the index The student voice since 1888
The Haverford School · Haverford, PA 19041 · September 2021· Volume 89, No. 1 · thsindex.org
New Third Former McKai Hoillet, center, in action in 0-1 loss to Conestoga, September 4, 2021. Matt Pressler ‘22, right, looks on
MR. THOMAS STAMBAUGH
Soccer leaders eye league challengers Jake LaRocca ’22
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ollowing a shortened schedule in 2020 due to the pandemic, Fords Footy is back in action. The team is more than prepared to get back on the pitch. Sixth Former Sam Tryon reflects on the loss of last season’s brief schedule. “To say we are amped up to have a proper season is an understatement. Even in an abbreviated season, we did not play all of
our scheduled games, and there was a good amount of players not available for us last year, myself included,” Tryon said. The soccer team has big goals for this year, so the older players will focus on the balance between seriousness and fun. “In terms of the energy on the pitch, every single one of us is ecstatic to push for the Inter-Ac and PAISSA championships,” Try-
on said. “It’s safe to say we’ve enjoyed being back out there with each other these past few weeks, but at the same time we are focused on working on and off the field to make this season a successful and memorable one.” In terms of team structure, soccer is in an ideal position. They have strong leadership from upperclassmen, as well as a young supporting cast. The older players expect a
lot of production from underclassmen. “They will definitely get their chances this year to perform and have an impact on a number of games, whether that be off the bench or as starters,” Tryon said. con’t on p. 18
Mr. Tyler Casertano gears up for his tenure Mitav Nayak ’22
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hen The Haverford School Search Committee members looked to hire a new Head of School, they received over 140 applications for one of the most prestigious jobs in independent school administration. One candidate stood out for his breadth of experience, a comprehensive understanding of the ins and outs of education, and most importantly, his authenticity and devotion to personal connection. Growing up, newly-appointed Tenth Head of School Mr. Tyler Casertano lived on both the Millbrook School and The Loomis Chaffee School campuses before attending Loomis Chaffee. As a son of educators, he was deeply immersed in independent school education from a young age. He went on to obtain a Bachelor’s
COURTESY OF COMMUNICATIONS
Ms. Brown will lead DEI program, p. 5
Degree from Yale College and a Master’s Degree from Columbia University and spent twelve years at St. Albans School, an all-boys institution in Washington, D.C. quite similar to Haverford. Over the course of his career, Mr. Casertano has served as a teacher, coach, Admissions and Financial Aid Director, Director of Development, Curriculum Planner, and advisor. In addition, he has been involved with school diversity, finance, strategic planning, and more. Most recently, he was Assistant Head of School for Advancement and Strategy at St. Albans. con’t on p. 6
Mr. Tyler Casertano during a Q&A interview
Shang-Chi review, p. 16
VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
SCREENSHOT BY INDEX STAFF
Virtual monologues debut on YouTube, p. 16
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COURTESY OF MS. DEB PUTTER
Water Polo captains preview the season, p. 20
the index · editorial
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the index 2021–2022 Staff Mitav Nayak ’22 Editor-in-Chief Ryan Rodack ’22 Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Yang ’22 Editor-in-Chief Austin Zhuang ’22 Senior Managing Editor Senior Design Editor Jingyuan Chen ’23 Managing Editor Joey Kauffman ’23 Managing Editor Connor Pinsk ’23 Managing Editor Quinn Luong ’22 Senior News Editor Ethan Lee ’24 Assistant News Editor Owen Yu ’23 Features Editor Adiyan Nayak ’24 Academics Editor
September 2021
editorial
Wet, fiery, hot, and humid: the new normal
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e hope you were able to stay safe and cool this summer— three months during which a new Washington Post analysis of federal disaster declarations claims roughly 1 in 3 Americans faced a weather disaster, and 64% of people experienced a multi-day heatwave. Unfortunately, at least 388 people in the United States were not able to do so, losing their lives as a result of the hurricanes, floods, heat waves and wildfires that ravaged the country since June. Sure, these used to be issues that didn’t hit quite so close to home, but it’s now getting quite hard to ignore the fact that the warming environment is taking its toll—just look at the Vine Street Expressway, or, should we say, Vine Street River. Hurricanes at the level of Ida are not a rarity anymore: in every decade since 1979, tropical storms have become 8% more likely to become a Category 3 or greater hurricane. And fires could engulf us next: wild-
fires in the West now spread twice as far as they would without human influence. The humid, sticky, uncomfortable air you likely griped about this summer are also no anomaly: each degree Celsius of warming gives the
Ethan Chan ’23 Neighborhood Editor Arsh Aggarwal ’24 Campus Opinions Editor Bowen Deng ’22 Off-Campus Opinions Editor Colin Stewart ’22 Off-Campus Opinions Editor Christopher Schwarting ’24 Arts Editor Jake LaRocca ’22 Sports Editor Jack Suter ’23 Staff Photographer Mr. Thomas Stambaugh Faculty Advisor Ms. Emily Harnett Faculty Advisor
The Index is a student-run publication of the Haverford School that does more than bring news: it provides the diverse perspectives of the Haverford student body. It is an outlet for student writers to take stands on issues they deem important. It chronicles the daily struggles and accomplishments of the Haverford community. The Index also provides a forum for discussion of pertinent issues, such as student culture, academic policy, and Haverford’s place in world affairs. The Index presents new ideas and aspires to influence constructive change. All opinions and viewpoints expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of The Index or the school. The Index is designed and produced digitally. Photographs may be retouched. Submissions and letters to the editors regarding any and all articles are welcomed at index@haverford.org. The Index, a member of the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, is composed using the applications of Google Suite and Adobe Creative Cloud. Its surveys are conducted via Google Forms and are advertised via email 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 1160 community members, consisting of 960 students and 200 faculty and staff members. Contact The Index: 450 Lancaster Ave, Haverford, PA 19041 thsindex.org index@haverford.org Twitter: @Haverford_Index Instagram: @Haverford_Index Volume 89, No. 1 - September 9, 2021
TOMMY GAO VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Hurricane Ida’s remnants in New York City
CONNOR PINSK ‘23
atmosphere the potential to hold 7% more moisture. One of these seems bad enough, right? But experts now warn that these extreme weather events are more likely to coincide in “compound catastrophes.” Just look at our neighborhoods. This August had already been historically wet, leaving waterways on the brink of overfilling and the ground oversaturated. Now, add in the tails of Hurricane Ida, and it’s quite simple to see why those flash floods tore down those homes across the street or those trees lining the roads to school. And so, when a Pew Research Center survey reports that Americans still neglect climate change as a top priority, placing issues like immigration and strengthening the economy in front—sure, these two are also important and are often interconnected— we ask, what’s the point of these issues if our country falls apart to nature first? This isn’t a political issue; this isn’t something that’s far away in time and impact; this, as it seems now, is an issue that we will learn to face seriously when it’s already too late—and that time is nearly here.
2021-22 Editors-in-Chief (clockwise from the left, Ryan Rodack ‘22, Mitav Nayak ‘22, and Jeffrey Yang ‘22)
Letter from the student body president Mitav Nayak ‘22
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ear Fords, Attending the Third Form Orientation last week was a wonderful experience. I had a terrific time meeting new students and educators, introducing leadership groups to the Third Formers, and reconnecting with some classmates and teachers after a long summer. That day, as some Sixth Formers gathered on the quad for lunch and feasted on warm, crisp, spicy-mayo-slathered Blackjack Chicken sandwiches, we reminisced about our time at Haverford. When one of my friends said, “Wow, this has gone by fast”, everyone nodded their heads in agreement. The fact that we Sixth Formers only have 164 school days left as a student at Haverford is shocking to me; it truly has gone by fast. So to the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Formers, I urge you all to reflect and think about what you want to accomplish during your time at this school, because your days as a student here are numbered—and they go by fast. What kind of impact do you want to have here? How do you want to be remembered as a student? September is a time of new beginnings. It’s a time to meet new people, try out that new club, or pick up a new sport or skill. It’s
COURTESY OF MITAV NAYAK ’22
Mitav Nayak ’22 the academic new year: a time to make resolutions and improve upon yourself and form new connections with others. To my fellow Sixth Formers, I have a simple question: what can you do to make your last year at this school memorable, impactful, and inspiring, so that you don’t have any regrets when you walk across the stage to
accept your diploma in June? 164 school days. Let’s make every single one count. Sincerely, Mitav Nayak
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the index · news
September 2021
news
Fords enter a new pandemic year, same yet very different Jeffrey Yang ’22
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s another school year begins under the COVID-19 pandemic, so much of what will come in the next nine months remains uncertain, but, at least, the situation is not unprecedented. In looking at the year ahead, the administration has set out to make this year seem as “normal” as possible. Yet what aspects constitute normalcy differ among those in our community. For Head of School Mr. Tyler Casertano, the first step stands as having everyone back on campus. “Where it begins is having kids on campus as much as possible. COVID-19 demonstrated how important in-person learning is, especially at places like Haverford that ground themselves in community. Community is created by shared experiences and the spirit of togetherness, and, if everyone’s in different places, it’s really difficult to create that sense of community,” Mr. Casertano said. To Upper School Dean of Students Mr. Luqman Kolade, these shared experiences define the school experience. “They’re the things that make Haverford Haverford,” Mr. Kolade said. “Because we’ve missed almost two years, we realized the things we used to take for granted.” Some cherish the community built over conversations in the dining hall and during assemblies and various symbols of our community displayed in customs like the dress code. Others miss the collective school spirit manifested at athletic and performing arts events. Sixth Former Damian Ferraro said, “It made me really sad last year looking at Centennial and seeing it empty, and knowing that there wouldn’t be a concert—we even had to lip-sync for a Notables music video. I’m also hoping that we have people physically at soccer games or tennis matches this year, and not just watching through the live stream.” Though final policies are still being decided and the pandemic is constantly changing, many sense that this year will bring back a larger sense of normalcy, with the currently planned opportunities for all these shared experiences. But, in a different light, Upper School Latin teacher Ms. Sara Adkins prefers to view each year as building on the past, rather than a diversion from previous norms. “I don’t want to use the word ‘normal’; every year is going to be a new normal. Some things were useful last year, like virtual meetings that ended up being quite productive,” Ms. Adkins said. “Virtual meetings made it easier to find a time when everyone could meet, so I’ll probably be doing some of those
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Third form students tour the halls during orientation on September 2, 2021 this year and in the future.” Yet, regardless of their perspective on normalcy, all agreed that the pervading symbol of the pandemic, and the one that will remind us of the fact that things are still different, are masks. Assistant Head of School Mr. Mark Thorburn said, “The biggest thing this year that will make it seem less than normal is masks. But, masks allow us to interact. Last year, masks made a great difference in allowing us to stay in-person for most of the year.” Though the simple gesture of seeing people smile as they pass by in the hall is something Ferraro will miss, he understands the necessity of precautions such as mask policies and social distancing—now a mandated three feet instead of six—and hopes upperclassmen will encourage their peers and underclassmen to follow these measures. “I think it’s really important that we take these precautions seriously because it’ll take everyone diving into it together for us to stay safe and have the things we want,” Ferraro said. Mr. Kolade also emphasized the importance of upper-class leadership this year in guiding underclassmen who have never experienced various aspects of the upper school. The example set by the Fifth and Sixth Forms this year has the potential, more
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Third formers meet with their advisories during orientation
significantly than before, to change norms for the future classes. “Underclassmen will be looking at the upperclassmen to see how to act in places like assemblies and community spaces,” Mr. Kolade said. “There’s a space to start things anew since they [the underclassmen] might not really know what it’s been like before [the pandemic].” Specifically, Ms. Adkins pointed out the opportunity to create new traditions and norms: a task which she sees falls on both faculty and Sixth Formers. “We need to dig into what things were lost, and we need to help the school replicate them or remake them new. For example, EA week was very different this past year, and perhaps there’s room for creating a new, better EA week,” Ms. Adkins said. But before any plans can be solidified, attention this year, as was last year, will constantly be given to the policies recommended or set by various institutions. Mr. Thorburn feels confident that, with the knowledge and precedent set last year and the rollout of vaccines, planning will be slightly less difficult this year. Mr. Thorburn said, “We are continuing to pay attention to the information provided by Montgomery County and other local guidelines. Last year, we had to make plans, and then change them, but we know a lot more now, and we have the vaccine, which makes a difference in quarantining. [The precautionary policies] fall into similar categories as before.” But many are wary of the severity, or lack thereof, with which members of the community will heed these policies, especially considering the cycle of loosened restrictions over the summer and, now, tightening restrictions with the spread of the Delta variant of COVID-19. “The biggest challenge will be for some folks to relearn the culture of masking. The masks allow us to do so many of those community rituals and allow us to prioritize in-person learning and day-to-day togetherness,” Mr. Casertano said. For the community, a flexible mindset is required during this time, but, more importantly, is continuing the positive attitude—that which stemmed from just being
together in person last year—into this year. Ferraro said, “We need to approach each day with a positive outlook and be thankful for the experience that we have.”
around the corner
September
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The newly reopened dining hall serves up BlackJack Chicken, a student favorite.
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The football team plays Lansdale Catholic High at 1:00 P.M. at home.
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Centennial houses the first Upper School assembly of the academic year.
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The soccer team plays Hill School at home at 4:00 P.M. after five games away.
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September 2021
2021 Bridge program welcomes new Third Formers Christopher Schwarting ’24
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s we return to an academic year with a hope for the reestablishment of Haverford’s communal brotherhood, activities that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic prohibited last year return to connect students. The Bridge program introduces Third Form students who are new to the Haverford community with six days of communitybuilding activities. The Bridge orientation is held each summer for new Third Form students to learn about the school community and their new peers. “The goal,” Upper School Dean of Students Mr. Luqman Kolade said, “is to get [students to the point] where when they get on campus, they know some people, they know some faces, they know some teachers, and they know some places around campus. It’s to establish a comfort level.” The program also prioritizes engagement.
“Bridge is also held just to have fun, tooto build cohesion... within that group of new boys.” MR. KOLADE “Bridge is also held just to have fun, too—to build cohesion within the class— within that group of new boys,” Mr. Kolade said. Mr. Kolade, among other faculty members from Haverford and Agnes Irwin, assumes the role of organizing and running Bridge. The program is jointly run with
Agnes Irwin to allow students from both schools to familiarize themselves with their new school environments. Students were able to attend programming at both schools.
“This year, there were two separate sessions: three days just at Haverford and three days at Agnes Irwin.” MR. KOLADE “This year, there were two separate sessions: three days just at Haverford and three days at Agnes Irwin,” Mr. Kolade said. As a result of limited communal engagement last year as a result of COVID-19 protocol, other students were also invited to this year’s event. “[The Bridge program] actually included students who were new to the Second Form last year,” Mr. Kolade said. “The Middle School was in cohorts last year, so they never got to formally meet their entire class. We had some new-to-Haverford Third Formers, as well as some who were new the previous year.” For students at Bridge, relaxed group activities were inter-mixed with immersion to school spaces. “[We want to] allow new students to get used to the procedures of the school, answering questions about the transition experience,” Mr. Kolade said. “In addition, there was a scavenger hunt, other icebreaker activities, and relationship-building pursuits.” Many were also exposed to upper-class leadership, including Honor Council and
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THE AGNES IRWIN SCHOOL
Agnes Irwin and Haverford students work at Skunk Hollow, August 19, 2021 Signet Society members. The days of activity culminated in bowling and a final service project in which students went to Skunk Hollow, a local community garden. Mr. Kolade said, “There’s a lot of shoveling mulch and wheel-barrowing things across when gardening, and it was hot and sweaty. It was a lot of fun, but it was hard work that required teamwork. I could see, even by the way kids were talking to me, I could see the comfort level sort of growing.” Ultimately, creating a sense of comfort with peers and fostering the camaraderie of
the Haverford community this year was the goal, especially when such aspects lacked in the height of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. “Sixth Formers who graduated last year talked about what they missed about the Haverford experience because of COVID, and it largely fell on coming together and being connected,” Mr. Kolade said. “Being able to provide some of those qualities that make Haverford, Haverford—you know the community building and the little things that we do as a community—was nice to do in that Bridge cohort.”
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September 2021
features
Ms. Rhonda Brown brings experience to DEI program Ryan Rodack ’22
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passionate leader and teacher, Ms. Rhonda Brown, joins the school as the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. After spending some time working for the Western Association of Schools and Colleges in Los Angeles, Ms. Brown returned to her hometown of suburban Philadelphia over a year ago, looking to find a place where she could make a direct impact on a community close to home.
“[Quarantining] gave me a lot of time to think about what I wanted to do, how I could make an impact, where I thought my skills would be best used, and I thought about independent schools.” MS. RHONDA BROWN “[Quarantining] gave me a lot of time to think about what I wanted to do, how I could make an impact, where I thought my skills would be best used, and I thought about independent schools,” Ms. Brown said. As Ms. Brown’s daughter is a Penn Charter graduate, she always saw herself taking a role there when the time was right. “I had a running joke with the guy who has the diversity role at Penn Charter… He would say, ‘I’m not ready to retire yet, so you have to wait another year or so.’ But one day he said, ‘You know what, I think you should call Haverford because they are looking,’”
Ms. Brown said. After some conversations with student leaders, faculty, and the administration, Ms. Brown knew the school was the right place for her. “I think Haverford has a good foundation to do diversity work on it. If you practice the core virtues, they will create an environment that is diverse, open to change, and that will support the principles of diversity,” Ms. Brown said. In addition to the school’s virtues, Ms. Brown deeply values her relationships with the head of school. “It is really important that your diversity person be connected with your head of school and that your vision aligns, and so I’m really excited to begin with [Mr. Tyler Casertano],” Ms. Brown said. “I like where he wants to go and how he values this stuff.” Ms. Brown’s passion for diversity, equity, and inclusion came about after she attended law school. “This concept of rights and equity has always been a passion for me,” Ms. Brown said. “When affirmative action and diversity work started to become something, it was a way for me to take what I knew legally and those skill sets that I developed, and put them into a way to actually apply it to common life and help things become better at an easier level.” Ms. Brown’s passion and skill for diversity work took her to large research institutions, including the University of Notre Dame and Temple University, as well as small private liberal arts colleges like Albright College and the College of the Holy Cross. Ms. Brown’s 25-year career includes working as a bias identifier with the Massachusetts Testing Association and serving on the Diversity Committee for two Massachusetts governors. Ms. Brown also developed a certificate
program in diversity leadership for Temple University’s College of Education. After years working at the collegiate level, Ms. Brown grew troubled by how most students did not start learning about diversity, equity, and inclusion until their high school years at the earliest. “My thought process is, maybe we should step back a bit, and let’s pay some attention to lower school and let’s pay some attention to middle school,” Ms. Brown said. “I want to work with the lower school kids to work on an upstander program. So, we would talk about being good friends, being supportive, being courageous, and being brave.” When it comes to middle school, Ms. Brown plans to reach the boys in a more mature, but effective way. “I’d like upper school boys to help me create this novel for middle school boys—what their experiences were in middle school, and how we can address them differently.”
Ms. Brown emphasizes the school’s brotherhood. “I want to instill at an earlier stage how we support each other, how we stand up, and what this brotherhood really means. I think you all get brotherhood in upper school, but I think you could get it earlier. And if you got it earlier, just think about how much more advanced that concept could be and how much deeper you all could be in your relationships with each other.” Aside from her passion for diversity, equity, and inclusion, Ms. Brown sees herself participating in a few other clubs and hobbies on campus. “I’m an avid gardener, so I like to grow things,” Ms. Brown said. “And I understand that you all have a beehive, and that is kind of interesting to me. I always thought it would be cool to keep bees, so maybe I could play with the bees a little bit.”
Ms. Rhonda Brown, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
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Dr. Eli Cohen to teach Spanish students global tools Jeffrey Yang ’22
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ringing his passions for Spanish and Hispanic cultures, Dr. Eli Cohen joins the Language department this year teaching Spanish III and Spanish V*. Dr. Cohen, a resident of the area for some time, first found Haverford while looking for local teaching opportunities. After talking with his longtime friend and teammate on a local soccer team, Form Dean and English teacher Mr. Dan Keefe, Dr. Cohen looked deeper into the school.
Dr. Eli Cohen
“[Mr. Keefe] really had great things to say about Haverford and that piqued my interest; and things ended up working out,” Dr. Cohen said. Prior to Haverford, his first job was at a boarding school in Boston. Though Dr. Cohen enjoyed the experience of teaching, he felt too young at that time and decided to return to his studies. Though brief, this first experience in education, Dr. Cohen knew, was not his last. Dr. Cohen said, “I looked at my older
JEFFREY YANG ’22
colleagues who had young families like I do now, and they all were really happy; I always thought that [teaching] was something I would come back to.” In fact, as someone without any native Spanish-speaking background, he first found his interest in teaching Spanish during his multiple stays in Spain during his educational career. “I spent a lot of time studying in Spain in college, and after college I ended up finally getting a Masters degree in Spain. A lot of the people that I was with in that program were school teachers or were going to come back to the States and become high school teachers, and so that seemed like a good option.” After finishing his graduate studies, Dr. Cohen taught at the college level for multiple years, most recently at Swarthmore College. He enjoyed the opportunity to teach courses in higher education that would not be apt for secondary school students; however, since he has recently taught many college first years, Dr. Cohen expects the experience of teaching Haverford students to be similar. “I think that the caliber of students at Haverford is very similar to the caliber of students that I’ve been teaching at Swarthmore College,” Dr. Cohen said. “I think that my impression is that the students are good—it’s always a pleasure to teach students who want to learn, and I think that’s what my impression is of the students here.”
Outside of the classroom, Dr. Cohen coaches Third Form soccer, practices photography and creative writing, plays soccer and basketball, and takes care of his family. “I’m exploring opportunities to get engaged with some of the clubs and things like that; I still am not totally familiar with everything that the students are doing,” Dr. Cohen said. Above all, to those whom he will meet, Dr. Cohen hopes to teach more than just a language.
“I want to try to get students to understand that language isn’t the end of what I’m trying to teach them.” DR. ELI COHEN “I want to try to get students to understand that language isn’t the end of what I’m trying to teach them—like it’s not conjugating verbs and learning vocabulary and things like that. [Languages are] important because they are tools for allowing one to participate in other experiences,” Mr. Cohen said, “and that’s really what I hope students come to understand and look forward to.”
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September 2021
Mr. Casertano, cont. from front page His range of knowledge experiences have allowed him to develop a unique leadership style centered around relationships, collaboration, and trust. “As a teacher, coach, and advisor, I’ve first and foremost wanted to understand the students I was working with on an individual level to get an understanding of who they were, what their strengths were, what their areas of growth were, what made them feel comfortable, what their insecurities were, and to make them feel comfortable with me so that we could have a close partnership and grow together,” Mr. Casertano said. “Then, I can really deliver for them the most personalized form of education while also forming group dynamics that build a team culture and allow students to support each other.” The idea of forming connections with people is a principle Mr. Casertano has extended beyond his roles where he has worked directly with students. “As an administrator, I’ve tried to have that same philosophy with the teams that I’ve led: to understand my colleagues on an individual level, while also building the team environment that allowed them to support each other and to align all of our priorities so that we are delivering our mission as deeply as possible,” Mr. Casertano said. At Haverford, he has been drawn to the sense of community, belonging, and brotherhood.
“...there’s a certain joyfulness and authenticity at a great boys’ school like Haverford.” MR. TYLER CASERTANO “All-boys schools have a sense of togetherness, camaraderie, community, and support that grounds everything that we do, and there’s a certain joyfulness and authenticity at a great boys’ school like Haverford,” Mr. Casertano said. “That sense of comfort and belonging allows students to embrace the discomfort that is central to learning.” Mr. Casertano expanded upon the experiences he has had with seeing students grow at boys’ schools. “Learning is hard, whether it’s learning in the classroom, in the studios, or on the fields growing your skills and your character,” Mr. Casertano said. “It requires a certain amount of risk and discomfort, and I think that sense of belonging knowing that you’re surrounded by people who care about you and want
you to succeed, that allows students at a boys’ school to go deeper and to grow more.” Chair of the Board of Trustees and Head of School Search Committee Member Mr. Maurice Glavin outlined some of the key factors that helped Mr. Casertano stand out in the deep pool of applicants for the Head of School.
“Mr. Casertano demonstrated that he had competencies in some the areas that are important to Haverford School culture and certainly are part of Haverford’s ‘secret sauce.” MR. MAURICE GLAVIN “He has an unbelievable history with independent school life,” Mr. Glavin said. “At St. Albans, he held a variety of positions, including being a teacher and a coach. I believe deeply in the teacher-coach model, especially in an all-boys school, and Mr. Casertano demonstrated that he had competencies in some the areas that are important to Haverford School culture and certainly are part of Haverford’s ‘secret sauce.’” On the personal side, Mr. Glavin was struck by Mr. Casertano’s thoughtfulness. “When we did reference checks, there were glowing conversations about his ability to understand situations,” Mr. Glavin said. “He’s an unbelievably emotionally intelligent person.” Director of Admissions and Head of School Search Committee Member Mr. Donta Evans expressed that Mr. Casertano’s varied experiences in schools was something that immediately captured the committee’s attention. “He’s been in almost every role at schools. We really wanted someone who was a ‘school person’ and understood schools in and out, and Mr. Casertano checked all the boxes,” Mr. Evans said. “He’s also an extremely thoughtful person, and I think he’s very deliberate and also very process-driven. There was an authenticity about him and a humbleness that permeated during the interview process.” Lower School Head and Head of School Search Committee Member Dr. Pam Greenblatt added, “He’s experienced so many different aspects of school life, and what that’s given him is a unique ability to see the bigger picture of education and schools.”
Dr. Greenblatt also highlighted Mr. Casertano’s ability to take in information as one of his differentiating qualities. “He’s a phenomenal listener: he’s able to listen to multiple perspectives on an issue and then strategically think through how to navigate, understand and respond. As a leader, he’s empathetic and compassionate,” Dr. Greenblatt said. “He listens, he’s inclusive, and he’s highly collaborative. He wants to do collaborative problem-solving as opposed to having a set idea of how things should go and just running in that direction.” Mr. Evans and Mr. Glavin also described Mr. Casertano as a “collaborator.” “I think he’s going to push our leadership team in some ways, but also really lean on the team: he strikes me as very collaborative,” Mr. Evans said. “He’s been on teams at a high level: he played lacrosse at Yale and then worked on teams at St. Albans. He recognizes the value of the collective, instead of leadership from a top-down perspective, and I think that’s important in a school environment,” Mr. Glavin said. “He’s been showing a personal touch of trying to understand the students and to learn who’s who.” Mr. Casertano believes his devotion to people and connections stems from his love of history, which he majored in at Yale and taught during his career. “I’ve always been drawn to history from when I was in elementary school,” Mr. Casertano said. “I love people, and I love their stories, and I find cultures to be so interesting. And understanding the drivers of those cultures and how they impacted people’s decisions and conversely, how people’s decisions impacted culture and history: I just find that the human story to be so endlessly fascinating.” He eagerly awaits his second year at Haverford, when he will rejoin the classroom as a history teacher. “I get so much energy from being around the students in that classroom environment and watching them grow over the course of our time together. It’s so much fun to share their learning,” Mr. Casertano said. “I see the classroom as sort of a sacred space where we can all come together and share the life of the mind, and it’s just going to be so much fun to have that daily interaction with kids.” In addition, he looks forward to connecting with faculty. “One of the reasons I love working at a school is because of the ability to have a network of colleagues that’s so diverse, dynamic, passionate, and interesting,” Mr. Casertano said. “I love talking to my faculty colleagues about what they’re teaching, what they’re
Mr. Maurice Glavin ’83, Mr. Tyler Casertano, and Mr. Bart Smith ’95 on the quad
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COMMUNICATIONS
Head of School Mr. Tyler Casertano
reading, and what they’re doing outside of school. I find teachers to be amazing people with such depth of curiosity, and I find myself often—when I’m not with kids—talking with them about what they’re doing in and out of the classroom.” Mr. Evans is excited about Mr. Casertano’s enthusiasm to immerse himself in the school’s culture. “He is so eager to be everywhere and really get involved in the life of the school, from pre-K all the way through Sixth Form,” Mr. Evans said. “I think he’s going to be very present and very available to the community.” Mr. Casertano’s commitment to diversity, tradition, and progress were also factors that drew the Search Committee to him. “He stood out as somebody who embraced the traditions and virtues we have written in stone, but also understands that Haverford is a school that’s not standing still,” Dr. Greenblatt said. “There’s a lot of opportunity for Mr. Casertano to bring a new perspective,” Mr. Glavin said, “but also to have great respect for the past.” During his first few months, Mr. Casertano has made efforts to gain a greater understanding of this Haverford culture. “Once I got deeper into the process of learning about the school, and once I started hearing more and more about people’s experiences here, it just confirmed what a special place this is and how sincere that culture of caring, support, commitment, excellence is, and the strength of the sense of brotherhood,” Mr. Casertano said. He is appreciative to all who have supported him through the process. “I would say thank you to everyone who has given me a deeper sense of the institution, its culture, and its people,” Mr. Casertano said. “I know I still have so much more to learn, but I feel fortunate that the learning process has gotten off to a quick start this summer.” His message to the students reflects his ideals and leadership style. “It is a privilege to be in this seat at this institution,” Mr. Casertano said. “To work with the faculty, staff, and students everyday is an incredible honor and is one that I take really seriously, and it all begins with them [the students]. My job by its definition requires that I work with so many different people, and one of the things that drew me to this work is the variety of conversations and relationships; but the students are the group that drives it all, and ensuring that they have the best possible environment to grow is what matters most.” He added, “I hope that the students will come to know me and see how much I care about them, their development, and about helping them become their best selves and helping Haverford School become its best self.”
the index · featurers
Page 7
September 2021
tests,” Mr. Fus said. Mr. Fus was also drawn to Haverford’s progress in confronting problems of equity and access within its education.
“This school has put a lot of work recently in being more diverse, inclusive, and equitable, and that is something I hope to help Haverford move forward with.” MR. JEREMY FUS JEFFREY YANG ‘22
Mr. Jeremy Fus
Mr. Jeremy Fus tackles math with multiple strategies Quinn Luong ’22
W
ith an emphasis on building relationships, Mr. Jeremy Fus will bring his unique teaching style to upper school math. After teaching math at Sacred Heart Academy for the last two years, Mr. Fus was drawn to the Haverford community even through an entirely virtual interview process. “The philosophy of the school as a whole and the math department meshed with my values of relational teaching through building close relationships. It just seems like a great place to grow as a teacher and person,” Mr. Fus said. While many believe math is purely transactional in finding a single right answer, Mr. Fus instead strives to make the subject transformative. He emphasizes working through the problems rather than memorizing information. Mr. Fus notices the demands of what students need from their education have evolved. Rather than regurgitating information, Mr. Fus wants students to solve problems
collaboratively and find relevance to their own lives in their education. “I think it’s unfortunate that many people’s conceptions of math are purely transactional. I approach teaching math by rather focusing on the process, getting your hands dirty by finding strategies to get to the answer,” Mr. Fus said. “So for me, the answer is less important than what you did to get there and what you learned along the way.” Transitioning from teaching at an allgirls Roman Catholic school to an all-boys non-sectarian school will impact Mr. Fus’ teaching in some aspects. “I think developing relationships or working through problems will remain the same for me. However, I think probably one of the biggest changes is going to be school culture,” Mr. Fus said. Culture-wise, Mr. Fus believes that academic competition is not unique to one gender. “I think academic competition shows up in both girls and boys. I think there is a lot of pressure to get good grades and into colleges for high school students,” Mr. Fus
said.
To combat this potentially toxic competitive behavior, Mr. Fus strives to approach math with a different lens.
“I hope to relieve some of that pressure by building a culture that is not so hyperfocused on grades with my approach to the course and grading in particular. I don’t want my class to be focused on high-stakes tests.” MR. JEREMY FUS “I hope to relieve some of that pressure by building a culture that is not so hyperfocused on grades with my approach to the course and grading in particular. I don’t want my class to be focused on high-stakes
“This school has put a lot of work recently in being more diverse, inclusive, and equitable, and that is something I hope to help Haverford move forward with,” Mr. Fus said. Mr. Fus also believes that math, along with many other academic subjects, has a long way to go in terms of equity and access. “I think that math in particular is one of the less diverse STEM fields. The field of mathematics in college and beyond is heavily skewed towards white men,” Mr. Fus said. “There’s a lot of work to be done to make math more equitable, and by that, I mean making sure that every student has what they need to thrive.” Beyond the classroom, Mr. Fus has an affinity for ultimate frisbee and picked up on bird-watching recently. “I play ultimate frisbee a lot. I started playing in high school, college, and I am now on a club team,” Mr. Fus said. “I am also an emerging bird enthusiast, so I am starting to learn how to identify birds. I would invite anyone who is also interested in birds to join me.” Students can also find Mr. Fus on the courts coaching tennis. “I recently started playing tennis, so I have a small amount of experience. I am excited to get to know some students in a nonacademic setting and on a deeper level,” Mr. Fus said. “Hopefully, I will be able to hone my own tennis skills.”
Mr. Taylor ’96 takes on history at his alma mater Colin Stewart ’22
J
oining the history department this year to teach Ancient and Modern World History, Mr. Cory Taylor, class of 1996, returns to a place he describes as home. During the COVID lockdowns, Mr. Taylor was looking for a change. “I got my J.D. at Penn a while back, and I have been a practicing lawyer up until this year. While there was a lot that I liked about it... I was looking for a change,” Mr. Taylor said. Mr. Taylor first started his career in law as a judicial clerk, eventually working his way into a position at a sizable law firm. He represented a client in a trial, a rare occasion for lawyers at big firms. He loved it. Following his passion for what he describes as “the adversarial battle” of trial law, he served as a public defender for five years. Though he eventually returned to civil law, Mr. Taylor looks back on those years fondly. “As much as I love trials... the grind and adversarial nature of the work day in and day out was not something I wanted to spend the rest of my life doing,” Mr. Taylor said. While working as a public defender, Mr. Taylor had the chance to work with juveniles, an experience that led him on his path back to Haverford. He saw a potential in each of them to change and to learn. This aspect of working with young people is one
of Mr. Taylor’s main motivations for coming back to Haverford. His aim is “Finding a job like teaching where there is real meaning to it, where I am helping kids.” Mr. Taylor hopes that his experience both in attending Haverford and working as a lawyer will help him more effectively teach his history students.
“The are these throughlines of strong faculty-student relationships, an emphasis on character and academics.”
Mr. Taylor also believes that the skill set he developed as a lawyer will help him mold his students into historians. He said, “The skill set you need and use as a lawyer is the same skill set you need as a historian. Essentially, these critical thinking skills that go to the heart of what it means to study history translate to law. What I have been doing for the past fifteen years is understanding the arguments, understanding the evidence that is used, and articulating those arguments and interpretations.”
Mr. Taylor will also assume the role of attorney advisor for the mock trial team and plans to take a support role in an athletic program. Mr. Taylor is also looking forward to community events such as EA Day. “I always loved EA Day obviously... I just love that rivalry. I want to experience it all. I heard that the theater program’s [live performances are] starting up again, and I look forward to going to their productions... I love sports in general so I’m really looking forward to going to games,” Mr. Taylor said.
MR. CORY TAYLOR “There is a lot in the curriculum that has expanded, but in many ways, the important things have stayed the same. There are these throughlines of strong faculty-student relationships, an emphasis on character and academics,” Mr. Taylor said. “As a lawyer, you always want to understand the perspective of the person you are representing. So in a way, it gives me a leg up that I have walked the same halls.”
Mr. Cory Taylor ’96 takes on history at his alma mater
JEFFREY YANG ‘22
Page 8
the index · features
September 2021
Mr. Bacon brings enthusiasm to the physics classroom Adiyan Nayak ’24
T
he school is adding a valuable new face to the community. Mr. Jonathan Bacon is hoping to be enthusiastic in the classroom and on the field while building meaningful relationships with students and faculty. Mr. Bacon earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering at Geneva College, a Master of Arts degree in teaching at Chatham University, and a Master of Arts degree in Urban Studies at Eastern University. After he finished his degree at Eastern, he felt a yearning to teach. “That was the first time I’d been out of an academic institution and really missed it—getting to meet new people and engage with them in new ideas, and just learning together,” Mr. Bacon said. After realizing his desire to teach, Mr. Bacon launched his career in education. “I talked to a former professor of mine and said, ‘Hey, what would you think about co-teaching a class with me?’ That kind of started my teaching journey, and it’s been a passion of mine ever since,” Mr. Bacon said.
“I love the times when students make breakthroughs and discover more about the world or about themselves.” MR. JONATHAN BACON Mr. Bacon taught at the college level for three years before transitioning to middle
school and high school. For the past five years, he has been teaching science and math in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. To him, watching students learn and evolve is the most rewarding aspect of the job. “I love the times when students make breakthroughs and discover more about the world or about themselves,” Mr. Bacon said. Mr. Bacon hopes to help students make these discoveries every day, and he feels that the environment here allows for a strong educational experience. “At Haverford, what appealed to me was the sense of community from everybody that I interacted with,” Mr. Bacon said. “The exchanging of ideas, working together, and the overall rigor of the school—it just seemed like a really great experience for students each year, and for the faculty to be a part of it.” This year, Mr. Bacon will teach four sections of physics. In the future, he plans to add a mathematics class into his course load, but at the moment he is fully focused on the class that he feels is the most relatable to daily life. “I really like physics because it’s handson, and in my opinion it’s one of the most approachable of the sciences,” Mr. Bacon said. “You can relate it to life really easily, and you can see examples of what you’re studying in the class as you’re traveling home or riding your bike, swimming or doing a sports practice. You can see physics everywhere in your daily life.” Mr. Bacon’s passion for physics should make for an enjoyable course this year. Additionally, Mr. Bacon will coach in the baseball
program, a process that he is eager to begin. “I’ve really been a fan of baseball since before I can remember, just playing catch with my dad and my brothers and following the Red Sox, the Phillies, and the Pirates. Baseball’s definitely one of my favorite sports, but I don’t have a lot of experience playing or coaching it, so it’ll be a fun new challenge for me,” Mr. Bacon said. In both the physics classroom and on the baseball field, Mr. Bacon will be heavily
involved in the development of students and athletes. However, the little moments with members of the school are what he is looking forward to the most. “Last year, I was completely online,” Mr. Bacon said. “Interacting with students—I really miss that. So I’m really looking forward to being back in-person with the students through advisory, through baseball, through class, and just interacting with them on the day-to-day.”
JEFFREY YANG ’22
Mr. Jonathan Bacon
Mr. Isdaner continues to guide. now as a PE teacher Austin Zhuang ’22
A
fter joining the football program as an assistant coach last year, Mr. Gregory Isdaner will transition into a larger role in the athletics department. In addition to his role on the football team, he will teach physical education classes and supervise the strength and conditioning program. Mr. Isdaner was born and raised in Lower Merion, and although he had a late start in football—not playing until high school—he went on to play at West Virginia University before entering the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys. The team cut him at the end of training camp, and, after bouncing on and off the Eagles’ practice squad, he wound up in the United Football League for a year. Despite his success, he chose not to play a second year and instead found his calling in education.
“I didn’t know what I was gonna do with my life when I got done playing, and I was sort of lost,” Mr. Isdaner said. “I got an opportunity to coach up at Germantown Academy, and I just sort of realized how quickly kids and I attracted to each other.”
He found it easy to motivate players and get them to push themselves harder, as he had developed connections with the players on the team. He found it easy to motivate players and get them to push themselves harder, as he had developed connections with the players
on the team. After a few years of coaching, he began teaching PE classes, growing as an educator as time went on. His biggest takeaway was discovering what he valued most. “It turned out, at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what exactly you’re doing, but it’s the people you get to connect with,” Mr. Isdaner said. “That makes all the difference in the world, those personal experiences.” His passion for connecting with people stems from his desire to help. For him, impacting one student in the class each year, even if it just makes them a happier person, is a great accomplishment.
“Just being able to let them [students] know that you’re there to support them and help them get through stuff [is great]. You want them to succeed.” MR. GREG ISDANER
COMMUNICATIONS
Mr. Gregory Isdaner, coaching against EA, November 21, 2020
“Just being able to let them [students] know that you’re there to support them and help them get through stuff [is great],” Mr. Isdaner said. “You want them to succeed.” Coming into a full-time position at Haverford, Mr. Isdaner looks forward to interacting with the students. His favorite part about the school is the players he coaches. “I get to work with smart kids,” Mr. Isdaner said. “And they’re different levels of smart. I always tell the kids, ‘If you can’t think, you can’t play,’ and at some point that matters for everybody.” The quick minds of the players let Mr. Isdaner enjoy his time working. He can spend more time on advanced concepts, and
even if they have trouble picking things up, he is willing to keep trying. Another part of his new role that he looks forward to is spending time with younger students. “I’m super pumped about being able to interact with more kids on a daily basis, more boys, and being able to impact them at an earlier age,” Mr. Isdaner said. “I’m teaching the whole sixth grade PE this year, so I’m excited to start meeting younger kids and watching them grow.” Besides working with students, he hopes his contributions will help add value to the work of his colleagues like strength and conditioning Coach Mr. Matthew Rosko. He also wants to add to the community by being a mentor. “I’ve just found over the years that, for some weird reason, kids like me a little bit, I guess,” Mr. Isdaner said. “I keep it real, and I don’t know, maybe I’m just a big kid myself.” At the end of the day, for him, education is about guiding others.
“Kids who have never played sports, some of the most unathletic kids in my PE classes at GA, were some of the kids I was tightest with.” MR. GREG ISDANER “Kids who have never played sports, some of the most unathletic kids in my PE classes at GA, were some of the kids I was tightest with,” Mr. Isdaner said. “It’s pretty funny, and it’s just being able to show them that everyone has a different path, but there are people who want to help them.”
the index · academics
Page 9
September 2021
academics
Adamya Aggarwal ’22 and Mitav Nayak ’22, third and fourth from the left, research at UPenn in July 2021
COURTESY OF ADAMYA AGGARWAL ’22
Sixth Formers participate in Advanced Research Jingyuan Chen ’23
O
ver the summer, rising Sixth Formers participated in the Advanced Research Programs in history and science. Students were given the opportunity to research topics that interested them. After their research is complete, students will develop their academic thesis guided by Haverford teachers or college professors. “The science research program did not run this summer due to the pandemic, but a few students did a project on their own,” biology teacher Ms. Kara Cleffi said. “I’m really interested in the sciences, particularly biology and gene therapy,” Sixth Former Mitav Nayak said. “Since Haverford has this resource for us to take advantage of, I thought it was a great opportunity, so I reached out to Ms. Cleffi.” Although the science department technically paused the research program, with assistance from Ms. Cleffi, Nayak was able to reach the University of Pennsylvania’s Wilson Lab, which focuses on gene therapy and rare disease research. “It was a six-week program with a few other high school students in the area. We each had our research mentors, all under Dr. Wilson’s program,” Nayak said. “I was mostly interacting with my mentor and doing research under him, but we had a group where
we heard from researchers and scientists in speaker events. Meanwhile, we worked on our own research and presented our results at the end of the program.” On the other hand, the history program at Haverford was able to continue with some modifications.
“To apply you need to write an essay explaining why you’d like to participate in the course and propose a topic.” MR. TIMOTHY LENGEL “To apply you need to write an essay explaining why you’d like to participate in the course and propose a topic,” history teacher Mr. Timothy Lengel said. “Usually, the history department and sometimes English teachers meet to discuss the strength of the various applications. But because of COVID, this year Dr. Gurtler and I ultimately run the program ourselves.” Students initiated their general research during the summer. “We had a summer reading assign-
ment, which was essentially reading eightplus books on your topic. Some of them are broad, some of them are more specific. So far we are gathering some general research materials, and we may use them going into the year,” Sixth Former Samuel Kohl said. The program is expected to take a full year to complete. “Over the summer I made my initial bibliography of ten books as I read and annotated them,” Kohl said. “Now I’m trying to narrow down the topic, as I switch from broader books in the general history of country music to more specific books.” Mr. Lengel has planned the program’s next steps. “Every two weeks, they will present a tutorial-style class: one or two of them will present another five pages or so of their essay. Everyone will discuss those five pages. We’ll critique those five pages as we celebrate the good and try to find where things can be improved. The final product will be a major essay,” Mr. Lengel said. Overall, students from both programs were able to make significant gains in their specific research topics, as well as general research skills and the ability to cooperate. “I’ve definitely gained a lot of knowledge about how the research world works
and how professionals approach their research and demonstrate leadership in their fields,” Nayak said. “We were able to interact with people who are at the top of their professions. I was able to see how they go about their day-to-day lives and handle things.” The programs should benefit the students involved.
“I really want to be able to hold my essay in my hand at the end, but I also want a lot of experience.” SAM KOHL ’22 “I really want to be able to hold my essay in my hand at the end,” Kohl said. “But I also want a lot of experience. Working with Dr. Gurtler, I’m definitely going to take away a lot. I want to major in history in college and definitely do something in the humanities, but if I come out of the program thinking that’s not what I want to do, it still taught me an important lesson and guided my college major research. So it’s truly a valuable experience.”
Page 10
the index · neighborhood
September 2021
neigborhood Fords help fund Food4Philly pickleball tournament Ethan Lee ’24
F
ood4Philly is a non-profit organization created by students from the Main Line area. They have been working to help the greater Philadelphia area with a series of different initiatives. Their latest idea is a pickleball tournament designed to raise money for charities around the Philadelphia area. Helping to run and sponsor this tournament is the MLTA, or the Main Line Tennis Academy. Created by Fifth Formers Jay Crowther and Joaquin Arias, MLTA’s mission is to provide quality tennis coaching for relatively affordable prices.
“This tournament is entirely non-profit. Any money raised is going to go directly to Food4Philly and whatever they envision.” JOAQUIN ARIAS ’23 “This tournament is entirely non-profit,” Arias said. “Any money raised is going to go directly to Food4Philly and whatever they envision.” The organization will raise money through players’ entrance fees.
“Any player, regardless of age, can play for a set price.” JAY CROWTHER ’23 “Any player, regardless of age, can play for a set price,” Crowther stated, “For more money, they can get a player’s pass and enter in as many divisions as they want. Winners of the different divisions will receive a prize at the end.” In order to run this tournament, there are multiple hoops the team needs to hop through. “We first need to contact the township running Paddock Park,” Crowther observed, “We think that that park has the most accessible courts in the area for our target audience.” Some of the specifics of the tournaments are still in the works. The date, time, cost to enter, and other logistical restraints are still being decided by Food4Philly and MLTA, but readers can expect the tournament to be run before the end of October. For updates, you can follow both Food4Philly’s Instagram (@food4philly), website (search Food4Philly), and MLTA’s Instagram (@mlta_tennis).
Food4Philly Logo
COURTESY OF FOOD4PHILLY
Fifth Formers reflect on first job as camp counselors Ethan Chan ’23
F
A sign at Malvern Day Camp
VIA MALVERNDAYCAMP.COM
or many, summer stands in contrast to the busy schedule and taxing demands of the school year. Students can take advantage of the warm weather and take time to enjoy the outdoors and other similar endeavors. Younger children will participate in summer camps across a myriad of activities and some teenagers will begin looking for their first job. At Haverford, two students have gone back to their roots and spent some of their time this summer working at summer camps. “I worked at Malvern Day Camp and the main things were swimming, a waterpark, ball games, and more. There were 420 kids, but on an average day, 200-250 kids would be at the camp. My bunk that I was in charge of had anywhere from 6-18 kids on a certain day. On very small days, we would combine with other bunks,” Fifth Former Nate Mirin said. Similar to Nate, Fifth Former Joaquin Arias also worked at another summer camp, through ESF, based out of Haverford. “The kids would do a variety of activities based on what section of camp they were part of. There was a sports camp, day camp, and senior camp. All of these camps would do different activities but all of them would have a designated time for swimming,” Arias stated. As a lifeguard, Arias’ was not only limited to being on standby in case something happened but also other responsibilities around the pool. “Even though I was hired as a lifeguard, I spent most of my time as a swim instructor teaching kids how to swim,” Arias said. Given that it was Mirin’s first job, he experienced firsthand the perils of his paid role.
“I liked my role, but it was frequently tiring and frustrating. Oftentimes, the kids would not listen to me, climb on me, hit me, or on one occasion threw rocks at me or tried to stab me with rocks. Still, I worked incredibly hard at my job and kept me busy throughout the summer, which was nice,” Mirin mentioned. Mirin was able to appreciate his time off as a camp counselor but the hustle of his occupation showed similarities to the academic year. “It felt nice to have a feeling of freedom. But honestly, it didn’t differ a lot from school besides not having to go home and do homework and not having to worry about tests,” Mirin said. Both Fifth Formers learned a lot from their first paid jobs and made meaningful bonds with their peers.
“I think the reminder that we all were on the bottom of the food chain bonded us all together. Almost everyone was really nice, friendly, and open.” NATE MIRIN ’23 “I think the reminder that we all were on the bottom of the food chain bonded us all together. Almost everyone was really nice, friendly, and open,” Mirin said, “While I was working, I still developed bonds with many of my coworkers. I would be sad not to see them again.”
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the index · campus opinions
September 2021
campus opinions We need a more unified upper school this year Arsh Aggarwal ’24
O
ver the past couple of years, our strength as a community has been challenged by circumstances that no one could predict. As we enter into a new school year, I can’t help but hope for a sense of normalcy during my second year of high school. The word “community” has been used many times, and I think it has sort of lost its meaning over the years. However, as the old adage goes, “You never know how much you had until you lost it.”
Little things like talking with your friends at lunch, or walking to the café after school weren’t possible last year. Little things like talking with your friends at lunch, or walking to the café after school weren’t possible last year. School became a routine, like we were going through the mo-
tions, and more than anything, I hope that changes this year. So many relationships were unable to form. New students had no real opportunity to meet those outside of their few classes. Social interaction during lunch was limited to the ten people in each advisory. The entirety of the upper school was never even in the same building during any point of the year. It was something out of our control, but being together as an upper school is of the utmost importance to regain what we lost. Coming into the new year, I would love to see the school community return to where it was a couple of years ago. I want to walk by the community room and see people playing ping-pong. I want to see an insane crowd at sporting events. I don’t come to school just to learn, and I don’t think any of us do. We come to school because of the experiences we have with each other—not only as a class but as an entire upper school. Last year, more than ever, there was an apparent separation between kids in each form. A lot of it was just being spread across two different buildings, but also just separation in general. More could
MR. KEITH CZARNY
Members of the Honor Council meet with faculty members in the Big Room, September 1, 2021 have been done, whether it being more interform competitions or another method. This year, I hope that we are able to close this gap and become a more cohesive upper school. At the end of the day, I think all we can
ask for is an improvement over last year. Nobody can predict what changes we will be able to make over the course of this year, but I am confident in our ability as a school to weather the storm.
Page 12
the index · off-campus opinions
September 2021
off-campus opinions Despite passing $1.2 trillion Biden infrastructure bill, tensions remain in Senate Colin Stewart ’22
P
resident Joe Biden and his Democratic colleagues took a crucial step forward in their “Build Back Better” initiative over the summer by passing a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill. On August 10, H.R. 3684, also known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, passed in a 69-30 vote. Historically, bills crucial to a President’s agenda do not pass with bipartisan support, but this bill defied the norm with the likes of Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senators Lindsey Graham, Susan Collins, and Mitt Romney joining the unanimous Democratic vote. With a table of contents alone exceeding 18 pages and the bill in total exceeding 2,000 pages, H.R. 3684 contains $550 billion in new spending targeted at modernizing many outdated facets as well as beefing up already existing areas of American infrastructure. Such areas include an additional $110 billion in building and repairing roads and bridges, $65 billion in expanding highspeed internet access, and $66 billion in reinvigorating a failing American railway system. President Biden also took a page out of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal by investing hundreds of billions of dollars in public works projects to rejuvenate the post-lockdown economy. With a grade of C- by the Infrastructure Report Card and ranking as the seventh worst infrastructure in the nation, Pennsylvania will be one of the states most affected should this bill be approved by the President. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act targets many of the key problems that we as
Pennsylvanians face, such as repairing the 7,540 miles of road and 3,353 bridges in poor condition that cost Pennsylvanians an average of $620 a year, modernizing the public transport vehicles that many students use to attend school every day (22% of which are past useful life), and funding our state’s public schools which are plagued by few resources and dilapidated facilities.
The most common complaint was one of wasteful spending. The Republican Senators who opposed the bill did so on many grounds. The most common complaint was one of wasteful spending. With the exception of the COVID Relief bills passed in 2020, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is one of the largest bills to have ever passed in the Senate. Furthermore, Democrats promised during the bill’s infancy that it would pay for itself and not further contribute to the national debt. But on August 5, the Congressional Budget Office estimated a further $256 billion would be contributed to the national debt over the next ten years from this bill alone. Other objections arose from the steps this bill takes towards establishing a national infrastructure based around renewable energy. During the Trump presidency, many Republicans in Congress pushed to reintroduce nuclear energy into the American electrical
grid. With large funding going to an option that they consider less efficient and less cost effective, there was little reason for Republicans of this opinion to support a bill that provides tens of billions of dollars to renewable energy. Many Republican lawmakers also objected to the bill on the grounds that it, as one Senator called it, is a “smoke screen” for a budget plan much larger than the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said as much when she stated that the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act would not be voted on unless the administration-backed budget plan were to pass. The budget plan in question includes programs such as universal pre-K, two years of tuition-free community college, unprecedented investment in public housing and green/sustainable housing, green cards and a path to citizenship for the roughly twelve million illegal immigrants inside the United States, dental, hearing, and vision coverage in the Medicare program, and “environmental justice and climate resilience.” With an estimated price tag of anywhere from $3.5 trillion to over $5.5 trillion, this budget plan would likely become the highest single-year mandatory spending budget in history, all while not addressing any of the issues raised by Republican lawmakers or increasing bipartisan spending on programs like social security (a program that is currently expected to be insolvent by 2033). To put it bluntly, Democratic lawmakers took a necessary bill, the Infrastruc-
To put it bluntly, Democratic lawmakers took a necessary bill, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and paired it with what is essentially a Christmas list full of negligent spending, unreasonable programs, and partisan asks. ture Investment and Jobs Act, and paired it with what is essentially a Christmas list full of negligent spending, unreasonable programs, and partisan asks. It is increasingly important to improve the United States’ crumbling infrastructure in order to maintain our position as a beacon of hope and prosperity for the outside world, but that cannot be done without a bipartisan effort. Republicans should not oppose the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act based solely on the fact that it is a Democrat initiative, and Democrats should not try to put the Republicans between a rock and a hard place: passing nothing or passing bills antithetical to everything the Republican party stands for.
Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden celebrate the passage of a bipartisan infrastructure bill, August 10, 2021
THE WHITE HOUSE - VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Page 13
the index · off-campus opinions
September 2021
The FDA’s approval is just one step in a longer journey Austin Zhuang ’22
O
n August 23, 2021, the Food and Drug Administration fully approved the first COVID-19 vaccine for all individuals sixteen years of age or older, an important milestone in the ongoing fight against the virus. The PfizerBioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, now marketed as Comirnaty, is still available under emergency use authorization (EUA) for individuals ages twelve through fifteen and for the administration of a third dose for certain immunocompromised individuals, among others. While Comirnaty and the EUA vaccine have the same formulation, changing its status from emergency use to fully approved has legal consequences. The Defense Department has already required all service members to get the vaccine, something they could not have done before the approval without a presidential waiver. More and more universities, public school districts, and states have also started issuing vaccine mandates. This flood of requirements is largely due to the removal of legal challenges. Most university and state vaccine mandates like those for measles, mumps, and rubella are in place because of FDA approval, so requiring the COVID-19 vaccine is legal. Despite this, many are still refusing to follow mandates and become fully vaccinated. Reasons for their decision include potential negative side effects and too quick of an approval process, the majority of which public health officials have disproved. The continuing hesitation to get “the jab” after legal and safety concerns is threat-
ening; the recent Delta surge has left thousands hospitalized. If infections are not in control by winter, schools could face another forced shutdown like the one Haverford experienced in December of 2020.
If infections are not in control by winter, schools could face another forced shutdown like the one Haverford experienced in December of 2020. The surefire way to prevent deaths, cases, and another shutdown is to expand vaccine coverage. Data continues to show that COVID-19 vaccines effectively prevent hospitalization as most severe infections are in unvaccinated individuals. The more people that have the vaccine, the more chance for an uninterrupted academic year. “Today’s milestone puts us one step closer to altering the course of this pandemic in the U.S.” That’s what Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock, M.D., claimed the day the FDA approved the Pfizer vaccine. Her words capture the essence of what is to come. As vaccination rates rise and the public gradually accepts the effectiveness of vaccines, the pandemic finish line grows closer. But as long as a significant portion of the population continues to find reasons to not take the shot despite mandates and government support, COVID-19 will remain a threat to health and safety and to the relative normalcy we just got back.
INDEX STAFF
A Shipley student getting the Pfizer vaccine at a Baldwin School vaccination clinic, April 22, 2021
The Delta surge warrants precautions
Ethan Lee ’24
T
he COVID-19 pandemic has been with us for over one-anda-half years. As the Delta variant and other strains of the coronavirus emerge, we still need to be wary of spreading the virus to others in the community. The main difference between the original COVID-19 virus and the Delta variant is a mutation on the virus’s protein spikes. The spike attaches to the surface of a cell—called ACE2—which normally regulates blood pressure. When a protein spike from a virus attaches to the wall, it allows the virus to enter and reproduce. The Delta variant produces more virus per infected cell,
According to Yale medicine, the Delta variant now makes up more than 80% of the COVID-19 cases in the US. leading to more viral load per person. According to Yale Medicine, the Delta
variant now makes up more than 80% of the COVID-19 cases in the US. Because it is almost two times as contagious as the original COVID-19 virus, it spreads much quicker and grows exponentially. This leads to local outbreaks that create dense hotspots of the virus. This generally happens in areas with a low percentage of vaccinated people, which lets the virus infect more people and spread easier.
Vaccinations are the best way to combat the spread of the Delta variant. Although they do not 100% neutralize the virus, they still prevent severe side effects and even death. Vaccinations are the best way to combat the spread of the Delta variant. Although they do not 100% neutralize the virus, they still prevent severe side effects and even death. Soon, booster shots will be available to those who need them and will help protect people in the future. On a more worrisome note, breakthrough infections are becoming more common. But the vaccinated individuals who suffer from a breakthrough infection have less severe symptoms and are less likely to need to go to a hospital. Masks are still going to be instrumental in combating the new variant. The effectiveness of masks has not been reduced and
Masks are still going to be instrumental in combating the new variant.
still are effective at preventing the spread of the virus. As the Delta variant continues to spread, we all need to continue to be wary and careful of spreading this easily transmissible disease.
VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
President Joe Biden, right, receives a briefing on COVID-19 from Dr. Anthony Fauci, left, on Friday, July 16, 2021, in the Oval Office
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the index · off-campus opinions
September 2021
Afghanistan: A Walk Through Time Sam Kohl ’22
A Marine walks with children during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Kabul, Afghanistan, August 24, 2021
O
n August 26, 2021, silhouetted against a setting sun, hundreds of desperate Afghans crowded the American checkpoint at Abbey Gate, one of seven entrances into Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport. Among the frightened interpreters and their families, the women escaping oppression, and the stoic children whose young eyes have long been conditioned to violence, was a man, unassuming and unspecific. Satisfied he was in the thick of the crowd and within blast distance of the American soldiers, he detonated his suicide vest, instantly killing hundreds of Afghan civilians and thirteen American service members. The videos from the scene were horrific: mangled bodies in pools of sewage, anonymous arms and legs strewn about, and cacophonous conversations of gunfire punctuating the moans of those unlucky enough to not instantly be incinerated by the blast.
The United States’ withdrawal from Afghanistan can stand as a microcosm of the conflict as a whole, laden from the beginning with intelligence failures, tactical blunders, and half-competent leadership. The United States’ withdrawal from Afghanistan can stand as a microcosm of the conflict as a whole, laden from the beginning with intelligence failures, tactical blunders, and half-competent leadership. In trying to understand the situation in Afghanistan, it can be tempting to headline-surf major news outlets in search of a one-size-fits-all answer to a complicated twenty years of conflict. I propose the opposite: a recent (and admit-
tedly non-exhaustive) history of America’s involvement in Afghanistan, beginning first with the Soviet invasion in 1979, then moving to the formation of the Taliban during the Afghan civil war of the mid-1990s, and, finally, the involvement of the United States after 9/11, first during Operation Enduring Freedom and then Operation Freedom’s Sentinel. The history of Afghanistan from the 1960s onward has, more than anything else, been a history of coups and conflicts. But our story, the American story, begins predominantly on the 27th of December, 1979, when the Soviet Union launched “Operation Storm-333,” assassinating the head of the People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan in an effort to regain its geopolitical footing in the nation. What followed was nearly a decade of war, which saw the fighting of massive Soviet Armies and small groups of Afghan guerillas known as “mujahideen,” backed primarily by the United States, China, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia. Out of this conflict came an extremely widespread, often smugly cited, yet ahistorical myth: the Taliban was created by the United States. First and foremost, the mujahideen reflected the country that they fought for: that’s to say they possessed diverse ideologies. In fact, during the height of the war, there were over seven different mujahideen groups, each with their own sets of values and political leanings. Therefore, it would be nonsense to suggest that, because the U.S. supported mujahideen groups and some mujahideen joined the Taliban, the U.S. created the Taliban. Secondly, arguably the most powerful mujahideen commander, Ahmad Shah Massoud, as well as other top mujahideen commanders, fought against the Taliban during the civil war in the 1990s. Finally, the government that most of the mujahideen groups agreed to in the Peshawar Accords— a government predominantly composed of former mujahideen fighters, commanders, and political leaders—was overthrown by
the Taliban in 1996. So if the Taliban didn’t emerge from the mujahideen, who are they and how did they come to be? Well, after the mujahideen fended off the Soviets in 1989, violence and instability persisted in the region, largely due to the aforementioned fact that not only were the mujahideen a diverse group but the country of Afghanistan was as well. So when a group of militant fundamentalist students in Kandahar promised to bring peace to a country being torn apart by internal strife, they grew popular. Led by Mohammed Omar, the Taliban (Pashto for “student” or “seeker”) quickly gained membership and began conquering territories across Afghanistan, eventually taking the capital Kabul in late September 1996, ending the civil war in Afghanistan and establishing the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. Around the same time, Saudi militant Osama bin Laden returned to Afghanistan from Sudan, forming a quick relationship with Mohammed Omar, the hitherto de-facto leader of Afghanistan. This relationship proved extremely important when, on September 11, 2001, Al-Qaeda conducted a series of terrorist attacks on the United States. Galvanized by these atrocities, the U.S. demanded the extradition of Osama bin Laden from Afghanistan. The Taliban refused, prompting President George W. Bush to initiate Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). During the invasion of Afghanistan, the U.S. was initially effective in defeating the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. In fact, by December 2001, Kabul had been retaken, and AlQaeda and much of the Taliban were driven into Pakistan. The U.S. then ran into a problem—they were ramping up the war in Iraq (fast-forwarding a few years) and Afghanistan seemed more or less a done deal. What was next for Afghanistan? Well, it turned out not to be a done deal, and seemingly nobody knew what was next for the country. Even as the Taliban began a sec-
SGT. SAMUEL RUIZ VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
ond wave of attacks in 2007, commander of forces in Afghanistan General Dan McNeill couldn’t articulate a definitive strategy, even as the U.S. implemented a troop surge of over 50,000: “I tried to get someone to define for me what winning meant, even before I went over, and nobody could. Nobody would give me a good definition of what it meant… There was no NATO campaign plan—a lot of verbiage and talk, but no plan,” McNeill added. “So for better or for worse, a lot of what we did, we did with some forethought, but most of it was reacting to conditions on the ground… We were opportunists.” Confusion surrounding a definition of victory pervaded the upper echelons of U.S. political and military leadership. For some, like President Obama, victory was “disrupting, defeating, and dismantling Al-Qaeda.” But when commander of U.S. and NATO forces General Stanley McChrystal laid out his 2009 strategic review of the situation in Afghanistan, it didn’t even mention Al-Qaeda. Additionally, President Obama set an unrealistic time frame for success during his 2009 surge, giving novel counterinsurgency strategies only fourteen months to work. All this is to say that, for much of the war, the U.S. lacked a central strategy and proper messaging. There were many stages in the war in which different decisions could have led to a possibly quicker outcome. The first glaringly obvious one was the decision not to include the Taliban in the governmental negotiations in 2003-2004. The Taliban was not at all involved in the 9/11 attacks, only harboring those who were. While it’s easy to see only the Taliban as radical terrorists, the U.S. should have realized that the Taliban movement was far too woven into Afghan society to suddenly disappear overnight. In fact, an unnamed U.N. official said, “At that moment [during the governmental negotiations of 2003/2004], most Hizb-i-Islami or Taliban commanders were interested in joining the government.”
Page 15 Had the U.S. jumped at this opportunity to build a new Afghan government that included the Taliban as well as others, the region could have seen stability. Another U.S. failure was not necessarily the concept of nation-building, but the way that it was executed. The U.S. attempted to westernize a country that had not seen major change in the last thousand years, and they did so by overfunding dubious contractors and corrupt Afghan officials. An anecdotal example of this comes from Army Lieutenant General Douglas Lute, who served in the White House from 2007 to 2013. He recalls the story of attending the opening of a new police station in Afghanistan. The station was constructed using intricate architectural methods, glass, and an atrium. But when the local police chief tried to enter the building, “[he] couldn’t even open the door,” Lute continues, “He had never seen a doorknob like this. To me, this encapsulates the whole experience in Afghanistan.” Lute also talks about the proverbial money pit that was large infrastructure projects. For example, he notes how the U.S. poured money into new dams and highways, knowing that Afghanistan, one of the poorest and least educated countries in the world, had absolutely no way of maintaining any of them. In 2015, after over a decade of war in Afghanistan, President Obama ended Operation Enduring Freedom and transitioned into Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, concluding major combat operations in the country and shifting America’s goals from “nationbuilding” to arming and training the Afghan National Security Forces and conducting small-scale counterterrorism operations. This mission (also called “Operation Resolute Support” by NATO), meant a drawdown of troops and a relocation of most remaining forces to a central base at Bagram Airfield, just north of Kabul. Between 2015 and 2019, while Taliban influence in Afghanistan grew, support for American involvement fell. Seeing this, then-President Trump entered into negotiations with the Taliban and the Afghan government, eventually signing the Doha Accords and setting a timeline for the end of America’s longest war. But as I outlined in a March 2021 article, this deal reeked of what could be characterized either as short-sightedness or sheer indifference to the realities on the ground. It relied far too heavily on the word of the Taliban, a group that has no real long-term interest in peace in the region, and made concessions without any Taliban reciprocation (e.g., releasing 5,000 Taliban prisoners). “One doesn’t need a degree in international relations,” as I so perspicaciously put in my article, “to understand that a full withdrawal of troops from the region would be a geopolitical disaster.” Finally, we arrive at the present: in July, the Biden administration committed the United States to a full withdrawal by August 3—a promise he kept. Yet, almost nothing about the withdrawal of American troops went smoothly, and the President has faced bipartisan backlash for his handling of the situation. But many of the critiques levied at him are misplaced, and require confronting some of the fundamental truths of a withdrawal. First of all, Biden did not have the choice to keep the status quo; the situation he inherited was not sustainable. Afghan National Army deaths had been steadily increasing for years, while simultaneously government-controlled territory had been shrinking. Biden had two real choices: surge or leave. He chose to leave. But how he chose to do it could only be described as disorganized and, ultimately, an embarrassment to a country that prides itself on its robust military capabilities and strength. The Biden administration formally announced on May 1, 2021 that all U.S. and NATO troops would be withdrawn from Afghanistan by September 11, 2021, essen-
the index · off-campus opinions tially committing to the Trump-era deal, one Biden would later bemoan as being restrictive, asserting that he had no choice but to go through with the deal. In reality, the Trump-era deal stipulated that the U.S. could pull out if peace talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government failed. They did. Biden chose to remain in the deal and is therefore responsible for its consequences. The months following this May 1 announcement brought headline after headline documenting new Taliban successes. And so came opinion piece after opinion piece blaming the Afghan National Army, citing their “lack of a will to fight” as the reason for their failures to defend their homeland. To say such a thing is not only false but also supremely offensive towards a group that has lost upwards of 70,000 troops and has been anything but recalcitrant to the presence of the U.S., routinely risking their lives to further American interests. The real problems with the Afghan National Army lay elsewhere. For one, as put by Admiral James Stavridis (ret.), “America and the ISAF tried desperately to use the U.S. Army as the model [on which to build the Afghan National Army], and it was the wrong approach.” What does he mean? Well, when the U.S. Army goes to war, it doesn’t go alone. It goes with the strongest and most sophisticated Air Force on the planet providing cover from the air. It goes with billions, even trillions of dollars ready to spend on the war effort. It goes with advanced satellite and communication technology. We tried to build a smaller American army. But when the people who knew how to operate these advanced communications devices, the people who could helicopter a gunshot victim to a hospital in less than sixty minutes, the people who could level a compound with a laser-guided munition from tens of thousands of feet left the country, the Afghan National Army floundered. And who can blame them? It’s common sense that one will fight better knowing they are backed up by the strongest military in the world. Additionally, the Afghan military was riddled with corruption at nearly every level. This meant that often commanders would lavish in the black-market profits of Amer-
ican-supplied weapons and ammunition while their troops would go into battle underfed and poorly armed. This brings me to my final point on the Afghan Army: it’s not that they had no will to fight for their country—it’s that they had no will to fight for the corrupt and largely illegitimate government whose patch they wore on their shoulders. Afghanistan is a tribal nation, built on the ideals of family and community. The U.S. needed to recognize this and focus its efforts more on building local militia-style forces rather than a large national army. Equip them with simple weapons and ammunition and let them defend what really matters to them—their family, not some propped-up rentier state destined for failure. Twenty years of mismanagement on the part of the U.S. led to the four months we saw over the summer. Biden had no choice in the matter—the Taliban was always going to take over the country. Knowing this (intelligence suggested that the Taliban would take over, though not as fast as they actually did), Biden should have focused less on the Afghan government in negotiations. This presents an interesting dichotomy, however: if Biden negotiated solely with the Taliban, he would be acknowledging that the Afghan government—the one the U.S. has spent trillions of dollars and thousands of lives on building—isn’t legitimate. But if he focused his negotiations on the Afghan government, he would be bluffing his hand (exaggerating the strength of the government on the ground), except everybody else at the table (including the Taliban) would know that it was a bluff. It was a precarious situation, but Biden should have taken the unpopular step of shifting negotiations away from compromises to keep the U.S.-backed Ghani government in power, and accepted the reality that the Taliban were always going to take back control of the country. Another aspect of the withdrawal, and the greater war, that was royally blundered was the handling of SIVs (special immigrant visas) and the evacuation of our Afghan enablers in general. Biden should have begun airlifting out civilians long before the troops were fully pulled out, easing the years-long backlog of Afghans trying to escape the Taliban and enter the United States.
September 2021 While the Biden administration may pat themselves on the back for the “largest airlift in U.S. military history,” the reality of the situation, according to State Department officials, is that the majority of those who worked for the U.S. and applied for these visas were left behind in Afghanistan, likely to face torture, or worse. That’s to say nothing about the nearly 200 or more Americans still stranded on the ground in Afghanistan. Finally, there’s the question of Bagram Airbase, the hub of US operations in the country for nearly two decades. Why was it abandoned? Hamid Karzai International Airport (HKIA) has a single runway, is small compared to Bagram, and is less defensible. Why not use HKIA as a staging area to ferry Afghans to Bagram, where, instead of C-17 cargo planes, massive Boeing 747 jumbo jets, configured to carry as many passengers as possible, could takeoff on the two runways? I’m no logistics expert, but Bagram certainly could have provided more utility as a functioning airfield than as a patch of dirt. When Major General Chris Donahue, commander of the 82nd Airborne Division, stepped onto a waiting C-17 cargo plane in the early hours of August 21, 2021, he turned the page on the longest war in American history. Behind him, among the undulating desert contours and jagged mountain peaks, lay the remnants of an empire. America, the pinnacle of military infallibility, would, once again, leave the battlefield with shoulders slouched and heads hanging low. Over twenty years, the U.S. has spent trillions of dollars and sacrificed thousands of lives, and for what? I’ve had a hard time grappling with this question—what was the point of it all? No, we didn’t create a beacon of democracy in the Middle East. No, we didn’t permanently extinguish Al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups in the region. But if our efforts gave twenty years of freedom to Afghan citizens from brutal Taliban rule, if they gave Afghan girls the opportunity to get an education without worrying for their lives, if they gave even a semblance of hope and prosperity to a country that’s been deprived of them for centuries, that’s got to be worth something, right?
JACK HOLT, U.S. CENTRAL COMM VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Major General Chris Donahue, commander of the U.S. Army 82nd Airborne Division, boards a C-17 cargo plane at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan
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the index · arts
September 2021
arts Virtual monlogues debut on YouTube Owen Yu ’23
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hroughout the school’s recent history, the performing arts department has delivered exciting live performances and passionate storytelling. Mr. Darren Hengst, The Grace and Mahlon Buck Chair in Performing Arts, was determined to continue this trend even through COVID-19 limitations. The result was an “Evening of Scenes and Monologues,” an innovative idea that combined technology with traditional theater. Mr. Hengst first distributed scripts of monologues and scenes amongst students wanting to perform. Because live audiences weren’t possible, performances were filmed to imitate a normal theater setting. “Restrictions were such that we could have one student unmasked onstage,” Mr. Hengst said. Monologues, typically speeches by a single actor, were simple to record given the restrictions. On the other hand, scenes that incorporated multiple actors proved to be an issue. A large green screen provided a solution. “The green screen allowed us to make it look like we could have scenes with two or three people standing on stage when it’s really one person on stage at a time,” Mr. Hengst said. Through post-production editing, individual recordings could be combined to create an entire scene filled with dynamic interactions between actors. Still, Mr. Hengst wanted to ensure that actors employed core theater skills. “It’s important for me to keep teaching the skills of theater, so I wanted it to seem very theatrical—that I wasn’t shooting a film,” Mr. Hengst said. “At some points, we
would have a tape where you [the audience] saw the actor’s full body, so the actors would still be working on things we would work on during normal years rather than completely shifting to film acting.” To capture all the movements of an actor, the crew used multiple cameras at different angles. Despite needing several technological components, technical issues were rare. Fifth Former Nate Mirin, an actor who performed a monologue, acknowledges how straightforward his recording process was. “Overall, my monologue went pretty smoothly,” Mirin said. “There weren’t many challenges throughout the recording process.” Using multiple cameras allowed the team to share a separate camera’s view through Zoom. Brandon J. Dirden, an award-winning actor and a good friend of Mr. Hengst, was able to guest direct virtually through this method. “During Amari Campbell’s monologue, Amari could see Brandon on our computer setup,” Mr. Hengst said. “The best part about it was that we could hook the cameras on to Zoom, so that the camera that Brandon was watching Amari through was exactly what I was filming. I thought it was awesome for Brandon’s direction and really valuable for Amari as well.” After recording finished, Mr. Hengst began editing on Adobe Premiere Pro. Despite knowing the basics of the program, Mr. Hengst recognized that his knowledge wasn’t perfect. “I knew I was being incredibly inefficient; it was taking a long time,” Mr. Hengst said. Fortunately, Mr. Hengst was able
to attend a class over the summer to learn more about the program. “Ms. Brown found this class with the School of Visual Arts in New York City in the summer,” Mr. Hengst said. “It was incredible. I learned the program ‘soup to nuts.’” With his newfound skills, Mr. Hengst was able to translate what he learned into other productions. “What I learned from the monologues I was able to take into the orchestra for filming and editing their spring concert,” Mr. Hengst said. Mr. Hengst also envisions future shows
incorporating more video technology. “There are shows that could really be enhanced by video being pushed into the storytelling aspect of it,” Mr. Hengst said. “For example, we could film live backgrounds for a show and edit them properly to use during a scene change. That’s something I’m really interested in doing, and I think it’s possible with these new skills.” Students found “Evening of Scenes and Monologues” entertaining and worth the actors’ time. “It did end up being a really fun experience that I would definitely do again given the opportunity,” Mirin said.
SCREENSHOT BY INDEX STAFF
Nate Mirin ‘23 in a still from the Evening of Monologues YouTube video
Review: Shang-Chi strikes a hit upon release with strong fight scenes and valuable cultural representation Connor Pinsk ’23
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hang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is making a splash in theaters all across the world. Marvel fans will remember the film as one of the greats, and its debut is only just getting started. Premiering September 3, Shang-Chi is a must-see for everyone.
The film takes place sometime after the events of Avengers Endgame and follows Shang-Chi, son of a conqueror, as he battles enemies to protect and avenge all that he lost. The fighting is fantastic: hand-to-hand combat moving a mile a minute with mystical weapons tied in. Right next to Shang-Chi
GAGE SKIDMORE VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Actor Simu Liu of Shang-Chi, photographed at the San Diego Comic Con, July 2019
is his best friend Katy, played by Awkwafina. Living up to her reputation, Awkwafina provides much comedy. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings introduces all-new characters, making it great for those who are unfamiliar with the Marvel franchise. The film still stays true to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) rules with small references to past films and TV shows. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is now the second movie in the fourth phase of Marvel’s release plan, the first being Black Widow, and so far the best. I had high hopes for Black Widow and was somewhat let down when I left the theater. I walked away from that film thinking that it didn’t feel like a Marvel movie. I was not going to make the same mistake with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, so I entered with much lower expectations. I was pleasantly surprised when Shang-Chi felt like a Marvel movie, with mystical characters and enticing story lines.
It was also great to see an Asian superhero surrounded by a predominantly Asian cast. Many scenes in the movie were entirely in Mandarin.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was also an excellent way for Marvel to expand their films’ representation — ShangChi is the first Asian hero to star in a Marvel film. It was also great to see an Asian superhero surrounded by a predominantly Asian cast. Many scenes in the movie were entirely in Mandarin. While most of the acting was what you would expect from a Marvel movie, Tony Leung (playing Shang-Chi’s father) went above and beyond. Leung makes the audience understand his character’s layers just through his performance. As of now, the only way to watch ShangChi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is in theaters. Unlike other movies recently produced by Disney, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings will not arrive on Disney+ any time soon. For the previous Marvel movie, Black Widow, Disney+ subscribers had the option of adding a thirty-dollar extra fee to watch the film on the site instead of in theaters. It seems that this model has been scrapped and movies are going back onto the big screen. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was absolutely fantastic. Marvel fans and action movie fans alike will adore this movie. From the great storytelling to the funny characters to the special effects to the spectacular action sequences, this movie is a must watch.
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the index · arts
September 2021
Roadrunner: Tampering with Anthony Bourdain’s life Joey Kauffman ’23
I
will never forget the name “Anthony Bourdain.” Growing up, I watched Bourdain’s travel show, Parts Unknown, with my mother. Each Sunday, we would sit in the living room and learn about a new culture as Bourdain traveled and experienced new things, narrating along the way. When he took his life in 2018, my family mourned by watching reruns of his show, and I became a bigger Bourdain fan. I fell in love with Kitchen Confidential, the book that made him famous. It was about his life and work, and it was captivating. He wrote about cooking so eloquently that by the end of reading the book, I decided I wanted to become a chef. It’s been over two years since then. CNN released a documentary called Roadrunner: A Film about Anthony Bourdain in July 2021. Time had changed me, and as I watched the film, I wasn’t so sure that I wanted to be a chef anymore. But I was sure of one thing: I still loved Anthony Bourdain. I think I became fascinated with him because he wasn’t like any other TV host I had seen. He didn’t feel like a “travel guide.” He wasn’t trying to sell me anything. There was nothing sleazy about him. He was grumpy, curious, and funny. He had a unique mix of three things: honesty, self-awareness, and charisma. So there was no way that a Bourdain-aphile like me wouldn’t at least enjoy Roadrunner. Just watching the behind-the-scenes clips from Bourdain’s life was enough to keep me interested for two hours. And it turns out that this was the best part of the movie: just hearing from Bourdain’s friends, watching old footage of him, listening to his favorite songs. Probably the most significant part of the movie was how it touched on the topic of addiction. I came away from the documentary with a better understanding of the pain that underscored Bourdain’s life. He seemed to need external things to devote himself to. Drugs, people, and places. You can even see on his show that he is always searching for something—throwing himself full-heartedly into one situation after another. His friend Allison Mosshart says, “His whole entire personality was that of a search-
Anthony Bourdain in 2014 at the Peabody Awards er. I just know that he was definitely searching for something, and it was kind of agony for him.”
There’s one part of the movie that I can’t get out of my head. It’s footage of Anthony at some type of Addicts Anonymous meeting (he had been clean since the 80s) where he talks about what he felt when he first did heroin. There’s one part of the movie that I can’t get out of my head. It’s footage of Bourdain at some type of Addicts Anonymous meet-
ing (he had been clean since the 80s) where he talks about what he felt when he first did heroin. “I’ll tell you something really shameful about myself. The first time I shot up, I looked at myself in the mirror with a big grin,” Bourdain said. “You know, something was missing in me, some part of me wanted to be a dope fiend. My whole life was leading up to that point.” This nugget showcases what is so interesting to me about Bourdain: his ability to articulate his desire to find himself at the expense of order in his life. Many, many people have this desire. But Bourdain was rare in how thoughtful and honest he was about it. Snippets like Bourdain’s confession at AA—previously neglected glimpses of the real Tony—are the best parts of the film. Coupled with thoughtful interviews, the majority of Roadrunner is a strong, even eye-
President Barack Obama with Anthony Bourdain at Bún cha Huong Lien Restaurant in Hanoi, Vietnam
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opening film. Yet towards the end, filmmaker Morgan Neville messes with the simplicity that had dominated the movie thus far. He turns from a biographer into a novelist and obscures the reality of Bourdain’s death by staging an artistic moment. It ends up feeling hollow, like Neville felt Bourdain’s death needed something other than honesty to give it meaning. Above all, the fakeness of the ending reminds me how this documentary, or any for that matter, will always retain a distance from truth. Roadrunner is an outside narrative, prodding and poking at the traces of a man’s life. A successful documentary prods gently. The ending of Roadrunner, coupled with the movie’s morally reprehensible use of A.I., is a brash, gratuitous poke.
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the index · sports
Page 18
September 2021
sports
Cross-country runners at a recent practice on the track, Colin Stewart ’22 and Ben Szathmary ’22 at right
NED CUTLER ’22
Szathmary and Stewart: friends, Mock Trial partners, and now cross-country co-captains Mitav Nayak ’22
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ixth Formers Ben Szathmary and Colin Stewart both came to Haverford as new students in the fall of 2018. Since, they’ve grown close as friends, Mock Trial partners, and members of the track and cross-country teams. This fall, they will take their relationship a step further as they co-captain the cross country squad. Through unofficial, small-group captains’ practices during the summer and grueling weeks of preseason, Szathmary and Stewart believe the team is poised for success. “During preseason, we’ve been doing a regular but intensive training schedule,” Stewart said. “We’ve been doing long mileage, and a lot of our top guys have started doubling—running twice a day.” Stewart argues that this is a much-needed addition to the training. “One of the biggest differences between a good and a great program are the two-adays,” Stewart said. The team is more motivated than ever to defeat their Inter-Ac rivals, and through their training regimen and focus on being deliberate, Szathmary and Stewart believe they can make the jump this year. “This year we are really focusing on being intentional with everything we do. It doesn’t matter what we’re doing—we’re doing it properly and we’re doing it to the full-
est extent. Whether that is warming up or stretching, we’re not skipping stuff or fooling around.” Szathmary echoed Stewart’s sentiment. “Our goal is always to do our best to nail every workout and be intentional,” Szathmary said. “That’s our theme and word of the season: intentional. Each run, every single day, we’re trying to be intentional with every run we do.” Yet, in the midst of this focus on intentionality, the co-captains understand the importance of finding a balance and forming connections with their teammates.
“We’re still enjoying ourselves, but we’re enjoying ourselves in the process of taking everything seriously.” COLIN STEWART ’22 “We’re still enjoying ourselves, but we’re enjoying ourselves in the process of taking everything seriously,” Stewart said. “Upperclassmen are also taking more of an active role of mentoring freshmen and sophomores.” “We’re trying to have fun with it as much as possible because we don’t want this
to be a drag on anybody,” Szathmary said. “It is supposed to be a fun sport.” To build connections and camaraderie, the co-captains have employed several distinct methods, some traditional and others—not so much. “Every year we have a special workout later in the season called the 400s; anybody who runs track or cross country knows that it is one of the hardest types of workouts you can do, and we do it on a hill which makes it even harder,” Stewart said. “It really hurts, but it also takes coordination to be able to do the workout because the coaches set goals for each rep, and the team gets a lot closer after that workout. [The team culture] is palpably different after we do that workout.” Szathmary added, “In preseason, we’ve been playing games after practice, going out as a team to get ice cream, and we have days where we run with cutoff tank tops—all to have fun and build camaraderie.” Over the past three years, Szathmary and Stewart have pushed each other to succeed through mutual competition and cooperation. “[Our] relationship is very much a microcosm of the cross country team culture at large. Every run when we go out together, we are holding each other accountable not only for completing the workout but also doing it to the best of our ability. We get competitive
and sometimes that leads to competing during practice but in the end that only pushes us to be better,” Stewart said. Szathmary believes his friendship and competition with Stewart has been a key factor for their success. “Good or bad, Colin and I support and encourage each other to be the best we can be,” Szathmary said. “We have been running together since freshman year, so we know each other on a personal level.” The pair looks forward to taking on EA this fall. Stewart said, “At the end of the season on EA Day, all that work that we put in throughout the season is what is in the front of our minds. Ben and I both understand how hard each other works and wants to win. We don’t want to let the other down, and so we push it past where we thought we could.” Stewart extended this idea to the crosscountry team at large. “I think this mentality and relationship is what is so common in the cross-country team,’’ Stewart said. “It’s an incredibly unique team in that way, everything you do is to validate and redeem the work that your running partner and every other teammate has put in.”
Soccer leaders, cont. “As upperclassmen, the standard we hold the underclassmen to is no different than what we hold ourselves to. We expect them to track back, put their body on the line, and in general put a strong effort in for the rest of the team so that we are put in a position to succeed and win.” With new Sixth Formers come new captains, and the captains for the 2021 team are Sixth Formers Asher Laackman, Will Kendall, and Sam Kohl. Kohl reflects on their goals as captains for the 2021 season. “We obviously want to leave a successful legacy on the field, hopefully winning the Inter-Ac and the state championship, but we also want to leave a positive mark on the culture of the program off the field,” Kohl
said. “It’s a tough task, for sure, and one that requires the team leadership to always have character development in the back of their minds, but we have a great group of guys. I know we can get it done.” Kohl stresses the path to success; he admits his goal of winning the league and state championship will not happen without the process. “My goals for the team are to essentially plant the seeds of a state championship: that means a positive practice environment, that means players buying into the system, and that means creating a culture of mutual support and accountability within the team,” Kohl said. “In the end, that’s what breeds success.”
MR. THOMAS STAMBAUGH
Torin McClave ’22 in a 0-1 loss to Conestoga, September 4, 2021
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September 2021
Sixth Form captains lead young golf team Trey Campbell ‘22 swings his driver on EA Day, November, 2019
COMMUNICATIONS
Ryan Rodack ‘22
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oming off of an abbreviated 2020 season, the Fords golf team is looking to win yet another Inter-Ac title with a younger, less experienced roster. Sixth Form captains Trey Campbell, Chase Curran, and Bowen Deng will lead the young team. “I feel like I have big shoes to fill, and it means a lot that I’m a captain now, and this is what I’ve been working for since freshman year,” Deng said. Curran said, “It was surprising to me becoming a senior leader because it was just my second year of playing golf for school, so I’m very appreciative of that.” To help combat the unfamiliarity of the team, the three captains understand how important it is to assert their leadership in the first few weeks of the season, starting with the practices leading up to their first match. “We’ll have four groups of four that will go out, and the people in each group will always be rotating,” Campbell said. “It will always be maybe one player from each grade or an older kid in a group with three younger kids. That’s just good to get everyone to play, meet, and get comfortable with the team, because I know that coming in freshman year with sports is tough.”
“Everyone on this team has shown during the summer that they are more than capable of playing an amazing round of golf.” BOWEN DENG ‘22 The point of emphasis throughout the first few practices has been appreciating the talent that each player has as opposed to getting caught up in the youth and inexperience of the team. “Everyone on this team has shown during the summer that they are more than capable of playing an amazing round of golf,”
Deng said. I’d say some of them [the underclassmen] can even be the best players on the team on certain days. We just want to make sure that they don’t feel unnecessary pressure and are playing to their max potential.” To prevent this “unnecessary pressure,” the senior captains have worked with Head Coach Cole Berman ’14 to simulate matches while also having fun during practicing.
“We’re definitely looking to win the whole league. We have a deep team...so I think we’ll be consistent and I think we have a good shot at winning the league.” CHASE CURRAN ‘22 “We keep score, but practice is more of just a team bonding activity,” Campbell said. “Having these practices is really more of a way to meet everyone, get everyone comfortable with the team, and give experience in playing tournament golf with pressure, which is what we’ve been trying to do as leaders… just getting everyone together and putting a match together to make sure everyone can feel the pressure that comes with it. When it comes time to play in a tournament or event like EA Day, we want to make sure everyone is used to having those match-like, pressure situations.” In terms of expectations for the season, the captains do not believe the team’s youth will hinder their success. “We’re definitely looking to win the whole league,” Curran said. “We have a deep team, I think we have twelve-fifteen guys who can all play, and we only need eight, so I think we’ll be consistent and I think we have a good shot at winning the league.” “I’m just really excited, we’ve got a young group,” Campbell said, “and I’ve been getting to know a lot of them already, so I’m just excited for the year!”
COMMUNICATIONS
Bowen Deng ‘22 swings his driver on EA Day, November 2019
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Septemeber 2021
Football excited to return to full season Jake LaRocca ’22
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lthough the football team only played a couple games in 2020, those games were highlighted with question marks and confusion. Coming into 2021, expecting a full season, the team’s energy is through the roof, and they eye an Inter-Ac Title. Sixth Form linebacker Ian Rush reflected on the difference between 2020 and 2021. “The energy at practice is definitely there, but it’s a different type of energy than last year. Last year’s season was very hectic with everyone wondering if they were going to shut us down. This year, there’s more focused energy,” Rush said. “COVID has gotten better since last year and now it’s not as big of a worry as it was. Due to the fact that we’ve only been able to practice against each other for 95% of the summer, we’re all amped to hit someone who isn’t wearing maroon and gold.” In fact, the team uses last year’s season to fuel 2021. Sixth Form receiver and cornerback Sam Gerber understands the source of the team’s energy.
“With the shortened season last fall, it definitely felt like we had something taken from us.” SAM GERBER ’22 COURTESY OF HAVERFORD ATHELTICS
Quarterback Michael Galasso throws the ball in the Fords 7-13 loss to Downingtown West, September 3, 2021
“With the shortened season last fall, it definitely felt like we had something taken from us. We had strong leadership from our
seniors and high expectations for the team,” Gerber said. “Because of that, we have a sense of appreciation for the time we get to spend with each other, making practices and lifts that much more energetic.” Just like a typical high school football team, the Sixth Formers will lead the team. Younger players will also play a key role in the team’s success. Gerber knows how crucial underclassmen are this year. “Our [offensive] line is the core of our offense, and for all but one player, they are underclassmen. We definitely have seniors playing big roles on this team, but our young guys are stepping up as well, which is awesome to see,” Gerber said. Due to the obvious goal of winning the Inter-Ac, the coaches and players are doing everything possible to put themselves in the best position to succeed. In addition to hard work during practice, the team’s schedule looks a little different than previous years. “Coach Martin scheduled tough nonleague games to prepare us for our Inter-Ac schedule, which starts Week 6,” Gerber said. Last year, although there were no declared places, there was a tie between everyone. All Inter-Ac teams had the same exact record. With each team losing seniors each year, fans can expect a season similar to last: every team battling each week to stay in the running for the title. The players are confident in their ability to lead the team to add 2021 onto the football banner hanging in the gym. Gerber said, “With a really solid group of seniors and a coaching staff with high expectations, we are more than capable of taking home the Inter-Ac title this year.”
Water polo ready for another strong season Bowen Deng ’22
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he water polo team has not lost a single Inter-Ac game since 2018. Year after year, the team remains at the top of the Inter-Ac no matter how many iterations the team goes through, and under the leadership of Sixth Formers and Captains Bram Schrok and Jake LaRocca, this year is looking to be no different. Despite having a young team with as many as twenty underclassmen, the Fords are looking to continue the decorated legacy with yet another dominant season. How? Simple: by continuing the tightly-knit team dynamic that the water polo team has always embodied. “We’re going to win games, but I’d rather win games with my best friends than win games with people who I just go to high school with,” LaRocca said. “It’s important as a leader to bring everyone together and be a family, not just a team.”
“We have good players, but the legacy of the water polo team is defined by how well everybody is connected to each other.” BRAM SCHORK ’22 “We have good players, but the legacy of the water polo team is defined by how well everybody is connected to each other,” Schork said. “It’s the closest knit team I’ve ever been on, and the way that we play together is what makes us so good. As important as it is in the pool, truly the success comes from being good teammates to each other.”
Indeed, this brotherhood between players has contributed immensely to the team’s continued success. Outside the pool, the captains strive to make sure everybody is involved. Whether it be through team lunches, group chats, or fantasy football leagues, making personal connections is a vital part of being on the water polo team. LaRocca and Schork remain diligent, even with their past success, and know not to take any game for granted; they are always looking to unleash the maximum potential out of their roster. The team will be practicing with multiple lineups, rotating players in and out of the pool. This means that the starting lineup may change every match, giving the already talented team much breathing room and flexibility in strategy and players. “We’ve already played two matches and had the opportunity to give some younger players varsity experience,” LaRocca said. Beyond another Inter-Ac championship, the water polo team is eyeing another Easterns win, and it is clear that the team has the talent, grit, and passion to earn that honor.
“We didn’t get a chance last year, the opportunity to snag another banner is what everybody is looking forward to.” BRAM SCHORK ’22 Schork said, “We didn’t get a chance last year, so the opportunity to snag another banner is what everybody is looking forward to.”
COURTESY OF MS. DEB PUTTER
Bram Schork ‘22 shoots against Pennridge on August 27 in a 19-4 victory