The Index Eutxia Swzein Dokei
Volume LXXII, No. 3
January 2011
Haverford, Pennsylvania
Why the SAT is Flawed tadas antanavicius ‘12 As Fifth Formers begin to chip away at the standardized testing requirements of colleges, namely the SAT I, SAT Subject Tests, and ACT, Sixth Formers relish their completion, and Fourth Formers start to look ahead to what will undoubtedly be a grueling Fifth Form year. However, some may stop and think: “What do these tests really tell me?” Is it your level of intelligence, as the general public seems to believe? Is College Board, the company that administers the SAT, correct in calling it an indicator of success in college? Or is the test simply overvalued by society as a whole? The SAT I has been one of the most criticized tests of the past several years, although most others probably suffer similar shortcomings. One statistic to note is the direct correlation between family income and test scores; each section’s score, and thus overall score, increases at a near constant rate for every $20,000 range of income up to $200,000 (according to College Board). Of course, this could be interpreted several ways. Higher incomes could mean higher quality educations, greater amounts of test preparation with help from tutors, higher expectations, more pressure, and so on. Regardless of which explanation is correct, most point to one common theme and end result: a greater amount of time and effort put into preparing for the test.
If time and effort are some of the main keys to success on the SAT, how can it be called a standardized indicator of success for college, much less an indicator of intelligence? Within the test prep industry, one can find a wide range of promises and guarantees of score increases, sometimes hundreds of points, if you take their courses. Most often, the requirements for fulfilling the terms of the guarantees entail attending the sessions and doing the work. The companies must be confident in their ability to place such guarantees in their names, and they probably have the statistics to
back it up. But do these test prep courses or private tutoring sessions actually make you smarter? Of course not. A student who starts off at 2000 and is able to score 2200 after two months’ worth of tutoring sessions is likely not at all more intelligent or more capable of handling a college workload than he was two months before. He has simply grown familiar with the test after taking a dozen practice tests, he has systematically memorized a few hundred vocabulary words that he will forget in half a year’s time, and he has brushed up on some grammar and
math rules that he had learned before and forgotten, a process that will repeat itself once again. The simple fact that a score can be altered through learning certain techniques and becoming familiar with the test exposes its imperfection and gives reason to doubt its overall effectiveness. Ultimately, a student who does not have either the time, determination, or, to a lesser extent, money to prepare for the SAT is at a significant disadvantage to a student who takes several hours a week to study in the months leading up to the test. After all, the results are interpreted as measures of one’s academic ability, not amount of free time spent studying, effort put into that studying, or the number of test prep courses one has taken. In that case, why use it as a significant factor in college admissions? The answer to that is some type of standardization is needed. As unreliable as it is, it creates a relatively level field abilities to a certain extent - not just anybody can put in enough work to achieve a perfect 2400. A student near the bottom of a class academically is not going to be able to achieve a score equal to a student at the top, regardless of how much time and effort he puts into it. Even so, when the difference is not so clear, there is no way continued on page 3
Uniformity, Unfairness, or utopia? Josh Collins ‘13 92.6. A/A-. “Everyone did fine.” In depth breakdowns of grades. Curves, homework, differing material. Should it be more uniform? Teachers grade and teach in many different ways. Some meticulously count points, find averages, and scale on trends. Others grade more subjectively. All have differing partial credit policies. Grades for homework, even amounts of homework, fluctuate wildly from department to department, teacher to teacher. Within the same subjects, teachers cover different material, and tests fall on drastically different days. Should grading have a universal standard, would teachers of the same subjects cover the same material, have tests on the same days, and have a uniform homework policy? English teacher Ms. Rebecca Smedley has mixed feelings on the topic. “My short answer is yes, but I like the freedom of a private school, and the respect they have for me as an educated individual to teach more freely than in a rigid public school.” She further stated that she believes that within departments that the grading system should be very close, if not identical in a perfect world, but that it might be
hard to do given the personalities and teaching styles of the teachers. Echoing Ms. Smedley’s later statements, Fifth Formers Tadas Antanavicius and Jake Gaskill explained, “I think that it would be good [for teachers to grade the same way] in a perfect world, but its almost like asking for utopian fairness, and is not realistic.” While implying that they would like to see uniform grading at least within departments, Ms. Smedley, Antanavicius, and Gaskill all agree to some extent that it is not completely possible to accomplish completely uniform grading. In contrast to previous opinions, Third Former Ryan Hughes was a bit more adamant about the need for a universal system of grading. “I think teachers should grade the same, if only between Math teachers and English teachers. A B- in with one teacher can’t be an A with another.” Agreeing with Ryan in adual interview, Fourth Former Evan Kuritzkes vehemently stated “teachers have to grade the same. It’s really unfair otherwise, as some teachers are much harder graders than other currently, and this can affect your performance in classes.” The two underclassmen interviewed were more
skewed towards uniform grading than the teachers and upperclassmen, a trend that might correlate with age and experience. Upperclassmen have more experience with how teachers grade, and their responses that it might not be possible show more in-depth knowledge than the underclassmen interviewed. The consensus seems to be that uniform grading would be an exceptional system. Differing views exist on its viability as a workable system, but there were no outwardly disapproving points of view. A uniform grading system has pros, such as having a general, widely known and universal standard that students know they must work up to, as well as providing a more level and fair playing field among students who have different “harder” or “easier” teachers. Despite these positives, the system has negatives as well; Ms. Smedley felt that having to teach the same way as other teachers might impair her ability to teach in her own unique way. Grading on a universal scale may too difficult to achieve in the real world. But we can always hope and improve.
Inside this issue... community service update, pg. 2 people to people trip, pg. 3 sexism at haverford, pg. 4 should midterms be before winter break?, pg. 5 sports, pgs. 6-8 abuse of free time in the library, pg. 9 Mr. Fox’s art, pg. 10 Review of Dr. Dre’s beats, pg. 10
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January 2011
News & Features A Letter from the Letter from the Editors-in-Chief President Dear Students,
Dear Readers,
As January marks a time of new beginnings, I want to wish everyone well in 2011. Hopefully part of your winter break was spent reflecting on 2010 and idealizing a fresh start. I spent a solid amount of time assessing my behavior in the past year and set goals for my final calendar year at Haverford. At the top of my list was how I can better serve you in the remaining weeks of January and into the second semester. My priority for the New Year is to solidify the idea of a Great Community. In conjunction with the pillars of our school (Honesty, Respect, and Courage), the Great Community combines the essential morals with more manageable ambitions. At the heart of this initiative are Competition, Camaraderie, and Care. This idea derives from what I have found are at the heart of not only this community but also of every boys’ prep school. Competition is what drives our school, our country, and our world. Without it, there would be less motivation to do well academically, athletically, and artistically. Competition is the incentive to progress. It brings out the best in everyone, whether in the classroom, the court, or the stage. If combined with Honesty, Respect, and Courage, there is no better method to success. Camaraderie is what makes our school so inclusive. Our brotherhood allows for us to have fun with each other while maintaining mutual respect. Laughing at ourselves and at each other is the best way to keep us sane and down to earth. Yes, sometimes we go too far and alienate a member of our community. I know I am certainly guilty of this. But when there is that mutual respect and love for one another that so often reveals itself, nothing can be more capturing and all-encompassing than Camaraderie. Finally, Care. This is at the heart of our school and is usually the root of most problems both here and in the world. We all need to care about one another. Care for your buddy’s feelings, care for his beliefs and religion, and care for his successes and failures. We have to respect each other’s interests and efforts, in every aspect of our school. I cannot make you do this, though. It is up to you to reflect on yourself and change your behavior if needed. The Great Community does in fact sound idealistic. You might think it is impossible or you might think it is right around the corner. Regardless, these ambitions will only reveal themselves if we stay true to our potential. And what better time to start than now? Good luck in 2011!
If you’re like us, you’re wondering how winter break went by so quickly. Now it’s buckle down time as we head into midterms (everyone’s favorite time of year). Don’t miss the article concerning the timing of midterm exams at Haverford (and will there be a change next year?) in this issue of The Index. Winter sports are in full gear, and you can also read about your favorite teams in this issue. You will also find several other interesting pieces, including an article addressing sexism in the school, a piece on the People to People trip, a commentary on SAT and ACT test prep, and a restaurant review on Maggiano’s in King of Prussia. If you find yourself bored one day at school, and you see The Index lying about somewhere, pick it up and read it. We promise you, it will alleviate your boredom. This is your school newspaper, so we want you to look forward to reading it.
Good luck on midterms everyone! Ryan Blake ‘11 & Changhee Han ‘11 Editors-In-Chief
Your President, Armen Melikian ‘11
community Service Update
b.g. lemmon ‘12 Hello from the Service Board! Thank you to all who participated in the EA/Haverford Can Drive this year. We raised over 13,000 cans and all cans have been donated to the Old Pine Church, St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, Life Centers of Delaware County, Project HOME, and the PALM (for seniors in Ardmore) organization. As part of our Martin Luther King Day of Service, we are having a Book Drive where the books will be donated to Washington Elementary School in Philadelphia, The WePAC Program for inter-city schools, and Reach Out and Read, a National Pediatric Literacy Program. The books are being collected in the Lower School lobby. All genres of books that are in good condition are acceptable. Also there will be a Clothes Drive for Martin Luther King Day and all clothing will be donated to the Life Centers of Delaware County. If you have any gently used and clean clothes, please bring them to the Lower School lobby collection site.
Our annual used Cell Phone Drive will soon be underway and runs through the end of February. This drive, which benefits HOPE PHONES in Africa, is being run by the Blynns so if you have any questions or donations, please look for Reid, Henry, or Peter Blynn. Drop off boxes are in Ms. Loos’s office. Please remember to bring chargers along with the cell phones. A new project that the Service Board is sponsoring is the Save a Pet. Charles Mueller is leading the Save a Pet project whose goal is to raise money and supplies for pets in foster care and animal shelters. Many of these pets have been abandoned or given up for adoption by owners who are no longer able to care for them. Lastly, the big project for Service Board the year is the Empty Bowls project. Empty Bowls is an event that Haverford does with AIS every other year. Empty Bowls will be held on Sunday, February 27 at Agnes Irwin.
If you have any questions or would like to help participate, please contact Ms. Loos at jloos@haverford.org or visit her office.
The Index
2010-2011 Staff
Submissions are welcomed at: hsindex@gmail.com
Ryan Blake, Editor-in-Chief
Changhee Han, Editor-in-Chief
The Index is a student-run publication of The Haverford School. All opinions and viewpoints expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of The Index or the school. We welcome all articles and editorials as well as unsolicited material.
Peter Thompson, News and Features Editor
The Index is designed and produced digitally. Photographs may be retouched.
Will Offit, Sports Editor
Hardware: Apple Macbook
Taylor Mansmann, Arts & Entertainment Editor
Software: Adobe InDesign C3
Connell Kling, Staff Photographer
Printing by School Publications Company. Neptune, N.J.
Mr. Thomas Stambaugh, Faculty Advisor
Copyright 2011.
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January 2011
News & Features
an impartial yet imperfect policy
continued from page 1 where one can portray his academic abilities to a certain extent - not just anybody can put in enough work to achieve a perfect 2400. A student near the bottom of a class academically is not going to be able to achieve a score equal to a student at the top, regardless of how much time and effort he puts into it. Even so, when the difference is not so clear, there is no way of having a single test divulge the disparity of true academic talent and achievement. Therefore, while SAT scores can be a useful tool for colleges in specific cases, their value in society and as measures of academic success should cease being exaggerated.
Restaurant review: Maggiano’s
John McMichael ‘13 Have you ever been up late one night studying for three or more tests you have the next day? It turns out that you should not be in this position. In fact, you even have the right to refuse to take more than two tests a day. This Haverford School policy, the “Two Test” Policy, is designed to protect students from an overload of tests all scheduled for the same day. “The policy requires the self advocacy of the students and the good will of the teachers,” stated Upper School Head Mr. Matthew Green. “Self advocacy of the students” meaning that the students are responsible for informing their teachers if they are scheduled more than two tests on a particular day. “The problem is,” Mr. Green later stated, “that teachers may not know what classes an individual student takes, therefore not knowing that they may have two other tests scheduled for that same day.” As Mr. Green rightly puts it, it is an “imperfect policy.” In order to organize tests and uphold the policy, teachers post their test and project due dates on an online test calendar. Math teacher Mr. Zach Murtha informed me, “You just sign up, put the teacher, name the form of the students taking the test, and you put what the test is.” However, the calendar is “on a first come, first serve basis,” he later said. This “first come first serve basis” may
be the very reason why some teachers refuse to move their test, often claiming that their test was on the calendar first. Some teachers could also be offended if asked to reschedule, seeing it as the student putting other classes ahead of their own. “I am pretty flexible about it,” said Mr. Murtha, “I will usually reschedule my tests regardless of when I signed up, especially if people ask me in advance,” however this may not be the case for all teachers. When asked why teachers may not uphold the policy, Fourth Former Billy Seltzer said, “On few occasions it does happen, but sometimes teachers aren’t really aware of the policy.” This may be true considering the fact that the policy is not set in stone. As of now, a written testing policy does not exist. It is not present in The Haverford School Handbook but, according to Mr. Murtha, “it is an agreed upon policy among the teachers.” So is the “Two Test” Policy as fair as it is made out to be? Or due to its imperfections, is it not as influential on teachers as students may want it to be? Either way, Mr. Green firmly stated, “No student should have more than two tests a day.”
ryan blake ‘11 While in the past, Maggiano’s has been consistently enjoyable, with good food and service, a recent visit was disappointing. Maybe the crowded restaurant was more than the staff was prepared for, but the overall experience did not live up to my past experiences there. My friends and I waited an unusually long time for our server to come and greet us, which was an indication of things to come. Our salads were delicious, with fresh greens, tomatoes, onions, parmesan, croutons, and a flavorful dressing. Unfortunately, it was all downhill from there. When we got our
entrees, our side dishes were missing, so we informed our server, and by the time we received them, we were almost done our meals. The potatoes were greasy and overcooked, kind of like day-old home fries. Our server was nearly impossible to find, so when we needed beverage refills, we were parched by the time we got them. My tilapia was fair, a little on the greasy side, but edible. My friend said his Chicken Francaise was good, but not great. The pasta side dish was overcooked and mushy. If you like your pasta al dente, this
would have disappointed. My other friend got the Chicken Parmesan, which was the winner of the evening. It was more in line with what we’d come to expect from Maggiano’s. We ordered desserts, and when they came out, we were missing one. After finally flagging down our server, he told us it would be right out. As we finished our desserts, my friend was still waiting for his. This was inexcusable, as the item wasn’t even taken off the check. So, the service was abysmal, the food was mediocre (other than the salads) and
the desserts, while decent, came out staggered. Given all these facts, I cannot, in good faith, recommend Maggiano’s to anyone. I may, however, give it one more try in the future, only because I had good experiences there in the past. If they redeem themselves, I’ll let you know.
People To People Trip Erich Prince ‘13 On the morning of November 4, the Haverford People to People Chapter traveled to Wilmington, Delaware’s Dupont Country Club. Generously funded by Dr. Meher Khan, the opportunity to meet Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States, Husain Haqqani, provided an international learning experience for the thirteen Haverford attendees. The Wilmington Rotary Club, who hosted the event, devoted the past year to support and cultural exchange with Lahore Pakistan’s partner Rotary Club. Concluding the year of study, Haqqani was invited to speak on Pakistani-American relations pertaining to a joint future for the two nations. In front of an assembly of nearly three hundred, the author and diplomat stressed that Pakistan and the United States must emerge from a historical relationship of necessity into a union of diverse people. Instead of maintaining alliances in order to combat terrorism or upholding a rusted anti-Soviet partnership, the people of the two nations need to learn to know each other. Received with laughs, Haqqani exclaimed, “Americans are impatient.” In the words of Fourth Form Student Ros McDermott, “Americans need to understand that fixing Pakistan’s problems will take time and patience, and Pakistan does want to build a strong friendship with America.” Next, discussing the recent calamitous flooding along the Indus River Basin, Haqqani expressed his appreciation for American aid. He left the attendees with conclud-
Upper School Students with Ambassador Husain Haqqani on November 4, 2010. ing remarks on the necessity for international understanding. Before leaving the podium, the ambassador avoided a posed question prodding into Indian-Pakistani dealings. He briefly lowered his head and spoke of his regret for the 2008 terrorists attacks on Mumbai along with pledging Pakistani support for the United States in a joint campaign against terrorism and a united future. The subsequent discussions in People to People
meetings and with Dr. Khan have resulted in a Haverford People to People partnership with a girl’s school in Islamabad. Orchestrated under the program, Girl’s Learn International (GLC), Haverford’s People to People Chapter was recently matched with the school for girls. In Haqqani’s and People to People International’s spirit of tolerance, correspondence with the students in Islamabad will begin in the spring.
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January 2011
News & Features reflections: a necessary evil? avery bass ‘13 At one of the many television screens posted throughout the Upper School, a small group of students stand idle, staring at the screen. After some time passes, the schedule appears and collective groans of “Not again” and “Why can’t we have advisory?” are heard as they walk away disappointed. While Reflections are sometimes considered to be “the most boring” of the community periods, students in the Upper School seem to grasp the importance of drawing from someone’s real experience to learn life lessons and to be drawn together as a community. To find out why Reflections are necessary, it is important to look at the origins of this now customary part of the Haverford School week. When asked why Reflections were created, Dean of Students Mr. Mark Fifer responded, “They were designed to allow students the oppurtunity to share their talents and perspectives to the school community. It eventually grew to outside speakers...that the administration thinks the community will benefit from.” Upper Schoool English teacher Mr. Thomas Stambaugh feels that Reflections assemblies “are a reminder that community members are all complex human beings, not simply nameless faces in the background of our lives.”
Armen Melikian, Sixth Form President of the student body and member of the Signet society, the comittee responsible for choosing what happens during Reflections, sees the assembly “as a way for the Community to come together as a group once a week and to just sort of experience someones raw experience whether as a student or from someone outside of school.” If a student wants to do a Reflections, what is the criteria? Melikian gives a surprizingly simple set of steps. “If a kid is willing to share his experience. If they feel like they have developed something that is worth the time of the community, then why not share it?” Does the average student share some of the same views? For most, opions towards Reflections are surprisingly positive. “Yes, they are necessary but the topics should be relevant and important,” said Fourth Former Elias Economou. Is this why the overall attitude towards Reflections is less than optimum? Economou also commented that the “core meaning of a presentation” should be taken into account and that it should be considered in advance “whether students should listen to it.” Fourth Former Zach Rego saw only positives in the Reflections experience. “For some [Reflections], we
can understand things better, especially with the most recent ones. We can learn about things we may not feel comfortable with and we can learn how we can overcome boundaries in life’s challenges.” Economou was a little less positive.“Yes, they are necessary but the topics should be relevant and important,” said Economou, voicing his view towards Reflections. Is this why the overall attitude towards Reflections is less than optimal? Economou also commented that the “core meaning of a presentation” should be taken into account and that it should be considered in advance “whether students should listen to it.” No doubt, Reflections will continue on into the future. If the comments of the students are true, Reflections will continue to teach students, prepare them for the future, and draw the community together, all the way on into the future.
the SDLC conference experience amar patel ‘13 Every year the Student Diversity Leadership Conference [SDLC] is held by the National Association of Independent Schools to bring high school students together to spread awareness of the increasing importance of diversity. Diversity, however, has many different facets, such as socio-economic status, race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, age and ability. At the conference we learned how the barriers against diversity are perpetuated by prejudice and hatred and how we, as the future caretakers of the world, can burst through these boundaries to create a truly equal global society. Throughout the conference, we completed exercises with various groups of students that would enhance our understanding of newly learned concepts, like discrimination, the cycle of oppression, and gender roles. One such group, called an Affinity group, was racially based, but could be joined by anyone who felt an affinity to that group. Because of my Asian heritage, I chose to become a member of the Asian American and Pacific Islander group; there were other groups, such as Caucasian, Biracial, Hispanic, and African or African American. Whereas the general “home” groups targeted global problems, the affinity groups focused on prejudice against their race. I particularly enjoyed the rare opportunity to realize that I am not the only adolescent
struggling against the slight forms of discrimination and prejudice that have cropped up because of my race and was somewhat comforted knowing that I was not alone; that there were other teens, like myself and my peers, experiencing similar if not more challenging adversities. Over the years, I had started to ignore my heritage, religion, and ethnicity, integral parts that make me Amar Patel; however, this opportunity and these students rekindled my pride in my heritage and self. Although we had just met, the other high school students at the conference quickly became my friends and not only encourage others to share their experiences, but accepted everything that others shared without judgment. The unique idea of complete acceptance, which was embodied by the students and faculty at SDLC, served as an ideal for how diversity can enhance our everyday lives. For the first time in my life, I felt as if I could share my thoughts, any of my thoughts, and I wouldn’t be judged; not only that, but, someone else in the room would have the same thought. The variety and gravity of some of the stories that were shared was immense. One fellow peer in my affinity group, shared this thought with us: she had initially been ashamed that her father was a construction worker and drove her to school in his construction vehicle, but after attending this conference,
she wanted to apologize to him and express her gratitude for taking her to school every day. I am grateful that the Haverford School presents such an outstanding opportunity, which encourages both teacher and student participation, and I hope that future students gain the same sense of equality amongst their peers and the importance of breaking down barriers against diversity as I have.
Sexism at school Henri Mattila ‘13 “Make me a sandwich,” is a phrase commonly heard at any place where both Haverford students and girls are present. A single-sex school, boys from Haverford are known for their jokes revolving around the degradation of women. Even though the school does have a club that is meant to be a safe place of discussion about equality among all people—gay, black, Asian, the list goes on, many times an important class of people get left out: women. Is it an issue that needs tending at Haverford? “I think what [Haverford students] do is degrading and disrespectful. When they grow up they will not treat women right and society will judge them harshly,” said a female student at a local high school who has been at Haverford events numerous times. According to her, a number of her friends agree: “They think that guys at Haverford make way too many sex jokes.“ How do Haverford students feel about the issue? “Because there aren’t girls here very often, there aren’t a ton of cases where sexism occurs, but for example when girls from Agnes Irwin are at the school there are certain instances when we treat them like sex objects,” said Fourth Former Drew Field. Does Haverford have
sexist qualities just because it an all-boys school? Fifth Form Diversity Alliance member Dominique Town argued that “Haverford promotes sexism in its innate nature being that it is a school created just for boys and with that there is a sense of superiority created within the male population over women. It is sexist in that regard because the lack of interaction with females on a constant basis breeds egotism within themselves and misunderstanding of women and how they should be treated, respected, and regarded as equals and peers.” Diversity Alliance Sixth Form leader Abdul Sesay also believes that it is a problem and that he has experienced many times during lunch other students making “obscene gestures or rude comments and jokes about females.” Sexism is a problem that is widely accepted to be present at the school. That being the case, one can find it surprising that the school has a minimal focus on issues related to women. However, as Third Former Eamon Glavin pointed out, “Haverford doesn’t have any girls so we do not need to worry about it too much.” The question that remains then is that even though the issue barely affects social
interactions in school, should the school social betterment groups take more of a stand on issues regarding, let’s say, blurting out woman jokes? “Just because they aren’t around doesn’t give us the right to bash on them behind their backs,” says the Fourth Form Honor Council member Jack Kling. In the spirit of the Honor Code, what students choose to say outside the walls of Haverford matters. Sexism is a real problem that lurks in the hallways of the school, and unfortunately boys’ exposure to it during the day can easily be taken to the outside world - a world that contains women. In accordance with the Haverford gentleman image that the adult leaders of the school want the boys to reflect, it is up to the student leaders at the next diversity discussions to choose whether they want to acknowledge that women are to be respected, as well as represented, just as much as the other groups in this boys school.
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January 2011
News & Features Should midterms be before winter break? Grayson Sessa ‘13 Amid complaints of diminished Winter Breaks swirling through the community, the Haverford School students and faculty are sharply divided: holding contrasting views of the profitability of the scheduled placement of the midterm exams. For years, these Upper School exams have occurred just weeks after the final days of Winter Break, but, to some students’ dismay, that could be in a position to change. Although noting that it may be useful for Third Formers to have these exams after the break to help them catch up on material since that year is the first with midterm exams. Academic Dean Mr. Dan Slack said, “I am beginning to think that it would be better to have them [midterm exams] before break…I think we spend a lot of time on exams and during exam week we might use that time better.” Echoing Mr. Slack’s conclusion with different logic, Fourth Former Eric Senior said that students should take the exams before Winter Break because “it puts so much stress on the student and it deprives them of their Winter Break.” Head of Upper School Matthew Green, another supporter of scheduling the exams before Winter
Break, says that the current placement “disrupts curricular momentum: we’re off for three weeks, here for one and a half, then ‘gone’ for another one and a half.” Mr. Green also notices the negative effects that midterms currently take on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day because students are forced to use these days for review, rather than remembrance and service. Not all students see the situation from any of those perspectives, some saying that the current position actually benefits students in multiple ways. Fifth Former Jon Smith says that having midterm exams before the break avoids “that rush beforehand [of semester-concluding tests] and then you’re going to have the midterm rush” directly after the former and gives students “a nice time to start studying, make some study guides.” Another challenge to moving the midterm schedule is the toll it may very well take on the second quarter’s size because of the early ending that may be inevitable. Fourth Former Scott Jaster believes that it “would be impossible to have a second quarter long enough to count as a grade [if midterm exams were moved].” Even Mr.
Slack conceded, “I’m not sure how that would work with semester, trimester, that kind of thing.” Mr. Green disagrees, feeling that the current situation is worse than a potential switch, “the current schedule requires students to recall skills and content over a five-month period, which includes two vacations.” The consensus among most students and faculty members is that there should be some form of midterm assessment. Mr. Green says that “a well-designed exam requires that students demonstrate higher level thinking skills such as synthesis, analysis, and application, and that students identify the ‘big ideas’…That said, I think these goals can [be] attained within the context of a normal school calendar.” Smith believes that midterms could be converted to all-encompassing projects specific to each class. Jaster agrees, citing the Third Form Physics Egg Drop Project, which replaces the Final Exam, as an example of this type of assessment in practice. “I’d love to do a project with my guys and use that exam time and actually do something else that would assess
their skills and knowledge, but not be a sit-down exam,” says Mr. Slack in agreement. Even those new to the Upper School, such as Third Former Colin Adams, have already developed an opinion about this controversial issue. Adams believes that the exams should be administered before students head off to Winter Break because it “is for kids to relax.”
Fighting the Forgotten Dilemma Erich prince ‘13 The men in checkered scarves crowd around the street corner. In a city plagued by the continually expanding demographic of tooth decay, the homeless individuals of St. Francis Inn who laugh in the cold expose mouths ridden with decayed and missing teeth. During the academic year of 20102011, a coalition of students unified under People to People’s Haverford Chapter has embarked upon a quest to provide dental hygiene supplies to Philadelphia’s homeless. “Operation Tooth” aims to provide each person who is served at the soup kitchen with a toothbrush, toothpaste, and floss. Inspired by a visit to the Philadelphia homeless shelter managed by the Franciscan community, members of the chapter chose Operation Tooth as a community service initiative to orchestrate. In the words of Sixth Form People to People participant Abdul Aziz Sesay, “Because they have poor dental hygiene, Operation Tooth helps those in need while being economical.” The dedication to Operation Tooth in the membership was founded in its accessibility and simplistic nature. Past People to People projects such as Operation Iraqi Children, though noble, have involved nations thousands of miles from Philadelphia and daunting objectives. Sesay elaborated that the donations of toothbrushes are not an overly large commitment. The initiative has often been described as a unique initiative. As Fourth Form People to People Co-President, Henri Mattila stated, “Most people think about food and toys, but People to People thinks of teeth. This is unique.” Discussing the dignity provided to the homeless by Operation Tooth, Chapter Advisor and Drama Chair Mr. Matthew Cloran expressed, “Providing basics for people
Photo by Erich Prince ‘13 who need basics is important for dental health. And everyone deserves basic comforts.” Preserving the integrity of the homeless is a key concern for members of the Haverford Chapter of People to People who strive towards tolerance among diverse groups of people. Mr. Cloran further described that all people should have access to the items that others use so regularly. Haverford Service Learning Director Ms. Jini Loos was exceptionally supportive of Operation Tooth, “To some this may not seem like much, but to those who are homeless, choosing between food
and something as simple as toothpaste is a very real choice that needs to be made for survival.” Skepticism has surfaced as the necessity of providing dental hygiene supplies. Fourth Form Student Michael Green declared, “Noteworthy, yes. But it not more noteworthy than other causes.” Perhaps, the supply of bread or ibuprofen would be a better use of resources. Third Form People to People member, Faasel Khan stated, “Though it provides toothbrushes to kids, some kids don’t brush their teeth.” Though at first critical of the project, a
Third Form student who asked to remain anonymous chuckled and said, “I vote yes, I don’t see anything wrong with it.” Fundraising efforts for Operation Tooth have been surprisingly successful during the autumn of 2010. Beginning the year with Wednesday morning donut sales, a local dentist later contributed a large quantity of toothbrushes and toothpaste. During the EA Day football game, members of the chapter sold hot chocolate and assorted snacks which generated significant funds. Wick Egan explained in his reference to the annual Thanksgiving tradition of People to People’s “Put Out the Can,” “I helped raise money [for Operation Tooth] by standing on a street corner with my good friends, Henri Mattila and Erich Prince.” While explaining the project to holiday shoppers, generous pedestrians donated to the cause. Other were critical as one woman ruffled her eyebrows and asked, “toothbrushes?” According to a 2000 report by the US Surgeon General, low income children are twice as likely to encounter tooth decay as children of higher income families. Another study conducted by the organization Care for the Homeless found that tooth decay among low income children in New England was 7.7 times the national average. The People to People Chapter hopes that more children struggling in poverty will live their lives with intact teeth. To close with a remark from Sixth Form student Alex Kumar, “A great project goes far.”
page 6
Sports Swimming
January 2011
fisher pressman ‘13 With half the season completed and a week-long training trip under its belt, the Haverford School Swim team looks ahead to what must be done for a perfect season. In the first month, the team went through a number of challenges. Starting the season racing Lawrenceville, Haverford easily won with such swimmers as Matt Luminias (V) and Justin Giorgio (VI) winning first places for the team. Later the same week, Haverford beat Haverford High School with underclassmen Dan McGrath (III) and Jack Kling (IV) stealing first places. Away at Episcopal Academy, Haverford was victorious with contributions from Andrew Helber (V) and Matt Luminais, who has set thee team records, and two pool records in the first three dual meets. Finally, in a college-style meet with Woodbury Forest, Will Nelligan (VI) and Connor O’Prey (V) won the meet with first-place finishes. The team also went through many difficulties pertaining to the swimmers themselves. Starting with the many new freshmen and the loss of some of the great swimmers of last year, this was going to be a rebuilding year. However, the new swimmers worked cohesively with the veteran swimmers allowing for a surprisingly strong team. As for another problem, Fifth Former
Andrew Helber added “It is hard to point out weaknesses on this team, but the major weakness is that we have fewer year-round swimmers than any other team in the Inter-Ac. This does show, though, how great a job Coach Hansen and Coach Jones do in practice.” After such a great start, the team spent a hellish week training in Florida. With the individual specific practices and the great ratio of coaches to swimmers, the training trip in Ft. Lauderdale was a huge success. Helber commented, “Ft. Lauderdale was a huge success. Every swimmer improved through hard two-a-day practices and with the help from Sean’s brother, Brendan Hansen.” As to what must be done in the remaining months, hard work and perseverance will certainly pay off in the long run. All the swimming and lifting, meets and practices will certainly help in the Inter-Ac and Easterns tournament. Helber says “There are two meets we are really looking forward to; Malvern which should be our closest meet of the year and Easterns, which we shave and taper for to put up our best times of the year.” As to the end of the season, Easterns will keep the swimmers busy; the team is looking for their first Top 6 finish. As this issue went to press, the team held a 5-0 record.
CONNER O’PREY ‘12 AND MAX WHITEHEAD ‘12 PHOTO BY CONNELL KLING ‘11
Squash
B.G. lemmon ‘12 The Fords Squash team led by Coach Andrew Poolman is focused on another successful season. Having lost only two Sixth Formers from last year’s team, the Fords Squash team is looking to equal or surpass their 7th-place finish last year at nationals. The captains of this year’s team are Bayard Kuensell, the #1 player on the team, and Sachin Patel, the #2. Both have been working hard over the summer and are looking to rack up a lot of wins this year for the Fords. Rounding out the top 5 are Fifth Former B.G. Lemmon, Third Former Ian Rothweiler, and Fourth Former Jason Shein, who came over to the Fords this year. Other Third Formers include Sean Kenny, Jon Ruth, and Thomas Walker. They bring depth to this team and will definitely bring some competition to our Inter-Ac competitors. Jay Losty, a Second Former, is playing up this year from Middle School to Upper School. Losty is an experienced player and
brings more talent to this team. Fifth Formers Sam Henderson, Scott Warren, and Paxton Moore are other notable leaders on this squash team. They have been on the team for three years now and they are looking forward to a deep run into nationals. One of the main goals that this team strives for is to maintain good sportsmanship against all opponents. The squash team last year won an award at the annual MASA tournament for having the best sportsmanship in the Inter-Ac. This was the first time in eight years that the Fords won this award, and much of that can be credited to the leadership of Coach Poolman, who himself dictates a positive attitude while playing and coaching. Thus far the Fords have gotten off to a 2-5 start, but are looking to get hot as the season progresses before nationals. For those of you who have never seen a squash match, this is a team that you definitely want to come
MATTHEW SENIOR ‘11 LORDS OVER HIS DOMAIN PHOTO BY CONNELL KLING ‘11
CHARLES MUELLER ‘12 AND PETER THOMPSON ‘13 IN PRACTICE. PHOTO BY CONNELL KLING ‘11
with a promising future.”
page 7
Sports basketball
will offit ‘11 Through the first half of the 2010 season, Haverford basketball has had a series of ups and downs. The team dominated schools like Germantown Friends, Mariana, Prince Alfred, and Cardinal O’Hara. However, they lost by almost 30 points to Episcopal and were soundly defeated by Monsignor Bonner. Despite the team’s early struggles, team co-captain Conor Kelly felt that the team could benefit in the long run. “We scheduled some tough non-conference games early on to prepare us for what the [Inter-Ac] is going to be like and we saw some success and some struggles. But overall we are a better team as a result.” After starting off 3-5, the Fords overcame this early adversity and went 4-1. The team’s mentality of seeing positives out of a negative may have had something to do with it. “When we saw some early adversity, we stuck to our game plan and just needed to simplify things. There was a sense of urgency to correct what we
NOAH CUTLER ‘14 IN GOAL. MILLER ‘77
January 2011
were doing wrong but there was never panic. The key to our success is limiting our turnovers and controlling the things we can control.” But in the end, Kelly believed that team chemistry allowed the Fords to start winning again. “When we, [the team], are all out there on the court, we all have some experience and look for each other in [tough] situations.” Perhaps, the Fords’ turnaround could be credited to the improved team chemistry with freshman starters Ben Bentil and Eric Anderson. Coach Stephen Cloran believes these two freshman are a key to the team’s suc- RON TASSONI ‘12 CLOSING ON ON A PIN AGAINST PENN CHARTER. PHOTO BY INDEX STAFF. cess. “Ben Bentil and Eric Anderson have both developed great so far. They are each getting better and more experienced with every game and practice. They will both be studs for Haverford basketball for years to come.” James shecter ‘13 Whatever the reason, the Fords are now 7-6 and undefeated at home as After a stellar 12-5 record last season, the the team, and more on the individual wrestler they enter a tough Inter-Ac schedule. Fords wrestling team looks to capitalize this “to prove himself.” year and bring back the Inter-Ac ChampionCoach Kennett and Chris DiBello agreed ship, which has been owned by Haverford that in wrestling, experience is more imporcountless times. tant than strength. DiBello expects Sixth Head Coach Bruce Kennett has been prepFormer Dan Tornetta, and Fifth Formers Dean ping the team since late November, and is Feinman and Ron Tassoni to have a great eager and ready to steer the talented team to year. Also, DiBello said to “watch as [Fifth a title. Though the team had a superb record Former] Zach Rego comes back from his last season, Mr. Kennett feels that this year injury, because he is a great wrestler.” will be even better. “Each of the fourteen As most students begin preparation for weight classes are filled with kids who want midterms and the grueling return from break, to work hard and make sacrifices necessary very few have time to attend the wrestling for success,” Kennett said, “and that is always matches. DiBello understands that “wrestling a key to our success.” can be dull at times, but, just like any big The toughest Inter-Ac league opponents, sport, a large crowd would give a big boost to according to Mr. Kennett, are Malvern and the team.” Germantown Academy, “who both have Lastly, DiBello stated how he gets incrediline-ups loaded with kids who can compete bly juiced for every match. He described how at the highest level.” Even tougher matches “the individual thrill that you can get when will be non-league, fortunately, when the the whistle blows” is unlike anything else. Fords square off against the “outstanding” St. The entire team agrees that Coach Kennett Benedict’s squad and the Belmont Hills team, is a major contributor to their success. Kenamong others. nett said he “would like to be remembered Mr. Kennett feels that the best quality a as a coach who had the best interest of each wrestler could have is what he calls a “good boy at heart in every decision [he] made.” He PHOTO BY MR. WILLIAM motor… someone who has good mechanics, hopes that the boys he coaches understand the a will to win, and brings a lot of pressure to life lessons learned are far more valuable than each opponent he faces.” Several wrestlers on their wins and losses. the team possess this “good motor” including Kennett hopes that he teaches the boys to Fifth Former Chris DiBello. DiBello was a be self-reliant and to take responsibility for co-captain of the championship football team their actions. in the fall, but he looks forward all year to After a 45-28 win over Penn Charter last wrestling season. DiBello says that he enjoys Friday, the team is currently 3-2. the fact that wrestling focuses slightly less on
Wrestling
hockey will offit ‘11 The Fords have struggled thus far this season. With only one senior remaining on the team, the Fords have managed a respectable 3-4 record and have yet to lose a game outside of the Inter-Ac. However, junior Toby Blumberg still believes the team can play better. “My expectations at the beginning of the season were that I thought that this season would be a tough one, but that we would still gain a playoff spot regardless of how tough our season would be.” Blumberg believes that the Fords early struggles could have something to do with lack of preparation compared to other teams. ”The record is not a reflection of our play, for we only had two weeks of practices before our first couple league games and the other teams were better prepared for the games we played in.” Two losses against Chestnut Hill and The Hun School stand out in particular. In both games, the Fords had a sizable lead and imploded in the remaining minutes of the game, losing both as Blumberg recalls, “we
lost to Hun 3-2, and we were up 2-0 going into the final 10 minutes, CHA beat us 6-3 and once again we had a 2-0 lead.” As a result, Coach Clark has stated that the Fords need to improve more in the later stages of the game if they want to compete for a title. “We need to increase our intensity in the last 10 minutes of the game and to not depend too much on goalie Cameron Isen to keep us in the game.” However, despite some of the early failure, the Fords have boasted some impressive wins. In one win against Valley Forge, the Fords won 8-1 an d senior Charles Seltzer had 4 goals and 2 assists. As the Fords return from a three-week holiday layoff, they will have to face Pennington School and more Inter-Ac foes, against whom the Fords have not won. Charles Seltzer remains optimistic despite the tough schedule, “the second part of the season looks promising now that we have all played some games together and have some confidence. We are a young team
The Home of the Fords on Ice...
page 8
Sports winter track
grayson sessa ‘13
January 2011
kerry kynett ‘13
Despite difficulties, the Haverford School Winter Track team is off to a great start this season. Obstacles arose as the Winter Track athletes of the Class of 2010, described as “amazing” by Fourth Former Harry Rosenberg, graduated The Haverford School and matriculated to various colleges. Fourth Former Matt Galetta says that the loss of “Tommy [Hopkins] and Taylor [Gregory]” makes the team feel “a lot different,” but says that the core of the team has stayed the same overall. Although acknowledging the lack of a specific “record” for Winter Track, Rosenberg notes that, in spite of any gaps on the team due to losing the graduates, the team “is doing pretty well.” Third Former Eamon Glavin says that “the team is young” but “well-made with kids who care” sharing an optimistic view of the team’s prospects. Fourth Former Lucas Elek echoes Glavin’s remarks and adds that “You have to have
dedication to travel three hours for a minute or two-minute race.” Considering the temperatures faced and the grueling practices, the athletes’ consensus seems to be that Winter Track is a difficult sport, but well-worth the effort. Glavin sums the team up by saying, “We may hate the cold, but we still run anyways in order to come out on top.” “It’s a tough sport, but it gets you in shape for the spring [season],” says Rosenberg. Galetta has a similar viewpoint, saying that the enjoyable part of Winter Track is getting in shape. No matter what else, the athletes agree about that. The Winter Track team’s uphill climb this season will clearly be an interesting and rewarding piece of the School’s athletic program.
JAMES KURITZKES ‘11 AND BILL MERRICK ‘11. PHOTO BY CONNELL KLING ‘11
Speed, endurance, hard work, and determination. These things are only a few of the many traits of a typical Haverford School Winter Track runner. Over the years the Winter Track team has been dominant, but with the loss of Tom Hopkins, Liam O’Connor, and Taylor Gregory, three excellent runners for the team, there was a significant drop off in the roster. When asked about the team this year, Coach Jay Wright had positive nice things to say such as, “We have a very nice group of young men this year who have come an extremely long way. I know that they will continue to improve because of their hard work.” Coach Wright was extremely happy with the team’s efforts and the outcomes of the meets so far. In regards to the near and far future of the team, Coach Wright stated that the Third and Fourth Formers “continue to improve and we will be able to make some serious noise in the state meet.” According to Coach Wright, a lot is expected of the team and he believes they can compete with the best kids in the state. Sixth Former Zach Ruch, a four-year runner for the team, had nothing but encouraging things to say about what goes on during winter track. When asked how the practices were going, he responded by saying, “Coach Wright likes to run us hard on workout days, but it all pays off in the end because we are always improving.” Track practices usually consist or Monday and Wednesday workouts with Coach Matt Roscoe, Tuesday and Thursday are the running workout days, and Friday is
typically a relaxed distance run. When asked the simple question “How do you feel about Winter Track?” He simply answered, “It is life.” That statement shows how much Ruch and the rest of the team are dedicated to this sport. Fourth Former Andrew Wiener predicts that the team “will do pretty well, we definitely have some Third and Fourth Formers who can step it up, and we also have a couple really good sprinters, so that will help us with relays.” Along with Coach Wright’s comments earlier, Wiener believes that the team can be very successful because of the amount of work they put in and how athletic some of the runners are. Third Former Steve Scornajenghi is new to Winter Track. Asked how the first year was going with the team, he responded by saying, “It is really hard but at the same time, beneficial and fun because the team gets along so well. The meets are fun for the thirty seconds you are running, but the bus drive to Lehigh is terrible.” Many other runners agree with him about this statement. The time that you run if you are a short distance runner can be as fast as 7 seconds, as for the bus ride up and back; the ride is two hours long both ways. Steve plans to be a member of the track team in the future and hopes to benefit the team in any way he can.
Hockey: haverford’s dying sport? sam turner ‘13 The pastime on ice is more alive than ever around the world, but might be dying on the Main Line. Ice Hockey, the sport of hard hits and skills, has just became a little more difficult at Haverford due to small amount of students on the team. Hockey has never had a large player or fan base interest in the U.S., let alone the Main Line. This has largely affected the amount of people who participate in the hockey program at Haverford. If this decreasing rate continues, the hockey program might cease to exist. However, after interviewing the Assistant Director of Admissions Mr. Doug Knight, who co-coaches the hockey team, the future of the program seems much more bright. When asked about why the team was so small this year he responded saying it was due to “the loss many seniors and we didn’t get that many new freshmen.” Nevertheless, when asked about the future of the program Mr. Knight had much more optimistic responses. He said that this year was just a small-size team and not the normal turn out for the program. He also added that the program would soon be growing back to it full size over
the next few years due awaited addition of many skilled middle school players. Fourth Former Austin Merritt, a prominent offender on the ice, is currently in second season with Haverford’s upper school program, along with many years of experience from club teams. Merritt shared many of those same opinions of his coach. When asked about the effect of the small number of players on the team, Merritt explained that the limited numbers made it more difficult to utilize the full ability of each player. When asked about the future of the program, Merritt shared that same optimism of his coach. Merritt said, ”This year was a fluke and we have very good underclassmen emerging from the middle school.” Merritt also was asked if any what are the differences of club and school hockey. Merritt said, “club hockey is more difficult and serious [due to the higher skill ability of the club level teams].” This shows that hockey is clearly alive in the area, and even though Haverford’s team is not as strong as a club team, Haverford hockey is still growing as a sport and is gaining more and more newcomers each
year. Fourth Former Frank Gentile is both new to Haverford and sport. Gentile decided to play the sport again after not playing for many years. When asked if the limited amount of players affected his game time he said, “Coach Clark is good at finding teams that are equally matched and we can all play against.” The Haverford hockey program is actually fine and constantly growing in size and skill and will bounce back from the phenomenon this year with the awaited arrival of many Haverford middle school players.
The HAVERFORD INDEX Serving the Student Body Since 1888
page 9
January 2011
Opinions
Is 30 minutes enough? matt cook ‘13 When are food, socializing, homework, napping, and announcements all brought together? Advisory. Advisory is a thirtyminute block on Tuesdays and occasionaly Fridays that has been transformed into a time of mini-meals, entertainment, and last-minute homework. Since last year advisory has grown twenty minutes longer, but is this enough for what advisory has become? Third Former Jabari Stafford feels that advisory is a chance “to gather as a whole and talk about certain issues that we find important at Haverford... It’s also a time to meet up as a group and take a break from the work and stress.” Fourth Former Ben Grobman said, “I
use my advisory time to talk to friends when I do not have other work to be doing... I also ask teachers questions, but mostly talk with friends.” When asked how he uses his time for in advisory, Upper School history teacher, Mr. Griffin responded, “I use it as an opportunity to interact with my advisory.” When later asked if more time would benefit him to interact with his advisees Mr. Griffin claimed, “No, thirty minutes is enough time.” Some students including Fifth Former Aris Economou had similar views. “Maybe a little bit longer, but I feel like the length now is perfect” said Economou. When faced with the same question,
Grobman had a different response, “I think it would benefit to be longer because it can act as another study hall in some ways and give time to interact with other students more. It will also give more time to relax during the school day as a break.” Although it does not seem like there is an urgency for more time in advisory, the students would take advantage of it to make their day a bit easier. Even with a few minor differences in view between opinions, everyone interviewed was in favor of the twenty-minute extension of the block since last year. “I feel good about it because we really get to sit down and not feel rushed and
really have a break from some of the stuff that’s been occurring,” said Stafford. Economou feels that “the longer advisory times gives my advisor more time to actually get to know whats going on in his advisee’s lives, and he does his best to help everyone.” It is clear that advisory is a cherished time, and however utilized, the extra time has been appreciated and used to its fullest. As a thirty-minute block, advisory is appreciated by the students, and the extra time has granted them an less frenetic day as well as a better relationship with their advisors. With this in mind, advisory period is, as of now, a success.
Free Periods In The Library: Worthless or worthwhile?
James Shecter ‘13
Recently, according to several reports, students have been challenging the literal meaning of “free” during their free period. During their free block, students frequently meet with teachers for additional help or go to the café to refuel. Most commonly, students flock to the library to use computers for research projects, various online assignments, or to type papers, so they say. Librarians, other faculty members, and even students agree that time in the library is rarely utilized effectively and is, more often than not, wasted. According to librarian Ms. Sandy Krieg, “some students do [work in the library] but most don’t.” She considers the library more of a “student lounge” than anything else, but “the upstairs is where the majority of the working students go for quiet.” She usually throws two people out daily for playing games, being disruptive, or simply “for not using their time wisely.” Ms. Maureen Kirk agrees with her colleague. She says, very similarly to Ms. Krieg’s statement, “there are a select few that use their time well in the library, but
that’s definitely not the majority.” But do the alleged slackers feel that they, in fact, waste their free periods? Several students popped their heads out behind Facebook, Curveball, or other online games, and emitted disrespectful glares during these interviews, but students’ responses are not one-dimensional. Sixth Former Alex Goodman says, “It’s kind of a joke… everyone just plays games all the time,” while Fifth Former Brennan Kensey quickly responded, “most people work,” then rushed back to his biology homework.
Fifth Former Ryan Lynch gave a much more thoughtful and candid response amid a group of students working together on an online game of Family Feud. When asked if students utilize their library time, Lynch responded, “Absolutely not. I think that, at this point, the library is something that is used as entertainment rather than something that is used for learning, but there are a few people who get work done only when they have to.” Lynch then went back to work on his biology assignment solemnly and silently.
Didn’t all students who wanted to use computers sign an acceptable use policy several weeks ago state explicitly that they would not play computer games? Should the burden of enforcement, therefore, lie on the shoulders of the Technology Specialists for not being strict enough? Possibly. But history teacher Mr. Kevin Tryon stated that, “Students have to understand how great a resource the Internet is… In college, a library is the center of students’ lives, as they use it so often for research, both in actual books and in online encyclopedias.” Mr. Tryon also stated, similarly to Uncle Ben from Spiderman, that with great power comes great responsibility; when students use the computers, the possibilities for what they can accomplish, both positive and negative, are endless. One student could work hard and study in the library for his entire free period, another could play online games, another could read, and some could do all three. Clearly, free periods have different meanings for different people, but maybe that is why the school calls them “free.”
What’s the feud on family feud? an expose of library gaming Will Schwartz ‘12 In recent weeks, the game Family Feud has grown to great popularity among Haverford students. As students attempt to “make fast money,” they must do so in a cautious manner to avoid losing the privilege of the many useful resources that our Library has to offer. The Librarians have been cracking down on Family Feud users with multi-day library bans, a draconian change from the usual one-day exile that accompanies an average trip to the Library for a select group of students. Is it fair that Family Feud is banned? In my opinion it is not. Luckily Director of Informarion Services Ms. Lisa Snyder and Library Services Coordinator Mrs. Maureen Kirk, were able to provide me with a reasonable explanation for the ban. Games like Family Feud are banned in the hope that students will work on home-
work, or prepare for a test, and not have the temptation to procrastinate by playing games. They were “worried” about students not making strong use out of their free periods. The three of us agreed that all students have a hefty workload, and that doing homework during free periods is a way to take off pressure and add more free time when we all go home in the afternoon. In addition to their reasoning, for a game to be approved, a student must submit a written application. This written application must be a minimum of two to three sentences, and no longer than a paragraph. The application must outline why game has value and why it should be approved. Ms. Snyder’s and Mrs. Kirk’s reasoning for banning the game is valid, but I dis-
agree with them, in that I feel Family Feud is so similar to games that we are allowed to play on the library computers. Many Sporcle quizzes have similarities to the adjectivebased word games of Family Feud. Naming NBA scoring leaders, food names after being shown their pictures and countries of the world are by no means more enriching then naming fruits that are not used for juices or birds that humans do not eat. Family Feud is a word game that is educational and enjoyable. A game that teaches students and is enjoyed by many should be allotted a spot in school-approved gaming I encourage all of you to write recommendations for Family Feud and any unapproved game that we might enjoy.
For these to be taken seriously we must improve our Library behavior. If we can eliminate rowdy behavior from the Library great things should follow, perhaps even Family Feud will be liberated from its status as a banned game.
page 10
January 2011
Arts & Entertainment Conceptual art on a new level a study on mr. fox
Peter thompson ‘13
Mr. Fox has built up a well-deserved reputation for creating incredible art. His students enter his Third Form class as amateur artists, and graduate Haverford with sellable works that blow the mind. Throughout the past 20 years of his life, Mr. Fox has grown interested in chaos theory physics. Besides having a passion for art, he has always been fascinated in science, more specifically, physics. Chaos theory physics is quite complex, but in its simplest form, it discusses how things that appear chaotic and disorderly in the world actually have an underlying order to them. Mr. Fox uses this concept to compare patterns in nature and human developments in order to discover similarities. For example, one of his works depicts a highway network next to swirls resembling river patterns, smoke, etc. Through Mr. Fox’s eyes, it describes how natural patterns such as swirls in rivers are duplicated by humans without full intention. In general, humans tend to follow nature. Working all three months of summer and hours after school recently allowed Mr. Fox to finish a new painting. The work is oil on canvas and measures 4 ft x 6 ft, titled: Heliotropism (def: the turning or growing of something towards light). The basis for his thought process was a result of chaos theory physics, but the inspiration for this specific picture arose with Mr. Fox’s realization that everything
tion. The earth in the center of the solar system was a viewpoint that has evolved into today’s accepted beliefs. Although the latest model is closer to reality, both ideas can continue to be contemplated by humans. This type of complex thinking occurs in all of Mr. Fox’s work and reveals his true talent and respect for the art of painting as a method of portraying ideas or concepts. In class, Mr. Fox uses terms such as “people tend to” and “people believe.” He does not give decided facts about art, but rather another way of looking at it and another tool to add to one’s arsenal of artistic ability. Mr. Fox has collected an amazing assortment of skills, opinions, and viewpoints of his own that he uses to create incredible works. His students leave marginally more equipped after only one school year and gain a new respect for the craft that is two-dimensional art. If you are taking his class or have taken it, be sure to check out his website, www.chrisfox.org. The pictures appear photo-realistic, but I assure you, they are paintings.
occurring in nature will never change, only the human mindset will. Isaac Newton changed how people view the atomic level of the world, similar to how professors change a student’s viewpoint on astronomy. After a single astronomy class, all of the students present may think of the complicated mechanics behind the sun’s rising each day, but a small child looks at the sun only as a large yellow sphere that allows him to play in his yard. Regardless of the viewpoint, the sun will always rise
and will always fall. The flowers in the background resemble a student’s openness to and agreement with whatever his or her professor teaches. Students absorb information as flowers follow the sun. In the foreground are two different pictures of the solar system. One has earth drawn in the center, and the other has the sun in the center. Regardless of correctness, both theories have been accepted at some point throughout astronomy’s evolu-
ibeats
Beats solo
beats studios
of the iBeats. I was incredibly disappointed at the discrepency between its price and its tone quality and urge all potential buyers to settle for either Skullcandy or Bose earphones which are far cheaper and have the same, if not better, sound quality as iBeats. Moving on to Beats Solos (high performance headphones), I found these to be far more satisfactory to my tastes. After trying on my iPod earphones and then putting on Solos, I immediately discerned a huge difference in sound quality. The heavy bass exceeded my expectations and managed to not overwhelm the trebles and the highs of the songs I listened to. The plush ear cushions make you forget that you’re wearing the headphones. While the Solos failed to enhance the quality of acoustic or bass-less songs in any significant way, they proved more than capable of dealing with almost every other music genre. Though the Solos don’t have noisecancelling capabilities, the fact that the headphones cover your ears proves to be a form of noise reduction in itself. They won’t block out loud crowds or heavy machinery, but they’re more than sufficient
enough to block out light conversations or soft elevator music. The only real complaint I had with Solos is that the headphones can become uncomfortable on the ears after wearing them for an extended period of time. There are only two ways to alleviate the pressure the headphones have on your ears: either take a break from wearing them or take one earphone off and place it on the side of your head. It’s hefty $180-$200 price tag is also a con and illustrates how a consumer is paying primarily for the name brand rather than the headphones themselves. However, if these headphones were to cost around $100, then I would consider them worthy investments for music lovers. For $300-$350 a pair, Dr. Dre’s Beats Studio Headphones are not worth buying. While the Studios exhibit outstanding sound quality and a decent noise-cancellation function, these headphones fail to make a significant $100 difference from Beats Solos. The sound quality between both headphones is miniscule to the average ear and the noise cancellation the Studios have cannot compare to that of leading competitors such as Bose whose
headphones go for a good $100-$150 less. At this point, the consumer should be fully aware that he’s simply paying for the name brand. Even it’s fashionable appearance cannot make up for the price difference. The bottom line for Dr. Dre’s headphones is that they’re all overpriced. While they do display superior music quality to your average listening device, they simply aren’t worth the heavy price tag they have. If, however, you want something of Dr. Dre’s, then Solos are the way to go. They’re the best buy out of the entire Beats line and you will not be disappointed (unless you’re a country or classical fan). As a lover of hip-hop and bass-heavy songs, I was more than happy with the Beats’ capability to give me the boom I needed.
Dr. Dre’s Beats: Are they worth it?
changhee han ‘11 In a joint collaboration between cable company Monster and award-winning producer and rapper Dr. Dre comes the birth of the headphone line Beats by Dr. Dre. The brain-child of two of the greatest music aficionados came about as a response to today’s declining sound quality and poorly constructed earphones and headphones. After three years of tweaking and perfecting the tone of Beats, Monster and Dr. Dre finally released their product to the public to immense approval and popularity. Arguably one of the most fashionable listening devices on the market, Beats by Dre come in three forms: studio headphones, high performance headphones (Beats Solos), and high definition earphones (iBeats). Both headphones sport revolutionary new looks complete with virtually indestructible headbands and hard-hitting bass drivers. But do all three listening devices live up to their hype? Dr. Dre’s iBeats (in-ear headphones) were introduced to the market to address Apple’s ubiquitous and notoriously poor quality earphones that come standard with all iPod products. While the iBeats look far more fashionable and use tangle-free cords, the sound quality it produces isn’t enough to satisfy it’s whopping $110 price tag. While iBeats advertises sound isolation, crisp highs, and heavy bass, the earphones simply fail to address all three. When comparing regular iPod earphones to iBeats, the iBeats certainly exhibited better sound quality but could not block out any ambient noise. I could hear people talking twenty feet away even with the earphones plugged as deep as I could into my ears. Following that line of thought, I discovered that by pressing standard earphones firmly into my ears, the sound quality they produced was similar to those
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