The Index Eutαxia Swzein Dokei
December 2016
Volume LXXVIII, No. 4
Haverford, Pennsylvania - haverfordindex.com
Dr. Nagl Outlines Plans for New Tennis & Squash Courts Aditya Sardesai ‘20 Dr. John Nagl described Haverford’s tennis and squash programs as some of the most successful athletic programs at the school. The tennis team has won an impressive seven consecutive Inter-Ac titles, and Varsity Squash was second in the nation last year by a mere one game. To add on to the success at the upper school, the Middle School Squash team was the most successful squash program in the country, last year winning nationals. Through all of these accomplishments, there remains one complaint: the small number of courts. It seems as though the four tennis and four squash courts are not enough to contain the talent possessed by the athletes. Both tennis coach Mr. Antonio Fink and previous squash coach Mr. Andrew Poolman have heard murmurs about these renovations but are unable to confirm anything. Mr. Fink said that Haverford needs more courts desperately. Every Inter-Ac school has at least seven courts. Tennis matches are currently played at Baldwin. Mr. Fink described it as a “pretty sad situation.” For a school with a superior program, it is hard to believe that our tennis and squash courts are not at the same level. According to Mr. Fink, we have room for more courts. It is hard to fit thirty-two players on four squash courts. The school could help students come out and watch what Dr. Nagl calls “the best tennis program in the United States that is not in
Florida or California.” Haverford has looked at a number of solutions. The biggest community relations problem the Haverford school has is parking. Dr. Nagl says that the Haverford School has “examined the prospect of building a parking garage and putting tennis courts on top of it.” This would be a huge improvement for
Current plans for new tennis courts.
A. Sardesai
the tennis team because it means more courts and the ability to play home match on campus. According to a blueprint Dr. Nagl showed me, the plan looks to involve six tennis courts on top of a two-story parking garage. The only issue is funding, but the project is certainly on the longterm wish list.
In terms of squash, there is a strong enough squash program that Dr. Nagl would love to have more courts. Dr. Nagl has explored “the possibility of a public private partnership or setting up the Haverford Squash Club.” A
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Haverford’s Co-ed Class
‘Do it for the Common-App’
Human Relationships opened up to Fifth and Sixth Formers this semester as an extracurricular class held in cooperation with Agnes Irwin and Baldwin. The course’s primary objective is to encourage discourse about social psychology topics that are often glossed over in the traditional school curriculum, such as gender roles, romantic relationships, sexual violence, interpersonal conflicts, and more. Each class, held at AIS on Monday nights for an hour and a half, is structured as a reading or video followed by open sharing and discussion. Often this would develop into a quasi-debate, with a focus on sharing experiences and broadening each other’s worldview. Over the course of the semester, the students of Human Relationships underwent a healthy intellectual exchange of ideas and critical thought. The female members of the class enrich the experience with their perspective. For gender-specific topics, boys and girls would
College admissions grow more selective each year. Our admissions officers are forced to look beyond test scores and grade-point averages to differentiate applicants. While a transcript and standardized test scores can attest to your intelligence and knowledge, the extracurricular activities a student engages in reveal character, personality, and most importantly, what kind of student he might be in college. Beyond the classroom, Haverford provides students with a rich selection of extracurricular clubs and activities to encourage students to take ownership of their community. Admissions officers review and make decisions on thousands of applications each year in a short period of time. “At some point, colleges need to decide if they are going to be admitting students who are going to contribute to their collegiate community,” said Assistant Director of College Counseling Ms. Heather Stinson. Admissions officers are under enormous pressure to evaluate the applicant pool in order to produce the best class and campus community possible. Admissions officers want to know what high school students are doing outside of school in their free time. Colleges are not particularly picky about how a student spends their free time, as long as they are doing something meaningful and productive. Admissions officers will not know if you spend your free hours playing Xbox, but they will certainly notice a lack of noteworthy activities on your college application. Getting involved in extracurriculars in and out of school is a great way to become active in the community. Although, with the vast amount of extracurriculars offered at Haverford, one does not necessarily have to have a long list of stellar activities in order to earn college acceptance.
John Comai ‘18
be split into two groups, then brought together to share thoughts together for the final thirty minutes. This allowed both groups to express ideas that would potentially be uncomfortable and to refine such ideas for the final segment. The atmosphere at Human Relationships is unique. At times it felt like a dinner-table discussion, and at other times it felt more like a conventional classroom. Indeed, many times it serves as a dinner table of sorts; pizza is provided every class, and students casually mingle and chat while they eat before class. The teachers, who act more as discussion leaders and moderators than lecturers, bring new material and ideas into every class that fostered ripe, productive discussions. This class brought up relevant and important discourse that is rare in the typical high school classroom. It is an opportunity for Form V and Form VI students to have fun and challenge themselves intellectually outside of the school.
Agnis Irwin girls engage in casual conversation before class
Ms. Carmen Epstein
P.J. Rodden ‘18
Also inside this Issue... English teacher and track coach Luqman Kolade
Index Staff
Fifth Former Will Henderson
Common app activity sheet
Index Staff
“Do something meaningful,” said Associate Directors of College Counseling Mrs. Karen Ley. “An applicant who has dedicated years to a few extracurriculars with true enthusiasm and motivation will catch the eye of admissions committees, much more so than an applicant who has only tried to follow a formula by becoming marginally involved in multiple extracurriculars.” Ms. Stinson noted that “being passionate about a few extracurricular activities demonstrates commitment and responsibility.” In addition, Ms. Stinson commented, “Do it for yourself because that is what is going to pop off the page. That passion that you possess and express is how you will stand out on your application. If you can demonstrate to the admission committee some level of
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The Haverford community reacts to Donald Trump Presidency