March 2013 Index

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Volume LXXIV, No. 7

March 2013

Haverford, Pennsylvania - haverfordindex.com

For all the latest Spring sports coverage, check out the Sports section on page 7-9. Track, lacrosse, frisbee, baseball, and crew are all covered. 3KRWR FUHGLWV 0U -LP 5RHVH

Honors Seminar Consortium

Drug Use at Haverford: Is It a Problem?

Greg Boyek ‘14 discusses an important but less wellknown event, the Honors Seminar Consortium.

Through interviews with the Haverford administration, :LOO 7DFNHWW Âś SURĂ€OHV WKH GUXJ VLWXDWLRQ DW +DYHUIRUG and how it affects students.

Greg Boyek ‘14

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    Every  year,  four  motivated  students  interested  in  enriching  their  curriculum  are  selected  from  The  Haverford  School,  The  Agnes  Irwin  School,  Baldwin  School,  and  The  Shipley  School  to  participate  in  an  Honors  Seminar  Consortium.  â€œConsortium,â€?  which  meets  several  evenings  in  the  spring  and  IDOO IRFXVHV RQ D VSHFLÂżF WRSLF FRPELQLQJ two  academic  departments  each  year,  e.g.  mathematics  and  history  this  year.  The  purpose  of  the  Consortium  is  to  create  an  opportunity  for  like-­minded  students  to  expand  their  XQGHUVWDQGLQJ EH\RQG WUDGLWLRQDO FODVVURRP learning.      The  classes  of  the  Consortium  have  FKDQJHG VLJQLÂżFDQWO\ LQ WKH ODVW VHYHUDO \HDUV Upper  School  Head  Matt  Green  says  that  the  program  has  evolved  from  a  teacher-­driven  GLGDFWLF VHWWLQJ WR DQ LQWHUDFWLYH VWXGHQW EDVHG class.  â€œThere  was  a  time  when  the  curriculum  ZDV WHDFKHU GULYHQ SUREDEO\ IRU QR RWKHU reason  than  to  make  it  logistically  easier‌  <RX ZRXOG ÂżQG \RXUVHOI LQ ORQJ WHDFKHU directed  lecture  classes  that  weren’t  meeting  the  program’s  goals;Íž  which  is  to  say,  that  WKH\ ZHUHQÂśW JLYLQJ WKH VWXGHQWV WKH DELOLW\ WR extend  their  learning  in  a  hands-­on,  inquiry-­ EDVHG OHDUQLQJ H[SHULHQFH ´ 7KH SURJUDP LV D YDOXDEOH RSSRUWXQLW\ EHFDXVH ÂłZH QHHG PRUH interdisciplinary  thinkers.  We  need  people  who  are  not  placing  learning  into  departmental  VLORV ÂŤ 7KH RWKHU WKLQJ WKDW LV YDOXDEOH DERXW it  is  that  it  is  ungraded  and  low  homework  so  it  provides  students  with  the  right  kind  of  intellectual  stimulus  that’s  not  tied  to  evaluation  â€Ś  It’s  learning  for  learning’s  sake.â€?      Mr.  Zack  Murtha,  Upper  School  Math  coordinator,  said  that  â€œit’s  a  great  project  for  students  to  â€Ś  see  how  some  of  the  disciplines  that  we  usually  see  as  separate  can  interact  in  VXUSULVLQJ ZD\V ÂŤ WKH PRUH , WKLQN DERXW LW WKH PRUH , VHH ZRQGHUIXO FRQQHFWLRQV EHWZHHQ the  disciplines.â€?  With  this  year’s  topic,  math  and  history,  â€œwhen  you  study  math,  you  are  studying  the  history  of  math.  As  a  math  student,  you  are  essentially  going  through,  in  order,  the  developments  of  math.  Geometry Â

Also inside this Issue...

LV ÂżYH KXQGUHG VL[ KXQGUHG \HDUV %&( E\ the  time  you  are  a  junior  or  senior  and  up  to  calculus  which  is  seventeenth  and  eighteenth  centuries,  if  you  continue  in  math  you  will  go  into  the  nineteenth  century.â€?      One  previous  Consortium  topic  was  math  and  foreign  language.  Mr.  Murtha  explained  that  â€œsome  of  the  students  did  a  presentation  RQ WKH PDWK EHKLQG KRZ WUDQVODWLRQ VRIWZDUH works.  You’ve  got  the  foreign  language  in  the  WUDQVODWLRQ DQG \RXÂśYH JRW WKH PDWK EHKLQG getting  a  translation  correct.  There  was  also  discussion  of  the  Voyager  Project  and  how  you  can  use  math  to  communicate  in  the  most  foreign  of  languages,  meaning  with  a  species  not  even  from  Earth.  You  can  communicate  with  math.  The  connections  are  surprising  and  I  think  that  the  students  that  apply  and  [attend  WKH &RQVRUWLXP@ ÂżQG WKHP LQWHUHVWLQJ ´ 7KH ÂżUVW PHHWLQJ RI WKH &RQVRUWLXP at  the  Agnes  Irwin  School  focused  on  the  mathematics  of  elections.  Topics  included  the  Electoral  College  and  the  mathematics  EHKLQG DSSRUWLRQPHQW RI YRWHV EHWZHHQ different  states  according  to  population.  Students  engaged  in  group  activities  to  test  GLIIHUHQW PHWKRGV RI DSSRUWLRQLQJ YRWHV E\ applying  them  to  a  survey  of  the  Consortium  participants. 7KH XQLTXH VWXGHQW EDVHG DSSURDFK WR OHDUQLQJ WHDFKHV YDOXDEOH VNLOOV EH\RQG FRQQHFWLRQV EHWZHHQ VHHPLQJO\ GLVSDUDWH VXEMHFWV 0U *UHHQ VWDWHG WKDW Âł6WXGHQWV realize  how  hard  teaching  really  is.  The  VWXGHQWV ZRUN UHDOO\ KDUG EXW WKHLU ÂŤ LQVWLQFWV are  not  tuned  in.  Teaching  is  hard  and  it’s  good  IRU WKH NLGV WR OHDUQ >KRZ WR EH D FODVVURRP instructor].   From  a  teacher’s  perspective  [the  Consortium  offers]  professional  development.  You  take  teachers  from  two  different  departments  at  four  different  schools  and  cross-­pollinate  ideas  and  teaching  techniques.â€?      Mr.  Green  pointed  out  that  the  consortium  is  an  opportunity  for  students  to  interact  with  students  from  other  independent  schools  in  the  DUHD Âł,WÂśV DOZD\V EHHQ D SODFH ZKHUH VWXGHQWV that  were  interested  in  enriching  their  learning  DQG EHLQJ DPRQJ OLNH PLQGHG VWXGHQWV FRXOG enjoy  one  another’s  company  and  learn  together.â€? Â

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    There’s  no  getting  around  it:  drug  and  DOFRKRO DEXVH LV D IDFW RI OLIH LQ KLJK VFKRRO HYHQ DW +DYHUIRUG ,Q D VXUYH\ E\ WKH 1DWLRQDO &HQWHU RQ $GGLFWLRQ DQG 6XEVWDQFH $EXVH DW &ROXPELD 8QLYHUVLW\ SHUFHQW RI American  high  school  students  reported  that  some  of  their  peers  were  using  illegal  drugs  GXULQJ VFKRRO KRXUV $ERXW SHUFHQW DEXVH drugs  during  the  school  day.  54  percent  of  private  high  school  students  said  that  drugs  ZHUH DYDLODEOH LQ VFKRRO FRPSDUHG ZLWK WZHQW\ IRXU SHUFHQW LQ 7KH VWDWLVWLFV DUH FRQFHUQLQJ EXW QRW VXUSULVLQJ      Why  are  drugs  and  alcohol  so  prevalent  DQG ZK\ DUH WKH\ EHFRPLQJ PRUH DQG PRUH SRSXODU" 7KHUH DUH D IHZ SRVVLEOH UHDVRQV for  the  upward  trend.  One  is  the  rise  of  social  networking.  The  study  found  that  teens  who  REVHUYHG SLFWXUHV RI WKHLU SHHUV SDUW\LQJ ZLWK alcohol  or  marijuana  on  social  networking  sites  were  more  than  four  times  as  likely  to  use  PDULMXDQD DQG WKUHH WLPHV DV OLNHO\ WR DEXVH alcohol.  The  social  network  component  has  a  twofold  effect.  One,  it  shows  kids  that  their  peers  are  having  fun  using  drugs,  and  two,  it  creates  the  illusion  that  more  people  are  using  LOOLFLW VXEVWDQFHV WKDQ ZKR DFWXDOO\ DUH      Another  reason  for  the  upward  trend  is  the  LQFUHDVHG SUHVVXUH LQ VFKRRO $ UHFHQW VWXG\ E\ the  Partnership  for  a  Drug-­Free  America  found  WKDW RI WHHQV UHSRUW WKDW WKH QXPEHU RQH reason  for  drug  use  is  the  stress  and  pressure  of  school.  A  third  trend  is  the  increased  usage  RI PDULMXDQD ZKLFK UHĂ€HFWV UHFHQW QDWLRQDO discussions  over  medical  marijuana  and  marijuana  legalization,  leading  to  a  decreased  perception  of  the  dangers  of  marijuana. $ QXPEHU RI SV\FKRORJLFDO UHDVRQV PDNH it  more  appealing  for  teens  to  use  drugs  and  alcohol.  Of  course,  stress  is  a  major  factor,  although  it  is  often  an  underestimated  one.  Just  RI SDUHQWV EHOLHYH EHLQJ RYHUO\ VWUHVVHG plays  a  role  at  all.  Another  psychological  component  is  low  self-­esteem  or  the  need  to  ¿W LQ $V EUDLQV GHYHORS WKHUH LV DQ DZNZDUG time  in  adolescence  where  the  acceptance  of Â

Haverford lacrosse’s VXFFHVV RII WKH ÀHOG KDV rivaled its success on the ÀHOG $ ORW RI WKLV LV GXH to Checking for Cancer, SURÀOHG RQ 3DJH Last year’s team poses with its donation check.

Will Tackett ‘14

Ms. Dawn Blake

RWKHUV PDWWHUV PRUH WKDQ LV UHDVRQDEOH VR WKH desire  for  social  acceptance  can  drive  teenagers  WR HQJDJH LQ VHOI GHVWUXFWLYH EHKDYLRU $ WKLUG UHDVRQ IRU GUXJ DEXVH LV VHOI PHGLFDWLRQ 7KH emotional  whirlwind  of  the  adolescent  years  often  leads  to  depression  or  anxiety  and  these  drugs  and  alcohol  provide  an  outlet  for  pent  up  emotions.      These  are  the  reasons  why,  in  general,  WHHQDJHUV FKRRVH WR XVH GUXJV RU DOFRKRO EXW ZKDW DERXW +DYHUIRUG VWXGHQWV LQ SDUWLFXODU" One  reason  is  that  Haverford  students,  for  the  most  part,  are  wealthier  than  average  students  DQG WKHUHIRUH KDYH PRUH GLVSRVDEOH LQFRPH Another  is  that,  as  Head  of  Upper  School,  Mr.  Matthew  Green  puts  it,  â€œ[A  typical  Haverford  student]  is  living  a  frenetic  life,  an  intensely  hyper-­scheduled  existence.â€?  Haverford  students  live  in  â€œan  environment  that  promotes  participation  and  achievement.â€?  The  winners  of  the  competition,  the  kids  who  participate  and  achieve  the  most,  lead  a  stressful  life  in  order  to  reap  these  rewards,  and,  thus,  are  often  prone  to  use  drugs  and  alcohol  as  self-­ medication.  Conversely,  the  students  who  do  QRW DFKLHYH DW WKH OHYHO WKH\ EHOLHYH RWKHUV DUH achieving  at  feel  discouragement  and,  as  Mr.  *UHHQ GHVFULEHV ÂłDQ DVVDXOW RQ >WKHLU@ VHOI esteem  and,  in  some  way,  the  drugs  and  alcohol  are  temporary  escapes  from  a  diminished  or  uncertain  sense  of  self-­worth.â€?      Haverford  alone  does  not  have  an  issue  with  student  drug  use.  In  the  student  life  survey  that  Haverford  participates  in  every  two  years  with  schools  like  Lower  Merion  High  School,  +DUULWRQ +LJK 6FKRRO %DUUDFN +HEUHZ Academy,  Shipley,  and  Agnes  Irwin  and  %DOGZLQ +DYHUIRUGÂśV QXPEHUV DUH FRQVLVWHQW with  all  the  other  schools.  The  challenge  is  EDVHG LQ WKH FRPPXQLW\ RI WKH 0DLQ /LQH rather  than  the  individual  schools.  Main  Liners  tend  to  lead  a  faster-­paced  lifestyle  that  may  or  may  not  lead  to  increased  drug  or  alcohol  DEXVH

Continued  on  Page  2

Make sure to read the Letter from the President on 3DJH ,W LV D VKRUW IXQ UHDG WKDW 3UHVLGHQW 0LNH *UHHQ SXW D ORW RI HIIRUW LQWR ,I \RX KDYH QRW been reading along all year and liked this one, check haverfordindex.com

Article Letter from the Editors Career Column New Courses Next Year DECA States Review Empty Bowls Update Baseball Team Trip Fords’ Focus Column Honor Council Response Outdex

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