September 2013 Index

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Volume LXXV, No. 1

September 2013

Haverford, Pennsylvania - haverfordindex.com

Taking a Look at Haverford’s Seven Courses Policy Brendan Burns ‘15 explores Haverford’s policy of discouraging students from taking on a courseload of more than six classes. Brendan Burns ‘15

The question as to whether Haverford students can enroll in seven classes remains a gray area that is yet to be clarified. Haverford’s Course Catalog states that students may enroll in “no more than six” courses. However, in recent years, multiple Haverford students have exceeded this limit and have taken seven classes. Should Upper School students be allowed to do so? Proponents would argue that the students who naturally request the more difficult academic schedule are highly motivated and deserve the option of undertaking a more rigorous curriculum. Critics point out that enrolling in seven courses strips the student of his invaluable free period and is likely to cause extreme stress in even the most gifted students. Upper School Division Head Matthew Green acknowledges both sides. While Mr. Green states that “[Upper School teachers and administration] have established a six course load” to “ensure that students are safe and healthy,” he affirms that exceptions can be made for “the occasional student” who has “a demonstrated track record of academic success and curiosity” and the support of his teachers. Sixth Former Jonathan Paras, who is currently enrolled in seven classes, agrees with this policy, stating that, while he is a “firm

supporter of letting a student push himself, there has to be a level of oversight” and that

requests to take six academic majors”, and that this request is only granted by the “Director of the Upper School” to students who have already demonstrated the ability to manage the “exceptional workload.” In comparison, Haverford’s policy of allowing a few select students to pursue seven academic majors might seem accommodating enough. At the other end of the

Librarian Ms. Maureen Kirk placing a bottle in the recycling bin.

the option to take seven courses should be reserved for “students with the greatest desire for knowledge, coupled with the greatest capacity for learning.” How does Haverford’s course policy compare to those of Haverford’s peer institutions? At one end of the spectrum, the Baldwin School expects students to “study five major academic subjects and Physical Education each year.” Baldwin’s Course Catalog notes that “occasionally, a student

spectrum is Episcopal Academy, which expects students to pursue six courses – or obtain administrative permission to enroll in either five or seven. However, a sevenclass schedule is a much more prevalent occurrence at EA than at Haverford. I spoke to the Academic Dean of Episcopal’s Upper School, Dr. Catherine Hall. Dr. Hall explained that “students who are interested in taking a seventh course [at EA] are typically looking to add a second language, math, or science class.” Regarding the approval process, Dr. Hall

elaborated that “these requests would typically all be approved as long as the student has demonstrated successful management of their current course load.” Exactly how common is this phenomenon at EA? Dr. Hall estimated that “about a third of [EA] students take seven courses.” When asked if many EA students enroll in five courses, Dr. Hall replied, “We would rarely have a request for a student to take only five courses. It is difficult to complete our graduation requirements without taking six courses each year.” What accounts for these seemingly more rigorous requirements? It should be noted that Episcopal’s Upper School schedule is different – and substantially more conducive to a 7-course schedule – than Haverford’s. EA relies on a 12-day rotating schedule with 7 blocks per day. As each block drops once per week, Dr. Hall explained that an EA student enrolled in seven classes would still have five free periods during the course of a 12-day rotation. Maintaining Haverford’s current schedule prevents most students from remaining “safe and healthy”, without the threat of constant overwork and stress, while taking seven classes. A Haverford student taking 7 classes with no free period would likely find the amount of time he is able to devote toward social activities, extracurriculars, and sports seriously affected. The fact that the vast majority of Haverford’s most talented students choose to retain a 6-course schedule is Continued on Page 8

Students’ Scientific Research Teacher Profile: Mr. Zachary During Summer Break Bleckner The Advanced Research Cooperative offers students the opportunity to work in lab over the summer. Greg Boyek ‘14, himself a participant, reports on the experiences of those students. Greg Boyek ‘14

For the last five years, select rising VI Formers have been given the outstanding opportunity to participate in the Advanced Research Cooperative Program. This year nine students assisted in a wide variety of research at The University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University. Collaborating with researchers, doctors, students, and other academic specialists, these students were involved in labs of diverse scientific fields, from genetics to neuroscience to mechanical engineering. According to Research Cooperative Program Director Kara Cleffi, “the goal of the program is to show students how real science research works. In class, students learn about the significant discoveries and not the years of hard and sometimes tedious work that is behind those discoveries. Even though not every student comes away from their summer wanting to make a career out of science research, every student says they found the learning experience rewarding.” Science Department Chair Thomas Trocano said that “the program is designed to give our best science and math students, who demonstrate a strong and sincere interest, the opportunity to experience scientific research first hand. Many students don’t experience a real lab environment until

Also inside this Issue...

their junior year in college, if ever. It has been my experience that motivated high school students are more than capable of doing high level work provided they have, or can acquire, the background. The results they realize never cease to amaze me.” “The success of our program has depended on several factors,” he went on to say. “First, we are very fortunate to have had local scientists who generously offered to provide mentors, resources, lab space, and meaningful work for our students. Second, the leadership, passion, dedication, enthusiasm, flexibility, and sheer intellect that Ms. Cleffi provides as lead instructor are amazing. She has been a perfect fit for establishing, sustaining, and nurturing the program.” Two students, VI Formers Will Tackett and Rudy Miller, assisted in research at the Gene Therapy lab of Dr. James Wilson of The University of Pennsylvania. The lab genetically engineered viral “vectors” which are used to inject DNA into unhealthy cells to treat a variety of genetic diseases. Rudy Miller described the project as “designing a novel variant of an adeno-associated virus (AAV) that targets the entire body… Hopefully this variant can be utilized in the future to genetically suppress or cure diseases that are spread throughout the patient, such as cystic Continued on Page 8

Check out our new column, Nagl Notes, written by Editor-inChief Manav Khandelwal. This month’s topics: Syria, GPA, Class Rank, and more. On Page 4.

Manav Khandelwal ‘15 profiles Spanish teacher Mr. Zachary Bleckner, who is returning to Haverford for his first full year. Manav Khandelwal ‘15

Mr. Zachary Bleckner is an unorthodox person. All you have to do is read his resume or sit in for one of his Spanish classes to know that. He is exciting, down-to-earth, and endearing, traits that students value in a teacher. After spending his early years in your “runof-the-mill” public schools, as he puts it, Mr. Bleckner applied to Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music, Art & Performing Art (LaGuardia, for short). He was accepted, a moment that changed the entire course of his adolescent life “To this day I am thankful for getting in. I decided to attend LaGuardia because I was looking for something different,” Mr. Bleckner told the Index in a recent interview. “I did not want to go where everyone else was going or do what everyone else was doing. It would have been too easy for me to follow the cleared path, and far too boring.” He’d always enjoyed arts, especially theater, but attending LaGuardia was a completely different atmosphere. Half of the school day was spent studying history, math, and science like most high school students do, but the other half involved a conservatory-style theater program, where Mr. Bleckner “perfected a handful of accents using the IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet), found out how to decipher

Shakespeare, choreographed stage combat scenes, learned to Clown and Mime, do improv, dance, sing, meditate, and all kinds of other crazy things.” In addition to being a star student and performer, Mr. Bleckner played on LaGuardia’s baseball and soccer teams and did hours upon hours of community work, in places as close as the Upper West Side, where he grew up, to spots as far as Mexico and El Salvador. He will be coaching baseball (third team) and soccer (junior varsity) this year. These exploits earned Mr. Bleckner a spot in Brown University’s Class of 2012, where he spent four years adjusting to Brown’s unique grading system, which gives students the option of taking most classes on a pass-fail basis and does not report GPA, allowing students to use materials that provide more nuanced measures of their knowledge and skills into their resumés. He also played Rugby at Brown, directed a number of plays, and studied abroad in Havana, Cuba, a continuation of his love for Latin American culture and the Spanish language. Of his experience at Brown, Mr. Bleckner says, “It was a bonafide wake-up call for me in the sense that all of my peers there were and are brilliant, motivated, and extremely well educated.” He learned to value “ the relationships I build with people both in and outside of my community and the deeds I Continued on Page 7

Haverford welcomes many new teachers this year! Read about who they are on Page 7.

Article Letter fron the President College Column Club Spotlights Teacher Introductions Drama Productions Fords Focus GPA and Class Rank Intervention in Syria Outdex

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The Index

Editorials

September 2013

Letter from the Editors Dear Reader,

Welcome back, gentlemen! We hope you had a relaxing summer and are now sufficiently recharged for what is certain to be an exciting year. While you were lazing about in your pool, nose in your summer reading, The Index staff was hard at work writing and editing articles that should help you get back in the swing of things. For you Third Formers, we have compiled a comprehensive list of informative profiles of all the extracurricular activities that are at the heart of the Haverford Upper School community. If you are not sure of what to do, or even if you are, read these articles to make a more informed decision, but, above all, find something-something you enjoy and are passionate about-to do, as it will help you integrate into the Haverford community, as well as enable you to make the most of your experience here. Good luck and enjoy the next four years! For everyone else, there are plenty of changes to catch up on and this issue of The Index will help you do just that. We have profiles of new teachers and an article on new positions among the faculty, like Director of Innovation. Perhaps the biggest change is the addition of Haverford’s tenth Headmaster, Dr. John Nagl. The changing of the guard from Dr. Joseph T. Cox, who served Haverford for 15 years, to Dr. Nagl is one reason this year will be so stimulating. The transition presents us, the students, with a blank slate, an opportunity to shape the school for the future as we see fit. Do not take this responsibility lightly. Changes are afoot for The Index as well. The new staff is starting its first full year after assembling the graduation issue last year. The Index is hoping to increase its online presence, bringing you more articles that are web-exclusive. For example, because we print monthly, we are

not capable of providing gameby-game analysis of athletic events. We are looking to solve this with the implementation of beat writers who will post content online that otherwise would not be able to be published in a timely fashion. Further, The Index hopes to establish a journalistic standard for censorship by the administration. Last year, several important articles, including Will Tackett ‘14’s piece on drug use at Haverford and Brendan Burns ‘15’s piece on socioeconomic inequality at Haverford, underwent long, arduous revision processes. The purpose of any Grayson Sessa ‘13 Editors-in-Chief Manav Khandelwal ‘15 and William Tackett ‘14 with Faculty Advisor Mr. Kellen Graham. journalistic With that, we look forward to serving you, endeavor is, of course, to convey the truth to the public. Therefore The the student body, and wish you all good luck Sincerely, Index is committed to pursuing the truth, even and a fantastic year. It’s going to be a great one, Will Tackett and Manav Khandelwal, Editorsin-Chief if that means having disagreements with the boys. administration.

Letter from the President To the Haverford Student Body,
 The hot summer months have dwindled to a close and the school year is now upon us. Another year marks another journey that we embark on as a whole to work, learn, play, and enjoy each others’ company. This being my last year at Haverford, I speak for many when I say that it is bittersweet. Life at Haverford has flown by, and I hope to hold this year in my memory for the rest of my life. I have been at Haverford since I was in Junior Kindergarten and I can’t believe that this is the beginning of the end for me. I could not think of a better way, however, to go out other than as your Student Body President for the 2013-2014 year. To the VI Form, we have come so far in the Upper School but we are not done. This year is our chance to leave a permanent mark on the Haverford School. We will be expected to assist the underclassmen and respect everyone in the community. Being the oldest in the student body is a great responsibility, but I know we will set the right tone within the walls of Haverford and outside of them in order to continue the great brotherhood we all share in here. To the V Form, this year presents tremendous importance, especially with respect to academics. You are no longer among the youngest in the upper school, and you should take this role seriously. Do not hesitate to look

up to your VI Form brothers for advice in any aspect of your day-to-day lives. To the IV Form, you now have one year of Upper School under your belt and will begin to become more comfortable in your daily life at Haverford. This newfound comfort must not be taken advantage of, and the expectations of you will rise as you are no longer the youngest in the school. Improve in every way you can and respect all of your peers and faculty members and you will succeed. And now to the III Form: the newbies. Although it is very cliché, it really does feel like not long ago I entered the fall of my freshman year in class with Mr. Kolade and Mr. Murtha and playing JV Soccer for Ms. David and Mr. Griffin. You will make mistakes, and you will fall short, but you have 400 brothers around you that are there for you at every turn, shortcoming, and mishap. I know it’s difficult, but try to make as many friends and connections as possible because we all can learn from one another no matter how different we may be. I am extremely excited for another year at the place I like to call home. Let’s make it a good one. “Turn Up.” Sincerely, Peter Blynn ‘14 Student Body President

The Index

2013-2014 Staff

Manav Khandelwal ‘15, Editor-in-Chief Will Tackett ‘14, Editor-in-Chief Sanjay Naryanan ‘14, Head of Photography Jack Henderson ‘15, News and Features Editor Brendan Burns ‘15, Opinions Editor Jackson Simon ‘15, Sports Editor Gregory Boyek ‘14, Arts Editor Noah Cutler ‘14, Outdex Editor Graham Gaddes ‘14, Senior Web Editor Kenny Fitzpatrick ‘16, Junior Web Editor Grant Yu ‘16, Junior Web Editor Brendan Burns ‘15, Graphics Editor Mr. Kellen Graham, Faculty Advisor

The Index is a student-run publication of the Haverford School that does more than bring news: it provides the diverse perspectives of the Haverford student body. It is an outlet for student writers to take stands on issues they deem important. It chronicles the daily struggles and accomplishments of the Haverford community. The Index also

Student Body President Peter Blynn

Sanjay Naryanan

provides a forum for discussion of pertinent issues, such as student culture, academic policy, and Haverford’s place in world affairs. The Index presents new ideas and aspires to influence constructive change. All opinions and viewpoints expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of The Index or the school. The Index is designed and produced digitally. Photographs may be retouched. Submissions and letters to the editors regarding any and all articles are welcomed at hsindex@gmail.com. The Index, a member of the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, is composed on Mac OS X, using Adobe InDesign CS5.5. Its surveys are conducted via SurveyMonkey and are advertised on Facebook to current Haverford students. Southern Dutchess News prints 200-400 copies of each issue, and its editorial staff distributes them in the Upper School on the day of release. The Index serves the needs of a total school population of 1091 community members, consisting of 975 students and 116 faculty members. Contact The Index: 450 Lancaster Ave, Haverford, PA 19041 hsindex@gmail.com http://www.haverfordindex.com/ (610) 642-3020 x. 1222 Volume LXXV, No. 1 - September 6, 2013

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The Index

Columns

September 2013

College Column: Rice University Columnist Brendan Burns ‘15 profiles Rice University, a private research university in Houston, Texas. Brendan Burns ‘15

This is the second edition of the College Column, and the first of the 2013-2014 school year. For those who are new to the Upper School or are not familiar with this column: the College Column was created to inform Haverford students about prospective schools across the country, from the wellknown to the relatively obscure. It is meant to provide both useful insight into the characteristics of specific colleges, as well as a reference tool that can be used during the College search process. The second edition of the column will profile Rice University, a private research university in Houston, Texas. Rice is both a graduate and undergraduate institution. Rice University opened in 1912. It is named after its founder, William Marsh Rice, a business tycoon, who was murdered in 1900 and dedicated his fortune to the founding of a university. Rice is both an undergraduate and graduate level institution, with 3,708 undergraduates, 2,374 graduate students (Fall 2011 data), and a (relatively low) 5-to-1 student–faculty ratio, with almost 70% of classes composed of 20 or fewer students. Rice University has four undergraduate schools in natural sciences, engineering, social sciences, and humanities. The University currently offers two tracks for undergraduate admissions: regular decision, and a binding early decision option (meaning that the applicant can apply to Rice only through an early decision or early action process, and must commit or withdraw his/her application to Rice if accepted). Rice is located near the Museum District (an association of 19 Museums) of Houston, the fourth largest city in the United States by population, and is adjacent to Texas Medical Center, the largest medical center in the world. Rice’s campus itself is forested and covers 285 acres. Houston’s climate is categorized as humid subtropical, with highs in the mid-sixties (ºF) in the winter and mid-nineties in the summer. Rice is also a 30-minute drive away from NASA’s Johnson Space Center (of “Houston, we have a problem” in Apollo 13 fame). The City of

2008-2013 period (9 via the regular decision process, and 1 via Rice’s binding early decision process). Only one Haverford student has been accepted to Rice during this period (this student applied under the regular decision option). Among the most popular majors at Rice, based on graduations in the 2011-2012 school year, were Economics (11% of majors), Health and Physical Fitness, General Psychology, Mechanical Engineering, Political Science, General Architecture, and Biomedical

was dictated by William Rice’s will) until the mid-1960s; however, today Rice has a diverse undergraduate student body – composed of 39% White, 22% Asian, 15% Hispanic, Houston is a hub for aeronautics, energy, and 7% Black or African-American, and 10% manufacturing corporations, and is home to international students. Approximately 51% of more headquarters of Fortune 500 companies Rice undergraduates are from Texas. than any other city except for New York City, Rice University tuition for the 2013-2014 leading to its designation by Forbes as one of school year is $38,260; according to Rice, America’s “Engineering Capitals.” 43.1% of students receive need-based financial In a similar vein, Rice is renowned for its aid. Unlike some schools, Rice has not phased out loans as a form of financial aid, however, Rice does have a system in place to prevent the accumulation of debt on its students: “for families whose income is $80,000 or less, Rice will meet 100 percent of need eligibility without student loans. For families whose income is more than $80,000 and who demonstrate need eligibility, we will meet 100% of need and student loans will not exceed $10,000 total over a student’s four years at Rice.” Like Haverford, Rice University has an Honor Code that is enforced by a student-run Honor Council. The fact that Rice’s disciplinary system has its basis in an honor code manifests itself in the fact that most Rice exams are not proctored, and many are take-home exams. How do Rice students feel about their school? Rice boasts a respectable 96.5% first-yearretention rate, and, according to the Princeton Review’s 2011 survey of 122,000 students at 376 different schools, Rice students are the “happiest” students in the commons.wikimedia.org A statue of Rice University founder William Marshall Rice. country. The survey cited a studious, applied sciences programs, and maintains Engineering. Rice offers a total of 43 majors. yet down-to-earth student body, the school’s numerous dedicated institutions, including the Instead of a Greek system (fraternities and “vibrant research program”, enthusiastic Smalley Institute of Nanoscale Science and sororities), Rice assigns undergraduate students professors, Texan weather, and the social Technology (the nation’s first nanotechnology to one of eleven residential colleges, of which atmosphere created by the residential college center), the Rice Space Institute, the Rice they are members even if they choose to live off- system as factors that contributed to student Quantum Institute, the Laboratory for campus. Nearly all freshmen and the majority satisfaction. Nanophotonics, and more. Rice also topped of undergraduates live on campus. Multiple Rice is an exceptional University for those Times Higher Education’s list of best institutions on-campus institutions serve the student body, seeking a superior education and an active for materials science research in 2010 (based on including Valhalla, a graduate student pub, research program, in a laid-back environment, citations per scientific paper in the 1999-2009 which was lauded by Houston Press’s “Best minus the bone-chilling winters of a Northeast period). of Houston” feature as the “Best Cheap Date” school. Although its competitive admissions Can I get in? Rice is a highly selective (2012) in Houston. Two other student-run may deter some, I would highly recommend university, with an overall 19% acceptance establishments, Rice Coffeehouse and Willy’s adding Rice to your shortlist of college visit rate, making it one of the 40 most selective Pub, serve the campus. destinations. colleges in the nation. Accepted students post Although there were no women’s residential If you would like to request a certain school to 25th/75th percentile SAT test scores of 2140 colleges on the Rice campus until 1957, Rice’s be profiled in the next edition, or have any other and 2310, respectively (31/35 ACT). According current student body is 48% female. Likewise, suggestions, please email me at brenburn@ to Haverford Naviance Records, a total of ten Rice was a white-only institution (which haverford.org. Haverford students have applied to Rice in the

Career Column: Market Researcher Jack Henderson ‘15 explores the responsibilities and skills involved with a career as a market researcher. Jack Henderson ‘15

Note: While the first year of this column discussed careers from a broader perspective, this year will feature more detailed, specific occupations intended to provide a real world example of a possible future career. While there are many types of marketing, its general function is to serve as the middleman between the development of a product and sales. Marketing professionals are tasked with producing, managing, and improving brands through the use of promotional strategies, such as advertising, sales planning, and public relations. This edition will focus on the career of a market researcher. The primary purpose of a market researcher is to study the intended target market, whether it happens to be an individual or an entire company, in which a certain product will be placed to determine the best promotional mix that will maximize the product’s sales. Market research is a critical part of running a successful business, for companies use market researchers to discover the right consumer to target for their product. Time spent on market research allows companies to avoid potential financial risks, such as investing too much money in a market that may not have high sales for their product or maintain a significant market share in the industry. Market research is intended to realize the demographics of the target market and make decisions on a marketing mix suited for the right consumer. The process of researching a specific market starts by understanding the consumer, including their needs and purchasing habits. In

order to satisfy the consumer and their needs, the marketing team must formulate a marketing mix by considering the controllable factors involved, which are product, price, place, and promotion. These four parameters can be adjusted depending on the target market for a certain product, and it is the responsibility of the market researcher to discover the ideal marketing mix to maximize sales in a product’s intended market. Primary market research involves obtaining data that monitors sales and marketing strategies through direct communication with the consumer. Companies often employ primary market research to gauge interest and the company’s progression after a product launch. Secondary research is obtained and then examined via statistics that have already been published. Secondary research is therefore less expensive and often used to target a specific market segment before the release of a product. Many college students interested in market research choose to major in business in college, primarily marketing, during which they will learn about consumer behavior, distribution of goods and services, advertising, sales, research, and management, to name a few. Students with a major in marketing can still choose jobs in consulting, advertising, and sales. If the job as a market researcher seems like something you may be interested in, there are

many steps you can take to look further into the career or put you on a path to become a market researcher yourself. In high school, take rigorous classes in the liberal arts and business, such as the two semester courses in

Reading newspapers and books is another excellent way to pursue any interest. The journalist Malcolm Gladwell has written three great and popular marketing books. Tipping Point, one of his bestsellers, describes market

Marketing researchers serves as the bridge between development and sales.

economics offered at Haverford. The recently new and popular club at Haverford called DECA is an excellent start to prepare you for a career in many fields including marketing.

finance.yahoo.com

research in a broader context, featuring terms such as the Stickiness Factor and emphasizing the importance of “connectors,” “mavens,” and “salesmen” in society.

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The Index

Columns

February 2013

Nagl Notes: Syria, GPA, Class Rank, and More

In the debut Nagl’s Notes column, Headmaster John Nagl gives his opinions on the contentious issues covered and debated in this month’s Index.

Manav Khandelwal ‘15 In every issue of The Index, students cover major topics relevant to both the school, local, national, and worldwide communities; you, the reader, can gather the information and form opinions from the writing of your peers, but some of you might wonder what authority figures think about these issues? So, starting this month, The Index will take its five most contentious topics to the authority figure himself, Headmaster John Nagl, who has graciously agreed to give his two cents on these topics to not only provide a different perspective but to help us look at these issues more deeply. So, let’s start with the problem that graces the front page of this issue, the question of whether students should be allowed to take seven classes. Brendan Burns ‘15, the author of this particular news piece, points out several sides to the argument; some students want the opportunity to take as many classes as they want, both to boost their academic resume and because they are interested in so many different fields, but taking seven classes takes away the invaluable free period and heaps on added stress to even “the most gifted students.” Dr. Nagl has a similarly nuanced opinion. “One of the things that attracted me to The Haverford School was its broad commitment to excellence across the academics, the arts, athletics, and character development,” says Headmaster Nagl. “I’d have to look hard at a request to take seven classes; I’d want to talk with the boy in question about his personal commitment to the other pillars of The Haverford School experience. I’m a big believer in academic excellence—I collect graduate degrees myself—but I’m an even bigger believer in building a whole person who is a man for others, and I am a fan of the “sound mind in a sound body” Juvenal quotation over the gym. I’m hard pressed to believe you could have both and take seven classes!” Balance between academic rigor and physical and artistic excellence; it’s a fine line, and taking seven courses, in the eyes of many, is tipping the scales in the wrong direction. For more, read Brendan’s article which begins on the front page. Another major point of contention in this issue is Syria; in another new column, the Politics Column, Fifth Formers Brendan Burns and Eric Petersen debate political issues from across the aisle, and this month it is whether the

United States should intervene at all in Syria. Now, being an expert on counterinsurgency and familiar with the Middle Eastern region, Dr. Nagl seems like the perfect person to comment on this issue. He says, “I am horrified by the actions of President Assad in massacring his own people—with chemical weapons, certainly, but also with conventional artillery and air strikes.

part of the academic experience at Haverford. Many Fifth and Sixth Formers have already found their passions and joined appropriate clubs, like The Index, DECA, or Debate, but underclassmen deserve the opportunity to learn more about the clubs that are out there so they can make sure to join the right one. This month’s Club Spotlights cover the seven most popular clubs in the school, and we here at The Index strongly urge to join at least one. I personally am a part of five, and have not regretted joining a single one. Dr. Nagl agrees, saying, “Clubs significantly enhanced my experience at my own prep school, Creighton Prep in Omaha, at West Point, and in

Dr. Nagl at his home

But while the international norm against the use of chemical weapons is important, so is the international norm against the unilateral use of force, and I am concerned that the United States does not currently have the support of the United Nations or any other significant international organizations for these proposed strikes.” “I am also conscious of Saint Augustine’s reminder that the only purpose of a war is to build a better peace,” adds Dr. Nagl. “I’m not confident that limited air strikes would result in a better postwar Syria, and very concerned that they might instead broaden the war, with deleterious effects on the broader Middle East and US interests there.” To get the perspectives of both Petersen and Burns, check out their back-and-forth commentary on Page 15. Another theme of this issue is clubs, a big

Sanjay Narayanan

grad school at Oxford. I wrote for the student newspaper at Prep, worked on the yearbook, was in speech and debate, and ran track. I did speech and debate and Model United Nations and wrote for the paper at West Point as well as participating in intramural sports and student government, and I rowed intramural crew as well as ran the Oxford University Strategic Studies Group when I was at grad school. I’m convinced that many of the most important things I learned in those years came on the sports field and in the clubs in which I served, and I want to encourage all Haverford School boys to find the place where they feel passionate about making a difference.” Clubs offer students the opportunity not only to leave their mark on the school but to perform activities not offered in the curriculum. For example, while you do a fair amount of writing

in English class, The Index is a place for you to write about your favorite Haverford sports team or pen a political satire. Mock trial offers a place for budding lawyers, and DECA is the club for young entrepreneurs and businessmen. To read more about the different clubs offered at school, check out pages 5 and 6. The next issue is more college-related. Currently, Haverford does not release GPA or Class Rank to students or colleges, unlike many public schools. George Hall ‘15 (GPA) and Will Tackett ‘14 (Class Rank) both agree with this system, arguing that these numbers just give colleges another opportunity to judge students without really analyzing their application. In addition, they argue that these numbers don’t necessarily represent how qualified a student is to be admitted to that particular institution. Once again, Dr. Nagl agrees with the philosophy of the College Counseling office. He says, “One of the best things about The Haverford School is the close relationships the boys develop with the faculty. Those relationships allow the faculty to really get to know the boys and to write wonderful personal letters to colleges and university that paint a picture of the whole person that a number simply can’t match. As I’ve served on postgraduate scholarship selection committees myself, I’ve learned to really value those holistic evaluations; that’s certainly something that The School needs to continue. Numbers can be a useful shorthand way to provide some information, but they’ll never replace personal connections communicated in a personal way.” To read George and Will’s pieces, check out the Opinions section on Page 14. Finally, we end with a more light-hearted topic, the success of Haverford’s Fall sports teams. With extremely talented rosters across, the board, Dr. Nagl is excited about our athletic program: “I’ve made a good start, seeing football, water polo, and soccer competitions, but that’s only a start; I’m looking forward to seeing all of our sports, and to getting back into a rowing shell and to running practice with the cross country team. I’ve been hugely impressed by the professionalism of our coaches and the dedication and courage of our boys—the true men in the arena who deserve the credit, as Joe Cox highlighted with the President Teddy Roosevelt quotation inside the Upper School lobby. And we’re obviously going to keep The Sweater here where it belongs at The Haverford School!” To read our Fall sports previews, turn to the Sports section: soccer (page 10), water polo (page 12), football (page 12), cross country (page 13), and golf (online exclusive at haverfordindex.com).

Food Column: Pizza Museum The nation’s first pizza museum is putting out the best pizza in Philly. Noah Cutler Noah Cutler ‘14 Pizza Brain is anything but your average pizza joint. It is, in fact, the nation’s first and only pizza museum, with a world class artisan pizzeria attached. Founder Brian Dwyer originally had an art exhibition called “Give Pizza a Chance” in May of 2010, in which he used pizza as the canvas to showcase works from 23 different local artists. After its success, he decided to continue with the exhibit as a yearly occurrence, amassing more and more pizza art and collectibles. Eventually, he gathered enough to size up from an annual art show to the nation’s first pizza museum named after his nickname, “Brain,” stocked to the brim with pizza paraphernalia and art that earned him the Guinness World Record for “largest collection of pizza memorabilia” in 2011. In September of 2010, Dwyer, after eating his way through the country’s finest pizzas, brought in chef Joe Hunter from South Carolina, collaborating to make delicious, interesting, and sometimes quite odd flavor profiles and combinations, like the limited edition collaboration with Federal Donuts to make a chili-garlic fried chicken and honey-glazed donut pizza. The walls are covered from top to bottom with pictures, vinyl albums, action figures, and small screens playing video clips, all including pictures of and/or the word, “pizza,” and the hardwood floors are littered with plexiglass covered holes that house ever more pizza knickknacks.

The entrance to the pizza museum and a view of its kitchen.

The menu is quite confusing. Every single pie is named after an unusual name of one of the employees’ co-workers from previous jobs. For example, your standard pepperoni pizza carries the name “Forbes Waggensense.” I ordered two slices (which are massive): a Lucy Waggle, which has mozzarella, grana padano, pine nuts, fresh thyme, sweet date, crisped prosciutto, and arugula on it, and a “Frankford Avenue Taco,” which I will discuss later. The sweetness of the date and salty prosciutto of the Lucy Waggle, along with the slightly garlicy, thicker crust

tasted less like a standard pie and more like a fine cheese course. Originally proposed as a joke by Dwyer, the Frankford Avenue Taco, something of secret menu item, is composed of a slice of pizza topped with a special tomato, garlic, and basil flavored ice cream, made by Little Baby’s Ice Cream, which is located on the opposite side of the museum. Although it may top the list of the strangest things that you have ever eaten, it is actually the perfect food. The heat of the pizza melts the ice cream, creating something of a

sauce that makes this pizza quite messy to eat, and the contrast of cold and hot as well as salty from the pizza and the slight sweetness of the ice cream makes this dinner/ dessert combination addictive. If a pizza flavored ice cream sounds a bit too strange, Little Baby’s has several other tantalizing flavors that would go great on pizza, such as “El Vocho,” a jalapeño, cilantro, lime ice cream that would go great with a slice of “Esteban Destino”, which has slow roasted pork, jack cheese, cilantro, jalapeno, red onion, black bean, and freshlysqueezed lime juice.” If you do plan on getting the pizza flavored ice cream, it is best to call ahead, as they do not make it every day. Labeling the staff as “hipsters” is an understatement. Clad in handlebar mustaches, cut-off short shorts that might fit in well in the Gentleman’s Club, and thick rimmed glasses, cooking kale chips in the pizza oven, pyknic.com they definitely fit the frame, but they lack the arrogance that one might expect. Everyone is there simply because they love to make and eat pizza, and it shows. Although it is not located in a necessarily close location, it is well worth the trip. With pizza and ice cream like this, It is no wonder that they have been featured on the Food Network, the Cooking Channel, and earned Philly Magazine’s “Best Pizza” of 2013.

Page 5

DECA

Jackson Simon‘15

For all those future entrepreneurs and businessmen, DECA will help guide you towards your dream. For those who enjoy winning and competing, DECA will fill your shelves with trophies. For those interested in traveling the nation, advancing to Internationals will secure you a trip to Atlanta. Finally, for those who are yet to discover their passions and future ambitions, DECA will help indicate whether or not you are suited for business. The 2013-2014 DECA chapter will be led by Sixth Former Graham Gaddes and Fifth Formers Jack Henderson and Manav Khandelwal, all of whom have won their fair share of DECA trophies. Khandelwal states, “As a chapter, we are looking to make DECA as successful it can be. Part of our mission this school year is to make sure that members, especially those who make it to the state and international levels, are as prepared as possible. This will be done using extra practice and study sessions to ensure that all of our members who are competing at higher levels take the competition as seriously as possible and reach the levels of excellence Haverford DECA strives for.” This statement should mostly resonate with incoming Third Formers. You might be scared to join new clubs and take new classes in the Upper School, but DECA assures you that the Sixth and Fifth formers will take you under their wings. After all, they were in your shoes once upon a time not so long ago. By now you might be wondering what is DECA? DECA is an international club stretching across 9 countries accumulating more than 200,000 members. From finance and sports marketing to hospitality, tourism and quick serve restaurant management, DECA offers a wide spectrum of interesting categories. 91% of DECA members worldwide claim that

The Index

Club Spotlights

DECA has influenced their future employment ambitions. DECA members are 7 times more likely to study business in college and 5 times more likely to want to start their own business.

DECA Members showing off trophies after regionals last year.

After first taking a 100 question multiple choice test on your area of expertise, you partake in a roleplay which tests your creativity and communication skills. DECA is unique because it gives you the option to work individually or with a partner. Teamwork is assessed additionally when working with a partner during the roleplay. For sports marketing you may be asked to create a promotional campaign for a sports franchise’s merchandise. For finance you will likely be asked to advise someone on his or her investment portfolio;

quick serve restaurant management you could be asked to franchise or promote your fast food chain. Even if business isn’t your forte, DECA helps develop important life skills from forcing you to think innovatively, present your ideas succinctly, and communicate fluidly. For those of you who are frightened by long multiple choice tests, don’t worry because a DECA test is not your traditional test. You will be asked to use logical reasoning more than knowledge. Here is a sample question, “ In a consensus building group, the facilitator

other schools, communities, and backgrounds to come and share their views and experiences regarding diversity – be it on the topic of race, culture, sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, economic status, or more. Fifth Former Eric Petersen says of the Diversity Alliance meetings and events: “They are chances to openly discuss your views, concerns, and feelings on a variety of issues ranging from an interesting speaker at Haverford to concerns about bullying.” A staple of Diversity Alliance is the yearly Student Diversity Leadership Conference, or SDLC, which is a three day national conference of roughly 1,500 private and independent school

students from around the country that propagates and supports the spread of acceptance through discussion. All students are eligible to attend SDLC, whether or not one defines themselves as “diverse.” SDLC exposes high schoolers to people and ideas that they would not normally encounter at home and better educates them on different facets of life. Of his time at SDLC, Petersen says that “[SDLC] allowed me to be a more honest person and open to new and different things.” While it may be true that at Haverford most students are kind and tolerable at many levels, the goal of Diversity Alliance is greater than just that of being kind to all. It is being able to reach

Diversity Alliance Louis Brown ‘15 The Diversity Alliance is a club that serves Haverford in many, albeit subtle, ways. The goal of Diversity Alliance is to promote diversity and acceptance throughout not only the Haverford community, but in outside communities and in the lives of as many people as possible. Lunch meetings every Thursday – both blocks – invite all students to come and discuss in a safe environment whatever they please, from current events to community happenings. In a broader range, events such as the Diversity Alliance retreat and movie night allow members from

Diplomacy Society Brendan Burns ‘15

The Diplomacy Society is (almost) unique among Haverford’s extracurricular offerings in that it is the only club (besides the Chess club) based on a board game. However, the game Diplomacy, which first came to the market in 1959, is a far cry from chess, or from any other board game for that matter. Diplomacy is, first and foremost, a game of negotiation and strategy. The game is set in circa 1914 Europe, with each of seven players taking charge of one of the World War I-era powers: Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, AustriaHungary, and Turkey. Each player begins the game with a certain number of armies and fleets but can only gain more units by taking over a corresponding amount of new territory. Unlike Risk, which it visually similar to, Diplomacy involves no element of chance. There are no dice and no cards. Instead, players negotiate, ally, scheme, and backstab their way to victory. Diplomacy has a notorious reputation for engrossing players in each game to an almost insane point. Although the Diplomacy Society is not a traditional club in the sense that there are no regular meetings, players will find that negotiating and developing elaborate schemes will consume more of their

for that reason knowledge of stocks and bonds is critical for this category. For travel and tourism you may be asked to promote tourism in a famous city halfway across the globe. In

time than expected. Were a “most addictive club” designation to exist, it would belong to the Diplomacy Society. Each of the seven countries in Diplomacy has unique geographical advantages, disadvantages, strategies, and alliances that are associated with it. Each day, each of the seven

although technically simple, are carefully chosen (and un. Diplomacy is a game of simple mechanics but intricate alliances and strategies. Sixth Former Graham Gaddes explains how Diplomacy games are won: “eventually the most cunning and savvy player will emerge victorious…Diplomacy hones one’s persuasive

September 2013

is the person who (A) takes notes, (B) is in charge of the group, ( C) keeps the discussion on track or (D) makes sure everyone has equal time to speak. In this case, the correct answer is C. Another question involves a woman who decides to invest some of her money. She doesn’t like to take big risks, and she wants to be able to access all of her money at all times. She also doesn’t mind not earning much interest. Sheila should invest her money in a (A) stock, (B) savings account, ( C) certificate of deposit or (D) money market account. The correct answer is B . According to DECA, “You’re always able to access your money, but you receive a low return. A stock is much riskier than a savings account—you actually own part of the company, so you have the rights and responsibilities that go along with ownership. This means you can make a big profit, but you can also lose a large amount of money if the stock decreases in value or if the company goes out of business. While a certificate of deposit (CD) Index Staff doesn’t have a high risk, you aren’t able to access your money at all for a set period of time. A money market account (MMA) is low risk, but you are only able to access some of your money each month, and you usually have to keep a certain amount of money in your account.” In the past, Haverford DECA has been extremely successful. Last year’s Sixth Former Grayson Sessa won 1st place at internationals while 14 other Haverford competitors placed 1st and 2nd at the state competition. We look forward to continuing our past success with you in the upcoming school year.

a place of acceptance and love for everyone, regardless of similarities or differences between people. An important value of the Diversity Alliance is the idea of equality for all, and, as Deepak Bhagat ‘12, puts it: “It’s a society of students and teachers that have constantly worked to create not only a more welcoming and better environment in campus but also to better the outside community. There is no hierarchy based off of age or grade, everyone is equal and is a leader.”

to convince others to do what you want.” The Diplomacy Society has a short but nevertheless colorful history at Haverford. Legendary history teacher Dacque Tirado, who now teaches at the Georgetown Preparatory School in Maryland, founded the Society at Haverford in 2008. It is Mr. Tirado’s careful development of the Society that is largely responsible for the popularity it enjoys today. In a 2011 interview with the Index, Mr. Tirado stated that the Diplomacy Society at Haverford was created as a “select group; it wasn’t a club … originally it was supposed to be a group who were passionate about politics, geography, and world affairs. I really wanted it to be an enthusiastic group, so we didn’t open it up as a full club.” Participation in Diplomacy at Haverford has grown tremendously since Mr. Tirado created the Society five years ago. Today, the Society is run by history teacher Rory Hart, who learned how to play Diplomacy as a student of Mr. Tirado while in high school. Gaddes serves as the Society’s President. Those who enjoy debate, or who are interested in politics or geography will find Diplomacy particularly appealing. For more information about the Diplomacy Society, speak to Mr. Hart, Graham Gaddes, Sixth Former Matt Larson, or Fifth Former The Diplomacy playing board. Index Staff Brendan Burns. players submit directives for their units which, skills because 50% of the game is spent trying

Page 6

The Index

Club Spotlights

Debate and Speech

The Index

We have only to look around us to understand the importance of eloquence and persuasive debate in today’s world. The realm of politics is perhaps the best, and certainly the most well-known example. We have only to look back to the Republican Primaries of 2011 and 2012: Rick Perry sank his own Presidential campaign with a lack of articulateness, failing to remember, in a televised debate, which cabinet department he would do away with if elected. Newt Gingrich won last year’s South Carolina primary on the heels of a dominating debate performance just the day before. Barack Obama was reelected last year following victories in the two final debates against his opponent, Mitt Romney. Being able to communicate ideas and persuade effectively

Writing for the newspaper is one of the best opportunities any high school student can have. Not only does it look excellent on one’s college application, a minor reason for joining The Index, but one can learn so many things from writing for a newspaper: you can learn more about relevant school issues, you make connections not only with other students but with teachers you interview and research, you become a better writer, a necessary skill in today’s world, and you learn how to be a professional. Fourth Former Alex Sanfilippo, who began writing for The Index as a Third Former, adds, “I started writing for the Index because I wanted to enhance my writing abilities. I also thought that I would be able to learn a lot more about the various

Brendan Burns ‘15

argument. Some try and rattle off as many facts as quickly as possible in order to drown their opponents in a sea of statistics. Others try to ensnare their opponents in the questioning period in an attempt to catch a mistake.” For every debate, each team “is prepared to debate on the topic in either an affirmation or negation of the resolve.” A new PF resolve is released each month by the National Forensics League (NFL). The majority of Haverford debaters compete in Public Forum. Rossi says that Public Forum “is the perfect event for guys who love to delve into modern political, environmental, and cultural issues in great detail.” Lincoln-Douglas (LD) debate (named after the Abraham Lincoln-Stephen Douglas debates of 1858) is an individual event that, unlike Public Forum, is heavily based on questions of morality. Sixth Former Will

Manav Khandelwal ‘15

Consider joining debate to enhance your public speaking schools.

are skills that are invaluable not only in politics, but in virtually every environment. Haverford students who want to develop this expertise should consider joining the Speech and Debate club. The Debate club will be led this year by Sixth formers Terry Rossi and RJ Meiers and advised by English teacher Ms. Rachael Jennings and US History teacher Ms. Hannah Turlish. Ms. Jennings has served as the Debate club’s faculty advisor for one year; this is Ms. Turlish’s first year in that capacity. The benefits of joining debate are many. In the words of Ms. Jennings, “Actively participating in Debate can amp up your research, writing, improvisational, conversational, and persuasive skills in ways that stretch beyond rhetoric…Other benefits include laughing a great deal, eating at Applebee’s, and also enjoying fine chocolates when we go on trips.” Debate members have the opportunity to compete in both local and national tournaments in a wide selection of debate and speech events. These include speech events, such as Original Oratory, in which an individual competitor delivers a factual speech (usually of a controversial and persuasive nature) on the topic of his choosing, Dramatic Interpretation, in which an individual performs an excerpt of a play or novel, and Extemporaneous, in which a competitor chooses a topic offered by the judges, prepares for 30 minutes using previously-prepared knowledge or articles, and then gives a seven-minute speech on the topic. There are two main forms of debate that Speech and Debate members participate in: Public Forum (PF) debate, a partner event, and Lincoln-Douglas (LD) debate, an individual event. Public Forum involves two parties debating a resolve, or controversial statement that is usually related to current affairs or politics (e.g. “The Rise of China, on balance, is beneficial to the United States”), which each party will seek to either prove or disprove with factual evidence and logic. Sixth Former Jonathan Paras describes the strategy involved in PF debate: “The ultimate goal of a team is to convince a judge to vote in favor of their

Tackett explains: “Like the historical [1858] Debates, Lincoln-Douglas debates are based on logic, philosophy, and ethical values, rather than facts and statistics. The format is different from Public Forum in that you do not have a partner and your arguments are formed around a specific value that you can choose.” Speech and Debate members compete monthly (and sometimes bi-monthly) in tournaments hosted at Philadelphia area High Schools. In addition, debaters participate in two national tournaments: the Princeton Classic in November, and the Liberty Bell Classic at the University of Pennsylvania in February. For the past two years, the Debate Team has also been engaged in teamed debating with students from China. Who should join the Speech and Debate club? Ms. Turlish characterizes the “obvious candidates for debate” as “those who are naturally gregarious and who relish lively exchanges of ideas”, and lists “interest in current events and moral/philosophical issues” and “willingness to do a lot of research to inform arguments” as essential qualities for effective debaters. Students considering joining the Debate Team will likely also consider joining Mock Trial. The main differences between competition in the two clubs (besides the obvious differences between courtroom law and debate), according to Fifth Former Manav Khandelwal, are that “Mock Trial requires a lot more memorization and practice,” whereas Debate puts a stronger emphasis on “research and crafting an argument.” Mock Trial does not require the same knowledge of current affairs or intensity in research that Debate does. If you have any questions about Debate, talk to Ms. Jennings or Ms. Turlish. The Debate Team meets every Wednesday, from 5:30 to 6:30 pm. The spirit of the club is perhaps best summed up by Ms. Jennings: “We’ve got a great family with a ton of different opinions, convictions, and senses of humor; anyone interested in taking part in lively conversations in that context is most welcome.”

wikipedia.org

aspects of student life . . . I am happy with my decision because I feel as if I have learned a lot more about the many different things that happen at Haverford.” The Index is a student-run organization with a faculty advisor. Mr. Kellen Graham is that faculty sponsor. The club is led by two editors-in-chief, Sixth Former Will Tackett and me. Section editors, one for each of the sections (News & Features, Arts, Sports, Politics & Opinions, and the Outdex), oversee their part of the paper. Fifth Formers Brendan Burns, Jack Henderson, and Jackson Simon are in charge of the Politics and Opinions, News and Features, and Sports sections, respectively, while Sixth Formers Greg Boyek and Noah Cutler head the Arts and Outdex sections. Sixth Former Graham Gaddes is in charge of the paper’s website, haverfordindex.com. The paper is printed monthly, with different sections just like the Philadelphia Inquirer. The news section, the most prominent in the paper, features news updates, investigative pieces on different aspects of school life, and pieces that introduce or profile

September 2013

or say goodbye to members of the community. For example, The Index ran a piece on socioeconomic inequality at Haverford last year. The Arts and Sports sections cover more nuanced aspects of school life. The Arts section focuses on anything related to the visual and performing arts, while the Sports section usually focuses on the sports that are in season. Both sections have their own column, the Arts Column written by Boyek and Fords Focus written by me. Anyone involved in the arts or sports can get started with the paper by covering the events and people they know best; if you are interested in shedding more light on the activities you participate in, we strongly recommend you join The Index. Politics and Opinions is where the newspaper begins to operate on a broader scale. While most of the opinions, especially the editorials about school life, are school-related the Politics section gives people the opportunity to broadcast their political voice. This section is a great place for people who have opinions and the skills to back them up, whether they are about improving the school or fixing the world. Brendan Burns ’15, editor of the Politics & Opinions sections, agrees. “I started writing for the Index in the first place because it offered a forum for me to write about political issues that interested me,” says Burns. “One of the benefits of working with the Index is that the writer can write about virtually any relevant topic, from either a neutral or opinionated perspective.” He adds, “Students who have little inherent interest in journalism or general reporting, but have informed opinions and are prepared to defend them can find a place in the Politics and Opinions section.” Finally, we come to the funny section of the paper. No cartoons, just jokes. Of course, I’m talking about the Outdex. The Outdex is where a brilliant group of writers comes up with harmless, but humorous, one-liners or picture jokes about school-related people, places, and events. If you have funny things to say, join the Outdex’s staff of writers and broadcast your creativity and hilarity to the entire school. In addition to writing opportunities, students with an inherent interest and aptitude for journalism have the opportunity to earn editing roles with the paper and take leadership in one of the school’s most prestigious clubs. With hard work, any member of The Index has the ability to climb the ranks and earn a spot among the leaders. The Index offers Haverford school students a unique opportunity. The Index has received a number of national awards, including being rated a Gold Certificate newspaper by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association. Incoming headmaster Dr. John Nagl even remarked that it was “better than Oxford’s student paper.” We strongly encourage anyone interested to join, and take advantage of this chance to hone your writing skills and learn more about the community you’re a part of. Sports editor and two-year Index writer Jackson Simon ’15 puts it best: “Writing for the Index is most rewarding when you see people reading your article and appreciating your hard work. The same goes for editing. After handing out issues to everyone in the Upper School, you feel a sense of accomplishment. That feeling in addition to researching a topic that you enjoy is very rewarding.” Anyone interested in writing should talk to me, Will, Mr. Graham or e-mail us at hsindex@gmail.com.

Pegasus

Grant Yu ‘16

In a world where self-expression means survival, there is a single hero that will save us all: Pegasus. Pegasus celebrates the power of the arts, the uniqueness of the individual, and, above all, the beauty and horror of the human condition. It’s a magazine where you can showcase your writing, artwork, and photography. Submissions to Pegasus are free to explore any topic and can be in the form of poetry, short stories, illustrations, comic strips, or photographs. If you want to become part of this brave and creative undertaking, all you need to do is submit your work to Pegasus@haverford.org.
 Pegasus

is published two times a year, once in the fall and once in the spring. The production of the magazine is a lengthy process, with a team of editors sifting through submissions, choosing the pieces that will make the final cut, and then formatting everything into one unified product, which is framed around an overarching theme for each issue. Designing the magazine so that it is both visually appealing and engaging can be quite a challenge, but thankfully the student editors have two great faculty leaders to guide them in Mr. Keefe and Ms. Jennings. If you have any questions about Pegasus, email editor-inchief Robbie Klein.

Page 7

The Index

Teacher Introductions

Mr. Javier Lluch Latorre

Mr. Gary Kan Eli Wachs ‘16 Mr. Kan has very big shoes to fill--or technically very small ones. Beloved Chinese teacher Lao Shi (Ms. Hsieh) has officially left the Haverford School after an incredible seventeen years. Starting the Chinese program from the ground up, our school now has one of the best Chinese programs in the area and

Mr. Kan in his room.

possibly the country. But if there is one person who can step into those shoes, it is Mr. Kan. Born in Hong Kong, he came to the United States when he was 16 and attended a public high school in Madison, Connecticut. He then did a post-graduate year at The Taft School in Watertown, Connecticut, after which he attended Bates College in Lewiston, Maine. Immediately after college, he went back to Hong Kong and worked at an investment bank for two years, and then came back to the United States again to start his teaching career. When I asked him if he had been to Philadelphia before, he replied that, “I remember traveling to Chestnut Hill and Haverford for two friendly matches when I was playing for the Taft Squash team about

September 2013

12 years ago, suffering my only defeat of the season to the #1 player from Chestnut Hill.” Entering his fifth year of teaching, Mr. Kan is excited to teach at an all-boys school, saying that he was “very impressed with the boys’ intelligence, maturity, and enthusiasm when I visited the school back in March,” and that he went to an all-boys school in Hong Kong. He loves working with teenagers for a few r e a s o n s , including their innovative ideas and their ability to not be afraid to take great risks. On to some fun stuff: Mr. Kan’s favorite movies are Fight Club for its “antimaterialism theme,” Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind because of its “ dreamy and romantic aura,” and Lost in Translation because he appreciates the concept that “everyone needs to be lost in order to find his/her true self.” This year, Mr. Sanjay Narayanan Kan is looking forward to help with a smooth transition for current Chinese students and is excited to teach Chinese at such a prestigious school, believing that “Many people think of Chinese as an upand-coming language to learn due to China’s economic growth in recent years, but I think the Chinese language and culture itself is fascinating enough to attract young people who’d like to step out of their comfort zones and challenge themselves to a totally foreign world. I hope we can facilitate that idea in our school.” I would once again like to thank Mr. Kan for taking the time to answer these questions with such great thought and extend a warm welcome to him to the Haverford community.

Drew Sterman ‘16 As summer vacation winds down and September approaches, the school year begins. We say hello to new students as well as new faculty members to the Haverford School community. This school year, we welcome Señor Javier Lluch-Latorre to the Fords family. Sr. Lluch will be teaching Spanish and Latin in the Upper School. Sr. Lluch grew up in Valencia, Spain, and graduated from the University of Valencia with a bachelors’ degree in English. He then got his master’s degree in Spanish from the

He teaches Spanish in a way so that his students are learning Spanish, not just memorizing it. He also likes to set up his lessons so his students feel like they are learning valuable skills and not isolated grammar rules. In other words, he always tries to teach his students how to “do things” in Spanish, rather than just learning about Spanish. He wants to “provide a challenging curriculum that speaks to the students at Haverford, rather than simply repeating what I have done with my students in the past.” Sr. Lluch describes himself as “energetic and

Sr. Latorre in the classroom.

University of Georgia. His first year goals as a teacher are, “listening, observing, and working hard. Although I do have work experience in a private/independent school setting, every institution has its own personality and idiosyncrasies. When I first visited Haverford I truly enjoyed the atmosphere, the vitality, and the positive energy, so I plan to become a part of this community and give back some of that positive energy, which brought me here.” In the past he has taught at the Maumee Valley Country Day School in Toledo, Ohio, plus as a Teaching Assistant at the University of Georgia. He also has done summer abroad programs, much like the ones that many Haverford students go on, in Spain for two separate companies. Now Sr. Lluch is eager to begin his tenure as a Haverford School faculty member.

optimistic. I love learning, meeting new people, and experiencing new things. I enjoy conversing and getting to know interesting people, and, most importantly, I try to have fun with everything I do.” In his free time, Sr. Lluch likes to sing as well as play guitar. He enjoys swimming and running, as well as spending time with his friends and family. He is very loyal to his hometown’s soccer team, Valencia FC. Other than that, he will always cheer for Barcelona, and never for Real Madrid. One of his best memories is being back home for the summer when Spain won the World Cup. Sr. Lluch will surely have great success as a teacher and mentor at the Haverford School. I speak on the behalf of the Haverford School community in welcoming Señor Lluch Latorre to the Fords family.

Mr. Bleckner: Redefining Language Learning (Cont.) Manav Khandelwal ‘15

Continued from the front page choose to do while I am here. What you do and say really matters. I had to take responsibility for myself at Brown, and that was scary, but empowering. I’ll never forget.” That is advice that all Haverford students, especially those with college aspirations, can heed. Mr. Bleckner, who will be teaching levels two and three this year, chose to learn Spanish for an interesting reason, one that all language students should know. Rather than doing it because he had to, or because he hoped to make millions doing business in Latin America and Europe, he “was eager to catch on and figure out what [people in his neighborhood] were talking about. It was like a code waiting to be cracked. Then I started traveling and really learning it, and in all honesty, it was fun.” He also adds these pointers for anyone considering picking up a language: “C-3PO spoke all six million dialects in the galaxy. Jason Bourne could get himself out of any situation with his quick wit and language skills. Jose Martí realized that the Americas are one continent with a shared history, and that us neighbors have to get to know each other. How can I go knock on your door unless I speak your language (and vice versa)?” Not only did Mr. Bleckner choose the language for more complicated, interesting, and different reasons than the average high school student, but he also teaches it in an “unorthodox” way, a word I closely associate with Mr. Bleckner. Unfortunately, in today’s educational society, the word “unorthodox,” literally

meaning contrary to what is usual, has a negative connotation. It shouldn’t; in fact,

the art of education, so he’s “drawing from life experience in the classroom, on the athletic

A Facebook group for Haverford students.

unorthodox styles often leave students with a new perspective, a better understanding of the subject they have been studying, or even just a better outlook on life. Mr. Bleckner’s style is a little different for two reasons: 1) he has no formal training in

Sanjay Narayanan

field, in the martial arts and music studios, and on the stage.” 2) As a Brown graduate, he isn’t the biggest fan of grades. While he understands they are necessary in today’s world, he doesn’t like “when students are led to believe that their grade (like a salary) is a reflection of their worth

Sanjay Narayanan

as individuals.” Today, students often lose perspective on the real meaning of grades, and let it weigh down their confidence or even give them an over-inflated ego, and Mr. Bleckner hopes to change that way of thinking. He also hopes that high school-level Spanish programs, especially here at Haverford, incorporate more of “the emotional, expressive, humorous, poetic, political, and meaningful components of language.” Another strong advocate of this type of immersive, meaningful language learning was the recently retired Lao Shi, who taught Chinese at all levels. Mr. Bleckner says that Lao Shi influenced his growth here at Haverford immensely in the few months they worked together. He adds, “While leafing through the yearbook, I came across one senior reflection that struck a meaningful chord. A student of Lao Shi’s commented that he felt truly blessed to have her as a teacher because over the course of his Haverford career she had helped him find his voice. For me, especially as a language teacher, that’s what it’s all about. And ideally, the student will help the teacher find his or her voice as well.” He hopes not only to help his students do well in school and be able to speak a language fluently, but to find themselves and then be able to express their inner-self in an articulate manner. That is his priority as a teacher, as a conduit of learning. “In my opinion, like any other human endeavor, teaching is a matter of collaboration and mutual respect and understanding—also known as love.”

Page 8

The Index

News

Haverford’s Seven Courses Policy (Cont.) Brendan Burns ‘15 Continued from the front page

evidence of this. Mr. Green acknowledges the limitations of the current rotation: “The current schedule cannot support more than a very small handful of students taking seven courses. Such requests can have a domino effect on the rest of the schedule… the potential to preclude other students from being able to enroll in the requested courses… seems unfair for a kid who wants seven to adversely affect a kid who is trying to take six.” When asked if the “seven-class option” should become a more mainstream offering at Haverford, Mr. Green responded that he would “only consider it…if there were 8 scheduling blocks and the 7th course was a low-impact class such as Health and PE, Art, Music, etc.” Alternatives like these are being considered: a Scheduling Committee, chaired by Science Department Chair Mr. Thomas Trocano, is investigating potential changes to (and even a complete overhaul of) the current schedule. Theoretically, there are many benefits that come along with taking an extra course. Students with one extra class block have many more options when considering electives or one-semester courses. Perusing EA’s Course Catalog reveals a panoply of (relatively) esoteric options – Military History or Automotive Physics, for example – that a student who can reasonably enroll in only six classes would be hard-pressed to fit into his schedule. The exact same can be said of electives such as the Electronics, Engineering, and European Dictators classes at Haverford. Students could find it easier to fulfill their art credit or incorporate art classes into their schedule than they would otherwise. Perhaps a more likely motive for a student wanting a more rigorous schedule is that he believes it would increase his competitiveness in the college admissions process. If a larger number of students began taking seven classes, an “arms race” of sorts in which more students felt pressured to choose the most rigorous schedule might ensue. However, the idea that adding a seventh course would make a student more attractive to colleges is not rooted in fact, according to Haverford’s College Counseling Department. Karen Ley, one of Haverford’s three full-time college counselors, said that a schedule in which “every period is a programmed time” (in which the student has no free time during school hours) is a “red flag to an admissions officer” as it suggests that the given student

Robotics Team Tim Delaney ‘15 Over the past few seasons, The Cavalry, Haverford’s robotics team, has had great success on a local, regional, and even global stage. Qualifying each of its five high school teams (composed of four students each) last season, The Cavalry took home both a divisional design award and had a team place in the top five of the thousands of teams around the world who compete in the Vex Robotics Competition. The Haverford students could not have accomplished such feats without an immense amount of support and tutelage from Mr. Chuck Glick, the team’s college mentor, as well as Mrs. Megan Connolly, its extraordinarily supportive faculty advisor. Not only has the team been so

September 2013

Students’ Research During Summer Break (Cont.)

Other students involved in the program may not have the also-necessary skill of Greg Boyek ‘14 include Paul Addonizio, who was involved managing his free time. Mrs. Ley explains, Continued from the front page in a Drexel University biochemistry lab, “colleges want to see how you live. In college, and Jonathan Paras, with a University of you’re only in classes 12 hours a week and fibrosis and muscular dystrophy.” Pennsylvania mechanical engineering lab. Alex the remainder is free.” Taking a seventh class Will Tackett said that he “was initially wary Zhang and Leith Dennis together worked with instead of a free period does not make a of working for eight weeks of my summer, a Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Neurostudent more prepared for college. In fact, it but the decision was ultimately a great one. I Oncology Lab. could be detrimental to a college application: had a lot of fun in my lab, getting to meet new Gregory Boyek was involved in the “a seventh class means more homework, people and working with experts in the field Translational Neuromodulation Laboratory, which will impact extracurricular participation of gene therapy. The experience of taking the a part of Neurosurgery Department of the and social development.” Neal Cousins, train to Philadelphia every day and getting a Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Director of College Counseling at Haverford, taste of the adult world was also an interesting The lab’s focus is reanimation to restore puts it bluntly: “students do not need to one.” motor function of paralyzed muscles. During take 7 classes, even for applying to the top Terry Rossi held an internship at the Institute the summer, a rat model of facial paralysis universities…Simply, we discourage it.” of Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism at the was studied with the goal of developing an What many may not know is that the University of Pennsylvania. Led by Dr. Mitch implant to restore symmetry in humans with current schedule was actually designed for Lazar, the lab focuses on the relationship unilateral facial palsy. This provided hands-on students to take five core classes – not the between genetics, blood glucose, and fat tissue. surgical experience while inserting and testing six that many Haverford students pursue. Mr. Rossi stated, “I worked on a project involving implants. The internship included a mentorship Cousins sheds some light on this: “the current a particular gene and the protein it codes for by the lab’s director, neurosurgeon Dr. schedule was designed for 6 classes, but with called HDAC3, which allows other genes to Timothy Lucas, who introduced the student to the 6th class being an art or music class…this be transcribed into mRNA and eventually neurology via case presentations and lectures presents a healthy and well-balanced academic translated into other proteins. As part of the with medical students. program which is what admissions officers project, HDAC3 was deleted in the adipose The Advanced Research Cooperative want to see.” Mr. Cousins attests to the success tissue of mice and the effects were studied.” Program continues to be a great success. Mr. of this system: “over the years we have had “While I knew the basics of genetics and Trocano enthusiastically concluded that “the plenty of students who enrolled in the five adipose tissue prior to my time in the lab, I students who have embarked on this adventure “core” classes and one in the arts and who learned a great deal about the mechanisms have have been represented offered the school admission and at the most themselves selective in an colleges.” exemplary Neither fashion. enrolling Virtually in seven all have classes or reported an “doubling experience up” – that taking two significantly courses in impacted one of the their five core disciplines – is necessary for successful commons.wikimedia.org admission The skyline of University City, the area where many students worked. to colleges. understanding of scientific research, gave them “The question a student should ask behind transcription, especially nuclear insight into whether they might find research himself”, says Mr. Cousins, is: “Why are you receptors, and their many and varied effects to be a viable career path, and taught them spreading yourself so thin with seven classes? throughout specific tissues,” he went on to say. both content and real world lessons they find Why not add an extra leadership activity Naryan Rustgi worked in oncology research invaluable. The experiences the scientists or club instead?”’ Mr. Cousins also pointed studying mutations of the PERK protein in have had with our students are what convince out that “learning takes place outside of the mice and bacteria cells. The goal of the project them to continue to offer additional students classroom, too.” was to draw conclusions on the effects of these opportunities each summer.” mutations upon tumor genesis.

successful in recent years, but students greatly broaden their horizon beyond simple classroom knowledge. They apply their skills from classes such as physics and math to learning to build and code their robots. Students who participate in robotics receive a sports credit for their time commitment, and everyone in the robotics club is able to balance other sports and clubs along with coming to meetings and competitions. The team usually meets Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and there is an optional Saturday morning practice for teams that are behind or would like the time to practice. Meetings run until 5:00 on Mondays and Wednesdays, but last until 5:30 on Fridays. Leadership opportunities are always available because of the amount of teams the program has. The Cavalry has grown a great deal in both size and skill over the past few years, and also looks forward to the 2013-14 season in which it continues to seek out the coveted World Championship trophy in April of 2014 in Anaheim, California.

The Robotics team after the Vex Robotics Competition last year.

Chuck Glick

Announcement: Haverford TV Under New Management... Coming Fall 2013

Page 9

The Index

Arts

september 2013

Exploring the Legacy of the Arts in France

For this edition of his monthly arts column, Greg Boyek ‘15 explores the legacy of the arts in France, in both the countryside and the cities. Greg Boyek ‘14

During my circumnavigation of France, I undertook a blitzkrieg cultural tour. Throughout the country, I continuously felt the heritage of the masters Claude Monet and Vincent Van Gogh. The two great centerpiece museums of Paris, the Louvre and Musée D’Orsay, amaze with the scale and cultural value of their collections. It is easy to see how Van Gogh produced such prolific work in his time in the south of France. The artist loved the town of Arles for its golden light. Indeed, the sleepy countryside, somewhere b e t w e e n Gaulish and Iberian in character, appears to constantly glow. Though the town now harbors more tourists than painters, a visitor can still directly perceive (or at least visualize) the vistas which Van Gogh has painted into history with his palette knife. There is something bipolar, perhaps vaguely ironic, in the character of Arles. The city, which appears from above as a collection of low structures with terra cotta roofs at chaotic and haphazard angles, is from below calm beneath the oppression of the golden sun that Van Gogh so desired. Yet the town, poised around the second largest amphitheater outside of Rome, holds another dimension belied by its provincial sentiments. After zigzagging through claustrophobic cranked-arrow streets, a pedestrian might suddenly find himself in a

square adorned by an obelisk or dominated by an ancient theatre baking in the sun. The Roman amphitheater was first built as a forging instrument for civilization, a vanguard of Roman culture in the 2nd century AD. After spending time as a makeshift fortification, the bullfights it now holds are seen as the

light. There is an unforgettable, occasionally paradoxical character. Monet is a vastly different character from Van Gogh. Where Van Gogh is erratic and visionary, Monet is refined and stately. The frustrated Dutchman died years before the much older Monet. The environments where these artists felt most at home could not be more different. Whereas Van Gogh preferred the heat and earth tones of Arles in the south, Monet made his home at Giverny, a lush green outskirt of Paris. Monet’s impressionism produces the same

Boyek in front of the Louvre in Paris.

Greg Boyek

antithesis of civilized. Though the French pride themselves on their humane, non-lethal treatment of bullfights, the bleachers built atop the ancient stone seats bear witness to spectacles of the same nature they have always seen. Van Gogh, like a bull in an arena, was easily riled. At the café now made famous by his Café at Night painting (the building has since been painted yellow to match the nighttime glow of that famous piece), Van Gogh threw a glass at Gauguin, a contemporary impressionist and friend. And of course, Van Gogh cut off his ear and gave it to a girlfriend, in imitation of the bullfighter’s severed bovine trophies. There is more to Arles, indeed to Van Gogh, than the

kind of foggy image as a soft-focus film, like viewing the world through a lens coated in water droplets. The moist gardens and leafy water plants lend themselves better as splotches of color than the harder forms of Arles. My camera, requiring frequent lens-cleaning in the morning mist, seemed to be agreeing with Monet’s artistic judgment. Snapshots, no matter how well composed, can never capture that environment like the gentle color splashes of Monet. When I reached the D’Orsay in Paris later in my expedition, I was able to view many of the works completed by Van Gogh and Monet in their respective habitats. Monet’s water lilies border on abstraction: without a horizon or clear

Alex Sanfilippo ‘16 gives a taste of the four theatre productions for this year, including A Few Good Men, Joseph and the Technicolor Dream Coat, and The Laramie Project.

performed this school year is The Laramie Project. This moving play was written by Moises Kaufmann and the Tectonic Theatre Company. They interviewed dozens of citizens in the town of Laramie, Wyoming following the brutal beating of Matthew Sheppard, a gay student at the University of Wyoming. People around the world watched as the town struggled to come to terms with its thoughts, feelings, and actions surrounding this heinous crime. Cloran stated that, “This will be a community

Previewing This Year’s Theatre Productions Alex Sanfilippo ‘16

The Haverford School’s Theatre program has performed many exemplary productions in the past few years, and under the guidance of director Mr. Matthew Cloran, this year should be no exception. The theatre season is packed with entertaining and exciting productions. Mr. Cloran has spent the past few months searching for plays that would be a success at Haverford. The theatre line up for the 2013-2014 school year consists of three plays and one musical, and they will be performed in October, December, March, and April. The first play that will be performed in the fall is A Few Good Men. The play was written by Aaron Sorkin in 1989 and tells a story of military lawyers who uncover a conspiracy theory concerning their clients, United States Marines, who are on trial for murder. The play was adapted into a movie in 1992 starring Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson. Mr. Cloran had this to say about the play, “I picked this play as our fall production because of the number of roles for guys and it was written by Aaron Sorkin(Newsroom, The Social Network). He seamlessly combines current events, intelligence, sarcasm, and the human condition while rarely leaving a moment for the cast or audience to breathe.” The second play in the theatre season will be performed by the students in Theatre III*. The students in the class will choose and

perform a play as if they were an actual troupe of actors and they will be responsible for things such as the costumes, parts of the set, etc. According to Cloran, “The seniors and two juniors have yet to choose a play, but make no mistake - it will continue the Theatre III* tradition of displaying the comedic skills of the company. It’s sure to be a great night of laughter and entertainment in Ball Auditorium during the first week of December!”. In the winter, Haverford will perform its musical, which this year is Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Joseph was written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and was first presented in 1968. The broadway production was nominated for numerous Tony Awards. Cloran pointed out, “I’ve wanted to do Joseph for a few years now because it is the perfect all-guy school show.” Joseph is the story of the title character and how his eleven jealous brothers sell him into slavery as a result of Joseph’s special relationship with their father, Jacob. A blend of different music genres find their way into this musical and include pop, classic rock and roll, country, and reggae. Cloran asks members of the Haverford community to “watch for amazing sets, colorful costumes, huge dance numbers, and the largest cast in Haverford history.” The fourth and final show that will be

point of reference, the colors drift throughout a borderless space. Approaching the canvas reduces detail, rather than filling it in. Yet any visitor to Monet’s water gardens can attest that this portrayal is more faithful. The D’Orsay also holds several of Van Gogh’s works, including the Starry Night painted in Arles. Up close, Van Gogh’s works hold their lines and edges. Color does not bleed as it does in Monet’s water lilies. Ultimately, these artists works represent two vastly different cultural territories of France. The harsh sun and rocky hills of the south are vastly different from the forests and fields of the north. Perhaps the king of all museums, the Louvre topped off my cultural journey. Its massive collections, consisting of over 35,000 works of art, are housed in a palace which itself is a monument. The museum contains several wellknown masterpieces: The Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, Winged Victory of Samothrace and so on. Massive French romantic era paintings such as Delacroix’s Liberty Leading the People, David’s The Coronation of Napoleon and the Oath of the Horatii leave a bigger impression than the Mona Lisa, swamped as it is in an ocean of cellphone cameras. Yet some of the most remarkable pieces lie beyond the sea of tourists. Even while using the museum’s portable digital maps, housed on the Nintendo 3DS, finding particular objects in the Louvre can be challenging – and given the fifteen acre size of the building, a visitor can easily end up traversing quite a distance. Yet part of the satisfaction of exploring the Louvre is what you might stumble upon as you move through the galleries. (“Ah, those are the statues by Michelangelo! Let’s stop for a minute on the way to the Etruscan Antiquities.”) As well as the famous works of early-modern European painting, the Louvre is home to an astonishing collection of classical and ancient art from Greece, Rome, China, Mesopotamia and more. Some of the Louvre’s more wellknown pieces are the 3,700 year old Hammurabi Code, the Egyptian Seated Scribe statue and Sphinx of Tanis, the largest sphinx outside of Egypt. Many of these statues, such as the Seated Scribe and the Etruscan Sarcophagus of the Spouses, are remarkable for their preservation, allowing them to be seen as the artists created them. France’s vast variety of culture is proportional to Europe’s lengthy history. Yet this cultural array is also a direct result of country’s many local biomes and lifestyles, the same phenomenon which shaped the works of Claude Monet and Vincent Van Gogh. There is much to explore and learn of the arts of France beyond Paris, and with each city a whole different past and present await.

production where hopefully students, teachers, and staff will be playing the parts of the townspeople. Very short rehearsal schedule, little to no set - this play doesn’t need much in terms of tech theatre - it is that powerful”. These four plays are sure to educate, entertain, and enlighten, so I would advise that you try your best to see at least one of these productions. I can guarantee you that they will not disappoint.

The cast of A Few Good Men at the Haymarket Theatre, London.

wikipedia.org

Page 10

Fords Focus

The Index

Sports

Manav Khandelwal ‘15 looks at the odds of each fall sports team winning the Inter-Ac for this installment of Fords’ Focus. Manav Khandelwal ‘15

The summer is over, unfortunately, but at least it’s time for another year of the Fords’ athletic dominance! Despite the glaring lack of Stew Deniouses and Sam Bowens, this upcoming season figures to a pretty interesting one. In this issue of Fords Focus, I will present a broad preview of the five fall teams and analyzing which teams have the best chances of winning the Inter-Ac in 2013. Let’s get the easy one out of the way: golf. Haverford’s golf team is a heavy, heavy favorite to win the Inter-Ac, and little stands in its way. Cole Berman, last year’s Delaware County Player of the Year, and fellow Sixth Formers Jake Van Arkel and Ryan Tetrault, could finish 1-2-3 in the Inter-Ac this season. Fifth Formers Jack Henderson, Jay Losty, and Otis Baker and Fourth Former Max Sigfried, all but one of whom finished in the top 18 in the Inter-Ac last season, merely add to the Fords’ incredible depth. Malvern, led by Brendan Bacskai, who finished 4th in the Inter-Ac last year, will be pretty good but they simply don’t have enough good golfers to compete head-to-head with Haverford. Fords football is also a favorite to win its league, despite losing a fair amount of defensive starters, notably linemen Tommy Curry and Sema’j Reed (Temple), All-State outside linebacker Matt Galambos (Pittsburgh), and defensive backs Hannibal Mathis (Valparaiso) and Chris Morgan (Colgate). The plethora of Fifth Formers looking to step into starting roles, however, will help offset those losses. From

september 2013

Eric Follman (defensive end) to Niles Easley and LJ Barlow (linebacker) to Philip Poquie (cornerback), this defense is getting leaner and more athletic. Against Malvern, the InterAc’s supposed dark-horse, and its solid passing attack, a more ferocious pass rush and more athletic defensive backs will be key to a Fords victory. Sixth Former Christian Giubilato will captain this defense and make big plays all over the field from his strong safety position. Offensively, most of last year’s EA Day difference-makers will be returning. The offensive line, anchored by Fifth Form guards Tim Aikins and Chauncey Simmons, is returning three starters; in addition, the two players who scored touchdowns in last year’s EA Day game, Fifth Formers running back Phil Poquie and tight end Noah Lejman, will both assume starting roles once again. Finally, Sixth Form quarterback Brendan Burke, who did an admirable job filling in for starter Steve Fitzgerald late last season, will be returning with more experience and confidence. Burke notes, “Most of the time kids have to go into the beginning of a season starting their first game ever. With my experience that I gained last year I feel so much more confident about my ability to perform at the highest level as well as be strong leader on the field. I was fortunate enough to have the chance to play last year which makes this year so much more exciting.” Overall, this team will likely be the best in the Inter-Ac and ride its rushing attack all the way to an undefeated conference record in 2013.

Sixth Former Sander Yu dribbling the ball against Conestoga.

Soccer also enters the 2013 season as the league favorites, although not as emphatically as in previous years. Led by All-State striker and Delco Player of the Year Brett Campbell (Georgetown) and other class of 2013 graduates such as midfielders G a v i n M c B r i d e and Danny Rubenstein, defenseman Alex Dubow, and goalie Jeff Green, Haverford hasn’t lost an Inter-Ac game in over two years. Losing C a m p b e l l ’s offensive play-making ability will be especially tough, says Sixth Form co-captain Josh Klein: “Replacing a guy like Brett is almost impossible, but it will give some of the younger guys an opportunity to step up.” Sophomore sensations Shane (defense) and Conor Bradley (midfield), some of those “younger guys” mentioned by Klein, as well as Sixth Form striker Connor Keating will help alleviate some of the pain of losing Campbell, who delivered a hat trick in his only start last season in Campbell’s stead. Klein and Peter Blynn, two talented Sixth Formers, will also be key pieces for Fords soccer in 2013. EA and GA will be Haverford’s main competitors in the Inter-Ac this season, but neither has the talent up-and-down its roster that Haverford features. Here’s another sport where I’m predicting an Inter-Ac Championship this Fall; I can’t wait to see their up-tempo style of play take the rest of the league by storm. Haverford water polo has been a strong program for years, with talent coming up in every grade, but its Inter-Ac success has been limited due to the powerhouses of Malvern Prep and Penn Charter. Despite losing swim-off stud Jimmy Jameson (Penn for swimming), who at one point had won 57 straight swim-offs, starting goalie Harry Rosenberg, and hole-defender Pat Somers (Richmond), the Fords’ talent level this season is similar to that of last season’s squad. This can be attributed to the growth Sander Yu of Sixth Form co-captains John

Zipf and Alexander Heldring, who were first and second respectively in goals last season for Haverford. Fifth Form goalie Colin Moran, who won Most Improved on the entire team

Phil Poquie running the ball.

last season, will also help fill the void left by Rosenberg. Unfortunately, Malvern and Penn Charter will come back strong. PC, which will be the league favorite entering 2013 despite losing All-American hole-set Dave Huber (Navy), went undefeated last season in conference play. This year, Sixth Formers Connor McGoldrick and Pierce Kraft will lead the Quakers, who thrive on winning in transition and scoring goals in rapid succession. They are the toughest out at home in the Inter-Ac, by far, and I see them as the biggest obstacles to a championship for the Fords. Finally, we come to cross country, which has wallowed in a history of Inter-Ac struggles but sees a light at the end of the tunnel this season. Led by Sixth Former Eamon Glavin and Fifth Former Alex Kim, this team will be a tough one to beat in 2013. They certainly have the front-end talent to compete with Malvern, Germantown Academy, and Penn Charter, the favorites entering the 2013 season. The Fords also have experience running as underdogs. It only helps motivate the team and prepare them for big meets. I see Malvern winning the league, led by a plethora of fast Sixth and Fifth Formers, but 2nd and 3rd are up for grabs for this Fords squad. Beating out EA, GA and/or PC would be huge boost to this young team’s confidence and be a success in my mind. There you have it: Haverford fall teams will certainly represent the school well and carry the banner of success that has always been associated with Haverford athletics. I predict three championships, a grand start to another Heyward Cup title.

Fords Soccer Looking to Add to Consecutive Inter-Ac Titles This Season

Ac competition doesn’t begin until October 4 against Malvern Prep at home, perhaps one of the most highly anticipated games of the year. Other noteworthy matchups: • ● September 21— McDonogh (tentatively scheduled for Drexel University) • ● October 12/22—Malvern Prep (away) • ● October 18—Episcopal Academy (home) • ● November 9—Episcopal Academy (away) on EA Day • ● Stay tuned for PAISSA (state championship) matches

Dylan Henderson

The two-time defending Inter-Ac and PAISSA champion soccer team hopes to continue its reign of dominance in 2013. After losing marquee players including forward Brett Campbell (Gatorade Player of the Year 20112012), midfielder Gavin McBride, midfielder Danny Rubenstein, outside midfielder Sam Bowen, central defender Alex Dubow, and goalie Jeff Green, many spots are waiting to be filled by the team’s upcoming stars. This year’s team is marked by youth, speed, and skill. Head coach Bill Brady hopes to exploit the abundance of athleticism with an emphasis on quick, smart play and excellent ball distribution to both sides of the field, which will make the central midfielder position extremely important—and busy. Luckily for the Fords, central midfield happens to be one of its deepest positions. The season kicks off with the Under Armour Baltimore Challenge at Loyola Blakefield High School over Labor Day weekend, but Inter-

Julia Wilkinson

The team huddles around Head Coach Bill Brady.

Mr. Jim Rooese

Page 11

The Index

Sports

september 2013

Profile: Soccer Star Connor Starting QB Brendan Burke Ready For Season Keating Dylan Henderson ‘14

upcoming season: What do you think distinguishes this year’s The key to the Haverford soccer team’s team from last year’s? success this year depends on goal production “This year is particularly special because and sound defense. Sixth Former Connor we have a group of guys who get along very Keating will support the team in both well and know exactly what it takes to be a categories winning team. with his This year is well-rounded also unique game. because we have One of his so many great strengths players across the is his board that can versatility, contribute to the or the ability success of the to play both team, so in order ends of the to win every field. His game we will size allows need everyone’s him to “post best individual up” as a efforts every forward practice and and win every game.” possession How would you as a central describe the defender. team’s style of Despite play? his large “Although frame, he it is a bit too has superb early to tell, it footwork and seems that our dribbling style is quick skills. Other full field ball than his movement while athletic maintaining skills, he possession to leads the get as many team by opportunities as example and possible.” supports the Do you have any team with personal goals for this year? hugs. Team goals? Keating “My personal showed Connor Keating juggles the ball during a preseason practice. Robert J. Guericke goals would be to flashes simply be the best of brilliance throughout last year, including a leader, teammate, and friend I can possibly three-goal performance against Penn Charter be to everyone in the program. It’s so easy in place of an injured Brett Campbell. Expect already with so many great Guys on the team Keating to have an excellent season on both to have a great time. As for the team goals, sides of the ball, helping to alleviate the loss another inter-ac championship and state title of a two-time Gatorade Player of the Year would be nice, but going undefeated would in Campbell. Here are his thoughts on the be ideal.”

During this game, our emotions and adrenaline are going to be running higher than ever because H a v e r f o r d of a long summer with team School starting lights, mini-camps, and fall quarterback camp.” Brendan Burke The Fords have a difficult feels very start in the offseason optimistic about schedule playing against the upcoming teams like Penn Wood High 2013 football School, Cardinal O’Hara, season. Last year, and the McDonough School. the Fords finished In the Inter-Ac opener, the 7-4 with a big Fords will play against win over Malvern Malvern Prep on October Prep. After being 12 at Malvern. “This game 4-2, the Fords will be tough to open up the became Inter-Ac Inter Ac league with because League Runner Malvern is always a good Up. Because the team and to play against Fords have lost them on their homecoming some stud players will make this game that the past couple much better. The team has of years, the great talent that we will squad is a young compete with. The rest of the team, dominated Inter-Ac will be very tough. by Juniors and Penn Charter for example Sophomores. is a school that always has Many young a respectable team and will players who have definitely playing us to the not spent much core,” says Brendan Burke time on a varsity when asked his thoughts on football field are the Inter-Ac schedule. a key asset to this The team has had a long season. Though the summer. They have been team will be full training every week as well of younger, more as participating in three miniinexperienced camps. Brendan Burke’s players, last team goals are to win an season’s stars will Inter-Ac championship, be back to set make a local statement, and the tempo for the Burke receiving the snap in the team’s first game Mr. Jim Roese to go undefeated (offseason Fords. Some of last and Inter-Ac). Burke claims year’s stars include Brendan Burke who started this is a completely feasible goal with the level games last year after the concussion injury of of talent on the team as well as how the team has Steve Fitzgerald, stellar running back Phil Poqui, been playing together. linebacker and fullback LJ Barlow, and a new I am very excited to see what Haverford lineman making his debut varsity season after Football has in store this year. I believe this will be one of our strongest years. Brendan Burke being on the injured reserve, Nick Helber. The Fords do not have an easy schedule this encouraged all to make it out to the games to coming year evident in the matchup against West support the team that has been working arduously Catholic. Brendan Burke’s thoughts regarding the all summer. Fords opener, West Catholic on August 31, were, “We’re all pumped up for the season to start. Eli Wachs ‘15

Golf Co-Captain and Georgetown Commit Cole Berman Has Lofty Goals for Team and Self Jack Henderson ‘15 sat down with All-Delco Golfer of the Year Cole Berman, discussing the golf team’s Inter-Ac chances, his personal goals for college, and more. Jack Henderson ‘15

Cole Berman, reigning All-Delco Golfer of the Year, Golf Association of Philadelphia’s Junior Player of the Year, two-time Inter-Ac individual champion, and second year golf team co-captain, looks to continue the golf team’s success from last year. Berman went 246-23-13 against the league in the six tournaments. Berman, a Georgetown commit, focused on the links this summer with a busy tournament schedule, including several highlights such as when he qualified for the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s Junior Boys’ Championship at the Ridge at Back Brook in Ringoes, New Jersey and GAP’s Amateur Championship at Aronimink. He was the runner-up at the 35th North and South Junior Amateur Championship held at Pinehurst in North Carolina. Perhaps most impressive was when he sunk a 5-foot putt in a playoff at Bethesda Country Club in Maryland to advance in sectional qualifying to his first U.S. Junior Amateur Championship. He eventually managed to reach match play. I had a conversation with Berman recently regarding many aspects of the game and his future. Here are some of Berman’s comments. On the team winning three straight Inter-Ac titles and going for a fourth: “This will be my fifth year on the team and each year we have had very different lineups but the results have been consistently good. It shows how strong golf is at Haverford as a whole. We have a great chance this year.”

On winning the PA Independent State School Championship last season: “Since we can’t play PIAA this is our chance of being state champs. That was a huge accomplishment for the team and at the end of the day we can say we are state champions.” On committing to Georgetown: “Committing was a big relief. It had been such a long process and it all worked out in the end. I’m looking forward to my four years at Georgetown as a golfer and as a student.” On busy summer golf schedule: “I don’t play many tournaments during the school year so the summer is my time to compete. By August I’m always pretty tired but it’s

always worth it.” Best golf memory: “Making match play in the US Junior Amateur and being recognized as one of the best junior golfers in the world.” Best 9-Hole Score: 31 Best 18-Hole Score: 63 Superstitions or unusual items in the bag: “I wrote 10ve on every golf ball I used this summer. It’s my way of remembering Kip and

Berman out on the golf course.

I’ll never change it.” Aspect of the game you most excel at: Iron

game Favorite golfer: Webb Simpson On US Open this past June: “The US Open at Merion was great for golf in general but especially on the Main Line and in Philadelphia. Having a national championship in your area is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I’m glad I was able to be so involved in it.” Future goals and aspirations on and off the course: At Georgetown, my goal is to be an All-American and help lead my team to the national championship at some point. Also, I want to get my degree from the McDonough Business School. Professional golf is more of a dream than a goal for me so I’m pretty realistic about it. That’s not what’s driving me to get better. Berman comes back to Haverford for his senior year vying for a chance to become a three-time Inter-Ac individual champion and cocaptaining the Fords Otis Baker as they go for four straight Inter-Ac League titles.

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The Index

Sports

september 2013

Predicting the Water Polo Team’s Success this Season Predicting exactly how well a team will do in a given season is always difficult, but Curran Aiyer ’15 projects a 15-5 (5-3 Inter-Ac) record for the Water Polo team. Curran Aiyer ‘15

The loss of seniors always stings a little when their leadership isn’t noticeable at the start of preseason, but the new Sixth Formers have to step up and assume that leadership position to drive the team towards success. This year, the water polo team could not have asked for better rising Sixth Formers than Alexander Heldring, John Zipf, and Sawyer Warden. With their experience and knowledge of the game, they can be counted on to lead the team to an InterAc title over rivals Penn Charter and Malvern Prep as well as an EA Day victory. Water polo preseason begins on August 19 and continues on until the start of school, which is September 3rd. On August 26, Haverford played La Salle College HS at home and won in a blowout fashion, 16-9. Beginning on August 30, Haverford entered the Philmore Cup, winning the first game at home over Mt. St. Joseph’s in another blowout, 18-9. However, things didn’t go their way the next day at Episcopal Academy. Haverford lost their second game in the tournament to Calvert Hall, 5-10, and they lost their third game to Loyola Blakefield HS, 10-21, finishing the Philmore Cup at 1-2. Clearly, to be able to seem like a threat to win the Inter-Ac, the Fords had to prove they weren’t just all bark. They had to prove to the rest of the league as well as themselves that they are capable of much better things. With a dominating win over Germantown Academy, 19-5, the team showed its true potential. With many of the games occurring just days after each other, the Fords will need to stay

rested, especially for crucial games against Penn Charter and Malvern Prep. The schedule starts out soft, with four very winnable games (all of which are played at home) before taking on Malvern Prep at home. This game will be the first true test for the Fords’ water polo team to see if they can challenge Malvern Prep for the Inter-Ac title. Haverford will play Germantown Academy a week later, a team that Haverford is easily capable of defeating. Penn Charter follows on the schedule. The next game, at Friends’ Central, takes place four days later, another game the Fords could take away. However, the very next day, Haverford will have to play Malvern Prep for the final time of the regular season, so they have to be very cautious and play smart water polo. The season will conclude with games against Episcopal Academy, The Hill School, Lawrenceville, a school that former Ford Reilly Hupfeldt currently attends, and then the Easterns tournament. Then, on October 9th at Episcopal Academy, the annual EA Day will commence, also ending the Fords’ water polo season. All in all, the Fords have a challenging schedule, filled with a mix of inexperienced and challenging teams. While they got off to a rough start at the Philmore Cup, Haverford can come back and challenge Malvern Prep and Penn Charter for the Inter-Ac title. With many Fifth Formers and Fourth Formers stepping up to replace the Class of 2013, this team has much to look forward to this season. While it certainly is bold, I project this team going 15-5 (5-3 Inter-Ac) this season and

Examining How Water Polo Trained this Summer Curran Aiyer ‘15

As students try to cram as much fun as possible into their last days of summer, the fall athletes are training harder than ever. With EA Day now in sight and a chance to win another Heyward Cup, the fall sports teams need to prove that this summer was put to good use. The water polo team was no different, dedicating countless hours in the pool to improve and win the Inter-Ac over rivals Malvern Prep and Penn Charter. This summer, most of the water polo team went to camps at Princeton University, Brown University, and Navy, while others played competitively for club teams around the area. While these camps only lasted a week, they were physically rigorous and mentally challenging, as players had to work hard in the pool for as long as eight hours per day. For the camps, most of the days consisted of water polo workouts from 9-11 AM, 1:30-4 PM, and 7-9:30 PM. The camps were only a week long, but it might have been the hardest week of the summer for the water polo athletes. The instructors at these camps are the cream of the crop as they have an immense amount of experience and tactics ready to be shared with eager athletes. The camp touched all

facets of the game from the basic shooting and passing drills to the tiring swimming and treading exercises as well as the more intense situational drills and the decisional part of the game. Much of the team’s success will largely be due to the camp’s molding of our athletes. As for the club teams, while practices were only twice a week, they had many games with other club teams around the area. Since many of the club teams required tryouts, the players were extremely skilled and only the best were competing. The club teams were not as brutal as the camp, mostly because this club team was a summer team instead of a one week training session, but the practices were nonetheless tiring. These club teams gave our water polo athletes a leg up to the rest of the competition by being prepared and knowing what to expect during the course of the season. As the summer wraps up and the students start to dust off their books and other school supplies, the water polo team looks back with no regrets. This summer was yet another successful one, with the team working diligently on their game. With Sixth Formers Alexander Heldring, John Zipf, and Sawyer Warden leading the way, the 2013 water polo team is ready to prove to the Inter-Ac that they can compete and win, even with the loss of some key seniors.

Team photo of the 2012-2013 water polo team.

Mr. Jim Roese

winning on EA Day, but falling just short of the Inter-Ac title. There is no denying that this water polo team has the talent, motivation, and dedication to succeed, but I think what holds them back from winning the title is the lack of experience on the varsity level from most of the team. It’s obvious that Heldring, Warden, and Zipf will lead the team in steals, goals, and blocks and perhaps even assists, and Fifth Former Colin Moran will take leaps forward in his ability as a goalie. Fifth Formers Jake Pechet, Curran Browning, Manav Khandelwal, Ryan Fuscaldo, Jimmy Boyle, Luke Ryan, and Ben Nelligan will also step up when counted on and lead this team to many solid victories. Fourth Formers Harrison White, Reed Haabestad, Kenny Fitzpatrick, and Max Arias will round out an already formidable varsity water polo team that holds promise for an exciting year.

Water Polo Head Coach Kevin van Such talks to his team in a huddle.

Mr. Jim Roese

Sitting Down With Water Polo Captain Alex Heldring Sam Dyer ‘15

As school begins to start up once again, fall sports teams often find themselves with new leaders, as former standouts have graduated and taken their game to the collegiate level. The water polo team has an exception, however. Sixth Former Alex Heldring is unique in that he is one of the few Sixth Formers at Haverford to captain a sports team during his Fifth Form year. Last season, he was among the team leaders in goals and assists as he led the Fords to a 4-4 record and a third place finish in the Inter-Ac. This season, Heldring is even more ambitious as evident in his high, yet tenable, goals for the team. He hopes to lead the Fords to a record over .500, as well as win the Inter-Ac. Specifically, Heldring says that “For the past couple years I feel that our team has not played up to their potential and I believe that other teams don’t respect us as much as they should. I’m looking forward to proving to other teams that we have 7 players in the pool at all times who can really play.” Although almost everyone sees the final matchup on EA day as the most important game of the year, Heldring is more focused on another matchup. “The game that is biggest for us is against Penn Charter at home because we have lost to them twice at home over the past few years,” he says. “They are the returning champs, so we are l o o k i n g forward to c ha lle nging them in our pool.” Heldring has some lofty personal goals as well. This season, he hopes to score 100 goals, which averages out to nearly five

goals a game with the Fords’ current schedule. He also wants to make sure that “the team comes to each game with the confidence and ability to win.” For this to happen Heldring will have to draw off the leadership skills he learned from his mentor, recent class of 2013 graduate Pat Somers. He maintains that “Pat Somers is the player that has helped me improve my game more than anybody because we were constantly challenging each other every practice in the pool.” Although Alex is primarily focused on this water polo season, he will also compete on the swim team during the winter months. After Haverford, Heldring hopes to attend Brown, Boston College, Georgetown, or Dartmouth. With Heldring and fellow Sixth Formers John Zipf and Sawyer Warden as co-captains, this season looks to be a promising one for the Fords. Games against Inter-Ac rivals EA, Penn Charter, GA and Malvern Prep will be huge tests for this year’s team as will the games against non Inter-Ac adversaries such as Muhlenberg, The Hill School, and Lawrenceville.

Heldring during a water polo match.

Mr. Jim Roese

Page 13

The Index

Sports

september 2013

Cross Country Season Preview

Interviewing Coach Bryan Skelly

With many varsity runners from last year and a myriad of improving lower classmen, I expect the Cross Country team to build off of its success from last year. The head to head match record (not including EA day) should improve from its 2-3 mark of last year to at least 3-2. We can also expect the team to come back from a heartbreaking loss at EA day last year to beat EA on their own soil on EA Day. Coach Skelly says his goals for the team are to “ Win on EA Day, compete for a league title, and place top five in the state” and for everyone to work hard and improve every day. Cross Country makes no cuts, has both a Varsity and a Junior Varsity team, and is made up of a wide variety of students from Third to Sixth Form.. The team is returning four varsity runners from last year but Coach Skelly says there are still Varsity spots are up for grabs. Eamon Glavin, a four year varsity runner and “great leader,” is the lone team captain but Coach Skelly hopes other team members will “ rise to the challenge and become captains throughout the season.” For those who were curious, the races are 5 kilometer (3.12 miles) races. For reference, the best guys in the state run below 16:00 minutes. The average varsity level runner aims for 17:30 according to Coach Skelly. Though there are no cuts, only seven runners will run varsity races for

This year Haverford’s cross country team is going into the season looking to build on its success last year, and help the fords keep both the Sweater, and the Heyward Cup.Coach Skelly is an experienced coach entering his seventh year with the Haverford Cross Country. He is joined by assistant coach Ms.Hulme. I had the pleasure to talk to seven year Coach Mr. Skelly about the upcoming seasons, and below are a few of the questions and answers.

Eli Wachs ‘16

most of the season with the exception of EA day. On EA day, all senior runners will get the opportunity to participate as well as everyone who meets a certain time requirement at the race at the Belmont Plateau. There is a great vibe on the team as school is starting. Captain Eamon Glavin believes that after two weeks of practice, “We’re all starting to get our running legs back under us” but wants the team to remember we have less than 70 days to EA day. Second year runner Peter Merhige says, “We lost a bunch of talented seniors after last year, but there was a big turnout of incoming freshmen this fall. There seems to be plenty of potential, so hopefully we can utilize it to transform this season from something good into something great.”

The Cross Country at the start of EA Day last year.

Eli Wachs ‘16

Who are the captains on this years team? “At this point, we have one captain, Eamon Glavin. Eamon is a four year varsity runner and a great leader. As I told the team, we may have other kids rise to the challenge and become captains throughout the season. Those studentathletes are Alex Kim, Rudy Miller, Pete Rohr, Greg Kirwan, and Eric Petersen, to name a few.” What does the average practice look like? “Well, I suppose we run a lot during an average c r o s s country practice. E v e r y practice is an individual and team challenge to become better. The aspect of cross country that I fell in love with Mr. Jim Roese when I was

Preparing for the Upcoming Football Season Justin Chermol ‘14 and Phil Poquie ‘15

With a new Era in the Haverford community this year 2013, the Haverford Fords have a different demeanor on the football team. They worked hard to improve themselves during the offseason, according to Head Coach Mike Murphy: “I really like the dedication of the players on this year’s team in the off-season. I would say that 90% of our players are at least 2 sport athletes, and they found time to dedicate themselves to this team, and still be able to train, compete and excel in their other sport. I enjoy coaching football, because in this age of specialization, many football players continue to buck this trend.” This year’s team has a sense of urgency and goals motivated by last year’s heartbreaking loss to Episcopal. With the team still shaken by the unexpected and devastating loss in May of Sixth Former Kip Taviano, this year’s team is a lot closer starting from the Sixth Formers down to the Third Formers. The Fords got off to a rough start against West Catholic Prep, losing their season opener 26-14; however, the team has high hopes for the rest of the season. Last year, the Fords finished up 7-4 (4-2 Inter-Ac) including a big win over Malvern Prep, finishing second in the league. Because the Fords have lost some key players over the past couple of years, this is a young team, dominated by Fifth Formers. Many young players who have not spent much time on a varsity football field will be key assets this season. The offense has the biggest line since the start of Coach Murphy’s tenure with Haverford. Returning starting quarterback Sixth Former Brendan Burke is projected to have a successful senior season due to his great understanding of the playbook. One of his main targets this year will be returning starter and utility player

Sixth Former Christian Giubilato, who will have eligibility (he was ineligible last season) to make an impact in the Inter-Ac league on both offense and as the team’s strong safety. Last year, Sixth Form wide receiver Chris Sukonik showed that he can compete with two clutch plays, one of which was the game winner against GA. Finally, Fifth Former Noah Lejman, the outstanding tight end who made his debut with the first touchdown on EA Day last year, provides yet another option for Burke. The running game led by Fifth Former Phil Poquie, who started last week’s West Catholic game with an 88-yard TD scamper, is also set to flourish behind a strong line.

Defensively, the team is young but talented. Led by linebackers Derek Mountain, Brian Casey, and LJ Barlow, the team will look to make up for the loss of All-State and University of Pittsburgh commit Matt Galambos. The secondary, anchored by Giubilato and Poquie, will be very athletic. Expect them to make big plays and create turnovers. Captains Burke, Sukonik, Nick Helber, and Poquie look forward to a difficult offseason and Inter-Ac Schedule. The non-conference schedule includes teams of extremely high quality like Penn Wood, Lawrenceville, and McDonogh. In the Inter-Ac opener, the Fords will play against Malvern Prep on October 12 at

Fords football players playing against West Catholic.

in high school was that day-to-day struggle to be better than you were yesterday. Our runs range from controlled paced runs, hill workouts, speed work, distance runs, and varying paced runs. It’s a bundle of fun. They are good preparation for the 5 kilometer (3.12 miles) races. For reference, the best guys in the state run below 16:00 minutes. The average varsity level runner aims for 17:30. What are the most important races this year other than EA day? “Cross country is unique in that the regular season does not have any affect on the season rankings. We will run in two different invitationals (Briarwood and Salesianum) which are checkpoint races for us. Our championship season consists of Inter Ac Championships, Independent School State Championships, and EA Day. They occur during the last month of the season.” What are your goals for the season? “Our team goals are always the same. We want to win on EA Day, compete for a league title, and place top five in the state. On an individual level, running is, painfully sometimes, concrete in terms of performance. Courses are difficult to compare, but the distance is always the same. If you do not push yourself during a race, you cannot depend on your teammates to bail you out. That scares some kids away. Your improvement shows on the stop watch every week. We want everyone to be better everyday.” Do you think this years team will build upon last years success and continue to grow as a program? “Coach Hulme and I are very happy with the progress of our program over the past seven years. We have a great range of abilities and grade levels on this year’s team. The guys have worked hard and are prepared to compete well. If that leads to success on the league level or not, sometimes it’s out of our control.”

Malvern. After playing a long Inter-Ac schedule the Fords will finish at Episcopal Academy on Haverford/EA Day. After seeing the team play against West Catholic it was obvious this is a good Haverford football team. The offensive line was quick to get off the ball and it was nearly impossible for the West Catholic defense to stop running backs Phil Poquie and Niles Easley. Though Christian Guibilato was not able to play, he will be a star player in the defensive backfield for the Fords as well as a wide receiver. On the defensive side, linebackers Brain Casey, Derek Mountain, and LJ Barlow were flying all over the field making tackles. The defense did, however, run into many troubles. From mental mistakes to sloppy fundamentals, there definitely is work to be done to make Haverford Inter-Ac Champs. “Our goals are the same as they are each year,” says Coach Murphy. “Focus on one game at a time, try and be the best football team in the area/state, and win an InterAc Championship. We continue to work towards those goals.” Defensively, the line needs to be stronger on the ball to stop the inside run. With players like Chauncey Simmonds, Mike Gindhart, Colin Bosak, and Joseph Raymond anchoring the front, there should be no problem with strengthening the defensive line as the season moves forward. Other than that, defense is what will help win games. The 2013 Fords football team is a top-level squad with impressive talent. With a great coaching staff and the help of strength and conditioning coach Matt Rosko, the Fords should look forward to a strong season.

Mr. Jim Roese

Page 14

The Index

September 2013

Opinions

Haverford is Right To Not Release Class Rankings Will Tackett ‘14 discusses the flaws associated with class rankings and why not releasing them is beneficial to the school community. Will Tackett ‘14

There has been a recent trend among independent schools, including Haverford, to not report class rank based on GPA. According to a 2007 survey by the National Association for College Admission Counseling, just 11% of private schools calculate class rank, compared with

standardized test scores, and standardized test scores alone. Is it impossible to also put more emphasis on teacher recommendations and application essays? Schools that deliberately do not require standardized test scores do not compensate by solely focusing on GPA. Instead, admissions officers at those schools spend more time evaluating recommendations

inherently better metric than standardized test scores? Class rank is a flawed measurement based on the already flawed statistic that is a student’s GPA. Let us first look at GPA. It is a single number that supposedly measures a student’s ability and sums up his academic accomplishments across four years. For one, it is old-fashioned; it was developed in the eighteenth century, when our knowledge of education was much more limited. It also relies on the assumption that skills in one discipline are equivalent to skills in another. GPA’s fatal flaw is that it attempts to project an objective

Reporting class rank could harm your college admissions chances.

78.4% of public schools. The main reasoning behind this movement is that reporting class rank harms the college admissions chances of very good students who are not in the top tier of their class. Admissions officers dislike this trend, claiming it forces them to assign more weight to standardized test scores, according to a 2006 article in the New York Times. However, it is hard to believe that not reporting class rank coerces admissions officers into focusing on

and essays. So why is it suddenly impossible to do so if class rank, as opposed to SAT scores, is the metric not reported? Educators also contest this point, arguing that it forces schools to look at applications more holistically: “When you don’t rank, then they have to look at the total child,” said Dr. Jeanne Friedman, the principal of Miami Beach High School and chairwoman of a committee of principals that lobbied to end ranking. Moreover, is class rank really even an

measurement onto the essentially subjective quality of how good a student one is. Is someone with a 3.7 truly a better student than someone with a 3.5 or 3.6, or did they perhaps have, say, slightly more lenient teachers? (For more on GPA, read George Hall ‘15’s opinion on the subject in this issue of The Index.) Class rank, therefore, is already misleading just by being based on GPA. It is not without its own unique disadvantages, however. In

Haverford Should Not Calculate GPA George Hall ‘15 goes one step further, arguing that Haverford should not even be calculating grade point average, a faulty statistic in his view. George Hall ‘15

Grade point average, otherwise known as a GPA, is a metric used in high schools and colleges that expresses a student’s grades across all of his courses in one exact number. However, there is a large gray area regarding the significance of this number and what exactly it represents. It is a benefit to students that Haverford currently does not calculate GPA. GPA’s primary use is in the college application process. A single number is derived from a student’s cumulative grades from his first three years in high school. This number gives colleges an easy way of evaluating (and sometimes rejecting) certain applications based on a numerical standard for GPA. But if this single number does not indicate how well-rounded a student actually is, then the result is that students’ college applications can be negatively affected without proper consideration. Haverford’s College Counseling Department clearly states in its first meeting with a Form that it doesn’t calculate students’ GPA so that colleges fully review four years’ worth of courses grades rather than summing up that information up

from a single number. This alternate method highlights progression and improvement from year to year, and the difficulty of classes for the admissions offices at colleges.

it distinct enough? On a four point scale, .2 of a point is to be added onto the overall number to signify a Haverford honors class. But even more of gray area is created when having to weigh an advanced placement classes (AP), which are commonly provided alongside honors classes at public school. And given that Fifth Form year GPA is likely to be the most significant to a college, how should Fifth Formers who enroll in all IB (International

Brown University is one major college that does no calculate GPA.

GPA is sometimes “weighted” to compensate for the difficulty of classes taken by a student. But is

Baccalaureate) classes, like many Philadelphia public schools, be compared to those of a

private schools especially, fierce competition can lead to miniscule differences between students’ accomplishments. These trivial discrepancies lead to a situation in which the difference between a student ranked thirty-fifth in his class and one ranked tenth is negligible. Furthermore, class rank is meaningless because it lacks context. It does not take into account competitiveness of the school; A student who is valedictorian of one school could be ranked much lower at a different school, but there is no reliable way of knowing when this phenomenon occurs. SATs, on the other hand, at least attempt to be standardized and fair. Defendants of GPA and class rank contend that they are the most convenient methods of quantifying a student’s academic accomplishments. This argument not only relies on the assumption that academic accomplishment must be quantified in some way, but also chooses convenience over accuracy of measurement or even welfare of students. Aside from being an inaccurate metric, class rank could potentially be harmful to the culture of a school. It pits students against each other, generating more of a dogspectator.bps1.net eat-dog environment, rather than a collaborative one. It puts emphasis on attainment of a grade instead of learning itself. This obsession with a mere number puts students in a kind of rat race with clearly defined winners and losers. Education is not a zero-sum game in which someone must lose in order for someone else to gain. It is possible, nay mandatory, that, in a properly-functioning learning institution, everyone gains and no one loses.

private school without that program? But in the end, a grade point average is calculated for all these students, even those of whom take a classes of a different difficulty level. It does not seem that it is completely fair to all students and a rather lazy way to express a lot of hard work. The reason why GPA should not be calculated at Haverford, or any other schools for that matter, is because there is yet to be a nationwide agreement on a standard that all schools can use. For example, in Massachusetts public schools, GPA is calculated at the end of each school year on a 5.0 scale. An A in every class at a Massachusetts public school would result in a 5.0, but at Haverford a 5.0 could represent A+ grades across five honors classes. It seems unnecessarily difficult to have so much difference and confusion. Because of the lack of a national standard when calculating a GPA and the its overall lack of efficiency and fairness, Haverford should continue its practice of not calculating it. It only takes slightly longer look at four years of a Haverford student’s courses and grades. providenceri.com With this method, colleges are able to learn significantly more about a student than a simple number would provide.

Page 15

The Index

Politics

September 2013

Intervention in the Syrian Civil War: Haverford Debates Yes, IT IS THE RIGHT MOVE Brendan Burns ‘15 In the past decade, the United States has already fought two long wars in the Middle East, both of which racked up a significant financial and human toll. It would seem that there is no rationale to become involved in a third war – especially given the relative lack of importance to US interests. The Syrian government has killed no US citizens and Syria doesn’t even have a lot of oil. So what exactly is the case for US involvement in the Syrian Civil War? It is important to establish first that inserting US troops into Syria makes little sense. NATO – specifically a coalition led by Britain, France, and the United States, proved in the Libyan Civil War two years ago that modern militaries can change the balance of a conflict without “putting boots on the ground”. When President Obama authorized US strikes in Libya in 2011, he cited the UN’s “R2P” doctrine (“Responsibility to Protect”), meaning that the US had a moral and humanitarian obligation to come to the aid of the Libyan rebels because Gaddafi’s government was abusing its citizens. But, despite the far greater civilian death toll in Syria, Obama has refused to act. In May of this year, Obama declared that if Syrian President Bashar al-Assad resorted to using his stockpile of chemical weapons (thought to be the third largest in the world) against the opposition, it would be a “game changer” for potential American involvement. Yet, when concrete evidence of chemical weapons use by the Syrian regime emerged the very next month, in June, Obama failed to act decisively. Effectively, Obama allowed the Syrian government, backed by the most powerful elements of the ‘Unfree World’ – China, Russia, and Iran – to cross his so-called “red line” without consequence and continue the indiscriminate massacre of Syrian civilians. Obama’s “R2P” rationale is nowhere to be seen. As foreign policy commentator James

Obama is pushing for a strike against Syria to punish the government for its use of chemical weapons.

liberationist” body Krauthammer mentioned, into a closer (if uneasy) relationship with the extremist, Islamist al-Nusra front, which has declared allegiance to al-Qaeda. As Krauthammer says, for a superpower like the United States, “inaction is a form of action”. What does the US have to gain by intervening in Syria? The ouster of a selfdescribed “anti-Israel”, “anti-West” head of state, for one thing. Bashar al-Assad has a consistent record of opposing US interests in the region, including steadfast support of Hezbollah (designated as a terrorist group) and Iran (designated by the US government as a State Sponsor of Terrorism). The US has the opportunity to cultivate a good relationship with a new Syrian government and reduce the regional clout of the Russia-Iran-Hezbollah bloc. A constructive US presence in Syria could go a long way in mediating decadesold quarrels between Syria and Israel. The US’s oil-rich allies in the region, especially Saudi Arabia, would also benefit from

experience in Iraq has taught the United States anything, it would be to stay out of a Middle Eastern, Islamic holy war. While America debates whether to

weapons into a volatile nation when a possible result could be American-made weapons in the hands of terrorists, just like what happened to Afghanistan in the 1980s. Not only that,

NO, IT IS A MISTAKE Eric Peterson ‘15

The United States should not involve itself in the Syrian Civil War because the civil unrest bears far more resemblance to the unstable religious divide in mid-2000s Iraq than the short 2011 revolution in Libya. Any aid to Syria would be too little, too late as the country tears itself apart in sectarian violence. Many observers see Syria as a democracy and potential new ally in the Middle East. Pundits often note that the regime of Bashar al-Assad rules the nation with a heavy hand and needs to be stopped. This is true, however, the unrest is far more complicated than it seems. Much of the fighting is motivated by religion, as most of the 75% of Syrians who practice Sunni Islam believe they are being oppressed by their Alawite government. Alawites belong to a mystical branch of Shia Islam and most live on the Mediterranean Coast. They have ruled over the Syrian nation for decades and Sunnis realize that the “Arab Spring” may be their best chance at seizing power and creating a Sunni Syria. If past

Associated Press

Robbins put it, “…in the Obama era, the moral compass points mainly to expediency”. Thousands of dead Syrian civilians don’t register. Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Charles Krauthammer argues that “the natural ally of what began as a spontaneous, secular, liberationist uprising in Syria was the United States”. However, Krauthammer compares the Syrian situation to the Spanish Civil War, in which “only one side – the fascists – showed up”. While Russia has supplied Assad’s regime with advanced weaponry and Hezbollah has sent fighters to aid its embattled ally, Obama has remained irresolute. Krauthammer also notes that, due to the US’s abrupt departure from Iraq in 2011 and the lack of a small, residual US force stationed there, “Iraqi airspace effectively belongs to Iran – over which it is flying weapons, troops, and advisers to turn the tide in Syria”. Perhaps worst of all, the lack of US help has forced the Free Syrian Army (FSA), the same “secular,

decreased Iranian power. Furthermore, the US cannot afford to watch from the sidelines as the al-Nusra front gains traction in Syria. Intervening could assure the accession of a moderate, secular government instead of an extremist one. And all the US needs to do is provide is its invaluable leadership and provide the sophisticated military elements that the FSA lacks – especially air support. Obviously, US intervention is not without risks. But, as Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) responded to concerns about Syria’s Russian-made antiaircraft defenses, “We can’t do every war where you never lose an aircraft”. And the US has far more strategic interest in Syria than in Libya, where US intervention produced no tangible benefits for Americans – and directly resulted in decreased Libyan oil exports and indirectly caused the murder of an American Ambassador. Some point to the complexity of the various warring factions in Syria as a reason not to step in. However, if the US fails to do so, it will find itself without an ally in Syria when Assad is inevitably removed from power – without an ally to buffer against the spread of Jihadist groups and Iranian influence. While Washington mulls over the merits of intervening, the scale of human rights abuses in Syria is escalating. It was recently reported that a nerve gas attack near Damascus on August 21, perpetrated by the Syrian regime, killed as many as 1,300 people by some estimates. If this figure is correct, it would represent the most deadly use of chemical weapons since Saddam Hussein gassed thousands of Kurds more than two decades ago. The United States has a humanitarian obligation and strategic incentive to intervene in the Syrian Civil War. It may not be the most politically convenient option for President Obama, but it is the correct one.

against the FSA’s looting in Syrian cities told BBC, “One word about this on Facebook can earn you a bullet”. Our country should not arm a rebel organization that clamps down on freedom of speech as much as the previous regime. Sending soldiers to Syria should be off the table in any debate about intervention in Syria, and sending weapons to small, disunited organizations affiliated with al-Qaeda does not seem to be a smart plan. The only viable intervention plan seems to be launching a no-fly zone in Syria, as all other options seem doomed to fail. A no-fly zone, however, would be destined to fail, as most of the Syrian government’s assaults are attempted from land, the cost to maintain it would put a strain on the defense budget as the United States tries to slow military spending after two unsuccessful wars, and Syria’s Russian-made missile defenses could result in American casualties. Furthermore, a full-scale no-fly zone can only be successfully implemented by cooperating with other Middle Eastern and NATO nations, as in Libya in 2011. The difference is that the resolution to enforce a no-fly zone in 2011 was backed by the most ‘prodictator’ UN Security Council member, Russia, supported by Middle Eastern nations, and led by a European power, France. Now, however, Russia is a firm ally of the al-Assad government, Middle Eastern nations seem more pessimistic about Syria, and France is busy trying to rebuild the fragile government of washingtonpost.com Buildings destroyed by airstrikes in a rebel-controlled are of Aleppo, Syria Mali. It seems that the United States is but the Syrian opposition is not one stabile the only nation looking for any intervention. intervene, hundreds of Europeans, Australians organization, but rather several smaller groups Most nations have been wise to stay out of the and even a few Americans are already fighting all with their own agendas for the post-Assad conflict. America should follow suit and stop to oust al-Assad’s government. No, these are Syria. The United States could send arms to the the intervention debate before our country not members of any elite military force, but main opposition group, the Free Syrian Army, becomes embroiled in another Middle Eastern radicalized Islamists fighting in the name of religion. They have abandoned safe, developed but what’s to stop it from getting into the hands religious war. of al-Nusra, an al-Qaeda ally and another antinations to participate in a crusade against Assad group fighting against the Alawites? Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/worldAlawism and for a new Islamist government. Furthermore, one Syrian refugee who was middle-east-23285869 Anarchy rules in Syria and it simply does not forced to flee the country after speaking out make sense for the United States to funnel

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The Index

February 2013

Outdex

Recently at The Haverford School... Noah Cutler ‘14, RJ Meierrs ‘14 , Terry Rossi ‘14, Sanjay Narayanan ‘14, Dylan Henderson ‘14

According to recent intelligence reports, Jordan Siegal does, in fact, row crew.

A record 6 books were checked out of the library last year, obliterating the previous mark of 3 set during the 1994-95 school year. Graham Gaddes is taking a stand against unsafe driving. He has put himself up for hire as a designated Luna Bar holder.

After failing to get several of his “unfunny” and “questionably racist” jokes published, Jon Paras left the Outdex and vowed to start his own paper. Jon’s John will be published in 8 languages including klingon.

Sixth Former Chris Wong has already created an alternative newspaper to the Index, and he has just unveiled plans to build an alternative school to Haverford by the name of “Häverford,” which he says will be “just like Haverford, only much more like Shipley.” This new paper has nothing to do with Chris’s college resume. After just one day on the job, Dr. John Nagl already holds the school record for gong whiffs and fist pumps.

In addition to playing “Dream On” by Aerosmith, each one of Dr. Nagl’s speeches will be preceded by ripping his shirt off and doing a backflip off of the top rope.

Student Body President Peter Blynn is looking to bridge the gap between the students and the administration.

Seen by 12, liked by none.

In addition to playing “Dream On” by Aerosmith, each one of Dr. Nagl’s speeches will be preceded by ripping his shirt off and doing a backflip off of the top rope.