunities as a child due to his isolation in a small town in Iowa. A long and irritating commute to get to the nearest city and an overall lack of people in his area proved making a name for himself to be difficult.

Still, these adversities didn’t stop him from striving for success.

“When I was about eight years old, my piano teacher was telling me about how one of her other students who was my age went

A young James Gates performing of support all around me made it one of my most memorable experiences.”

Now, as a Fourth Former, balancing sports, school, and piano playing is no easy challenge.

“On school days I definitely don’t practice as much as I do during the weekends or the summer; I’d say around 1-2 hours is my goal,” Gates said. “I try my best to balance everything well, and I think I do a good job at it.”

The skilled player has spread his range of skills on more than a regional or state level through social media. He has amassed over 25,000 followers on Instagram.

“I started to gain recognition on Instagram when I was in ninth grade. My piano teacher passed away, and I wanted to do some sort of performance to honor her,” Gates said. “I hadn’t been able to compete or be in any sort of performance in months because of COVID, so the combination of

COURTESY OF JAMES GATES ’24

these two hardships made me feel pretty sad and helpless. I decided to take the matter into my own hands and do a concert for it, and it blew up.”

Gates received a lot of positive feedback, which fueled him to keep working hard.

“I got tons of messages from younger kids and even adults saying that I inspire them to do music, which made me really happy and inspired me to keep going,” Gates said.

As far as the future goes for the young phenomenon, Gates is still undecided.

“I’m definitely going to be doing music throughout my whole life; whether that be performing, teaching, or just playing for myself. I’ve invested so much time into it, and I really love it, but as far as making a career out of it goes, I’m not sure yet because it’s a very hard task. A very risky task, I’d say,” Gates said. “There’s a lot of luck involved in it.”

COURTESY OF JAMES GATES ’24

change of pace in Gates’ life. It helped boost many aspects of his playing and performance skills. A more populous area provides many more opportunities because more people are around to support you, and there are more places to learn and play. These opportunities landed on a much larger scale than a typical talent show or a recital.

“One of my biggest piano achievements was playing in Carnegie Hall in seventh grade. Being able to audition and have tons

James Gates playing at the talent show

COURTESY OF JAMES GATES ’24

the index · features

Page 13

December 2021

Adam Marshall builds Star Wars clone trooper armor from scratch Ethan Lee ’24

some drawbacks.

“Vacuum forming can’t create a circle, it can only create half,” Marshall said. “This means that most pieces come in two parts.

You have to connect them with small strips of plastic called shims.”

“Vacuum forming can’t create a circle, it can only create half... this means that most pieces come in two parts” ADAM MARSHALL ’23 To create a forearm piece, for instance, Marshall would have two roughly trimmed pieces of plastic which he would then have to trim precisely. Using glue and the shims, he then connected the two pieces. Using different fillers, he would have to painstakingly fill up every small hole to perfection, so there would be no blemishes on his final product.

Adam Marshall ’23 wearing his Star Wars costume

S

crolling through your Instagram feed, you might have encountered this post: Fifth Former Adam Marshall wearing a full, movie-accurate clone trooper suit. Made from scratch, Marshall had been working on creating that wearable suit of armor for a couple of months leading up to the big reveal.

“I have been a Star Wars fan for a really long time, and I always wanted to have a clone costume for myself,” Marshall said.

“What pushed me to actually make one was a YouTube video on an event called Star Wars Celebration.”

Star Wars Celebration is a large fan gathering where Star Wars fanatics congregate to share films, costumes, and more gen-

Another challenge of the build came from the helmet.

“The actual hole is too small for my head to fit into,” Marshall said. “I had to cut the front off then reattach it with magnets.”

The clone troopers in Revenge of the Sith are CGI, meaning that some parts of the costume, for it to be movie-accurate, had to be not ergonomic.

Marshall has also joined a volunteer organization called The 501st Legion.

“Everything needs to be accurate with a minimal amount of error. They should be indistinguishable from the movie.”

ADAM MARHSALL ’23 “There are three main aspects,”Marshall said. “First is actually making the costume.

MS. SARA DICCICO

erally celebrate the Star Wars universe.

Marshall had been an avid collector of Star Wars memorabilia for most of his life.

“I remember watching A New Hope with my dad when I was four,” Marshall said. “Ever since then I’ve been hooked.”

His collection is quite impressive, containing dozens of different scale models, helmets, and LEGOs. To start his building process, Marshall purchased a kit of vacuumed formed parts from different vendors. “The general process of vacuum forming is heating a sheet of ABS plastic then laying it over a form. Then, the air gets sucked out so that it is a perfect replica of the original object,” Marshall said.

Although efficient, this method still has

Adam Marshall ’23’s costume laid out

COURTESY OF ADAM MARSHALL ‘23

Adam Marshall ’23 painting a part of his costume

After all of the pieces were assembled, Marshall then had to paint it. “First I primed it, then I added physical weathering, which are actual dents and scratches in the armor,” Marshall said. “After that I paint it with actual colors. I use liquid latex to mask off some areas to create a chipping effect.”

After the paint dried, Marshall used dirt and other pigments to add additional weathering effects. In order to protect the paint, Marshall covered everything with a matte clear coat.

When all of that was complete, he padded the inside of the armor with foam and felt. Additionally, any final assembly strapping stuff together is completed.

“A lot of the armor is held together with velcro,” Marshall said.

ADAM MARSHALL ‘23

Second is going to different events and meeting people. The most important thing is charity work.”

The group often goes to help different organizations with running events. However, to get accepted into the organization, Marshall had to overcome many obstacles.

“I had to make the costume according to a CRL, or a Costume Reference Library,” Marshall said. “Everything needs to be accurate with a minimal amount of error.

They should be indistinguishable from the movie.”

Marshall hopes to work with the 501st for different charity projects in the future.

Currently, Marshall is working on another Star Wars costume: An Imperial Snow Trooper.

the index · neighborhood

Page 14

December 2021

neighborhood

MS. JINI LOOS

Students package meals at the PB&J Club on December 11, 2021

Service projects reflect students’ commitment to community Connor Simpkins ‘25

F

rom a mask drive, can drive, frozen turkey collection, preparing lunches for the homeless, and working with a neighborhood food bank, Haverford students enthusiastically engaged in community service projects this fall.

According to Director of Service Learning Ms. Jini Loos, service projects were limited during the pandemic. With restrictions lifting, students have been able to re-engage with community-based organizations in more meaningful ways.

This year’s can drive reached its goal collecting 3,000 cans.

This year’s can drive reached its goal collecting 3,000 cans. Sixth Former and Service Board co-president Damian Ferraro credits the success to the behind-the-scenes work that goes into the drive.

“It is not just collecting the cans,” Ferraro said. “There is a lot of logistics that go into it: how do we promote it, drum up support, how do we pack and transport thousands of cans.”

Ferraro notes that one of the things he has learned being at Haverford is how you can rally a lot of students with a common cause; it’s empowering when you understand the ways in which students can cultivate energy to create a change.

Sixth Former Aidan Boyle led the frozen turkey collection before Thanksgiving.

“The collection was a great success.

In previous years the drive has been more straightforward, but this year, due to supply chain issues caused by the pandemic, more coordination and planning was required,”

Boyle said.

Some stores had limits on the number of turkeys that could be purchased at one time, which meant Boyle had to strategize how to buy turkeys with donated funds.

Boyle contacted individual stores and convinced classmates to help. In the end, the collection yielded 111 turkeys that were donated to Project HOME for Thanksgiving.

“Joining the Service Board was one of the best things I have ever done at this school,” Boyle said.

While participation in service projects is not required, lots of students opt-in. Haverford had 53 students volunteer at the Special Olympics this fall, in a collaboration with Agnes Irwin and Baldwin, 60 students are signed up to make lunches for the homeless.

This year’s mask drive collected over 2,000 masks.

“Joining the Service Board was one of the best things I have ever done at this school.”

AIDAN BOYLE ‘22 “We encourage our students to be active participants, rather than spectators to the world; community service is a way to engage, rather than just watch,” Ms. Loos said.

This fall, every Third Former had the opportunity to volunteer at the Memorial Church of God in Christ food pantry, which is just steps away from the school. While at the food pantry students helped box food and pack cars with boxes for delivery.

“This gave me a new perspective on hunger… seeing a place for people who need help within walking distance from our school was extremely impactful and showed me what an extensive issue food insecurity is,” said Third Former Ian Rosenweig.

The Third Form Called to Serve Project embodies the benefits of service.

Upcoming service opportunities include the Coat Drive and the Toyts for Tots program...Students interested in participating in community service projects can conact Ms. Loos or any member of the Service Board.

Upcoming service opportunities include the Coat Drive and the Toys for Tots program. There will be a gently used book collection in the Lower School throughout January leading up to MLK Day. Students interested in participating in community service projects can contact Ms. Loos or any member of the Service Board.

“Projects such as this foster relationships with people in a way that gives students a perspective of people and conditions that are not like their own and gives the community a better perspective of Haverford students,” Ms. Loos said. “Service and community engagement becomes a part of the foundation for how [Haverford] boys walk through the world.”

around the corner

January

7 17 21 24

Varsity Basketball faces the Malvern Prep Friars at home for the second friday night home game of the season.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day of service. No classes.

Varsity Wrestling battles the William Penn Charter School at 4 pm at home.

Episcoal Academy hosts the Fords Varsity Ice Hockey team at 3:30 pm.

Page 15

the index · neighborhood

December 2021

Two townships, one school Tripp Ronon ‘24

V

oters headed to the polls on the first Tuesday of November to elect their local representatives, including school board members, township commissioners, and judges at various levels.

Results came in, and Scott Zelov (P’17, ’21) retained his office as Lower Merion Township Ward 10 Commissioner, a position he has held since 2006. Running under both Republican and Democratic tickets, Zelov won unopposed. Commissioner Zelov will continue to work with other members of the Lower Merion Board of Commissioners to set the township budget for each ward, including Ward 4, which contains The Haverford School.

The Haverford School may be seen as one contiguous plot of land in Lower Merion Township, Montgomery County, but there is more to it than that. The school is physically bounded by four roads owned by two townships, in two counties, and it faces a state road at the main entrance. The interplay of state, county, and township laws on the administration of the school is complex.

Land use and zoning laws govern, restrict, and ultimately permit the height, scale, and footprint of the various buildings on campus.

On the corner campus facing Lancaster Avenue and Buck Lane, there is a green street sign with gold painted letters, signifying Lower Merion Township territory. All roads owned by Lower Merion Township have this iconic street sign design. Most of the school’s campus and all of its built structures lie in Lower Merion Township. Land use and zoning laws govern, restrict, and ultimately permit the height, scale, and footprint of the various buildings on campus. For example, the recent construction of the middle school building required close work with Lower Merion Township. School administrators had to comply with Lower Merion’s vari-

ous zoning and safety standards. Public tax records reveal that the portion of the school’s land in Lower Merion Township totals 19.2 acres. Montgomery County assesses a value on the land and buildings in the Lower Merion portion of campus at $10 million for the land and $34 million for the buildings.

This $44 million total assessed value has no meaning to the school administration and finance office, as Haverford does not pay property taxes. The school is a non-profit organization, which declares them exempt from property taxes.

The campus is seen as one contiguous plot of land in Lower Merion Township, but it gets intricate for some aspects. For example, the school administration must get approval from both townships for impervious surface coverage.

At the intersection of Buck Lane and Panmure Road, there is a bright green street sign written with white capital letters. This is the design of street signs in Haverford Township, Delaware County. Eagle Field, the tennis courts, and Class of ’75 Field all lie in Haverford Township. The paved path from Palmer House to the lower school parking lot is the border between the two townships and counties. In a video filmed on campus from 1997, the paved path presently walked by students was County Line Road. At one point, the road was de-mapped and turned into part of Haverford’s campus. This incorporated part of the campus into Haverford Township. Although the Class of ’75 Field is in Haverford Township, it required approval from Lower Merion. The campus is seen as one contiguous plot of land in Lower Merion Township, but it gets intricate for some

Street sign at the intersection of Buck Lane and Panmure Road aspects. For example, the school administration must get approval from both townships for impervious surface coverage. An impervious surface does not allow stormwater to freely seep into the ground. There must be adequate absorbent surfaces to avoid flash floods, similar to the one that happened in September of this year.

The State of Pennsylvania has an impact on the school, too. Wilson Hall faces Lan-

CONNOR PINSK ‘23

caster Avenue, also known as US Route 30.

Route 30 extends from Atlantic City, N.J. to Astoria, Oregon. When the highway goes through Pennsylvania, it is operated by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation or PennDOT. Road work done on Lancaster Avenue is commissioned by the state, and the street signs are designed by them. Separately, the Pennsylvania Department of Education is reviewing the school’s accreditation as an educational institution. The process allows Haverford to be a legal school. This review and renewal occur every ten years.

As we approach the holiday break, Scott Zelov and his fellow township commissioners will vote on and likely approve the 2022 annual budget for Lower Merion Township. This budget funds the various departments within the township that interact with The Haverford School and impact the quality of life along the historic Main Line.

In future years, the school administration will likely work with both townships for the next great capital project on campus.

“We find ourselves routinely working with the localities in various respects, and we try our best to be good neighbors,” HEAD OF SCHOOL MR. TYLER CASERTANO

Lower Merion Township street sign at the intersection of Lancaster Avenue and Buck Lane

CONNOR PINSK ‘23

“We find ourselves routinely working with the localities in various respects, and we try our best to be good neighbors,” Head of School Mr. Casertano said.

the index · campus opinions

Page 16

December 2021

campus opinions Administration should reimplement 9:30 a.m. Wednesday start Arsh Aggarwal ’24

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ast year, there was always something to look forward to in the week: Wednesday. That day where I may be able to get seven hours of sleep instead of six. The day where things could just slow down to let me prepare for the rest of the week. A day to get home earlier and relax a little.

I think it’s fair to say that as students attending this school, a lot is expected of us.

Not only do classes and homework take a considerable amount of time, but many of us do sports, extracurricular activities, theater productions, and standardized test prep.

Stress is added through the quarter system, where material that we would typically get half a year to learn is now crammed into eight short weeks.

The late start at least gae me a chance to take a quick breat and slow everything down.

With all of this work, weeks are bound to feel long, and that’s why the Wednesday late start was so effective.

“A very positive thing about last year’s schedule was that there was something to

look forward to in the middle of the week,” Sixth former Ethan Saddler said. “As it stands now, the only thing to be gained from the current Wednesday schedule is a 30-minute later start, a time which is pretty negligible in the grand scheme of things.”

However, there was some logic behind the decision to remove the 9:30 a.m. start.

With the new four-period quarters, classes had to be shortened, and it wasn’t feasible from a time perspective to have one day each week where classes were 15-20 minutes shorter. The amount of content covered would be lessened too much.

Still, the problem arises in the distribution of that extra content gained by the lack of a significantly later Wednesday start. Even though more content is being covered, I feel like retention of that content goes down if it is received without ample time given to process it. As I mentioned earlier, the late start at least gave me a chance to take a quick breath and slow everything down. Without this time to refocus, I feel like my retention of information I learn later in the week is not as optimized as it could be.

I don’t know much about running, but I do know that a short-distance runner hits faster speeds than a marathon runner. The point is, two short sprints in the week would be more efficient than a marathon towards Friday.

Follow @haverford_index on Instagram for the latest articles right in your feed!

Robert Cerniglia ’24 getting work done in the library

PIERCE LAVERAN ‘24

Page 17

the index · off-campus opinions

December 2021

off-campus opinions Kyle Rittenhouse verdict: a tragic outcome of vigilantism Justin Fan ’24

T

he recent Kyle Rittenhouse court case has stirred controversy. Many feel that the line separating selfdefense and murder is blurred. Kyle Rittenhouse, a seventeen-year-old from Antioch, Illinois, was in Kenosha, Wisconsin, during a local BLM demonstration. Although not the first case of self-defense turned fatal in America, it has touched nearly every single hot button issue in American politics: Black Lives Matter, Blue Lives Matter, gun control, white privilege, and the double standards in the U.S. legal system.

In the U.S., racial diversity is one of our most espoused values.

In the U.S., racial diversity is one of our most espoused values. However, many of the current social issues resulted in rising racial tension and discrimination. The BLM movement erupted like a volcano: years of untold police discrimination and social injustice came to light following George Floyd’s murder. Despite noble goals and good intentions, BLM was plagued by opportunistic people that tarnished its reputation. Social media and subsequent violence led many local community members to seek vigilante justice for protection. Vigilantism is the actions of a self-appointed group of people to undertake law enforcement without legal authority. I must note that generally, a vigilante is neither inherently bad nor good. Unfortunately, this vigilantism took a dark turn after the deaths of two men and a fatally wounded third resulting in the court case we saw recently. The shooting was not because Rittenhouse became trigger happy; it was because of self-defense where he fired after being confronted by three men in separate interactions. This case raises many questions that fall into a gray spot in the law. The law neither defends nor directly punishes vigilantism, leaving the verdict to evidence and a jury. Vigilantes must rely on the moral justification and circumstances of their crimes. In this case, Kyle intended to protect local businesses and their property.

Historically, this event nearly mirrors the ideas that birthed America’s gun tradition:

LIGHTBURST VIA WIKIMEDIA KENNEDY’S FREEDOM FROM FEAR, A SURVEY OF THE GREAT DEPRESSION

A man holds a “Free Kyle” sign near Bradford High School during President Donald Trump’s visit on September 1, 2020 the right to protect property, a distinctly American phenomenon. Yet in the past, it was muskets and flintlocks, now, an assault rifle. The fact that a seventeen-year-old teenager, not even an adult, was able to get his

The idea that a person can bring a gun to an event of civil discourse threatens the foundation of our democracy: the freedom of speech.

hands onto a firearm, highlights the growing proliferation of guns on America’s streets. An armed seventeen-year-old adolescent boy in that high-stress situation was a disaster waiting to happen.

This case also sends a multitude of different messages. I’m worried that the acquittal conveys that Rittenhouse did nothing wrong. Governor Gavin Newsom of California said the verdict served as a message to “armed vigilantes” that “you can break the law, carry around weapons built for a military, shoot and kill people, and get away with it.” The idea that a person can bring a gun to an event of civil discourse threatens the foundation of our democracy: the freedom of speech. A gun is a tool to both defend and

fight, but as demonstrated by the assault on the capital, it is also a tool to silence and intimidate. While the right to bear arms is as American as apple pie, so is the freedom of speech and the ability to speak out without fear.

The future is something we can never predict but it is guaranteed that the issues of race and social discontent will remain. There will be many tense public events in the years ahead. The presence of guns is something that we should fear.

No one brings a firearm to a protest to further civil discourse.

As the Kyle Rittenhouse case shows, it is all too easy for the presence of guns to encourage chaos and violence.

the index · arts

Page 18

December 2021

arts

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Virgil Abloh at Columbia GSAPP

Virgil Abloh’s Legacy Ethan Chan ’23

V

irgil Abloh was a conspicuous symbol in a dated and orthodox industry, changing the perception of fashion and art as a whole. His stimulating yet controversial designs drew comparisons with the likes of Andy Warhol and other creative minds. Despite his death at 41 from cardiac angiosarcoma, he leaves behind a legacy that stretches beyond the fabrics of the fashion industry.

Abloh’s journey began when he met Kanye West.

“I think Kanye has a huge role in putting Virgil in the spotlight and in his overall rise to fame. I think that the two of them built off each other and helped make each other better,” Sixth Former Brendan Sullivan said.

Abloh joined West’s creative team back in 2009 and was shortly appointed creative director at Donda, West’s creative space.

During that time, both of them interned at Fendi, which introduced Abloh to the inner workings of an upper echelon fashion house.

This served as the foundational experience for Pyrex Vision, an initiative that gave a unique iteration to popular pieces of clothing. These concepts later developed into the catalyst for Abloh’s meteoric rise to fame: Off White.

Synonymous with Off White’s success, Abloh’s iconic quotations adorned virtually every Off White product and garnered the

attention of many. The quotations serve as a means of ironic detachment, bringing into question the purpose and meaning of the product or word. Abloh had the creative freedom to be figurative and concise at the same time.

“I see the quotation marks as a simplification for the object they are on.”

BRENDAN SULLIVAN ’22 “I see the quotation marks as a simplification for the object they are on. They often stated the object as it was; for example, a pair of boots that says ‘for walking,’” Sullivan said.

This, coupled with the aesthetic appeal to the younger generation, catapulted Off White to the top as the leading streetwear brand.

Between 2016 and 2018, Off White was ranked by Lyst Index as the hottest brand until Q3 of 2018. Time Magazine named Abloh one their 100 most influential people list. No other streetwear or fashion company had reached the level Abloh had reached and many credit his collaboration

with other brands.

The Nike “10” shoe collection released in 2017 instantly sold out within minutes, and the collection continues to remain highly sought after. Even with working with brands like Nike, where he was presented a classic silhouette, Abloh continued to break boundaries and duality of meaning for each shoe.

“One shoe he worked on was the Nike Air Force 1 mid. He took a deep dive into the history of the Air Force 1 mid and looked into what it was first made for. He found out it was intended to be a lightweight hiking boot,” Fifth Former Josh Hans said.

“His most recent collaboration, which has yet to be released, was to make [the Nike Air Forces] a lightweight hiking boot. The coolest thing he did was to bring back the original meaning of things, showing what it was intended to look like.”

Following Off White’s major success, LVMH appointed him as the Artistic Director of their menswear line. Abloh was a visionary and helped push the creative bounds of LVMH. Still, his impact on the world was bigger than fashion.

“I feel like his impact came from his background mostly. The larger brands in the fashion world are dominated by white people, and he worked very hard to open the door for people of color to get a seat in that world,” Sullivan said.

Abloh’s position as an executive among LVMH was the highest position by far that a Black person had reached in the fashion industry. His “Post Modern” Scholarship Fund, founded in 2020, raised $1 million dollars to provide opportunities for Black students in fashion.

Virgil Abloh believed it was important that his designs did more than impact the fashion industry but to make a difference in young people’s lives. Regardless of socioeconomic status, he made sure that his view on design could be shared with everyone. Abloh was at the forefront of the zeitgeist of the 2010s and challenged the limits of a fashion designer, what it meant being a minority in this industry, and more. Even after being diagnosed with cancer in 2019, he didn’t back away from his responsibilities with LVMH and continued to do the most he could with the last years of his life.

“Everything I do is for the 17-year-old version of myself,” his wife quoted him in an Instagram post stating his passing.

No one could imagine that a kid from Rockford, Illinois, would go on to accomplish what he has done. Abloh reached unfathomable heights and cemented his place as a legend in the fashion industry but his greatest design was the invisible fabric he created that weaved the entire community together.

Page 19

the index · arts

December 2021

Arcane: a trailblazer for video game adaptations Bowen Deng ’22

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hen Riot Games (working alongside Fortiche Productions, a French animation studio) announced Arcane, an animated series based on League of Legends, in October 2019, reactions took form in uneasy questions and uncertainty. Previous video game adaptations were notorious for their fair share of problems, ranging from underwhelming plots to inaccurate or dry characterization.

At the time of the announcement, I chose to remain optimistic. Though the show was delayed due to the pandemic, trailers and teasers kept me sated until the first three episodes finally premiered on November 6.

Sitting on my couch that Saturday night, I knew Riot had high expectations to meet. Arcane had the herculean task of developing and integrating multiple storylines,

exploring the tensions between the affluent city of Piltover and its oppressed undercity, Zaun.

The series also promised to expand upon the lore of playable League champions while introducing new, non-champion characters to supplement its novel plot. I worried that, in an attempt to cover everything, the series would leave me with nothing.

Yet, when all nine episodes had finally been released two weeks later, I was already eagerly awaiting a second season. The animation style is the best I have seen since Into the Spider-Verse; Fortiche and Riot blended 2D and 3D mediums to create a fresh, visually appealing style filled with many details I missed on my first watch. Whether it’s the initial descent into the undercity or an intense fight, each scene is fluid and satisfying.

No champion or character feels neglected; all are fleshed-out with their own backstories

and motivations and have their roles to play in the larger story. Silco’s characterization, in particular, creates one of the greatest antagonists in any series. The writers avoid overused tropes and generic, one-dimensional motivations to craft a villain that is unusually human; in part of Silco’s fatherly moments with Jinx and genuine character development and growth, I found myself rooting for him at times.

What I did not expect, however, was the show tackling a queer relationship. Vi and Caitlyn meet in the fourth episode, forming an unlikely bond, and throughout the remaining episodes their feelings for each other blossom. Too often, queer representation feels like an afterthought, but Caitlyn and Vi’s relationship is beautifully intertwined into the series—their connections deepen without taking over the main plot, and their moments of comfort after intense sequences

provide an amazing balance, creating a genuine, developed relationship.

The voice actors and actresses deliver incredible personalities to their roles; Ella Purnell’s performance embodies Jinx’s insan-

Too often, queer representation feels like an afterthought, but Caitlyn and Vi’s relationship is beautifully intertwined into the series ity, guilt, and trauma, while Hailee Steinfeld perfectly encapsulates Vi’s brash, reckless, yet tender and caring nature. The soundtrack is diverse—including violin solos by Ray Chen, the gritty punk rock of PVRIS, and the indie style of Imagine Dragons—and each song fits its scene beautifully.

Most importantly, the series requires no previous knowledge of League of Legends lore to understand or appreciate; the major plot points are clear. Whether it be Vi’s search for her sister, Viktor and Jayce’s Hextech endeavors, or Caitlyn’s exploration and slow understanding of the undercity, each story is well-developed, all woven together in a path that is easy to follow.

Put simply, Arcane is an animated masterpiece with the potential to reshape video game adaptations. Gut-wrenching and tragic, yet not lacking in the intimacy of heartfelt moments, anyone can appreciate its plot, characters, and underlying messages. With the ninth episode concluding on a cliffhanger and and a second season already in production, the future of Riot Games, League of Legends, and animation appear bright.

NETFLIX

Arcane promotional image

Avalon, a forgotten Thanksgiving classic Joey Kauffman ’23

A

s soon we enter the holiday season, a strange phenomenon occurs: people abandon their normal watching habits in search of the everelusive “holiday movie,” a genre so enticing that countless websites and magazines have made lists cataloging the best movies for each holiday. There are hundreds of Halloween movies, both horror and comedy, and even more Christmas movies, many of which are beloved classics.

And then there’s Thanksgiving, the middle child of the holiday movie world.

Halloween is scary, Christmas cozy, while Thanksgiving is, well, boring. It’s the oatmeal of holiday movies: sitting in the pantry, a perfectly fine choice—but who wants to cook a soggy bowl of oatmeal when you can eat Captain Crunch and watch Home Alone on Disney Plus?

Yet, there is one Thanksgiving movie that could stand up against any Christmas classic.

Yet, there is one Thanksgiving movie that could stand up against any Christmas classic. This movie is Avalon, written and directed by Barry Levinson, released in 1990, and starring a young Elijah Wood. The movie is about the Kirchinskys, a Polish-Jewish family in Baltimore during the late 1940s and early 1950s, and it captures the familial love surrounding Thanksgiving with a rare sincerity.

Despite being led by immigrants who

don’t quite understand the holiday, the Kirchinskys embrace Thanksgiving. Matriarch Eva Kirchinsky explains during the first ten minutes of the movie why she doesn’t understand the holiday. “Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving, we’re giving thanks to whom?” she asks. “You’re giving thanks for what you have,” her son Jules calmly replies, his effortless American accent a reminder of the certain brand of comfort his mother will never attain in America.

Yet Eva, and the rest of the Kirchinskys, remain devoted to this confusing country, continuing to celebrate Thanksgiving as the years pass. The Thanksgiving tradition becomes a window into the changing lives of the Kirchinskys. The meal’s ability to strip away the posturing of public life through the comfort of family and food exposes the family’s myriad truths. The holiday reveals their dedication to America but also their effort to retain the memory of their immigrant past through stories. Avalon is a truly American movie, encapsulating the spirit of what America represented to immigrants during the mid-twentieth century.

Critics and blog writers of the holidaymovie-list-making-type seem to have forgotten about Avalon. I fear this is because the holiday portrayed in Avalon doesn’t meld with the commercial idea of Thanksgiving.

In Avalon, the best Thanksgivings are a room stuffed to the brim with tables and chairs, heavily accented English flying through the air, all the while men and women stuff their faces with turkey. In other words, it’s the reality of Thanksgiving for most Americans.

Let’s accept the reality of Thanksgiving, and let’s see Avalon for what it is: a Thanksgiving classic.

FIRST LAST ’2#

Avalon

TRISTAR PICTURES

the index · sports

Page 20

December 2021

sports Coach Lindberg and Sixth formers aim to revitalize hockey program Ryan Rodack ’22

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fter the 2020-21 hockey season was canceled due to COVID-19, Fords skaters are looking to revitalize the program under new coaching and senior leadership.

With alumnus Mr. Thomas Lindberg ’07 now at the helm, the hockey program is ready to take the necessary steps to become a powerhouse.

“Before taking this position, I coached for four years at Wissahickon Skating Club in Chestnut Hill for the Peewee AA team,” Mr. Lindberg said. “Because there was no season last year, a lot of parents reached out to me, because I am an alum, to see if I knew what was going on with the program because they were worried about it getting flat out canceled.”

After the former program head stepped down following the conclusion of the 202021 school year, Lindberg heard rumors that the Fords may cut their ice hockey program.

Not wanting to see a sport and program vanish that gave him so much growing up, Lindberg knew he at least had to inquire about the opportunity.

“It would have been a shame to see something washed away that frankly brought my brother and I to Haverford,” Lindberg said. “I heard about the changes they wanted to make, I interviewed and pitched my vision for the program, and Murph gave me the ‘OK.’” After extensive meetings and conversations between Lindberg and Athletic Director Mr. Michael Murphy, they ultimately agreed on a vision for the program.

“I told Murph, ‘if you give me the nod [as head coach], we are going all in. We’re going to put all the chips in the middle and we’re going to build a top-tier program in the region. I don’t want to do this to stay where we’re at. I want to do this to be playing with the best teams in the region,’” Lindberg said.

“I want to build the program long-term to be competing with and beating LaSalle, Malvern Prep, St. Joe’s, Holy Ghost, you name it.”

Although Lindberg knows it will take time before the program becomes top tier,

COURTESY OF COMMUNICATIONS COMMUNICATIONS

Ned Cutler ’22 passes the puck in a game

he is committed to starting to build a new, winning culture this season.

“In the short term, the goal is to lay the foundations and principles of the program we want to instill. So that’s playing responsible hockey, respecting your teammates and coaches, and work ethic. If we get those three established this year, we can succeed.”

The success that Lindberg yearns for starts with his four Sixth Form leaders.

“I told the seniors, ‘where this program is after you guys are gone is going to be light years from where it is now. But you four seniors determine how quickly we get there, and you do that by instilling the core principles within your teammates and ourselves…

That’s carrying yourself, practicing like and acting like a top-tier program,’” Lindberg said. “We need to do a complete 180 on what this was program wise into what it is, and that starts and ends with our senior lead-

ership, and they’ve done a great job so far.”

Only a few games into the season, the Sixth Formers have noticed a change in culture compared to previous years.

“Coach Lindberg is really serious about the program, and he’s really into it. He’s trying to make us really committed and we’re doing a lot more work this year,” Sixth Former Ned Cutler said. “[The seniors and Coach Lindberg] had meetings before the season. Coach told us that he needs us to be good leaders and set an example for how the program is going to be in the years to come.

It all starts this year.”

Sixth Former Will Morris said, “Coach Lindberg is a lot more involved and invested in finding plays and strategizing how we go about things.”

One of the major points of emphasis this season is skating and playing without the puck.

“The best players in the world play with the puck on their stick 7% of the time that they are on the ice, so the other 93% of the time they play the game without the puck,” Lindberg said. “So that is a core principle we are building our program around. We need to excel while playing without the puck, and that has to do with work ethic, defensive responsibility, playing selfless hockey, and doing all of the little things really well.”

After a tough loss in their first game of the season, the Fords noticed major improvements in their second and third games.

“In our first game, we were a lot less organized and focused than in our second game. Now, everything’s a lot cleaner and more organized, which is why we had a much better second game,” Morris said. “I feel like the change in our play from the first to second game was pretty big, so I think we will improve even more with more practice.”

Basketball looking forward to another strong season

C

Bowen Deng ’22

COMMUNICATIONS

Isaiah Boyd ’22 in a game against Malvern

oming off a strong (albeit abbreviated) 2020-2021 winter season, the Fords basketball team is looking to hit the ground running. Last year, the team played only Inter-Ac teams, finishing with an 8-2 record. Had there been an Inter-Ac Championship, the team would have won it. This year, Assistant Coach Mr. Jeremy Hart knows the team has the work ethic, grit, and passion to be at the top.

“I have been really proud to watch our guys go out and compete so far this season despite not being the tallest or biggest team,” Coach Hart said. “Playing hard has become a skill in high school sports and we’ve got some great grinders out there.”

With a mix of old blood and new talent, the team fields a deep roster. Sixth Former David Kearney was crucial to the team’s win in their first game, beginning the season with an immense 20 points, 16 rebounds, 3 blocks, three steals, and two assists against Friends Central. His twin brother, Sixth Former Matthew Kearney, wins games and

makes plays through his defense and rebounding. Meanwhile, others are beginning to get varsity minutes for the first time; Fifth Former Carson Mastin is poised for a breakout season. The team is clearly talented and filled with potential playmakers, but how they all come together will determine the team’s success.

“Without a doubt, for us to be successful, everybody will have to play within themselves and own their roles,” Coach Hart said.

“We absolutely have the talent to compete at a high level, but need to value every possession in a game.”

“I think we have good chemistry. The more you play, the more trust you have in your teammates. ” RYAN ROGERS ’22

“I think we have good chemistry,” Sixth Former Ryan Rogers said. “The more you play, the more trust you have in your teammates. You know their strengths, and with that, try to put them in the best possible position to thrive on the court.”

This year, the Inter-Ac incorporated a shot clock, providing the team with novel strategies. The team will continue Coach Roger’s philosophy of playing fast on offense, sharing the ball, and getting teammates open shots. On defense, the shot clock will act as a sixth defender for the Fords, and by pressing in certain situations, the Fords will cut down the other team’s time to operate.

Throughout December, the team will face a challenging out-of-conference schedule in preparation for Inter-Ac season in January. Among the teams they will face include Roman Catholic, Cardinal O’Hara, Monsignor Bonner, and an assortment of boarding schools.

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the index · sports the season.

“Well obviously the Inter-Ac is the first thing we want to win. We definitely have a stronger team than EA, so it’s looking pretty good,” Herbert said. “In terms of Nationals, we want to sneak into that championship match. Standing in our way is Brunswick, who is also in that two-three range.”

“We are deep in the ladder, especially towards the end. This will definitely help us against tougher opponents.”

GRADY HERBERT ’22

PRESTON WU ‘24

The squash team huddles before a match against Brunswick on December 11, 2021

After defeating Brunswick, squash team is stoked for season Jake LaRocca ’22

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fter an abbreviated 2020-21 season, Fords Squash is back.

The team has their eyes on a number of big goals this season. Currently, the team ranks third, but after a big win

on December 11th against Brunswick, previously the second-ranked team in the country, the Fords will take their spot. Sixth Form Captain Grady Herbert reflected on the goals the team set aside prior to starting

Herbert identifies depth as one of the team’s main strengths coming into the season.

“We’re looking really strong this year.

We’re really deep in the ladder, especially toward the end. This will definitely help us against tougher opponents,” Herbert said.

The team, however, does not have the same look as most high school varsity athletic teams. Younger players account for many spots in the lineup.

“Mitav [Nayak ‘22] and I are the only seniors on the varsity ladder. We’re mainly dominated by sophomores and juniors,” Herbert said. “Both classes are very strong.”

Another strength of the Haverford School Squash Team is their work ethic. The team is practically always on campus, doing everything possible to win big matches.

Sixth Former John Zhang reflected on their work ethic and what separates them from previous teams.

“Everyday, I am in awe of how every player pushes and supports each other. Everyone is hungry, diligently working through adversity day in and day out,” Zhang said.

“I’d argue that no squash team in the country has such a tight-knit fabric as us. What

December 2021

makes us dominant is the ability to fight and rally behind each other.”

Since losing last year to the pandemic, Haverford Squash lost a season with a very talented group of players. That lack of opportunity is fueling them as they kick off their season. Sixth Form Captain Mitav Nayak reflected on what missing out on last year has done for the team. “[Last year], we only had a seven-week season and no nationals. Last year, we had a really good shot to win nationals. I think most of us are excited about playing in front of all of our friends this year,” Nayak said.

“In addition, Nationals are in Philly this year. It’s always been in Connecticut. We’ll have ‘home field advantage.’”

In preparation for the season, the squash team took a trip to New York City to play at one of the most prestigious squash clubs in the country. Nayak reflected on the impact of that trip.

“We set up a trip to the Racket and Tennis Club in New York City. We got to play with some really good adults which is good preparation for the rest of our matches,” Nayak said.

“That match was one of the best experiences I’ve had in my ten years of playing squash.”

MITAV NAYAK ’22 On Saturday, they upset Brunswick in a thrilling 4-3 match.

“That match was one of the best experiences I’ve had in my ten years of playing squash,” Nayak said. “The squash courts were absolutely packed with our friends who came to support us. Winning my match and clinching the win over Brunswick in front of all of them was truly special. It would not have been possible without everyone who came to watch.”

New staff revamps Winter Track Austin Zhuang ’22

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s the sun sets on Haverford, most students are at home or practicing indoors. The Winter Track and Field team has almost thirty minutes left of running, jumping, and throwing outside.

New Head Coach Mr. James Hawkins and Sixth Formers Colin Stewart and Ben Szathmary lead the team this year as they tough out the elements and prepare for indoor events and the spring. For the senior runners, expectations are high.

“I’m looking for the winter track season to go pretty well,” Stewart said. “We have a new coach in Coach Hawkins who has both on his track club, through his athletes there, through his sons, and through this team so far has proven he’s a good coach and can produce great talent.”

With his experience in the AAU, Coach Hawkins has revamped the program, changing the training regime. Instead of separating the practice of sprinters and long-distance runners, everyone is in the same group. And the intensity of each practice has increased.

Track workouts have overtaken practice runs, and ten-minute planks greet athletes at the end. Despite the grueling exercise, members have enjoyed their improvement.

“I’ve been enjoying [practice] only because it has allowed me to fully understand the difficulty of running at a higher level,” Fifth Former Jaiden Shuchman said. “Clearly we’re all getting better, all of our times are dropping, and we just got to work even

harder to get there.”

Coach Hawkins also changed the meet schedule. The team only plans on attending a few competitions at Lehigh University instead of going weekly. Events at Ocean Breeze Complex in Staten Island and Armory Track in New York City fill the gaps.

The reason for the modifications is simple.

“I changed up the meet schedule a little bit because I want them to experience running on a banked track where they will run if they make indoor states,” Coach Hawkins said. “The track at indoor states is a banked track; all the other track meets which are at Lehigh and Glen Mills, they are flat tracks, so it’s a totally different track that they’ll be running on.”

His goal of the state championships has influenced both the training and team culture.

“We are creating a system of recording our times that we do at practice so that we can monitor one another’s progress,” Coach Hawkins said. “So not just one athlete sees his progress but the whole team sees each other’s progress so they can pull each other up. Those that are doing really, really well, we continue to encourage them as a team, and those that need a little help, the team can see their actual struggle and also pull them up.”

Coach Hawkins has prioritized team camaraderie this season, and his system is working. Runners enjoy the solidarity at

COURTESY OF COMMUNICATIONS

Jaiden Shuchman ’23 competes in an indoor track relay race, Janurary 2019

each practice and the healthy competition.

“Everyone pushes each other to work harder, and by the end of practice we’re all lying on the ground crying,” Shuchman said. “And that’s only because we want to do better than the person next to us, and I feel like that’s the only way to get better at track.”

Fun also has its place in the new program. The novelty of everything, from the terminology to the training approach, along with the COVID-19 hiatus, has complicated the return to the track.

Coach Hawkins wants to keep it lighthearted to mitigate the shock of coming back.

Practices and improvement aside, the ultimate test of a successful season is competition results. And the team looks strong.

“My objective is to properly prepare them for what’s in front of them,” Coach Hawkins said. “I believe we’ll have a large number of our athletes making it to indoor states this year as long as we stay together as a team.”

These bonds between teammates, forged after school, will be tested at each and every competition, all season long. Szathmary looks forward to the challenge “The races are fast, the competition is good: the competition is fast.”

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December 2021

Dylan Alcott inspires sportsmanship VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Dylan Alcott at the Swiss Open Geneva Semifinal on July 12, 2014 Ian Rosenzweig ‘25

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egendary Paralympian and 23time Grand Slam tennis champion Dylan Alcott plans to retire from Wheelchair Tennis after playing the annual Australian Open in January 2022.

Alcott’s career has included a slew of memorable moments including his gold medal in Wheelchair Basketball in 2012 and three more in Wheelchair Tennis in 2016 and 2021 at the Paralympic Games. Even more impressive than these athletic accomplishments, however, is Alcott’s dedication to supporting young people with disabilities and inspiring thousands around the world.

Alcott was born with a tumor on his spine, and its removal left him paralyzed from the waist down with impaired upper body movement. Throughout his career, Alcott has been an advocate for children with disabilities, founding startup Get-Skilled Access, a group with a mission to “improve accessibility and inclusion for anyone and everyone.” He also runs his own foundation, the Dylan Alcott Foundation, which aims “to help enrich the lives of young people with disabilities by eliminating the barriers of entry to get involved in sport and study through mentoring, grants and scholarships.”

Alcott is also an author and media personality, roles in which he attempts to “normalize [and] … change the perceptions around disability.”

People with disabilities like Alcott account for almost 15% of the world’s population—about 780 million people. Although each person’s disability is different and allows for different lifestyles, one widely supported pathway for people with disabilities is in athletics. The 2021 Paralympic Games in Tokyo Japan hosted almost 4,500 athletes with disabilities competing in over 20 sports.

Three months after Alcott’s completion of the “Golden Slam” (winning the four major tennis tournaments and the (para)lympic gold medal) at the 2021 US Open, people around the world observed International Day of Persons with Disabilities. Occurring annually on December 3, the day reinforces the UN’s “commitment to realizing the rights of persons with disabilities is not only

a matter of justice; it is an investment in a common future,” and highlights an aspect of one of the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: to leave no one behind.

Although Alcott can, of course, relate to the struggles of children with disabilities much more successfully than most people, his work sets an example for the world about the importance of support for all those with disabilities.

Support is extremely broad, yet quite simple. It can range from spontaneous assistance, like helping an elderly person carry groceries, to the broad work that non-profit organizations and service leagues do to help struggling individuals every day. But support can simply be the act of giving assistance.

Although not everyone can posses Alcott’s athletic skill, anyone can benefit from the example he sets and be inspired by his journey and his efforts to give back and support his community.

Dylan Alcott is not just a talented, successful dual-sport athlete. He is also a strongwilled individual. He has used his struggle and experiences to improve the lives of others and assist the world. He has said that he “love[s] the ability to help people” and that he would “be wasting [his] life if [he] won 20 grand slams and that’s all [he] did.” His attitude and mindset are traits not only to be admired, but for all people to aspire to.

Although not everyone can possess Alcott’s athletic skill, anyone can benefit from the example he sets and be inspired by his journey and his efforts to give back and support his community.

Dylan Alcott at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

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December 2021

Wrestling team embodies community Connor Pinsk ’23

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s winter break rapidly approaches and winter sports hit the ground running, wrestling is pushed into the spotlight with the promise of an intense season. After a limited 2020 season, the team is stronger than ever and excited to get back out onto the mats.

“Our roster this year is the best that it’s ever been so far, we have good lower weights all the way to good uperweights,” Fifth Former Billy Brosko said. “We are looking good, we have a tough squad, and I think we will be able to compete at a high level in the Inter-Ac this year.”

With the 2021 season has come an influx in wrestlers from the underclassmen.

Wrestlers such as Sixth Former Max Rosenberger are happy to see this spike in popularity.

“We are a lot bigger this year, we have a lot of freshmen,” Rosenberger said. “As we bring those guys along we are starting to look better and better.”

With a larger group comes the necessity for leaders to step up and guide the team in the right direction.

“The upperclassmen are leading the underclassmen, everyone kinda knows each other and we are all scrapping together. It’s pretty good,” Rosenberger said.

Head Coach Mr. Jesse Sataloff firmly believes in the importance of team leadership.

“It’s a grind and a challenge you can’t survive without being a family.”

MR. JESSE SATALOFF “Bill Brosko is one of our mentors to the young wrestlers,” Mr. Sataloff said. “He

“There are [Fifth Formers] like Jack Campbell and Jay McDonnell who lead by example,” Mr. Sataloff said. “They get out there and work their butts off every single day, and the young guys look up to them and say ‘that’s someone I want to be like in terms of the work ethic in the room.’”

The wrestling team is pulling together as one ready to kick off their season. After an impressive showing on December 10th at Pottstown Invitational, the Fords now have marked their calendars for an upcoming meet against the church mice of EA. “Battling with EA will probably be the best match of the year, which will be on February 4th at 6 pm,” Mr. Sataloff said. “It will be on Senior night. If we can get as many guys out there as possible it will be an amazing atmosphere and a great time to see what our guys have accomplished through the season and built to.”

COURTESY OF COMMUNICATIONS

Billy Brosko ’23 puts Episcopal opponent in headlock, winter 2020 works with them, helps them out. He is a leader by taking guys under his wing and helping them learn about the sport, all while also welcoming them to the wrestling family.”

The bonds and relationships that are created through teamwork and strife are part of what make sports like wrestling so great.

“Wrestling is the toughest thing you can do at this school physically, mentally, and emotionally,” Mr. Sataloff said. “It’s a grind and a challenge and you can’t survive without being a family.”

Despite the gain of lowerclassmen, there are a very limited number of Sixth Formers on the squad.

“There are only about three of us seniors, so

it’s kinda tough,” Rosenberger said. “It’s really great that some of the juniors have stepped up and helped out.”

“They get out there and work their butts off every single day, and the young guys look up to them.”

MR. JESSE SATALOFF Certain Fifth Formers have some of the most experience on the team, so their contributions are vital.

The wrestling team is ready to win, surrounded by Fords, prepared to echo the importance of being a family as they crush the opposition.

MR. JESSE SATALOFF The wrestling team is ready to win, surrounded by Fords, prepared to echo the importance of being a family as they crush the opposition.

“What I tell [the wrestling team] all the time,” Mr. Sataloff said, “is that you walk out of this experience with people you know that you can be connected with for the rest of your life in a deeper way than brotherhood.”

Swimming & Diving perserveres through tough training

Fisher Bond ’22 dives in a meet against Episcopal Academy

COMMUNICATIONS

Joey Kauffman ’23

F

ords Squash defines itself through success. Arguably the most nationally recognized program Haverford had to offer in 2018-19, they surely could not improve. Until they did. A squash match consists of nine players facing opponents equal to them on their respective “ladder.”

Out of those nine starting players, only two graduated as seniors in 2019.

Members of the Swimming and Diving teams go through rigorous training, meeting on weekends or late after school to work out both in the water and on land, yet they are persevering through the struggle of their sports. Sixth Form Captain Bram Schork be-

lieves their ability to persevere through training stems from the energy of the team.

“A positive energy, very cliche, but that’s literally all you need because there’s no way to keep yourself motivated to swim six miles a day unless you all can cheer each other on,” Schork said.

Though the diving team is smaller, only six people, team morale is just as important.

The diving team has built a small community—a family, one team member called it.

“We definitely push each other to succeed and continue diving,” Fifth Former Jack Suter said. “It’s a good family of divers.”

While the swimming and diving teams

have historically been separate, practicing at different times, Sean Hansen, Head Swimming Coach and Director of Aquatics, has made an effort to integrate the teams more.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, they split the pool so the diving and swimming teams practice at the same time. On other days, the diving team uses the pool after the swimming team.

“It’s good to get them on the board, and we split the pool, just so there’s that team aspect of it and they’re not completely alienated and they just show up to meets and dive,” Mr. Hansen said.

For the swimming team, one challenge that the student leaders have faced is that most of the team are freshmans and sophomores. “[It’s] an incredibly young team. There are two seniors on the swim team. Three between the Swimming and Diving team,” Schork said. “So two seniors, a handful of juniors, maybe four or five, and then twenty-five guys spread out amongst the sophomores and freshman.”

Yet Schork and the rest of the upperclassmen on the team have made a distinct effort to create a team culture that could so easily be non-existent in a group where the younger members heavily outweigh the older members. They have been able to do this by calling on each member of the team to assume responsibility for the culture.

“You can have senior leaders, but with so many kids, you need everyone everywhere just to kind of step up,” Schork said.

Schork added that Coach Hansen

has fostered a lot of the team’s camaraderie through his no-nonsense mentality. He embraces hard work, believing that the athletes on his team should put 100% into their academics, sport, and extracurriculars. But he doesn’t micromanage his athletes.

“The guys that are here, that are in the pool, are the guys that I’m focused on.

If you’re not here because you have homework…because you’re going to a club team…If I’m worried about why you’re not here, I’m not focused on the kids that are in the pool,” Mr. Hansen said.

One of the ways that Mr. Hansen has been able to use his focus to help the athletes during practice is in the mental part of swimming. The key to easing the mental burden of training is to create workouts that accomplish the athletic goals while not seeming daunting to the swimmers.

“I’ve swum my entire life, and if I write a practice where I’m like ‘Nope. I wouldn’t want to do that,’ I kind of crumple it up and start over.”

This attention to the mental aspects of practice has certainly helped the swimmers improve, and as the swimmers look to the future—to dual meets as well as larger meets such as Easterns—they know that they will be prepared.

“I’d say that, as a team, we will be ready [for Easterns],” Fifth form swimmer Luka Sekulic said. “You know, sometimes it’s not even about the destination. It’s about the journey.”

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December 2021

the outdex

COURTESY OF SAM KOHL ‘22

Sam Kohl ‘22 and an unnamed asssoicate

Up your sweater game, Fords!

Sam Kohl ’22

I

n December, the days seem to get both shorter and longer—shorter because the sun sets earlier, but longer because the days become heavier, weighing us down with their ruthless persistence until the warm spring months come to rescue us. Hanukkah falls around this time of the year, but the holiday’s pageantries often find themselves usurped by the seasonal bump in schoolwork, its Baruch Atah Adonais sandwiched between arduous periods of homework and studying. Such was my delight, then, to be celebrating the first night of Hanukkah this year on a weekend (the first

night is always the most exciting night—at least in the Kohl household).

The best part of Hanukkah, at least to my secular, materialistic self, is the giftgiving. Well, maybe just the gift-receiving; there’s nothing quite like the infinite thrill of holding an unmarked box—inside it, a means to salvation or assurance of damnation.

This Sunday evening, I found myself somewhere in the middle: a present purgatory, of sorts—I received four sweaters, each one folded neatly atop the other. At their mere sight, I found myself frozen with in-

W. ROBERT SWARTZ VIA THE LOWER MERION HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Earliest known members, Haverford School class of 1902

difference, unable to show even a semblance of gratitude for the thoughtful gift. But then something happened. It started getting colder outside. My jacket and dress shirt were no longer cutting it, but I didn’t want to lug around a coat all day. Enter the sweater.

When I began wearing my sweaters to school, it started off pretty regularly, my slight increase in overall temperature and comfort benefitting both my mood and academic performance. But just as I started to get used to this new outfit accessory, strange things began happening to me. Teachers in sweaters would come up to me and ask for little favors. I was intrigued, but kept my mouth shut. That was until one day when Mr. madeyoulook asked me into his classroom. “Look,” he said. “As you know, Hello goodeditor will be going before the Honor Council next week. I need you to get him off, he’s one of us.”

There were many things wrong with his request. Besides being morally obtuse, it’s outside the influence of one Honor Council member to “get somebody off.” But what I was most concerned about was the phrase “one of us.” Who was this “us” he spoke of?

I pressed him on the issue, and he seemed hesitant to go into specifics. “We can’t talk here. Go to the archives at 7:30 on Wednesday morning for the answer to your question.” I was skeptical, but it was an offer I couldn’t refuse.

Tuesday was the longest day of my life. I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t eat. I spent the entire night staring up at the stars, contemplating life, death, free will, and sweaters. But

time—though slow in its march—is firm in its convictions, and Wednesday eventually came. At precisely 7:30 a.m., I walked down to the archives and knocked on the door. The door then opened, and before me, sweaterclad, sat the leaders of this mysterious group: Mr. _____, Ms. ______, and Dr. _______.

“Welcome, Sam,” they said. “Please sit down with us.” I sat.

“Sam, before we go any further, I need to know if you are with us or not with us.

Nobody in this room will think any less of you if you choose to walk away. But if you choose to stay, this family becomes your life.

If you’re at your dying mother’s bedside and this family calls you, you leave your mother because this family comes first. Do you understand?” Why not? I thought. I had nothing to lose. “I do,” I responded.

“Open your hands,” requested Dr. _______. He then took a needle and pricked my finger, causing a small amount of blood to begin pooling on my palms. Ms. ______ then picked up a picture of a sweater and lit it with a match. “As this picture burns,” she remarked, darkly, “so may your soul in hell if you betray this family.” She then placed the picture in my hands and motioned for me to rub them together. Through sheer force of friction and suffocation, I quickly extinguished the flame, which immediately prompted clapping by all the members seated around me.

Now, I can’t tell you much about what happened next. And you better not ask, because… well, let’s just say bad things happen to people who don’t wear sweaters.