September 2018 Index

The student voice... since 1888

The Index Ευταξια Σωζειν Δοκει

September 2018

Volume LXXXI, No. 1

Haverford, Pennsylvania

www.havindex.

Fords near nirvana in Cambodia

by Matthew Schwartz ‘21 Jack Phelan ’21, Kenneth Pham ’19, Khalil Bland ’19, Ben Hokenson ’20, Sunny Yu ’20, Graham Rantanen ’20, George Lanchoney ’21, and Sawyer Hoyt ’20 on the Mekong River in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

This past summer, while many were down the shore or wasting time avoiding summer reading (or both), a group of Haverford students boarded a plane for Cambodia. The nearly eighteen-hour flight and two-week trip was part of Haverford’s yearly travel-study programs “to

enhance the learning that takes place in the classroom by integrating authentic travel experiences into specified areas of the curriculum,” according to the Global Studies webpage.

History teacher Mr. Brian Long said, “My goals going into the trip were centered

on having an experience for the students where language immersion was not the priority... the priority was centered on cultural immersion and finding a location that sort of fit with the confluence of religious significance that’s different than what we’re used to, modern historical significance and

MS. JAN WOLF

ancient historical significance.”

Cambodia, a developing country in Southeast Asia, boasts a population of over fifteen million and has an official religion of Theravada Buddhism. cont. pg. 6

Nostrant, Nagl explain exit

Soccer triumphs in Maryland

Mr. Nostrant will leave Haverford after his 28th year of coaching and 21st year as athletic director (AD). Over this transition year, he will hand off the AD gauntlet to Mr. Mike Murphy and that of head lacrosse coach to Mr. Brendan Dawson.

Coach Nostrant began working at Haverford in 1991. He worked as a fourth grade teacher for seven years before becoming AD. “We were a doormat here in the ’90s,” he said. “We hadn’t won a football game since

What was at first an uneventful game of soccer between two soccer powerhouses, The Haverford School and Archbishop Curley Academy in Baltimore, drastically changed in the dying seconds of the first half. Sixth Former Griffin Wada managed to play a beautifully chipped ball that skimmed

NICK PIPPIS ’19

NICK CHIMICLES ‘19

the ’70s...There were maybe only 30 guys in the [lacrosse] program.”

Over nearly three decades, Coach Nostrant led Haverford’s athletic programs to national excellence and made the lacrosse team, as Dr. Nagl said, “arguably the best prep-school lacrosse team in America.”

“I always had help,” said Mr. Nostrant.

“Murph has been my assistant and associate.

We all get along.” cont. pg. 10

over the head of the last defender and zoomed into the box. Dan Calvelli, with a mere 30 seconds left on the clock, successfully ran onto the ball and tapped it past the keeper, putting the Fords up one to nothing at halftime. cont. pg. 13

MR. JIM ROESE

Coach Nostrant with Ryan Niggaman ’19 during a game against LaSalle.

Varsity Soccer huddling during a 4-1 win over Gilman on Saturday, September 1.

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Yan Graf reviews the blockbuster, Crazy Rich Asians pg. 14

PHOTO COURTESY OF NIKHIL CHAKRABORTY

Nikhil Chakraborty correlates race and poverty at Eat-Cafe pg. 7

MS. SUSAN TUCKER

Page 2

The Index - Editorial

September 2018

Celebrate success and face our challenges A letter from the editors As we re-acclimate to the halls of Haverford, we should focus our attention on what’s great, but also what we can improve on to become better Fords.

Haverford has already established itself as both an athletic and an academic institution. Holders of multiple InterAc titles in numerous sports, we’ve really outdone ourselves. Fresh off a win as an underdog against Northeast High School, a frontrunner of Philadelphia football, the Fords are looking towards high aspirations this year. Soccer is heading into the season on a high note as well, scoring 3-1 against Archbishop Curley Academy of Baltimore, a force to be reckoned with.

Academically, we’re strong. Our soft robotics team, which won Best Poster Award last year at the Materials Research Society (MRS) annual meeting in Arizona, was recently published in MRS Advances, a peer-reviewed scientific journal. Some of our most scientifically minded students delve deep into the Advanced Laboratory Research Cooperative, a program that enables select students to conduct real scientific research at some of our best universities and institutions in Philadelphia, including the University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University, and CHOP. Lastly, some of our most talented writers came fresh off the heels of several Gold Medal, Gold Key, Silver Key, and Honorable Mention awards from the national Scholastic Art & Writing awards for different literary

and artistic works. And of course, we here at The Index strive toward excellence.

Still, we must push the envelope to not only become better in terms of achievements, but also as a community.

There is much work to be done.

Racial tensions remain. Considering the limited diversity in our student demographics, our student body experienced intolerance last year. With issues such as the n-word being carelessly used, the blind eye to racism against Asian and South Asian Americans, and the occasional lack of empathy, our school can do much better,.

And we will. The Index hopes to dive deep into the underlying sources of student body struggle.

Safety is of utmost importance to our school community, and the chatter regarding drug use has stirred a rude awakening. Chewing tobacco tins scattered in locker rooms and students vaping in bathrooms hint at deeper concerns. With distant memories of a “Main Line Takeover” drug bust, Haverford has had to not only grapple with issues of certain communities intoxicated with bad habits, but also our “justice system” favoring more advantaged groups.

Additionally, an all-boys school is both a blessing and a curse. In the words of our incoming Upper School Head Mr. Patrick Andrén, “Boys’ education gone wrong can turn into the worst elements of a fraternity.

Boys education done well can be an utterly transformative experience for boys, for

families, and for communities.” We need to be cognizant about how we need to align with the latter, not the former, especially in the way we treat women. Due to the nature of an all-boys environment, we often lack the perspective that women bring to the table.

Whether it be polarizing political issues, topics of gender roles and equality, consent and sex, or professional life after Haverford, understanding the importance of women in our lives is integral in boys becoming men.

The Index takes a firm stance in ensuring women of our world are aptly represented.

While we honor the achievements of some our more recognized teams, recognition needs to be dispensed duly to some of our other highly achieving programs— Haverford’s tennis team holding over seven Inter-Ac titles, the robotics team consistently topping Worlds, and the theater program knocking it out of the park, to name a few.

The Index has and is already working to make this equal coverage a reality.

Lack of empathy shows its true colors as the students interact with each other. Especially regarding political issues, the student body can grow divided. Certain groups choose not to listen to others simply because they see “fake news” or “softness,” while the converse is also problematic: opposing perspectives refuse to believe that these finger-pointers have any moral basis, blinding them from an open mind. Here at The Index, we recognize the importance of representing both sides through respectful discourse.

Lastly, many have described Haverford on the surface as a “brotherhood,” but this can sometimes provide a misleading perspective of a more unpleasant foundation. As we chip away at the surface, we start to discover pockets of untrustworthiness and cliques, as evidenced by incidents of group exclusion as well as theft. At times, we don’t know if we can really trust our “brothers” or be vulnerable in certain situations, as many note a “toxic atmosphere” sometimes suffusing over halls of Haverford. Finding a community that not only transcends the clique boundaries but also fosters a core of trust is a goal that The Index has for our student body this year.

The Index has an exciting future in store for you. In this issue and our subsequent issues, you will find controversial opinions, interesting experiences, suggestions for change, and, of course, your traditional stream of news and analysis. Disagree with an opinion? Have a better experience or idea to share? Notice something newsworthy that we missed? We hope to see an article from you in the next issue.

sandwiches for the hungry, and Rowan Homes tutoring. In the spring, we will take advantage of our partnerships with Baldwin and Agnes Irwin and together put on Empty Bowls in an ongoing awareness effort to support the community-based hunger organizations We are looking for new members for the Service Board to replace last year’s outgoing Sixth Formers. We especially encourage underclassmen to apply. The application process and deadline will be announced soon. Membership on the Service Board

nvolves added responsibilities in planning and organizing events, as well as promoting them to the student body. Not being on the Service Board by no means prevents one from attend or creating service events. If you have an idea for a possible event or would like to know how to get involved in planned events, feel free to contact us or come us to us in the hallways.

Until then, Neetish Sharma ’19 & Nicholas Chimicles ’19, Editors-in-Chief

A letter from the Service Board On behalf of Ms. Loos, co-president Kwaku Adubofour, and the other members of the Service Board, I, would like to welcome everyone to the new school year.

This year, the Service Board is looking forward to continue its mission of creating positive change in communities locally and around the world. While community service hours are not required to graduate, we encourage students to partake in at least a few events each year. As a Service Board and a greater Haverford community, we will have the chance to participate in an

eclectic mix of service events. Everyone will be sure to find something to interest them.

Our involvement in the community will start as early as the first couple months of school. A few favorites are the Buddy Walk and Shiverfest. During Buddy Walk, we usually run a few sports booths for children with mental disabilities. At Shiverfest, which is near Halloween, we take part in running a haunted trail. We also have consistent programs throughout the year like PB & J Club, where we make

Co- Presidents Jackson Overton-Clark ‘19, Kwaku Adubofour ‘20, and Ms. Loos

The Index’s

2018-2019 Staff Nick Chimicles ’19 and Neetish Sharma ‘19, Editors-in-Chief Yan Graf ’20, Managing Editor Toby Ma ’20, Features Editor

Obaida Elamin ’20, Design Editor

Matthew Schwartz ’20, News Editor

Vincent Scauzzo ’20, Features Editor Daniel Chow ’20, Features Editor

Nick Chimicles ’19, Head Web Editor Lleyton Winslow ’20, Head Web Editor Noah Rubien ’20, Web Editor Aditya Sardesai ’20, Web Editor

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 index@haverford.org.

Robert Esgro ’19, Opinions Editor Yeshwin Sankuratri ’20, Asst. Opinions Editor Matt Mignucci ’20, Politics Editor Jon Krouse ’20, Asst. Politics Editor Tyler Zimmer ’21, Arts Editor Augie Aliaga ’21, Arts Editor

Nick Pippis ’19, Sports Editor Ryan LaRocca ’20, Sports Editor

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 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.

Ms. Alicia Evans, Faculty Advisor Mr. Thomas Stambaugh, Faculty Advisor

The Index, a member of the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, is composed on Mac OS X, using Adobe InDesign CS 2018. Its surveys are conducted via SurveyMonkey and are advertised on Facebook to current Haverford students. Graphic designs are created by Index staff via Canva.

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 1156 community members, consisting of 956 students and 200 faculty and staff members.

Contact The Index: 450 Lancaster Ave, Haverford, PA 19041 index@haverford.org Twitter: @Haverford_Index

Page 3

What makes Mr. Andrén tick? “The irreplaceable sense of community that revolves around deep relationships is the core around which great boys schools are built,” he said, in a recent conversation in his new office.

Graduating from the Brunswick School in Connecticut, Mr. Patrick Andrén went on to receive his B.A. from Lafayette College in History and Eastern European and Russian Studies and his M.A. from Columbia University in Modern European Studies. Mr. Andrén comes from St. Mark’s School in Texas, a Dallas analogue to Haverford. There, in another all-boys environment, Mr. Andrén also served as Head of Upper School. For the past twenty plus years, he has taught history, coached football and wrestling, and served in various administrative capacities at several independent schools.

Where Mr. Andrén is today aligns itself far from where he planned to be as a young high school student. Growing up, Mr. Andrén’s father was in business in New York City, with a career that seemed to pique Mr. Andrén’s interests.

“My path to teaching was sort of unintended. I was convinced that I was going to be taking over my father’s business,” said Mr. Andrén. “Later in my high school career, my advisor of three years, similar to how it’s done here at Haverford, pulled me aside and told me, ‘I’ll put money down that in four years, you’re going to be going into teaching.’ In response, I shrugged it off as nothing important, as I was convinced that I was going to be off to the next great thing. When senior year rolled around, however, I had a couple of business job offers, yet nothing really resonated with me. Subsequently, I decided to try my hand at teaching, and the rest was history.”

After acclimating himself to the new environment and settling his loved ones in, Mr. Andrén was pleasantly surprised by the meat and bones of what Haverford has to offer.

From his prior work at boys’ schools, Mr. Andrén understands the key role relationships and male bonding can play in a young man’s life: “When you talk to others about the experience, what blows people’s minds is the depth of relationships that boys can have with each other, which often flies in the face of what you see in the media regarding masculinity and the nature of how males treat each other,” Mr. Andrén said.

The Index - Features

September 2018

Mr. Andrén grabs Upper School helm

by Neetish Sharma ’19 “I think boys’ education is a balancing act. Boys’ education gone wrong can turn into the worst elements of a fraternity. Boys’ education done well can be an utterly transformative experience for boys, for families, and for communities,” said Mr. Andrén. “It’s hard to put in words the male experience at an all-boys school, as you really do have to experience it in order to truly understand it.”

And understand it he does. A veteran of the all-boys experience, Mr. Andrén hopes to deepen his understanding about the nuances and intricacies that play a role in how boys live and learn. Community is central to the “brotherhood” that has become a buzzword for the Haverford community. This year, Mr. Andrén hopes to make it more than just a buzzword.

“The core of community is what really excites me about Haverford. There are plenty of other schools that can throw up statistics like numbers of National Merit Scholars or athletic records, but it’s truly about those things we can’t quantify. The culture of the community. The relationships we make. The bonds we forge.”

This year, Mr. Andrén plans to make it a

Ms. Rachel Wortham joins English I team

by Daniel Chow ’20 INDEX STAFF

Joining the English Department is Ms. Rachel Wortham, an avid fiction writer, squash player, and vegetarian chef. During the new school year, she will teach English I, coach

squash, and assist with track and field.

Holding a B.A. in English Literature and a minor in psychology from Washington University in St. Louis, Ms. Wortham is looking to share skills. “I teach because I love shar-

Index Staff

INDEX STAFF

point to fortify these bonds. Before engaging in any concrete plans, Mr. Andrén wants to understand the integrative nature of the administration and faculty.

“You’re going to see me around. I’m going to ask a lot of questions. I might forget your names a bunch of times, so forgive me for that,” Mr. Andrén said. “One of my goals for the year is to meet with every single faculty member for at least forty five minutes to get to know them. I think I’ve met with about twenty already. One thing that already excites me is how the teachers seem so dedicated to relationships, to providing a great experience for the boys. This isn’t a place that simply rests on its laurels.”

Specifically this year, Mr. Andrén hopes to take on roles in both teaching and in athletics. Whether these plans materialize is yet to be determined, but Mr. Andrén has already secured himself a spot in the history department: “This year, I’m lucky to have the opportunity to teach a Modern World History class for the sophomores. One of the reasons that I like Haverford so much is that as a Head of Upper School, I can still get an opportunity to end up in the classroom.

This is not a place where the administration is separate from the rest of the faculty,” said Mr. Andrén.

“In terms of coaching, I’ve coached football and wrestling. I’m not too sure what the year has in store for me on that front. I might go embarrass myself on the wrestling mat a few times if I get lucky.”

All humour aside, however, Mr. Andrén is beyond excited to kick off his time here at Haverford. Mr Andrén’s prior experience working with, teaching, and coaching boys has made him an apt choice for Headmaster of Upper School.

“Haverford’s always been a school that I’ve kept in my consciousness, especially since working with Mr. Green in the past.

From my outside perception, it was always a school that was about doing things the right way. This school already has a phenomenal reputation of being a great place for boys, but what I’ve found so far in interacting with the faculty as well as meeting the parents and students, I think it’s going to exceed every one of my expectations.”

ing my knowledge and expertise in a way that allows other to grow and benefit,” Ms. Wortham said.

To her, the decision to become an educator was not a difficult one. “I love facilitating learning for others and inspiring others to learn, especially when it comes to subjects I’m most passionate about, like literature and writing,” said Ms. Wortham.

In addition to her own passion, Ms. Wortham developed an inclination to teach because of the inspirational teachers she has had in her past. “Particularly my tenth grade English teacher, who inspired me to love words, be ambitious, and harness creativity.

She also showed me the impact of impassioned teaching,” said Ms. Wortham.

Why teach at Haverford? Well, right from the day of her interview, Ms. Wortham said she was “struck by how supportive and warm Haverford’s community was: from faculty walking me from one office to the next, to staff members greeting me with a smile and a hello. It was also clear to me how much I could learn from the amazing faculty here.”

Equally appealing were the students, who “were not only attentive and engaged with academics but also wonderfully diverse, with arrayed interests and personalities,” Ms. Wortham said.

During her time at Washington University, Ms. Wortham played squash for four years, captaining the team for two. “I’m excited to be continuing my squash career at Haverford as a coach,” she said.

In addition to her studies and playing squash, Ms. Wortham also tutored high school students and served as an intern at several publications, including The Harvard Business Review. Ms. Wortham’s hobbies include writing fiction, making latch-hook rugs, cooking vegetarian fare, baking, and knitting.

“I am looking forward to many things this year. I’m excited to meet and get to know my students both in and outside the classroom,” Ms. Wortham said. “I can’t wait to see the students engage with literature and writing in new ways. I’m also excited to get to know the other amazing faculty and staff members at Haverford and learn from them.”

Page 4 Joining the ranks of the mathematics Department is Ms. Barbara LaPenta, who will teach Algebra II, Algebra II*, and Calculus.

Growing up with military parents and a younger sister, Ms. LaPenta moved around around quite a bit in her younger years, even living internationally in Japan. But she still considers Philadelphia her home.

Ms. LaPenta holds a B.S. in Secondary Education with a concentration in Math from Temple University and an M.A. in Education Technology from Michigan State.

Prior to Haverford, Ms. LaPenta had been an educator for six years, mainly teaching high school math at various charter schools in Philadelphia. Recently teaching at the Maritime Academy Charter High School and at String Theory Schools, Ms. LaPenta has taught “every high school math course from Algebra I to AP Calculus AB.” Ms. LaPenta has done more than just teach in classrooms, however. “I founded the National Honor society chapters at my previous two schools, which emphasize scholarship and community service,” she said.

Additionally, during her time at college and first few years of teaching, Ms. LaPenta also tutored at Mathanasium, where she first met Haverford students. Since then, Ms. LaPenta said she has “always been impressed by Haverford boys — they ask lots of questions, are curious and all around charismatic.”

Despite her experience as an educator, Ms. LaPenta never actually planned on pursuing such a path. “I wasn’t always destined to be a teacher in my head,” she said. Originally, Ms. LaPenta had a completely different set of goals, planning on studying the world of science. Ms. LaPenta said she has “always been a five-year-plan person, and my senior year I was bound and determined to go to West Virginia University and study chemistry

The Index - Features

and criminal justice in hopes of becoming a toxicologist.”

Things took a twist. “It wasn’t until my Pre-Calculus class where it all sort of hit me. I always loved math and loved working with people that teaching felt like the natural option.” From then on, Ms. LaPenta’s love for teaching only grew. “Now, starting year seven I can honestly say that I can’t see myself doing anything else. My students always bring out the best of me.”

During her visit to Haverford, Ms. LaPenta described herself as “floored.”

“Although the campus is beyond stunning, I was more impressed by the smaller things: the boys hold the doors open for everyone and anyone, as well as greeting whomever they pass. I was also thrilled to find that those impressions I had previously were beyond true.” In addition, Ms. LaPenta said that “the math department has been beyond welcoming and warm,” and that really drew her to Haverford. “I felt like I really found my home here.”

When not in the classroom, Ms. LaPenta is almost always on the go. “I love to travel.

You will never find me at home when we have an extended break or during the summer.” In fact, she is already planning a trip to Asia next summer. Her favorite part of traveling, of course, is the unique cuisine.

“I love seeing new sights, learning about their culture, getting lost and finding some really secret places. My favorite part is always the food aspect of traveling!” said Ms. LaPenta.

If not on a trip around the world, Ms. LaPenta also enjoys watching sports; college football and baseball are her favorites.

For those in Ms. LaPenta’s class, staying engaged and on top of things should not be difficult. Ms. LaPenta said, “I don’t love always standing in the front for long periods of time. I enjoy sharing some skills and letting students get into the math and exploring it themselves. I also love meeting

September 2018

A sine of the times with Ms. LaPenta

by Daniel Chow ‘20

students needs — do you need to be pushed?

Do you need to know why this is important?

Do you need it explained another way?”

Ms. LaPenta always tries to keep it interesting. “I think classrooms should have noise — productive conversations and music,” said Ms. LaPenta. “I enjoy getting to know my students, and I have a tendency to be super sarcastic when the situation calls for it.”

Mr. DiBello dedicated to add to Ford chemistry

Vincent Scauzzo ‘20

“You can be successful in anything you do in life,” said Mr. Christopher DiBello ’11 said, proving his optimistic view on life, coaching, and teaching.

Mr. DiBello joins the Science Department this year, after having spent previous years teaching at Cardinal O’Hara High School.

Inspired by his experience here, Mr. DiBello said he wanted to give back to the community, hoping kids have the same great experience he had.

Mr. DiBello earned his Bachelor of Science Degree from Penn State in Chemistry. Though PSU has bigger classes and more opportunities to blend in, Mr. DiBello thought he stood out because of how Haverford prepared him.

He said the Haverford teachers’ “expertise in their fields is what provided me the opportunity to be a successful student. I was able to engage the content and with the professors because of the skills provided to

INDEX STAFF

me by my Haverford teachers.”

“It is not so much what specific skills Haverford has given me, but the values they instilled with me,” Mr. DiBello said. “I truly believe I was successful at Penn State because of Haverford. I hope the values embedded in stone at Haverford’s Walk of Virtues continue to exemplify who I am on a daily basis.”

Mr. DiBello sees clearly what the present Haverford student might not: Haverford

INDEX STAFF

Ms. LaPenta has her goals already set. “This year I hope to really immerse myself in the Haverford community — learn all the names, really get into the spirit of EA Week, find my favorite meal at the dining hall — with the hopes that I can find a place or places to involve myself, or what I feel like could benefit the community.”

prioritizes virtue, reputation, and quality of teaching, which prepare students for college and beyond.

Mr. DiBello will also coach football and wrestling. Instead of focussing on practice schedules, new coaching tactics, and beating EA, Mr. DiBello is more philosophical.

“You can be successful in anything you do in life. Often the hard part is overcoming the failures and struggles that occur when you are learning. Sports are terrific ways to teach this lesson, as anyone who plays a sport knows there are times you win and times you lose,” Mr. DiBello said.

“My goal for any sport I coach or any subject I teach is to provide my students with self-awareness and the ability to push themselves to a limit beyond what they last thought was capable. It is my belief that you are going to learn more about yourself in an uncomfortable position based on how you react to the adversity rather than being comfortable without pressure to be successful,” Mr. DiBello said.

Mr. DiBello will talk with his players on the sidelines and tell them to persevere, or see students in the classroom after hours, working with until they understand the material — and push themselves.

Mr. DiBello is enthusiastic about chemistry. “If you think about it, we are able to make conclusions about things that we never really observe,” Mr. DiBello said.

“What really blows my mind is that often there are patterns and order to how things come to be. All elements have characteristics and an identity that are unique to themselves but are related to other elements that are very similar. Like fingerprints, no two things are truly identical, and when you can have a group of students understand a small piece of the proverbial pie of chemistry, then it always makes that day amazing.”

Having grown up in the Philadelphia area, there will be no threat of Browns Quizzes in Mr. DiBello’s class.

Page 5 Stepping into the large hole left by Ms. Epstein’s departure, Mrs. Katie Schroeder is eager to be the newest addition to the language faculty, providing a fresh perspective to the studies of language. Mrs. Schroeder will teach all sections of Spanish III this year.

Born and raised in northern New Jersey, Mrs. Schroeder originally attended Roanoke College, a small liberal arts school in Virginia, with plans of pursuing a career in international law. “I think I’d be a lawyer,” said Mrs. Schroeder. “I actually went to college thinking I was going to teach international law, but I had a professor in college who really inspired me. She was one of those teachers who is passionate about her work and made that passion contagious.

It made the students really excited and I wanted to do the same. I wanted to help other people find their passion.”

After receiving a B.A. in Spanish from Roanoke, Mrs. Schroeder went on to obtain an M.S. in Spanish Literature and Cultural Studies from Georgetown University, where she was able to travel the world and gain new experiences that let her expand her Spanish knowledge.

“Georgetown was a different experience [than Roanoke] because it was in the city,” said Mrs. Schroeder, “but they had fantastic international programs and through Georgetown, I was able to live in Ecuador and spend time in the rain forests and Galapagos Islands.”

Following her return to the United States and completion of her masters, Mrs. After five years at the Hun School of Princeton, Mr. Matt Ator is ready to begin teaching the students of Haverford. He will bring his teaching skills to the math department and his coaching expertise to the basketball courts and the baseball fields.

Mr. Ator did not start out with the goal of becoming an educator. When he went to college, he was pursuing a career in art and graphic design; but, after three years, he discovered that “while [he loved] art and design as a hobby, it was not going to be a satisfying career.”

Instead, Mr. Ator found another calling — teaching — shaped by his time at Camp Dudley, “an all-boys summer camp in upstate New York,” he said.

“Attending Camp Dudley when I was

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Schroeder went back to New Jersey where she taught at two different private schools, including a stint at Montclair Kimberley Academy in northern New Jersey. Once she and her husband moved to Philadelphia, Mrs. Schroeder began teaching at The Baldwin School and even spent one year teaching at Haverford back in 2014. For the past two years she has been part-time teaching as an adjunct professor for Saint Joseph’s University, giving her nearly a decade of teaching experience.

Now, with one child beginning first grade at Haverford and two others not far behind, Mrs. Schroeder is looking forward to joining the Haverford community and share with students all that she has learned.

“I try to make what I’m teaching relevant to the boys and what’s going on in their lives,” said Mrs. Schroeder. “I usually take a survey at the beginning of the year because I really want to know about you guys, what interests you, what do you want to do with your lives, and how do you learn best.”

“I think my job as a teacher is not to impart knowledge, but to get you excited about it, to help you apply it, and really see how it fits into your specific life,” Mrs. Schroeder said. “Every student is completely different, so I may find that as a challenge, but also something that I love, tailoring my teaching to different types of students.”

September 2018

Mrs. Schroeder returns una vez más

by Matthew Schwartz ’20

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12, I had no idea what kind of effect it would have on my future career,” said Mr. Ator. “The leaders provided great models of leadership and became enormous role models for me. Years later when I became a leader myself, I loved working with the campers.”

“That was my first interaction with teaching; although I wouldn’t make it my career for another five years, it heavily influenced my eventual decision to become a teacher,” Mr. Ator said.

Another major influence on Mr. Ator was his Calculus teacher.

“I had always been good at math, but his class was the first time everything really clicked for me,” Mr. Ator explained. “He made his class extremely engaging and en-

couraged all of us to pursue questions we had about the material. I am still in touch with him, and he has been a great mentor throughout my career.”

A Paoli native, Mr. Ator was familiar with The Haverford School for “pretty much [his] entire life.” And when he came for his interview at The Haverford School, “it immediately felt like a school [he] could call home.”

“I felt an amazing energy and bond in the building,” said Mr. Ator. “I felt extremely excited and fortunate when Mr. Green called me last May to say he was offering me the position.”

Outside the classroom, Mr. Ator is a fan of food, rock climbing, and “doing stuff outside.”

Mr. Matt Ator helps students climb Math Mountain

“I got back into biking this summer and enjoy hiking and playing golf,” Mr. Ator said. “My favorite hobby right now is rock climbing at the Philadelphia Rock Gym in Oaks.”

“My wife and I are both really into food, we both love to cook and will go out of our way to try and find new and interesting restaurants,” Mr. Ator said.

In the classroom, Mr. Ator hopes to create a more open and active classroom environment.

“I try to encourage my students to try multiple methods to find solutions. I want my students to leave my class as flexible problem solvers.”

“There should be pretty constant collaboration, and I like to have my students up and moving. I hope to have as much of my class taking place on the whiteboards as at the desks,” said Mr. Ator.

In addition, he rejects the belief that students should only learn the “best” way to solve a math problem.

“A lot of people believe that because there is often a single final answer to a math problem, . . . there must only be one way to find the solution,” he said. “I try to encourage my students to try multiple methods to find solutions. I want my students to leave my class as flexible problem solvers.”

Mr. Ator will also assist on the basketball court and the baseball field. He finds his role as coach as integral to building relationships with students.

“The bonds made through working with peers on a team are extremely important and can lead to a more lasting bond over time,” he said.

Above all, Mr. Ator wants to know what his students are interested in. “If they like a song, I’ll listen to it. If there’s a game they’re into, I’ll check it out. I want to know about the teams or performing groups they’re a part of, and I want to be there to see them play or perform.”

by Toby Ma ‘20

INDEX STAFF

Page 6

The Index - Features

September 2018

Ford near nirvana in Cambodia continued from the front page...

For some, the chance to explore and learn more about a religion personal to them was too much to pass up. “My mom is Buddhist, and I thought it would be interesting to learn more about my mother’s religion,” said Fifth Former Sunny Yu, one of the students spanning three grades who went on the trip.

Not everyone was drawn in by the religious element, many were simply excited by the prospect of going somewhere new.

“I have never traveled to Asia before,” recalled Sixth Former Kenneth Pham, “so the thought of adventuring to a new land thrilled me.”

While on the trip, the group was exposed to many different experiences they would have never been able to receive at home.

“It was surely probably one of the most off-the-beaten-path trip the school has done,” said Mr. Long.

Pham said, “If someone really is open to trying everything unavailable to them in Western society, this trip is a godsend.”

“We got to really see how these communities live,” Mr. Long said. “It was a really deep dive into what it would be like to live in Cambodia, not in the capital city.”

Once in Cambodia, the group dove right to exploration. On the third day they left the capital of Phnom Penh, and drove two hours west to Kirirom National Park, where they spent the next three days and two nights traveling on foot, visiting waterfalls, walking through bamboo and pine forests as well as looking at scenic overviews across the rainforest.

They spent their nights in homestays in a community called Chambok. Sometimes

referred to as an eco-tourism site, it is a remote community with inconsistent power, dirt roads, and bathrooms like nothing the students had ever encountered, but it gave them insight into Cambodian life.

Mr. Long spoke highly of their experience in that area. “We got to really see how these communities live,” Mr. Long said. “It was a really deep dive into what it would be like to live in Cambodia, not in the capital city.”

With over 100 different temples across the country, the group went to one of the most popular, named Angkor Wat. It is the largest religious monument in the world, taking up over 500 acres and featuring everything from intricate carvings and architectural wonders to a three-mile moat and two-mile walls.

“It was surely probably one of the most off-the-beaten-path trip the school has done,” “My favorite activity would probably be exploring the broken down temples [Angkor Wat and the others surrounding it]. As touristy as this may sound, it truly was a marvel to see,” Pham said. “Not only did every step you take introducing you to new ancient art, you truly felt like a spelunker of sorts, climbing and jumping over rocks just to see the intricate carvings and architectural marvels in each corner.”

Students shared their eagerness to travel on similar future trips.

“I would easily do this trip ten times again,” said Pham. “Cambodia is where you truly need to be open to try new things, push yourself to slightly uncomfortable staying conditions, and most importantly explore not only the country, but yourself.”

Two students stand in front of the Cambodian flag.

MS. JAN WOLF

The man behind the Eagles jacket: DeSimmone TOBY MA ’20

Last year, you may have seen him in an Eagles blazer the day after The Eagles claimed another victory. Now, Sixth Former Biagio DeSimone will lead the Haverford School as class president for the 2018-2019 school year.

To DeSimone, family is the most important thing to him.

“We have a family dinner almost every night, I go to church with my grandmother on Sundays, and as a family we frequently do activities [together],” said DeSimone. “I was always taught that family comes first. And family extends outside of your direct parents and siblings.”

DeSimone was inspired to run for office because, to him, Haverford is more than just a school, and his classmates more than just peers.

“There are a diverse group of activities across campus to get involved with, so pursue the ones you truly love and you will find many friends with similar interests”

PHOTO COURTESY OF BIAGIO DESIMMONE ’19

Biagio DeSimone ‘19, center, with Michael Bozzi ‘21 (left) and Jeff Bozzi ‘19 (right) in Minneapolis, February 4, 2018.

“I realized I have spent so much time with all these boys that they have become like a family to me,” DeSimone said. “I have a relationship with just about everyone, and our habits and actions make our grade and community special.”

“In my last year, I wanted to be in a spot where I could help bring this great community together and have a great final year for my class. As a president, my goal is to make this community as tight as possible and provide an amazing year for every student, so when they enter the building every day, they

enter with a smile on their face.”

He has already begun to make that goal a reality. DeSimone has “had meetings with both [Dean of Students] Mr. [Mark] Fifer and [Headmaster] Dr. [John] Nagl, and [they] have begun to outline the year to come.”

“I have discussed some programs, activities, and other ways we can make the Haverford community better with Mr. Fifer. I understand the diverse responsibilities I have as a president and hope to execute them to my best,” said DeSimone.

“I definitely believe it’s possible that I pursue a position of leadership similar to this later in life,” he said.

As class president, DeSimone has some advice for new students at Haverford as well as the freshmen: “To any new students or underclassmen: I would encourage you to be yourself!”

“There are a diverse group of activities across campus to get involved with, so pursue the ones you truly love and you will find many friends with similar interests,” DeSimone said.

The Student Council president speaks and acts on behalf of the entire student body and the school. It is no surprise that DeSimone sees his time as class president a good way to gain experience for similar roles in the future.

“I definitely believe it’s possible that I pursue a position of leadership similar to this later in life,” he said.

Despite these heavy responsibilities, President DeSimone is ready to shoulder this burden.

Page 7 Riding a paracycle over Lake Tahoe. A steroid-popping psychologist. Bob Dolack driving a four-wheeler up a mountain. What do all of these things have in common?

They are all parts of the summer adventures of Petey Lemmon.

Sixth Former Lemmon, legendary shot-putter and member of the football team, traveled to Reno, Nevada (which you must pronounce “Nev-ae-da,” or else people throw you a funny look, according to Petey). There, he worked at one of his father’s factories, which produces bushings, a car part that isolates vibration, provides cushioning, and reduces friction between other metal parts.

Traveling and living in Reno on his own, Lemmon had his own apartment, transported himself to work every day, and cooked every meal for himself.

“This was one of the coolest experiences of my life,” Lemmon said. “I scheduled everything myself, and it’s the greatest thing.

It’s doing stuff by myself and not have a pre-prescribed plan.”

Over his first week, he began learning how these bushings were made from powdered metal to the final product. During the following two weeks, he was tasked with estimating the completion time for each step of the process.

“I started doing these things called timestudies, where I figured out how much time it took to make one part, start to finish.

Management type stuff,” Lemmon said. “I was able to get a very accurate read. The guy who I submitted all the work to even told me, ‘Petey, your studies show exactly what our guys estimate. That’s amazing!’”

His new life had several perks other than work experience.

“I learned how to cook for myself too.

Before this, the only thing I knew how to cook was steak and eggs. I didn’t know anything else. By the end of it, I learned chicken breasts and cheeseburgers and things like that,” he said. “I home cooked every meal; I never went out. I worked out for an hour after work every day. I binged

The Index - Features

September 2018

Petey Lemmon heads west

by Nick Chimicles ’19 Petey visited Virginia City, Nevada, in July.

PHOTO COURTESY OF PETEY LEMMON ’19

watched a lot of good shows. I swear I was in the best shape of my life.”

Through all his recollections, the aspect of his travels that impacted him most were the people he met along the way.

“I got to meet people outside of the toxic Main Line bubble and meet people who are no-nonsense, no BS.” Lemmon often tells the stories of three co-workers he met in Reno. Joseph had his first child at 17, dropped out of high school and went to jail for five years due to gang violence. He now works three jobs to provide for his family, including a second child he is expecting this fall. Carlos emigrated from Nicaragua, where he was a psychologist; now, he’s cocky, smart, and the size of an ox. He learned English by sitting at the television with a dictionary watching Family Guy. Javier was Lemmon’s mentor and also had his first child at 17. He was quite gifted in intellect and soccer, but he needed to work at the age of 15 to provide for his family.

“Around here you’re never going to hear those backstories,” Petey said. “Two of the three [had children] at 17, and it wasn’t big news, while around here everybody would know.”

“Most people around here say, ‘My son is going to go to college for squash because he’s played it since he was seven.’ To tell you the truth, it’s really unfortunate that Javier had to quit soccer because his family needed him to work.”

While working, Petey dealt with the stigma around being “the boss’s son,” but he nevertheless made lasting friendships with many of his co-workers. At one point, Lemmon was challenged to playing golf with a coworker who did it only because he was “the boss’s son.”

“It was kind of awkward at first, but by the ninth hole, he loosened up and he said, ‘I want to buy you a beer.’ What was I going to say? No? When we got to the bar, he said, ‘You know what, man, first time I met you I had no idea what to expect. You

were the boss’s son of a relatively successful business. You could’ve been a preppy [jerk] or a stoner. But what you turned out to be was actually pretty cool. You’re actually a really good kid.”

“From what I’ve see, no one on the Main Line is going to end a conversation with ‘you’re a really good kid,’” Lemmon said.

After three weeks of working, Lemmon drove cross-country, stopping at Salt Lake City, Colorado, Illinois, then sweeping past home to drive through the Northeast.

“I met a lot of interesting people,” he said. “There are a lot of good people out there.”

Petey originally conjured the idea for this trip from his father.

“My dad, when he was growing up, did stuff like this every summer from when he was 15,” he said. “ ‘Petey,’ my dad said, ‘this is gonna be life changing for you and you’re going to do it!’ And I responded, ‘Good, I’m all in. Living by myself ? Definitely.’”

“fresh, healthy food with dignity.” “There is a suggested price for all the food items, but when the customers go to pay for their food, they just pay what they can afford or what they think is right,” said Chakraborty. “This allows for a wide range of demographics to come to the cafe.”

Despite its five-star food reviews and abundance of customers, the EAT Café needed to better understand data around who they were helping. Without compiled data about what kind of people were coming (race, gender, age), the grant funders were reluctant to provide funds. More detailed information about the patrons would enable the Café to articulate its impact and apply for necessary grants. “The café was not set up to gather that kind of information,” said Chakraborty.

Over the course of his lab experience, Nick worked on creating mechanisms to gather such information. His work was split into two phases, the second of which has yet to be implemented.

The first phase of Chakraborty’s plan, his pilot phase, was focused on the collection of data. “I worked with the servers and asked them to tally the demographics of the cafe,” he said. This meant that for each customer, the staff would estimate and take note of his or her age, gender, race, and corresponding table number.

Because EAT Café uses a point-of-sale (POS) system, Nick was able to efficiently collect his variable data. “It’s basically a system to enter orders. It’s a way for servers to not only notify their chefs what food to bring out, but it also allows for people to see what their sales were and how much customers were supposed to pay.” By comparing

this data to how much the customers actually paid, Chakraborty was able to prove correlations existed between the demographics and how much they paid.

The findings from the pilot phase were straightforward and are currently being finalized. “We found correlations that showed which demographics were likely to be recurring customers, who needed the café the most, and who could afford to pay. We also identified demographics that needed the café, but may have challenges accessing it regularly,” said Chakraborty.

To his dismay, however, the data was not adequate enough for the grant funders, who requested more than correlations to basic demographics. For the second phase, Chakraborty worked on developing a more thorough survey for the patrons to fill out.

“The grant funders wanted to know things like if the customers were homeless, if they were struggling to pay their bills, etc. The only way to find out these things was to directly ask, I had to create surveys directly administered to the patrons,” said Chakraborty. cont. pg. 13

Chakraborty collects data on food insecurity DANIEL CHOW ’20

This summer, while many students were enjoying music concerts or travelling to a tropical paradise, Sixth Former Nick Chakraborty was working at a Drexel University lab to study poverty and its causes and effects using statistical data analysis.

Throughout high school, Chakraborty has been working on ways to combat poverty – founding the non-profit PennHarvest.org to fight childhood hunger and advocate for policy change in the Philadelphia area. He also has a knack for software programming– learning Java, CSS, MySQL, Python, and Data Analytics. This summer, Chakraborty was able to put his interests and skillset to good use at Drexel.

Through Haverford’s Advanced Laboratory Research Cooperative (ALRC), run by Mrs. Cleffi, Chakraborty landed the lab position. In early July, he began working at Drexel’s Center for Hunger-Free Communities under the instruction of his administrative supervisor, Ms. Gabriella Grimaldi, and his project supervisor, Ms. Victoria Egan. The program mainly works with four projects, two of which Chakraborty is involved in.

Chakraborty’s hard work this summer was mainly poured into the EAT Café program.

“The program is based around a real café.”

When entering the EAT Café, one can immediately notice something is different. The cozy establishment is bustling with customers, there is a delightful aroma in the air, but most noticeably, the patrons are from a diverse range of socioeconomic backgrounds from the seven vibrant neighborhoods in the area.

That’s because EAT Café is unique in that it has a pay-what-you-can style menu that provides everyone the ability to access

PHOTO COURTESY OF DREXEL UNIVERSITY

The Eat-Cafe from which Chakraborty collected data this summer.

Page 8

The Index - Arts

September 2018

Intel Chen ’19 describes YAN

Whatever summer means to most of us, it certainly does not involve trekking through the thin mountain air in Tibet, the “roof of the world.” Bringing his photographic talent to high mountains and valleys, Sixth Former Intel Chen visited the stunning region north of the Himalayas, capturing the stunning beauty of Tibetan life and nature.

But why Tibet of all places? Chen said, “I decided to do something epic rather than settle with doing some boring gene therapy research. Almost immediately, going to Tibet popped up in my mind.”

Despite his enthusiasm, the trip to Tibet was not easy. The biggest challenge, he explained, was getting acclimated to the high altitude. He struggled against the thin mountain air, which has 30-40% less oxygen than at sea level.

“It made me wonder whether I have been blinded by my insatiable pursuit for learning more, getting more awards, and making more money.”

Apart from simply going on an epic journey, Chen wanted to showcase his photographic talent, to the world and himself. Chen said, “I have in fact been to Tibet before when I was in fifth grade. Back then I didn’t know a thing about photography, yet I still managed to take photos that impressed my photographically layman friends. Now imagine what I would be able to capture after polishing my skills for five years.”

Page 9

The Index - Arts

his Tibetan photo journey GRAF ’20

To ensure maximum Photographic quality, Chen said he brought along “one still camera Canon 5D Mark IV and one video camera Panasonic GH5 that I own. I rented a Hasselblad X1D in China that boasts a stunning 50 MP sensor. Additionally, I brought along two GoPro cameras to record some vlog-style video that I can savor later.”

As to what he learned, Chen said the trip opened his eyes to the Tibetan philosophy of spirituality, explaining “The Tibetans taught me that maybe there’s a different approach to life than the capitalistic, materialistic way.”

“I decided to do something epic rather than settle with doing some boring gene therapy research.”

“My driver, Duoji, a Tibetan who is faithful to the Tibetan Buddhism, told me that he donates all the money he makes back to the temples in his yearly trip around Tibet during the off-season of tourism. When he dies, he will leave nothing to his children. His gold wedding ring shall be melted to decorate a Buddha wall painting in a temple somewhere, and his corpse should be fed to the wildlife as food. In my life, I have never met a single individual who is as devout to his belief as Duoji.

Although I am not a believer of God or gods, It made me wonder whether I have been blinded by my insatiable pursuit for learning more, getting more awards, and making more money. Perhaps there is another way,” Chen said.

September 2018

Page 10

The Index - News

September 2018

INTEL CHEN ’19

Nostrant, Nagl explain gradual exit continued from front page...

Haverford lacrosse now has nearly 500 wins and seventeen Inter-Ac titles under Nostrant. The team earned national titles in 2011 and 2015.

“You want it to become an expectation within your program to be really good. You want your athletes to think they are better than the guy that’s playing in front of them.

It’s the players and their desire to keep that winning legacy going.”

With such an empowering coaching style and great success, Nostrant won the admiration of generations of Haverford boys.

“John believed in his guys and took care of his guys and continues to nurture them after they are no longer wearing maroon and gold,” Dr. Nagl said.

Mr. Nostrant will depart Haverford next year on the terms of what has been called a “mutual agreement” between him and the administration.

Articles that have covered the transition (such as Matthew DeGeorge’s PAPrepLive article) have presented Nostrant’s exit as his being torn between being a lacrosse coach and a lacrosse parent.

Coach Nostrant has three children: the eldest having recently graduated from High Point, another just now starting at VCU, and Johnny ’17, now playing lacrosse at Penn State.

In the words of Dr. Nagl, the “mutual agreement” was that “Coach Nostrant was ready to try something else, wanted to be able to be with his kids more than he’s been able to be and find a way to stop being torn in two directions every spring.”

Nostrant admits that this was “part of it,” but he also stated, “it was probably seven or eight things… I can’t really put my finger on anything.”

Last season, Coach Nostrant missed a game against Episcopal to go see the final game of his daughter’s college career.

“People were taken aback when I missed a game last season. It caused people to wonder if I was still engaged,” said Nostrant. “That’s what started this whole process. But there’s no way I was going to miss my daughter’s last lacrosse game. If I can tweak my schedule to go catch a game, I’m going to tweak it.

If that’s not okay, then I’ll figure out where it is okay.”

“He desperately wanted to be in two places at once,” said Dr. Nagl. “That dilemma really influenced the decisions we made this year, this summer.”

Last year, Mr. Nostrant did not coach his son, Johnny, for the first time in fourteen years.

“Coaching wasn’t the same without Johnny,” Mr. Nostrant said.

Dr. Nagl added, “Johnny graduating really bummed him out. He does not have Johnny to coach or any kids to nurture… he’s an empty nester.”

Having reached the pinnacle of success, Coach Nostrant began asking himself, “What’s next?”

“At 55, I felt like I was on cruise control a little bit. You always want to keep that heart beat going,” he stated, thumping his chest.

“You always want to feel like you’re in overtime in life. And I want the ball. I want to have control over what I’m doing.”

Despite all of Mr. Nostrant’s successes, some point to the facts that the leaders of

the “Main Line Takeover Project” were both Haverford lacrosse alums, that some former lacrosse players have entered rehabilitation programs, or how the lacrosse team has special, expensive uniforms and helmets.”

“I don’t think it was just the Main Line Takeover,” said Nostrant. “Was it part of that meeting [with Nagl]? It wasn’t. Do I think that it had something to do with it?

Absolutely.”

“There’s nothing I could’ve done about that. There’s nothing in my power that would have changed the outcome of that.”

Dr. Nagl did not indicate that “the Main Line Takeover Project” influenced his decision making in conversations with Mr. Nostrant.

“The short answer is no,” Dr. Nagl said.

In response to the claim that members of the lacrosse team abuse drug and alcohol, Mr. Nostrant stated, “I heard that again this year. And I say, ‘Let’s drug test then. Drug test the lacrosse team, drug test the football team, drug test the robotics guys.’ You can’t say at Haverford that there’s one particular team or group of guys that have a problem . . . How many people have been to rehab here who aren’t lacrosse players?”

Dr. Nagl said, “I remain concerned not that the lacrosse team uses and abuses, but that the school uses and abuses. The lacrosse team is a reflection of the broader community… I’ve asked everybody — faculty, staff, coaches, teachers — to link arms and fight against that. John Nostrant has certainly been a part of that effort.”

Coach Nostrant, in response to the possibility that as AD he was able to unfavorably allocate resources to the lacrosse team, stated, “No, I couldn’t do that because we have checks and balances. Murph [then Assistant Athletic Director Mr. Murphy] and Billy [Assistant Athletic Director Mr. Bill Wardle] do the budget. As an athletic director, the thing that you take the most pride in is being great at everything. Winning the Heyward cups, those were the goals.”

“I’ve taken care of a lot of the programs

through my own resources,” he added. “I have a personal Nike deal. There’s thousands of dollars of stuff that I’ve given to [the lacrosse] program and this school because of my personal deal.”

Of the chatter regarding his departure, Coach Nostrant stated, “At the end of the day, when you win, people don’t like it.

When you’re constantly on top, people want to knock you down. And that’s a great place to be. And if you don’t want to embrace that, then you sure as hell shouldn’t be at the Haverford School.

“People hate Haverford because of who we are. That motivates me more than anything. I love to wear the Haverford badge.

These guys think we are a bunch of spoonfed, spoiled guys who can’t go out and compete. That’s what it’s always been about for me: not Haverford lacrosse, Haverford School. And shame on those who are short sighted and don’t see it that way. You know what that is? That’s jealousy.”

Mr. Nostrant supports the administration’s decision and remains positive about the entire situation.

“It’s all positive . . . Once I got through ‘Oh, my feelings are hurt a little bit,’ it was pretty clear . . . There’s a lot of this that was meant to be . . . Even when I thought that I might not even be back this year, I knew that this place, Haverford, is way bigger than John Nostrant, way bigger.”

He concluded, “That’s what I’d say to people: Take a step back, take a deep breath.

At the end of the day there’s no smoking gun here. It’s just a question of a guy being at a place for 27 years and stuff running its course. I don’t think there’s anything to it other than that.”

Dr. Nagl said that he did not initiate conversations with Nostrant because of any specific event or outside concern.

“Everybody who works for me, I ask them, ‘Are you happy in your role? Is this what you see yourself doing? What’s your next step?’ I do that type of career planning with everybody,” Dr. Nagl said.

“Since the end of the 2015 season, we have been talking about whether this is what he wants to continue to do as he hits his mid fifties?” said Dr. Nagl. “I am having that conversation along with the one I’m having with Murph who’s saying, ‘I’d want to be an AD. I’d love to be an AD here . . . ’ I would have certainly lost Murph.”

Dr. Nagl also said that the Board of Trustees did not have a heavy influence over his decision making with Mr. Nostrant.

“I have absolute discretion over who works here and who doesn’t. Those are my decisions and my responsibilities,” he said.

“The board does a really nice job of letting me make the decisions that are under my authority . . . This was not the board, it was me and John.”

“However,” Dr. Nagl added, “Board members and alums wanted to make sure the school appropriately honored John’s extraordinary legacy . . . When you have a legend like John Nostrant, you want him to leave under his own terms, leave happy and feel valued and welcomed back.”

Coach Nostrant feels that respect. “The way Dr. Nagl has handled this, I can walk onto this campus anytime I want and feel good about it, and they’ll feel good about having me back. I would never want to feel like I did something bad to the school, or that I wouldn’t want to come back on campus.”

“This place is very sustainable and very capable of being very good long after I’m gone,” said Mr. Nostrant. “We [the lacrosse team] are in great shape. I love the leadership coming back. I love the guys in the pipeline . . . I guarantee you that Brendan Dawson will do great things here.”

Mr. Nostrant indicated that he plans to coach at another school in the area for the 2020 season.

“I know I’m good at what I do and my record speaks for that, and I know that I’m going to do it again somewhere else.”

MR. JIM ROESE

Varsity Lacrosse players surround Coach Nostrant before a game against Salisberry in the spring of 2017.

Page 11

The Index - Politics

September 2018

Europe Migration Part 1: The North African View YAN GRAF ’20

The Syrian Refugee Crisis recalls terrible images of thousands risking death to start a new life.

The photo of a three-year-old who washed up dead on the shores of Greece The rows of people holding “refugees welcome” signs.

Although the height of the Syrian Refugee Crisis has subsided from its peak in 2015, the topic of migrants and refugees still occupies the screens of European television on a nightly basis. As Bashar al-Assad regains control over much of Syria, and the brutal civil war slowly comes to an end, the focus is shifting to new waves of migrants attempting the journey from the south.

Hundreds of thousands have attempted the trip from the coasts of Libya, risking being sold into slavery and drowning in the Mediterranean in order to reach Italian shores. A new frontier for migrants, mostly from sub-Saharan Africa, has additionally opened up in Spain, through the Strait of Gibraltar.

What to do with hundreds of thousands of foreigners landing on European shores still dominates Europe’s political discourse.

This issue has fractured the European Union and seen the rise of far-right movements across all of Europe, as resentment against the refugees grows.

Examining the complexities of European immigration would be far too long to fit in one article. I will divide my opinion on this subject into three different articles, each taking a look at a different facet of the issue.

In part one, I want to examine the current situation in southern Spain and Morocco.

The small Spanish port city of Ceuta seems unassuming when you first arrive. The streets are flanked by ordinary Spanish architecture, and Spanish is the main language.

Yet Ceuta and its sister city Melilla, three hundred miles to the east, have become the new epicenter of the most divisive issue in European politics: migration.

To understand why, we must understand thesecities’ precarious geographical position.

The two cities are technically part of Europe but located in Africa. Remnants of Spain’s colonial ambitions, they hug the African coast, sharing a border with Morocco — detached from the rest of Spain by the Mediterranean.

You can enter Europe from Africa without getting your feet wet.

This unique geographical position has meant that these towns have become a hotspot for sub-Saharan African refugees.

Of course, the Moroccans and the Spanish know this and have made sure to protect the border. But, once they cross the intimidating and intense border wall that exists between Morocco and the Spanish exclaves, refugees are afforded all the protections given to them by the EU, as they are technically in Europe.

From there, they can make the fifteen-mile boat trip to mainland Spain and, due to the European Union’s so-called Schengen Zone, can travel freely between European countries.

After the Italian Navy closed the migration route between Libya and Italy, more and more migrants have been using this “Western Mediterranean” migration route to get to Europe. Over the summer, the route has become the most popular of the three major trans-Mediterranean migration routes.

None of that is visible from the outside.

The city seems normal, as if the people here had never heard of refugees. When my father and I asked our hotel receptionist what he knew about the migrant situation in the city, he said simply, “There is no problem here in Ceuta.”

The news tells a different story.

On the other side of a six-layer border fence, thousands of migrants are waiting to attempt the border crossing. Some swim through dangerous and frigid waters around the border, others hide themselves in the bottom of cars, and many more attempt to simply storm the wall. These waves of migrants are not uncommon — a month after we left Ceuta, 800 migrants stormed the wall during the night. The border often gets shut

The fence stretches onto the beach at the border crossing between Morocco and Ceuta.

PHOTO BY YAN GRAF ’20

The Border Between Morocco and Ceuta, a fence hundreds of migrants have crossed.

down by the Spanish police as the attempts get larger in scale and number.

As my father and I walked around the city, we noticed several African men standing in front of grocery stores. When we decided to interview one man, he turned out to be just the kind of person the hotel receptionist told us were non-existent.

Hassan, from Senegal, was surprised when he realized we wanted to talk to him. Once he realized what we wanted, he seemed happy to explain his situation.

Hassan told us in broken English and French about the journey he had made to get to Ceuta. He told us that he made the journey to Ceuta by swimming around the border. He told us he had been “working in Ceuta,” but there was no evidence of that as he leaned against the grocery store on a sunny afternoon.

He wanted to leave Ceuta as soon as possible and planned on moving to France or Germany to find a job there. We tried to talk to some others, but we had a hard time getting anything from them, mostly due to the fact that we spoke little French.

While Hassan made himself and his fellow migrants seem like honest people looking for a better life in Europe, the tone quickly changed once we crossed the border into Morocco. On our way to Tangier, another popular migrant destination on the coast, we noticed large groups of sub-Saharans, all young men, standing along the side of the road. It was 8 a.m., and most of them seemed to have been sleeping there.

When we asked who these men were, our taxi driver Muhammad told us that these were indeed migrants, mostly from Senegal

PHOTO VIA WIKIMEDIA

as well, who loitered here on the coast in search of boats to take them to Europe. He said that they were dangerous, as they often carry knives, looking to make money.

He showed us deep scars on his neck and arm and said that a group of these men had stabbed him.

He no longer picks up migrants.

Muhammad explained how the police have set up checkpoints along the road to arrest these men who often have passports.

As a result, most migrants hide in the forest. Indeed, on the one-and-a-half hour trip, we passed at least three police checkpoints that blocked the road, where officers checked every car that came by. The trip to Tangier gave us a look at what is really happening in Morocco, a country that bears the responsibility of handling these refugees, and their methods of dealing with it.

The situation in Morocco and Spain is by no means unique. As the past couple of years have shown, there are millions of Hassans out there in the world. In fact, 1.8 million refugees have arrived in Europe since 2014. The numbers are decreasing, with The Guardian reporting only 37,000 arriving this year, but the issue still dominates European headlines on a daily basis.

The history of migration to Europe stretches back much further than 2014.

While the American public has only noticed this phenomenon in the past few years, refugees and migrants has been a touchy subject for decades. In the next installment, I will examine the history of these migrants, the ones that came before the Syrians, and their stories in Europe.

Page 12

The Index - Politics

September 2018

Xi challenges U.S. with Belt and Road AGUSTIN ALIAGA ’21

China is a rising global super power.

Through manufacturing and industry, China has economically monopolized trade.

Americans and American politicians oftentimes overlook just how powerful China is. A study from 2008 from The Pew Research Center showed that the United States controlled only 16% of the global gross domestic product (GDP) while China controlled 18% of global GDP. Forbes noted that this showed an almost 50% decline in the United States’ global GDP. A clear example of China’s economic influence in global trade is the new movement propelled by China known as the The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The BRI is meant to be the biggest infrastructure plan in history, planned to cost four-to-eight trillion dollars, span over more than 60 countries and three continents, and recreate a modern-day version of the Silk Road. With this network of trade, China will be able to establish roots in several countries, strengthening trade and relationships.

While this is a grand and well-executed infrastructure plan, there is an unspoken reality behind the morals and motives of this global plan.

Some suggest that China has been able to achieve many great economic heights through low-ethical standards, and the nation serves purely in the best interest of China as well as its government.

This is part of the success of the BRI. China has reached deals with countries that have been proven to be corrupt, in violation of human rights, or host autocratic/militaristic regimes. Whether the West likes it or not, this is how China is going to rise to the top.

Many of these countries receive little to no aid from the West due to the high ethical standards the West holds for itself and its allies. While I firmly disagree with providing aid, like China does to cruel and corrupt governments, I feel that the West cannot always isolate themselves from the rest of the world.

China has been able to catch up to the PHOTO BY THE KREMLIN VIA WIKIMEDIA

A map detailing the strategic trade routes China is investing in for the Belt and Road Initiative.

United States in terms of international influence using strategies like this one. China, by investing in risky countries, has not only created a world dominance in trade but has even been pursuing a new form of stability through militaristic expansion.

“China has been able to catch up to the United States in terms of international influence using strategies like this one”

KREMLIN VIA WIKIMEDIA

Putin and Xi Jinping shake hands at a roundtable meeting for the Belt and Road Initiative.

In countries like Sudan, Djibouti, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Hong Kong, China has been able to open naval bases due to these countries’ inabilities

to reimburse China for their infrastructure loans. This string of naval bases has become known as the “string of pearls.”

So while the United States considers itself superior and refuses to provide foreign aid and investment to “ethically inferior” countries, China has begun to dominate global trade through the Eastern Hemisphere. The “America First” policy and others like it are simply not going to maintain our hegemonic stability for much longer.

Isolation does not help growth or alliance — it merely deteriorates them.

Canada to play hardball over NAFTA JON KROUSE ’20 In the 1980s, the United States and Canada agreed that changes needed to occur within their economies. These countries needed to reduce trading costs and grow more competitive in the global marketplace.

The countries tried to reach a trade deal, eventually coming up with the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement, which went into effect in 1989.

Mexico also wanted in on the trade deal. In 1992,

President George H.W. Bush, Mexican President Salinas, and Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney signed NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement.

The purpose of NAFTA is to promote fair competition, increase investment opportunities, and eliminate trade barriers. So, has this system succeeded? While some say that it has led to unemployment, NAFTA has led to increased com-

petitiveness for the countries and helped them overcome other emerging countries. If this deal was enacted twenty-six years ago, why is it in the news today?

Recently, President Donald Trump threatened to remove Canada from the North American Free Trade Agreement. Ever since, Canadian officials have been working to try and reach a new deal.

If the Canadian officials do not like the deal, they can opt out. This is an enormous issue for Canada because NAFTA has been essential to their economy. If they leave the deal, it could potentially ruin many industries that have relied on the agreement.

The effects of Canada refusing to sign the deal could also result in a dire situation for America’s auto industry groups. For example, the global auto industry relies on Canada, and if NAFTA does not include Canada, the global auto industry would increase the prices for American manufacturers, making American manufacturers less competitive with foreign companies.

Recently, President Donald Trump threatened to remove Canada from the North American Free Trade Agreement

STATE DEP. VIA WIKIMEDIA

A representative from Canada, Mexico and the U.S. meeting in Mexico City in 2018 to discuss NAFTA.

So what does President Trump think about all of this? President Trump stated, “I think Canada’s going to make a deal at some point. It may be Friday [August 31], or it may be within a period of time. But ultimately they have no choice.”

The president seems confident that Canada will eventually sign. If they do, he says the deal would

MSC VIA WIKIMEDIA

Head of the Canadian Delegation Chrystia Freeland.

be “totally on our terms.”

Yet, Justin Trudeau, the Prime Minister of Canada, seems to think otherwise. Trudeau announced, “We will only sign a deal if it is a good deal for Canada. Again, no deal is better than a bad deal for Canada.”

As this political standoff continues, we will wait and see if this is history in the making.

Page 13

The Index - Politics

September 2018

Trump must change Philippine relationship AUGUSTIN ALIAGA ’21

Since his election in 2016, President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines has launched his promised “war on drugs” in a violent way that breaks humanitarian law.

Duterte has already committed atrocities, torturing and executing dealers as well as users, largely overstepping the boundaries set by the United Nations Human Rights Charter. The Philippine war on drugs has already claimed a resounding 12,000 lives and counting, but the direct impact that we often see on the news is not even near the end of what Duterte has done in the Philippines.

Within the war on drugs, there are several other violations of human rights such as use of cruel and unusual punishment, violations of children’s rights, and the suppression of freedom of the press and speech.

The war on drugs has taken several innocent lives. Among these are people who have been

PHOTO BY PPCOO VIA WIKIMEDIA

Duterte giving a speech to the Boao Forum

mistreated, tortured, and often killed for their drug-related crimes. Among these innocent victims are mistried youth. Minors have been tried as adults and sentenced to unreasonable punishments. These are clear examples of cruel and unusual punishment.

Meanwhile, many reporters and civilians who have tried to speak out against Duterte’s humanitarian atrocities have often been punished with severe jail sentences or, for reporters, reallocation of their coverage of the government.

When President Barack Obama criticized his war on drugs, Duterte turned away from the United States and looked to countries like Russia and China for aid and assistance.

This tactic has not been successful as China and Russia do not see the Philippines as strategically important.

Clearly no one, not even his own people, is willing to support Duterte in his endeavor to exterminate drugs from his country for either economic or moral reasons. This implies a clear need for ideology change in the country, as the population is suffering and the economy is alongside it. There is no doubt that the United States needs to take greater action in the Philippines.

President Trump continues to claim that the U.S. is in good relations with Duterte and his country. Trump says America will continue to provide foreign aid, even increasing it as planned for the year 2019.

While the president is entitled to his opinion, the facts contradict his beliefs. Duterte continues to find friendship with China, and many American politicians are against what Duterte stands for. There is a clear need for change in U.S.-Philippine relations, but with Trump’s stubborn ideology and “America First” policy, there seems to be little motivation to try fixing grave problems in Duterte’s

Chakraborty continued from pg. 7...

These were no ordinary surveys, however.

“To get people to willingly give an honest answer, I had to create the surveys with a lot of care,” said Chakraborty. While developing this portion of the project, Nick had to learn a new form of research – Population Research, focused on gathering primary data to analyze demographics, and outcomes – a process he called “probably the most difficult part of the whole lab experience.”

“It was tough to find out how to be nonintrusive but still get the demographic tallying,” he said. It took grit to get it done, as we had to keep reevaluating our work, trying over and over again.”

In addition, Nick encountered difficulty with his code. “Creating the data analysis program to correlate the variables was definitely hard to code. It wouldn’t work the first time, second, or the third, and I would just have to keep trying.”

Chakraborty has planned out all the steps for others to carry out the next phase of the EAT Café project.

Chakraborty’s time at the Center isn’t done yet. He will be pursuing another project during the year using machine learning to draw correlations such as childhood hospitalizations and psychological trauma therapy.

“The project was built upon the idea that TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) can be improved because not enough attention is paid to the mental health, psychological trauma, adverse childhood experiences, childhood stress, and familial disorders of those requiring aid.”

TANF works to help families achieve self-sufficiency; however, “the children with mental health problems or psychological trauma growing into adults are unable to learn to be self sufficient,” said Chakraborty.

“You must first address their trauma and then teach them to be self-sufficient.”

The Center’s Building Wealth and Health Network is integrating a “trauma-informed approach” into job centers, where people participating in TANF must go to fulfill work requirements. The Center hopes to use Medicaid behavioral health funding in conjunction with TANF. “They are trying to get people to heal and learn financial skills — they address the impact of trauma, and then they learn how to get credit, how to set up a bank account, etc.,” said Chakraborty.

“I’m going to be working on the policy front, using machine learning and programming to find out how to best integrate the policies,” said Chakraborty. He will be utilizing neural networks to run computer equations to link variables. In Chakraborty’s case, “the dependent variable might be childhood hospitalization and the independent variable could be psychological trauma training.”

Nick’s lab was unique in several different ways that surprised him. “My lab is unlike every other stereotypical biology or chemistry lab, as it was more of an office environment. There were a bunch of cubicles, and we practiced the Sanctuary Model, where we had weekly sanctuary meetings to give peer feedback and make everyone feel psychologically safe,” said Chakraborty. “Surprisingly, there were very [few] people actually staying in the office. Everyone was out there collecting data and conducting primary research.

“I was lucky to get the opportunity at the Center for Hunger Free Communities. I did research into applying science to address poverty,” Chakraborty said. “I’ve learned so many real-world skills from this experience, especially working independently.”

A protest against Duterte’s brutal drug war outside the Philippine Consulate

autocratic regime. The president fails to see the desperate need for an alliance with the Philippines due to its geopolitical role in the region in both militaristic and commercial connotations.

Southeast Asia is a region dominated by China. The latest example of this is China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which aims to connect China to over sixty countries in three continents through trade over land and sea routes, similar to the historic Silk Road.

While it is a hefty one trillion dollar infrastructure plan, it will likely pay itself back in a short period of time.

With an ally in Southeast Asia, one of the most impacted regions of the BRI, the United States can attempt to equalize the BRI’s goal throughout the region. Commercial presence in Southeast Asia is as critical as a military presence in the South China Sea. Lately, China has crossed international

LOCAL-NY VIA WIKIMEDIA

borders into the South China Sea to take islands belonging to countries like Malaysia, the Philippines, and Indonesia — even building its own artificial islands to secure its claim to the region. China has broken international law consistently in claiming that they are historically entitled to the land.

Steve Bannon, former Trump national security advisor, predicts that the United States will be at war with China within the next ten to fifteen years in the South China Sea if something is not done to resolve the conflict.

There is a much greater interest in an alliance with the Philippines than meets the eye.

If this coordinates with Trump’s policies and there is a clear basis for humanitarian action in the Philippines, something needs to be done in order to get Duterte to comply with international expectations for human rights.

Soccer Fords marching to battle against Gilmaon September 2nd.

MS. SUSAN TUCKER

Soccer continued from the front page...

What followed in the second half was a back-and-forth battle as the 23rd ranked team in the country attempted to come back and avoid an upset. The Fords managed to score two more times, once from Sixth Former Captain Will Micheletti and again from Fourth Former Trent Davis. The end result was a 3-1 victory for the Fords for their first game of the season.

The next day at practice, Micheletti said that “we weren’t at all pleased with the results of last season and know we are better than that. This season, we look to being a great team capable of both winning the Inter-Ac and taking the state championship title.”

By knocking off the 23rd nationally ranked team in their first game, the Fords have definitely proven that this year will be different and that they are truly a force to be reckoned with.

Although the Fords have a relatively old team of upperclassmen this year, their coaching staff is new. Mr. Daniel Keefe and Mr. Andrew Poolman have stepped into take charge of the varsity program. Both were at some point previously involved in the program.

When asked about his return to the varsity level, Coach Poolman said, “It’s great to be back, and it’s fun to be working with a lot of our top players.”

The coaching staff has high expectations for the boys this year. “As long as everyone keeps working hard and having a good time, we should do well,” said Coach Poolman.

With a win already under its belt and a spot in the national spotlight, the soccer team is prepared to take on the challenges that lie ahead.

Soccer plays Conestoga September, 11.

Page 14

The Index - Arts

September 2018

Crazy Rich Asians: cliché, and really Asian?

NEETISH SHARMA ‘19

Opening night of Crazy Rich Asians at Narberth theater.

INDEX STAFF

A classic love story with a crazy rich twist, Crazy Rich Asians hit theatres August 15th and critics and fans have hailed the movie to finally introduce Asian actors into the Hollywood mainstream.

The movie follows a young New York couple, Rachel Chu and Nick Young. Nick invites Rachel, an Asian American economics professor, to visit his family in Singapore and to attend Nick’s friend’s wedding. Once they get there, however, Rachel discovers Nick is heir to a massive real estate empire built by his parents, who are basically Singaporean royalty. Rachel has to navigate a hostile family world for approval in a clash between tradition and love.

The story seems relatively simple, and, well, it is. Just like most other Prince Charming love stories, after a certain point, the plot becomes predictable. But that is not the main draw to this movie.

The biggest hook for this particular film is definitely its cast and setting. It is the first Hollywood movie in 25 years to feature an all-Asian cast, and it has drawn hype similar to Black Panther for African-American audiences. Many see Crazy Rich Asians as an important step in improving Asian-American representation in mainstream movies.

It also captures the experiences of Asian Americans, especially the notion of visiting Asia and reconnecting with family.

As the director John Chu explained to CNN, “There was this great story of this Asian-American girl going to Asia for the first time, in this that I really related to,

growing up in the Bay Area and going to Taiwan for the first time.”

John Chu’s relation to Constance Wu’s Asian American character shines through in the movie, and it makes the character feel authentic.

But the movie falls short on its potential to really be an “Asian” film. While the movie lovingly depicts Asian food and a great soundtrack composed by Asian artists, the movie is still obviously for Western audiences.

Most notably, it has a noticeable lack of Southeast and South Asians in the movie, which make up the majority of the people in Singapore. South and Southeast Asians are only shown opening car doors or serving the Young family, a definite missed opportunity to show diversity, especially given the location.

On the other hand, one area the movie really does a stellar job in is aesthetics. The entire movie is bright and vibrant, filled with color and flair. The visuals capture the glitz and glamour of the “crazy rich” lifestyle. The movie showcases its setting, Singapore: shots of the city are gorgeous and beautiful. The movie shows the world-famous street food and famous landmarks that line the Marina Bay Sands Hotel in a way that makes Singaporeans proud.

Despite its shortcomings, Crazy Rich Asians still breaks the mold. But if you are looking for a movie with a unique plot, this movie will be unsatisfying.

The Kite Runner: Summer Reading Review AGUSTIN ALIAGA ‘21

After all of the fun and excitement that summer brings, students were also burdened with the seemingly-impossible task of summer reading. The English Department asked students entering the Fourth Form to read Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner. Despite summer reading’s usual connotations, many students found themselves gliding through this book and its mix of sorrowful and exciting tales.

Fourth Former Tyler Zimmer said, “I really liked [The] Kite Runner because I was able to read for long amounts of time.”

“It had me wanting to read more and more,” Fourth Former Max Ferracci said.

“I had gone in expecting a duller-type book that moved slowly with a drawn-out plot,” Fourth Former Matthew Schwartz said, “but what I got was a book full of suspense, highly-relatable characters with strong development and a compelling story that left me wanting more.”

The Kite Runner is extremely complex and immersive.

The Kite Runner intertwines the story of Amir’s struggle to see the difference between Hazaras and Pashtuns, two socially divided Muslim groups, during a tumultuous time in the history of Afghanistan, including war with the Soviet Union and the rise of the Taliban. The novel explores several underlying themes such as the tensions between these two groups and living up to a father’s legacy.

This tension is brought down to a small scale as Amir befriends his Hazara servant’s son, Hassan. Amir, trying to be like the rest of the Pashtuns, ends up making a decision that betrays the ever-loyal Hassan. As he moves away from Afghanistan to Pakistan and eventually the United States searching for a safer place to live, he leaves behind Hassan and his father Ali forever.

Several years later, Amir returns to Afghanistan to find a war-torn land where no one is happy and Hazaras are persecuted by the Taliban, who seemed like heroes in overtaking the Soviet Union in Afghanistan.

Amir finds redemption in the last piece of Hassan he can find, his son Sohrab, whom he rescues from mistreatment in an orphanage.

Amir also combats his longing to be like his father while still doing what he loves.

Amir finds a talent in writing novels, as he grew up loving to read, which was hard for his father to accept as a real talent. Amir, in pursuing his dream and showing his father his ability to go far accomplishes both his dream of writing and having a good relationship with his father.

“What I got was a book full of suspense, highly-relatable characters with strong development and a compelling story that left me wanting more.”

All of these themes come back to our modern world. While Afghanistan in the 60’s and 70’s and the United States today may be polar opposites, Hosseini conveys the feelings and atmosphere within and around Amir’s life so that diverse readers can understand his mindset. The writing allows a reader to comprehend fully the author’s message.

Zimmer said, “I think it was [a] popular choice because it was action packed and I could relate to some of the overarching themes.”

Schwartz said that The Kite Runner contains “characters [who] are relatable to fellow teenagers and allows us to put ourselves in similar situations, albeit not as drastic.”

The Kite Runner, the 2018 summer reading assignment for the incoming Fourth Formers.

INDEX STAFF

Page 15

The Index - Sports

September 2018

An Interview with Matej Sekulic, water polo player Ryan Larocca ‘20

Q: When and why did you move to America?

A: I moved to America on June 26, 2014.

I was thirteen years old at the time. My siblings and I didn’t know we were going to move until a few months before. It was a huge shock for us. My dad won the lottery, which gave my whole family Green Cards, giving us the status of permanent residence.

Q: What was it like moving to America?

A: Because Serbia lacks the cultural diversity here in America, this country was a shock for us, with all of the different ethnicities and races. Also, learning to speak English

consistently was a challenge. The first few years, our family missed the culture. A big thing we missed were bakeries in Serbia and other little details. We learned that you don’t really miss the little details of your home until you move away. As we adjusted, I made new friends and eventually I enrolled at Haverford, which changed my American experience. When we first moved to PA, we didn’t know Haverford or any private schools. I joined the Maverick Water Polo Club. The club ran out of Haverford and [is led] by Haverford’s coach Kevin Van Such.

Faith helped me adjust and become who I am today.

the outskirts of the city. One of the reasons

in Serbia?

Q: When did you start playing water polo

MR. JIM ROESE

Matej Sekulic ‘20 loads for a shot at a water polo event.

A: I started in third grade (10). In my city, Belgrade, there were around ten teams. In my second, we won the Serbian National Championship for 12U. Water Polo was really great.

Q: Can you describe your adjustment to Haverford?

MR. SEAN HANSEN

Coaches confer with players amid a 21-18 overtime win over Landon on Thursday, August 23.

A: When I first came to America, I went to a school called Springton Lake Middle School. I used to go to the ESL program, which means English as the second language. This helped me adjust to the language. I credit my teachers who helped me adjust. When I first saw Haverford, I compared the scene to all of the the American movies I watched when I was younger.

I didn’t expect students at Haverford to be so accepting of my culture. Haverford was very different from public school, and it really opened my eyes to a different perspective of America. In the span of three years, I discovered so much I didn’t know about America.

In Serbia, my family lived in the center of Belgrade, and we moved apartments very frequently. Eventually, my parents, with the help of my grandparents, built a house on

I was usually “out-of-the loop” was because I didn’t have an iPhone until the end of my freshmen year. Back home, we went outside and went to each other’s houses rather than using social media to communicate. After a few years here, I would say I assimilated to American culture.

Q:What was the hardest part of moving to America?

A: The hardest part of moving was when my father returned to Serbia for six months to finish his job in Serbia. Living without him for so long was a challenge. Whenever I Skyped him, it was always emotional because I missed him so much.

Q: How is the water polo team looking this year?

A: Although a lot of our talented players have graduated over the past two years, we are more so joined as a team than ever before. Our team’s water polo IQ is higher than ever before, and we play as one fluid unit.

Eagles Preseason Recap and Season Preview RYAN LAROCCA ‘20

Finishing with an overall preseason record of 1-3, many Philadelphia fans experienced conflicted emotions. Although many starters played limited snaps during these four games, preseason provides both organizations and fans with insight about the development of some of their younger players as well as who is going to fill the fifty-threeman roster.

Due to an ACL injury, the Eagles’ star quarterback Carson Wentz did not play during the preseason. Nick Foles, backup quarterback and MVP of Super Bowl LII, is set to start week one, so Wentz can continue his recovery and not return to the field until entirely healed.

Producing unimpressive stars during the preseason, many statisticians worried about Foles’ impending return to the field; they worried he would not return to his state of excellence from when he replaced Wentz in the playoffs after the injury last year. How-

ever, fans need not worry. Foles experienced success when possessing the options of passing to former pro-bowlers TE Zach Ertz and WR Alshon Jeffery and Nelson Agholor.

During the preseason, the Eagles’ offense also lacked the dynamic RB Jay Ajayi.

Although the Eagles’ offense lacked production during the preseason, some of the younger defensive players showed signs of brilliance. In their last two contests, they did not concede a touchdown; they allowed 5 and 9 points to the Browns and Jets respectively. For week one, the Eagles’ defense includes a fantastic defensive line of players such as Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham and Chris Long.

The Eagles are set to play the Falcons on Thursday, September 6. With Foles at the helm, surrounded by the Eagles’ starting offense and an equally fantastic defense, the Eagles should put up a ferocious fight against Matt Ryan and the Falcons.

PA Governor Tom Wolf ’s photo of Swoop at the February 10, 2018 Super Bowl Parade.

Tom Wolf via Wilkimedia

Page 16

The Index - Sports

September 2018

The Football Fords are back in town Robert Esgro ‘19

One win and nine losses is, by all counts, a dismal season. The 2017 Haverford School football season was one to remember, for all the wrong reasons. With the only win of the season coming against non-league West Catholic and after being involved in the first EA Day loss in more than a decade, it became abundantly clear that work had to be done over a long offseason. “After last year’s season, the seniors understood that our performance was unacceptable,” recalled Sixth Form lineman Tyler McDonald.

McDonald and the rest of the Sixth form began a months-long quest to right the course of a ship barrelling out of control. “The biggest problem we found was that the brotherhood within the team was gone, and no one was having fun anymore.

So the biggest thing we emphasized this year

was uniting the team. We de-emphasized the separation of classes and tried to promote unity and playing for not ourselves but for each other.”

“Half of us may have been a part of that 2017 team, but the 2018 football team is not the same, believe me.”

In order to push this message, the team implemented a “Leadership Council,” the first of its kind in a varsity sport at Haverford. Whitaker told The Index that the Lead-

ership Council was introduced to allow for players to more easily connect with each other with less coach interaction. “The coaches and players feel it’s important to not always have coaches run everything but instead let it be player led,” McDonald explained. The purpose of the Leadership Council is to help imbue underclassmen with the values that players of the football team need to have in order to succeed on the team.

One such virtue is accountability. Whitaker explains that last season, when the team started losing, so did the morale. “Last season, football started to seem like a hobby,” he explained. This year will be much different. The team is under new management, says Whitaker, and with new leadership will come new results. “The 2018 seniors are gone so this is a new year for Haverford School football,” he said. “Half of us may have been

a part of that 2017 team, but the 2018 football team is not the same, believe me.”

Whitaker seems correct: in the first game of the 2018 season, the Fords beat nonleague Northeast High School 12-7, a game in which Whitaker contributed with a major interception in the red zone. Whitaker is confident that the success is far from over.

“We are not stopping here! We are going to continue to fight until the 1-9 season isn’t a thought that crosses the mind when you think of Haverford School football! The Fords are back!”

Mr. Mike Nance

(Left) Dante Perri ’20 staring death into his oppenents (Top) Ben Gerber ’19 recieves the snap (Bottom) Nate Whitikar ‘19 breaks away from Viking Defenders in the game against Northeast.