The Index Eutαxia Swzein Dokei
January 2017
Volume LXXVIII, No. 5
Haverford, Pennsylvania
www.havindex.com
Trust the process: basketball battles for Inter-Ac title
P.J. Rodden ‘18 “Being the first team to win the Inter-Ac in seventeen years is something which we think is achievable. We are all hungry for it,” said Fifth Former Bobby Stratts over two months ago in an Index interview. Halfway through the month of January, this motivation has set the tone for their season, resulting in an astounding 14-1 record. The team shows no signs of slowing down. In the Inter-Ac league, what started off as a goal back in November could now become reality. So far this season, they have dominated teams like Episcopal Academy, Springside Chestnut Hill, and the toughest opponent in the group, Germantown Academy. These victories are a testament to the team’s potential. “We’ve been defending and rebounding really well, and we’re scoring in a variety of ways. That is what has brought us the most success,” said Head Varsity Coach Bernie Rogers. The beginning of the season demonstrated how the Fords could perform under immense pressure from Philadelphia’s best teams. Notably, the Fords learned from their first loss against the Catholic League’s top team, Roman Catholic. Reflecting on the game, Coach Rogers said, “I think we played very competitively with Roman. We had a chance to win. Roman was a high-level program that we played with and we had a chance to win. I think, although it was a loss, the players realized that they could compete against anybody when they’re playing the right way.” Since last season, transitioning to a revitalized team with no returning Sixth Formers and a
handful of key players has shown how the Fords can quickly adjust and adapt under the leadership of Coach Rogers. Fifth Form Manager Alex Ciardi said, “One thing that we struggled with last year but now we’re able to do really well now is closing out games. There were periods last year where some teams would take advantage of our lack of experience in fourth-quarter situations. Although we had some great seniors last year, none of them never had the amount of playing time before to lead a team.” With talented Fifth Formers and a strong group of underclassmen, the team is in its top shape. “This year our key players have more experience and have really grown not only as players but as people,” Ciardi said. “The whole team has really matured over the last year. Being able to sustain leads has been a huge factor for our success this year and the fact we have been able to keep up with the toughest opponents.” The team is fully focused in the gym and dedicated to get better within each practice. “During practice there is a sense that everybody needs to focus and work. Coach Rogers does a great job at not letting any of his players fall through the cracks. This is one of the reasons he has done so well in developing our key players,” Ciardi said. Stratts said; “We often like to drop strategies and find ways to shut down some of the opposing team’s best players,
cont. page 10
“Oh, he didn’t deserve it” Judging peers on college Jared Holeman ‘17 With fierce competition to get into prestigious colleges, acceptances often breed contention. Where one might expect a supportive environment filled with students proud of peers accepted into their first-choice schools, instead lies a much less encouraging student body. Discussions about college can be heard everywhere in the upper school these days. In almost all of these, students critique the merit of different applicants. Sometimes, students are quick to say that a certain accepted applicant does not deserve it. Often students say that someone’s race, socioeconomic status, family connections, and sexual orientation were the deciding factors in a decision. When people hear of a classmate’s acceptance to a prestigious college, some people “automatically
assume that something shady [is] going on,” said Sixth Former Drew Weiss. While colleges try to create diverse and wellrounded classes, they start to evaluate applicants on more and more factors. This increases the mystery of why an applicant is accepted or denied. Sixth Former Jack McKnight said, “A lot of college acceptance right now is about extremes. They’re looking for extremes. If you’re incredibly wealthy or incredibly poor, that might help you.” Wealth as a factor in college decisions has always been a controversial topic. “Every once in awhile there’s a case of someone buying their way into a college,” Drew Weiss said. Exactly how large a role these factors play in cont. page 4
Sixth Formers Relaxing in “the street”
JARED HOLEMAN ‘17
Christian Ray hits the boards in a 69-56 win over Shipley
Social life or straight As?
Evan Haas ‘17 For any upperclassmen, grades, athletics, extracurriculars, and social lives mean more than they ever have before. Students begin to search for their perfect college or university, most turn eighteen years old, many are in relationships, some get their driver’s licenses, and for most students, their lives change drastically. College emerges as a focal point of student aspirations, and sometimes, balancing schoolwork and college applications can be tedious. Director of Information Services Ms. Lisa Snyder said, “The stress is sometimes, not really from within, but without. So, people put stress on you, and it turns into a big ball of stress. Some people express their stress in physical ways. Some people get loud or noisy, and some withdraw.” Students often struggle to manage their lives and Fifth and Sixth Form workloads. Teachers continue to raise class expectations, while students also juggle college applications. Students may distance themselves from their classmates and friends because they are so consumed with academic work. Some feel as if they have no spare time, and others grow loud and irritable. In addition to academics, social gatherings and events can grow more intense and uncomfortable for students, which may lead to drug and alcohol abuse. “If you want to be extremely successful [academically],” said Sixth Form Student-Athlete Teddy Fitzgerald, “it takes away from your social life. If you want to have a successful social life, it takes away from your extra curricular and academic activities. It is definitely possible to balance the two, but it is certainly challenging.” Some students let go of their strong grades in order to relax and strive socially, while others completely avoid socializing outside of the school
day to maintain, and even better their academic resume. Some parents push their children to finish stronger than ever, and some allow their children to slack off because they have worked so hard, and so long for these past ten to twelve years. “Maintaining academics, extracurricular activities, and an outside social life is a definite challenge but one that can be overcome by prioritizing commitments and choosing your battles wisely,” said Fifth Former Samuel Turner. “A Games of Thrones marathon or weekend party is often just as important for your mind as a study session for succeeding in your academics, athletic, and extracurricular pursuits,” said Turner. Taking a mental break can either be extremely beneficial or detrimental to a student. For some, a few hours of down-time at a party or bingewatching Netflix can have a refreshing and revitalizing feel. Upperclassmen can pause from the mind-throbbing college supplemental essays and catch up on some dearly missed Breaking Bad episodes. Many students would argue that academics outweigh social life, but some would argue otherwise. “I would rather get Bs in school and have a life, than just get straight As and have no social presence,” said Fitzgerald. Although it can be difficult for high school students to balance their academic and social lives, some make it work. Sixth Former Mohid Khan said, “It takes a toll being involved in robotics, a bunch of honors classes, and couple sports and other clubs on the side, but it’s manageable. You just need to recognize when maybe missing a robotics practice may not be a bad idea to finish
Also inside this issue... The election divides the Sixth Form: page 5
PETER SOLOMON ‘17
Squash hopes for national title: page 10
MR. JIM ROESE
RICHIE SOUDERS ‘17
cont. page 4
havindex.com exclusive Haverford’s best kept secret: peer counseling