The Index: April 2012

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Volume LXXIII, No. 8

April 2012

Haverford, Pennsylvania

Fords’ Tennis Steamrolling All Competition James Shecter ‘13 Never before has there been such an abundance of talent on the Haverford School Tennis team. A 15-man team, from rookie Third Formers to veteran Sixth Formers, is set to make Fords tennis history this season. With the team roster and line-up officially set, the two-time defending Inter-Ac Champions are looking to go undefeated not only for league

matches but for the duration of the season.

Thus far, Haverford’s squad has played five matches (four were non-league).

Against Radnor High School, the Fords swept the competition thanks to spectacular performances by the Lieb Trio, Third Formers Ben and Zach and Fifth Former Jordan, at the three singles positions. Losing fewer than ten games during that 7-0 match sweep, the win versus normally-formidable Radnor helped reaffirmed Haverford’s tennis prowess.

Erich Prince

Fifth Former Sergiu Prodan hits a forehand during practice.

“Nothing’s really too surprising,” remarked Captain Jordan Lieb. “We recognize the talent we have. We just have to stay focused and

unified throughout the long season.” The Fords also swept 7-0 in both of their following two matches against Shipley and Central High

School.

Each tennis competition consists of three singles matches and four doubles matches: each match counts as one point to the total score (four match wins guarantees a team win). Against Shipley, the Fords lost only three games in all seven matches. And in the competition against Central, the top-five players all rested, moving everyone on the ladder up two to three positions. Fourth Former Sam Kendall, Fifth Former Bradley Scherer, and Fifth Former James Shecter, who are all usually doubles players, stepped up for first, second, and third singles (respectively) against Central. Needless to say, they were all easily victorious. The look on the Central players’ faces when they found out that the Fords team they played was not their starting lineup was one of pure, ineffable shock.

Continued on Page 9

Opinion: Criticism of PTPI Recognizes Need Haverford is Baseless for Women’s Rights

In response to a recent opinion piece criticizing Haverford’s efforts to upholding its values (available on haverfordindex.com), Fitz Tepper ‘12 provides a contrary perspective.

Let’s start with cheating. According to a Josephson Ethics Institute survey of 12,000 high school students, 74% have admitted to I love Haverford. It quite literally has cheating on an exam over the past year. Now shaped me into the man I am today. In fact, I would say that Haverford has greatly surpassed let’s compare this to Haverford. This year, we have had under five total Honor Council the expected mark for a high school education. cases related to cheating. While a few may slip under the radar, Haverford teachers are extremely proactive when it comes to preventing cheating. Many even require students to sign an honor pledge before taking an assessment.

Saying that “cheating runs free,” and “is applauded” at Index Staff The Haverford “Walk of Virtues.”

Haverford is an insult to our faculty, and an insult to the vast majority Year after year, Haverford produces a student of students that work hard each day to honestly body that excels in academics, athletics, arts, work their way to a good grade. Polling ten and most importantly, morality. From a young particular students when they are surrounded age we are taught to practice respect, honesty, by their peers is simply not a viable way to and courage, all of which prepare for us for the determine if our student body is honorable. eventual life that awaits us after Haverford.

When asked individually if they consistently Overwhelmingly, this works. Haverford cheat, I would bet that almost all of our student has alumni that change the world every day. body would honestly answer that they don’t.

From doctors and lawyers to inventors and Yes, we will have some slip-ups, but that is businessmen, Haverfordians are constantly human nature; every community will always using the skills they learned here to push our have students that cheat. When you look at society forward. Now, like any community, we the big picture, the fact is that compared to have our flaws. Occasionally, we hear stories schools around the country, Haverford is at the of students cheating, bullying, or getting in forefront of honor education trouble; however, I would like to take a look Fitz Tepper ‘12

at the bigger picture, to demonstrate just how ahead of the curve Haverford truly is when it comes to these sensitive topics.

Also inside the Issue...

Continued on Page 4

Ms. Dawn Blake

Sixth Formers who have been recruited to their college of choice to play soccer.

Sixth Former Tadas Antanavicius takes on the controversial issue of whether “hooks” are rightfully a major factor in college admissions.

Page 11

Haverford’s chapter of People to People International recently met with Maria Pakay, Pakistan’s top female squash player, who discussed women’s rights with them.

fame. Forced to halt her career, Pakay spent three years practicing in her bedroom and e-mailing squash programs throughout the In an interview for Canada’s The Sports world. After receiving no responses, former Network in 2010, Pakistan’s top female squash Canadian world champion Jonathon Power player, Maria Toor Pakay, explained, “Girls invited Pakay to Toronto, where she continues don’t get any rights. They cannot go out of to train apart from the political strife of her the house. They homeland. In addition cannot do whatever to her commitment to they want to do. squash, Pakay advocates They get married for the rights of women when they are 12, in Waziristan and 14; they are not throughout the Middle allowed to get an East. In the past few education. They are months, she has begun not allowed to play speaking at events sports. They have throughout the United to stay covered; if States and Canada to they don’t, they are raise awareness for the killed. All the time mistreatment and lack of I wish that I could education for women. make a change.”

On January 31, the Born in 1990 in Haverford Chapter South Waziristan, of People to People Pakay grew up and Girls Learn amid the tumult International, along with of an oppressive the Khan family, hosted Taliban regime, 2space.net Pakay for a luncheon narrowly Maria Toor Pakay playing squash. where she discussed both surviving a the events of her life and her vision for a world market bombing in her town. Pakay’s father, where religious extremism does not promote a progressive university professor, was and excuse the mistreatment of women. She imprisoned by the Taliban for his advocacy emphasized the need to abandon archaic on behalf of women; he encouraged Pakay’s religious doctrines that deny women equal participation in athletics, although she treatment in the law, society, and education. was forced to compete as a boy to avoid She attributes her escape from the Taliban gender-targeted threats by the Taliban. Upon to her exceptional athletic ability as she beginning competition as a girl, Pakay rose to explained that the ordinary women of Pakistan the top of Pakistan’s rankings and became the continue to live under the confines of fear and number-three junior in the world. Numerous discrimination. threats on her life accompanied her new-found Continued on Page 5 Erich Prince ‘13

Fifth Former Lucas Elek conducted a poll of his own to put together the Haverford student body’s reaction to fellow Fifth Former Fisher Pressman’s article in the March issue.

A poll conducted by Lucas Elek of 100 Upper School students. Graph by James Shecter.

Page 11

Article Editorial “A Look in The Vault” Reflections?

Keycard System Chariot Racing Technical Problems Eating with Sam Open-Mic Night

Page 2 2 3 3 4 4 5 5

Article Page Philadelphia Orchestra 6 “De Libris” Review 7 Artist of the Issue 7 Musicopia 7 Movie Reviews 8 Lacrosse Fights Back 9 Baseball Looks Ahead 10 Outdex 12

Page 2 The Index - Editorials

Editorial

April 2012

The Index Stands By Decision to Publish Controversial Opinion Article Some in the Haverford community have suggested that an opinion piece in the March issue should not have been published; much less placed on the front page. The Index stands by its decision.

The Index’s Editors-In-Chief

The editorial staff here at The Index has heard a lot about an article of particular interest in the March Issue. The night after the issue came out, The Index Facebook page was awash with discussions lasting 100’s of comments, and almost any Upper School student will offer you an earful when the article is mentioned. Of course, the article in question is Fifth Former Fisher Pressman’s daring – and controversial – piece on Haverford’s challenges. For those who missed reading it (you can still view it online or in the newspaper box on the second floor “street”), his basic thesis is that Haverford fails to uphold some of the values that it preaches.

We understand that this article produced a number of divergent responses among the student body. Within those responses, there are two entirely different arguments: whether Pressman is correct in his discussion of Haverford or whether the opinion piece should

have been published at all. Some students vigorously agree with Pressman’s opinion, and others hold a more positive perspective of Haverford’s efforts in face of the noted challenges; The Index’s editorial staff itself is divided on the topic. This discussion is wholly up for debate although it is hard to deny that discussion of the topic can do little but inspire constructive change. Regardless, it is up to students to discuss and argue the issue.

Notably, this edition has several articles on that topic alone.

But we do feel that something important ought to be said about the argument over whether the opinion piece deserved to be published and placed in such a prominent part of the paper. Yes, The Index is a school paper, and yes, we are thankful for the financial and emotional support from Haverford over the last century. Naturally, nothing published in the paper should be cruel or unjustifiably critical.

That is why Pressman’s article was put through so many rounds of editing. Even

From The Vault: 1993 “Pachyderm Politics”

before it reached the editing staff, Pressman had worked through it multiple times to ensure that every statement made in the article was true. There are no lies in the article.

The problems mentioned in the article are too serious to allow anything inaccurate to be published. It was considered an opinion and not a news piece because Pressman was extrapolating his personal experience and perspective to a personal view of how that reflects on Haverford as a whole. Clearly, many students have polar opposite opinions on the topic.

With the thoroughness of the article’s processing in mind, arguing that the opinion should never have been published is outlandish and disrespectful. Pressman deserves to be able to express his views through a studentrun paper. The Index cannot become nothing more than an arm of the school’s publicity.

It must stand as something that students can trust: even if not all students agree with every word published, at least they can know that they are hearing the true and honest opinion of individuals in the community. If not The Index, then where?

If a student in the community feels he has a pressing issue to share, it is only fair that his paper serves as an outlet for him.

The target audience for the paper is Upper

School students, so The Index fails outright if it can offer nothing more than tame news for students. In fact, one of the goals in the mission statement of The Index is to serve as sponsor of change within Haverford.

Opportunities like these are exactly when that is possible. We feel the community deserves honesty, and hopefully The Index can offer that, no matter who disagrees with it or whomever it may offend.

Now, will every opinion receive a placing above the fold on the front page? Of course not; there will often be far more interesting things to place there than one student’s opinion.

Yet, we felt that Pressman’s opinion was going to be of interest. Nobody else has had the courage to speak up and write about some of the problems that are clearly present, even if their extent is heavily debatable. And it seems we were right. People wanted to hear Pressman’s opinion on this topic and took the time to read his article.

If you think the school is doing something particularly good - or bad - write about it and send it to us. If the March issue has proven anything, it is that no opinion is too groundbreaking to find its place in print. Thank you for your continued patronage. Have a good month. ■

Logan Atkins ‘15 transcribed an article from Haverford’s past in 1993 to give insight into Haverford life back then.

Scott Burkhardt ‘94 An issue that is of particular concern and importance to me is the state of the GOP or Republican party in the United States. I see what was once a great and stable party slowly slipping into a state of stasis and self-content.

This complacency and satisfaction with just existing is only pushing an already minority party into further isolation and alienation.

The Republican party has seen some good times: the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt and the “Reagan Revolution.” However, these times are progressively becoming less frequent as we approach the turn of the century. I see the major problem for the Republican party as its conservation. It is fine and important that the party is grounded in philosophies of Edmund Burke and many of the Founding Fathers, but “the times they are a changin’.”

Many Americans use the word “conservative” in the same sentence with words like “out of reach” and “right wing.” But this does not have to be.

In essence the Republican party needs to become more liberal. Instead of holding on to its aged mother’s tail, the baby elephant, born of the Regan [sic] era, needs to learn

and grow on its own; it needs to be weaned from the stagnant milk of the past; Star Wars, pro-life, and the Cold War. As the population changes in its views and makeup, the Republican party must monitor these changes and change itself accordingly. Many Republicans and others believe the myth that Republican or “conservative” inherently means “anti-change.” Change is a good and beneficial part of our society; in fact, the American democratic system is built on and around change. The Constitution would not have lasted two hundred plus years if it were an unalterable document. The Republican party needs to follow suit and change itself.

The Republican party is in danger of collapsing, or at least seeing its role diminish in the future. The collapse would leave the American people with only one legitimate political party, the Democratic party. Such a limited choice would go against the very ideals of American democracy. No other party is prepared nor has ever been prepared to fill the void that would remain after the Republican party’s demise. The Republican party has to rebuild and restructure itself to meet the needs of the American people and to assure them of a choice when going to the polls. ■

A poll conducted over SurveyMonkey and advertised on Facebook by Fifth Former James Shecter of 100 Upper School students.

A poll conducted over SurveyMonkey and advertised on Facebook by Fifth Former James Shecter of 100 Upper School students.

The Index

2011-2012 Staff Tadas Antanavicius, Editor-in-Chief Grayson Sessa, Editor-in-Chief Erich Prince, Head of Photography Peter Thompson, News and Features Editor James Shecter, Sports Editor Amar Patel, Arts & Entertainment Editor Fisher Pressman, Opinions Editor Jonathan Smith, Outdex Editor Keenan Mosimann, Visual Editor Jonathan Paras & Graham Gaddes, Website Managers Mr. Thomas Stambaugh, 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 hsindex@gmail.com.

The Index, a member of the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, is composed on Mac OSX, using Adobe InDesign CS5. Its surveys are conducted via SurveyMonkey and are advertised on Facebook to current Haverford students. School Publications Company of Neptune, N.J., prints 200-400 copies of each issue, and its editorial staff distributes them in the Upper School on the day of release. The Index serves the needs of a total school population of 1091 community members, consisting of 975 students and 116 faculty members.

Contact The Index: 450 Lancaster Ave, Haverford, PA 19041 hsindex@gmail.com http://www.haverfordindex.com/ 610.642.3020 x. 1222 Volume LXXIII, No. 8 - April 12, 2012

Retraction: The Editors would like to acknowledge that an incorrect photo was used with Third Former George Hall’s article in the March Issue

Page 3 The Index - News & Features

News & Features

April 2012

Increase in Number of Reflections Expected Despite the relatively low number of student reflections during allotted assembly time this year, Leith Dennis ‘14 reports that there are students eager to change that.

Leith Dennis ‘14 This year there have been almost no student Reflections during Thursday community periods - certainly fewer than in previous years. The Haverford community has had only two, according to Dean of Students and faculty head of Signet Society Mr. Mark Fifer. For years, Thursday’s community period had been mostly dedicated to Reflections, an important part of school life and what Mr. Fifer describes as a “valuable program for the student community.” However, this year’s Thursday community block has been split between Reflections and Form meetings. As it so happens, Form meetings have far outweighed

Reflections, and thus the community has not been able to capitalize on that important time.

This problem could stem from a lack of motivation in students to share any experience they may have had over the course of his life.

Fourth Former William Anderson exemplifies this mindset, stating that if he had a story to share, he “would not want to do it” just because of unwillingness or laziness. He went on to comment that he thinks a large part of the community would share his same viewpoint. Fifth Former Dante Clementi agrees that most students would probably not be willing to share solely because it is “pretty intimidating.” He quickly added that he himself would be “a little too nervous” to

The Centennial Hall stage empty.

give a Reflection. Mr. Fifer agrees further, explaining, “kids might be intimidated a bit to stand up in front of the whole school” in order

to deliver a Reflection.

“Students are [also] very busy,” he suggests.

Fourth Former Chris Boerner has a different take on the issue of student intimidation and unwillingness. Boerner has spoken to a part of the student body this year at an assembly, though not in an actual Reflection, about an experience in Australia in which he was an exchange student.

However, he did not volunteer to speak about this time, but rather was phillyspacefinder.com asked to give a brief presentation on the subject by Head of Upper School Mr. Matthew Green.

Continued on Page 6

Building Access Cards Haverford Recalls Emphasize Safety Fallen WWI Alumni Jake Pechet ‘15 looks into the reasoning behind the sometimes frustrating, limited building access times given to students and faculty. athletes like Henderson, their backpacks may be locked in the building after 5:00, and if a practice runs late, they are left hoping that The Haverford School key-card system has someone who can let them in still remains in become second nature to students and faculty; the building. if you want to get into any building anywhere Sixth Former Deepak Bhagat concurs: “I on campus, simply pull your card out of your think that the first door should be locked for pocket, nonchalantly brush it over the scanner, key-card access, but the second door should and you’re in. But it was not always like that. always be unlocked (referring to the front There was once a time when key-cards were entrance of relegated to a Wilson Hall) maintenance because it’s shed in pointless to use between your card to the baseball get through one field and door but then Centennial have to use it Hall. immediately after Says Mr. on a second.”

Piero Sassu, However, Mr. Haverford’s Sassu strongly Director emphasizes, “The of Public Haverford School Safety, “We always puts the had [the protection of system] on Josh Pau students first.” the garage A few Haverford students trying to get into the Upper School after 5:00 PM. Sometimes these doors and the safe measures may mean sacrificing access entrance doors of the facility at first to test it, later in the evening or having to scan your see how it would work, that type of thing, but card twice to ensure that no unwanted person it was strictly a test system.” The system did follows you in. not become fully operational until the building That is not to say the administration simply of the new Lower School in 2004 when all decided students would be sealed out of entrances were kept locked unless a key-card buildings just because they were not wanted was scanned to open them. there. Mr. Sassu says, “I’ve worked with the Since then, the system has seen vast and Head of the Upper School Mr. [Matthew] dramatic development, spreading to all three Green, the Dean of Students Mr. [Mark] Fifer, divisions (Lower, Middle, and Upper) and and my boss Mr. [Mark] Thorburn, and we the gym. And it is not done yet. Mr. Sassu have taken different variables [into account] elaborates, “Eventually, Centennial Hall and tried to make a schedule for access that will be access-controlled and Palmer House accommodates students while also allowing us will be [as well].” He explains the reasons to supervise them...We don’t want students in for the initial implementation: “It was [put the building unsupervised for their own safety. into effect] for the protection of the students We don’t want a student to get hurt on [his] firstly, secondly, faculty and staff, and thirdly own.” property.”

Spanish teacher and the Mock Trial faculty Yet not all students are satisfied with the advisor Sra. Mateos often needs to gain system. Many are inconvenienced by the entrance to the school over the weekend for limited access and often find themselves team meetings, a time when no student cards locked out of buildings containing items they have access. Despite the fact that faculty and cannot leave school without. Explains Third staff members can admit themselves into all Former Jack Henderson, “In the winter I would buildings every day of the week from 6:00 AM get out of squash practice after the cards no to 8:00 PM, she must still notify public safety longer gave me access, and it was difficult to of her presence on campus. She does not mind get inside because there were only a few kids this at all, saying, “I prefer to have to call them there [to open the door].” because that guarantees that the place is safe Upper School students’ cards may open the for [the students], so in that sense, it’s a minor doors of Wilson Hall from 7:00 AM to 5:00 inconvenience for a major value, which is PM, weekdays only. This means for studentsafety.” ■ Jake Pechet ‘15

A few classes of Fifth Formers were reminded of the great sacrifices some alumni - men just like Haverford students today - made all those years ago in World War I. Mike Green ‘13

Maybe there is no interest in joining; perhaps there is less loyalty to this country; maybe people are just scared. All of these answers pertain to the ultimate realization best described by History Department Head Mr. Donn Miller: “Soldiers, today, are all volunteers…back then, they were a

A student at age seventeen struggles to survive in a rough and competitive world run by the ultimate decision of which college to go to. He partakes in all the requirements: The Index, the baseball team, the football team, etc. He is a smart student with straight A’s and a great personality. Many other students consider him their friend, and are proud that he is elected President of their class. Along with his family, he nervously awaits to open the letter from his first-choice Ivy League college. Quickly, he rips through the envelope, sealed tight by Index Staff a tongue-licked adhesive, to The WWI memorial on campus to Haverford grads who died in the war. discover his acceptance and the combination of both drafted and enlisted.” beginning of his dream.

According to Mr. Miller, the definition of This story is a familiar event occurring democracy has changed. Mr. Miller states, “It throughout this year’s Haverford student body, is the responsibility of the citizen to protect but the students filled with joy from being and defend a democracy…there should be a accepted are able to continue and accomplish shared burden between citizens and soldiers.” their goals in life. In the early 1900s, these Mr. Miller is not encouraging students to prestigious students were not continuing their enlist, but rather educating them on the honest dreams but rather becoming soldiers in the awareness to, “Reconnect…Understand you military. pay them, but they’re still citizens and there A few weeks ago, the Fifth Form Honors needs to be a connection between citizen and U.S. History class, led by Mr. Dacque soldier…Never have so few, been asked to do Tirado, was given the opportunity to witness so much.” and research the Haverford students in the This project in history class began by 1900s. The history students discovered not visiting the WWI memorial located between only the names of the students, but also their the Wilson Hall parking lot and the baseball nicknames, their favorite activities, their field. Some students were not aware of this outfits, and their military service. memorial. Students stared in amazement at the Students discovered young and successful men such as: William Henry Saÿen Schultz and number of names sculpted into the memorial.

This realization allowed the students to (in the Benjamin Bullock, III. Schultz, or Schultzie, words of Mr. Tirado) “authenticate history; graduated in the year 1911, after participating feel, touch, smell, and breathe history.” on the Cricket, Hockey, Football, Track, and Mr. Tirado shares that the purpose of this Baseball teams. He planned on attending project is to enlighten teachers and students of Annapolis University but died in the Argonne the truth that, “we teach history, but we don’t on October 16, 1918. Bullock, a graduate do history.” The ongoing stress of studying of the year 1912, took advantage of all the activities Haverford offered by participating on history for tests negatively affects the student if he does not fully comprehend the subject with the soccer, baseball, and cricket teams as well every sense. as being the editor-in-chief of both The Index The underlying message established and The Haligoluk and the class secretary. He during this project was that no matter what, was well prepared for Princeton University history will always portray similarities and until he was killed on September 29, 1918, at differences, tragedies and victories, wars and Mont Faucon. treaties, then and now.

The fad of volunteering for the war back then was markedly different than the appeal to “And still they gazed, and still the wonder the student body now. Back then, the students grew, that one small head could carry all he craved the opportunity to fight and honor their knew.”-Ben Bullock’s favorite quotation by country, but now students are more reluctant…

Oliver Goldsmith. ■ why?

Page 4 The Index - News & Features

News & Features

April 2012

Haverford Technology Seeks Upgrades Haverford’s issues with school-owned laptops, the Wi-Fi network, and other technological struggles might experience some change and improvement soon.

Rudy Miller ‘14 “The printer’s not working.” “The computer’s frozen.” “The Wi-Fi’s slow today.”

These are commonly-heard phrases throughout Haverford that reflect students’ opinions that the school’s technology requires replacement.

Students can use various technological devices, including laptops, desktops, netbooks, printers, and flip cameras. These tools are designed to allow a student to work efficiently during a free period or outside of school hours.

For many though, the technology only results in frustration and a waste of time. “[A laptop’s performance] is overarchingly disappointing,” says Fourth Former Leith Dennis. “Oftentimes, I will pull out a laptop, and it will…keep me from using it for some technical reason that doesn’t make any sense.” These technical issues, such as an unavailable domain, a locked out computer, or the infamous “dirty volume” reboot, keep students from benefiting fully when using the Dell Vostro 1310 laptops available in carts surrounding the school. Fifth Former Josh Pau agrees, but for a different reason: “They often act [randomly] while typing…they are pretty [terrible].” Dell Vostros arbitrarily skipping

lines, deleting data, or shutting down are not unusual occurrences.

The wireless network is also a source of student frustration and trouble as it is infamous for its unreliable and slow speed.

Pau comments that the Wi-Fi is “extremely unreliable …sometimes [it] won’t even work.”

Even after the addition of more bandwidth in August 2011, which Technology Director Mrs. Megan Connolly says is allowing the system to “handle [the load] pretty well now,” many students and teachers alike are seeing little to no difference in the network’s speed. English teacher Mr. Andrew Scibilia observed that the network is “about the same” as last year, and Dennis claims that he has “not noticed any positive difference” in the Wi-Fi’s speed and that it “still needs more improvement.” These frustrations reverberate throughout Wilson Hall as students beg for a better network.

So, how did all of these problems arise?

Many students cite not only the poor quality of the technology, but also their own treatment of the devices. “People don’t treat [the laptops] very well,” Dennis asserts. “[They] don’t plug them in, and…this causes problems.” English teacher Mr. Kellen Graham agrees, saying that the English cart’s “biggest problem…is that [it] isn’t always in order. Sometimes the

computers… commonly uses are haphazardly them in classes put back or and states that not plugged they “work out in.” Many quite well…for the students know class.” the frustration Mr. Tryon is of picking a also optimistic computer that is about the network. low on battery, He notes that but this situation the addition of may be due to bandwidth has their own peers “alleviated some not taking the of the problems” time to plug that the network in a laptop had in the past. when they Lisk further claims are finished. that it is “just Index Staff Problems like The “street” computers are another aspect of the technology situation at fine for the basic this one could research that the Haverford. be solved if all students treated technology school wants us to be doing.” In truth, if no with more care and respect. one played games, watched YouTube videos, Not every student is pessimistic, however, or goofed around on computers, the Wi-Fi’s and some claim that the technology is just speed would exponentially increase. fine for its purpose. Sixth Former Doug Lisk Even students who have cynical views of explains that the computers “work fine…

Haverford’s technology have something to If people aren’t doing anything more than look forward to. The Technology Department writing Word documents and PowerPoint has all of its devices on four to five-year [presentations], they really don’t need better “cycles,” which are the usable lifetimes of computers.” Third Former Manav Khandelwal machines. When a cycle is up, the technology agrees, remarking that the laptops “are old, but will be looked at on a case-by-case basis to they work well for now.” Many teachers think determine whether to get a newer model, that the laptops are a helpful teaching tool, purchase slightly different gadgets, or remove such as History teacher Mr. Kevin Tryon, who them all together.

Continued on Page 5

Discipuli et Circenses (and Mr. Green) Greg Boyek ‘14 takes a detailed look at the idea behind Ms. Adkins’ Latin III class’s chariot racing project.

Greg Boyek ‘14 The raucous crowds have assembled and the starter announces the teams. The chariots, having been carefully prepared for months, are assembling on the starting line. At the command of the starter, the chariots lurch out ahead and jockey for position. It is an unforgettable spectacle.

But is it 212 B.C. or 2012 A.D.?

In front of the Upper School, on the last day before Spring Break, March 22, Ms. Sara Adkins’ Latin III classes competed on the track at Sabol Field for the title of best chariot team.

The race, however, was the culmination of more than a month of work by these Latin students.

Ms. Adkins says that she first “came up with the idea about doing research about chariots and chariot racing during the [assessments week]…I wasn’t giving a huge cumulative assessment and since we couldn’t give homework…I said, ‘Let’s do research in class [on chariot racing].’” What started as research became a project to simulate an Ancient Roman chariot race.

Why do chariot races? “First and foremost was to find a topic from the Ancient Roman

horses. “Then the culminating piece,” Ms. Adkins says, “was to actually race them.”

The students involved enjoyed every part

The start of one heat of the chariot races.

representative colors – the teams were each assigned a color like the Ancient Roman factio: Red, Green, Blue or White.

The project was designed to be a nontraditional method to immerse Latin students in the history of which their language is embedded. “A critical part of it for me,” says Ms. Adkins, “was to do something that was hands-on and not just book learning. I wanted to do something…that was not just manipulating Latin passages…something really unexpected in a Latin class, and this seems to be exactly that.”

Continued on Page 6

Ms. Sara Adkins

World that would appeal to high school boys,” replied Ms. Adkins. “The classes thought that a gladiator battle would be to their liking, but I knew that there was no way that I could pull that off…So I decided to do chariot racing.”

“Doing research…to find out what chariot racing was actually like was step one,” says Ms. Adkins. The students then worked with Physics and Engineering instructor Mr. Gerard Rooney in the Engineering Lab and with Art instructor Mr. Christopher Fox in the Art Studio to build a chariot in the style of Classical Rome – with the exception of the

of the project but were disappointed to be able to race on only one morning “because we did all this work … and then just raced once,” according to Fifth Form Latin student Kip Taviano, a “horse” on one of the teams. Others wished that they had a chance to practice before the race. Ms. Adkins says that the short format and the absence of trial runs “was designed to generate interest and humor.”

Other Latin students at the school also got involved in the atmosphere of the races, preparing fan posters for the teams in their

incredible support for the LGBTQ community at Haverford. In the past few years we have multiple students “come out” in front of our whole student body. Try to imagine any other high school where students feel safe enough that they can reveal their sexuality on stage in front of hundreds of their peers.

Saying that “little change has been made” is completely unfounded. One only needs to trace the history of Haverford back a few years to see how much more accepting we have become as a community. And yes, we have some occasional teasing, but just like cheating, this is human nature. Every community will always have a group of students that misbehave, or that have different opinions on sensitive subjects. The important thing is that the vast majority of the Haverford community is respectful, caring, and kind. I guarantee that for each case of bullying, there are exponentially more cases of students caring for

one another and upholding the values of our community.

Generalizing that student behavior out of school is “abhorrent” is simply ridiculous.

Haverford students pride themselves on being gentlemen in and out of school. In fact, when telling members of the outside community that I go to Haverford, the first response I often hear is an anecdote of a time that a student showed remarkable maturity and respect.

The fact is that we are known as respectful gentleman to the outside community, and the vast majority of students work hard every day to uphold this positive stereotype.

Regarding the law, the majority of students have never had any issue with behavior. The small portion of students that have is extremely rare, and occurs on a extremely sporadic basis.

Saying that students “get in trouble with the law over the weekend” implies a much bigger problem than actually exists. Overall, this

http://vimeo.com/40007361 HTV News has created a video news piece on the event. Scan the code above or go to the link to watch.

Haverford’s Values Set High Standard Continued from Front Page Haverford is at the forefront of honor education, demonstrated by our trend-setting honor council and jury system.

In the past five to ten years Haverford has made remarkable strides to create a safer community free of bullying and teasing. Last year, Haverford had a transgendered alumnus come and speak with us about her time at Haverford. She remarked how incredible it was that she was able to openly speak about her gender with us. When she went to Haverford, it would have been unheard of to even mention the topic of switching sexes.

I truly believe that Haverford is one of the only schools in the country that could make a transgendered alumnus so comfortable with her alma mater that she was eager to come back to the area and speak a second time the following school year. Another example is our

phrase paints a false picture of Haverford. In an ABC NEWS Study, it was found that up to 27% of students surveyed reported being arrested for something other then a traffic violation by the age of 18. The percentage of Haverford students getting in trouble with the law still remains extremely low…my personal estimate being under 5% per year. According to these numbers, Haverford students are some of the most well behaved students in the country.

Overall, these stats show that as a whole Haverford students are some of the most honorable, accepting, and well behaved students in the country. While it is easy to let a few individual incidents reflect on the student body as a whole, we need to remember that Haverford actually has a very good reputation in the community and learn how to simply ignore any individual that tries to convince us otherwise. ■

Page 5 The Index - News & Features

April 2012

News & Features

Eating With Sam Visits Open Mic Night to China - Han Dynasty Occur on April 24th

In the latest edition of his monthly column, Sam Bloch ‘13 reviews the Chinese restaurant Han Dynasty. His detailed experience is sure to make your mouth water in anticipation.

of it for my liking. The dish was in a peanut sauce that was really light and did not really As many of you know, I am Jewish. dominate the dish. The most evident flavor in Although I do not keep the oldest and most the dish was definitely the chili peppers. Han sacred Jewish eating tradition of being kosher, Dynasty is all about spicy food. Each dish on I do keep a more recent and nearly just as the menu receives a spice rating with 1 being important eating tradition: every Sunday night not spicy and 10 being really spicy. The Danmy family eats Chinese food. My family Dan noodles were only a six on the scale, but usually eats at either my mouth was on fire Sang Kee or Yang after eating the dish. My Ming, both of which mouth was killing me, we have been going but it was one of the to for years. But on most flavorful and bestone recent Sunday tasting Chinese noodle night we decided to dishes I have ever had, try something new, so it was well worth it. and it was one of the I needed something to greatest decisions we cool my mouth down, and water simply was made. not doing the trick.

We went to foobooz.com I was relieved when the Han Dynasty The awning of one of the Han Dynasty restaurants. the next dish came out, on Main Street in and it had no spice at all. The Thai sausage was Manyunk. Right when we walked in, I knew a sweeter dish that took the pain from the Danthat the Han Dynasty experience would Dan noodles out of my mouth. To be honest, be different than my normal Sunday night I am not exactly sure what a Thai sausage is, Chinese experience. There was no hustlenor do I want to know. Han Dynasty claims to bustle vibe in the restaurant. The restaurant was not overflowing with people, and the noise make their food the same way street vendors in China do. While I have not been to China, was at a normal level. This was simply a much I have heard that street vendors serve some better eating environment than Sang Kee or pretty crazy and exotic foods. The Thai Yang Ming. sausage looked like it may have been one of We started our meal off with some Danthose foods. Still, despite my not knowing Dan Noodles. Our waiter recommended the exactly what I was eating, I really enjoyed the dish to us and said that it was the best thing sausage. It was served with some garlic chunks on the menu. The noodles came out hot, fresh, that you were supposed to put on each slice and cooked perfectly. The chewiness of the of sausage. I did this at first, but then realized thin, round noodle was perfect. The noodles that the sweet, almost honey-like flavor of the were topped with finely minced pork as well sausage did not need the garlic. as some sliced scallions. The flavor of the Continued on Page 6 pork was great, but there was not quite enough Sam Bloch ‘13

PTPI Recognizes Need for Women’s Rights Continued from Front Page On Pakay’s depiction of discrimination in Pakistan, chapter member Fifth Former Henri Mattila responded, “Pakay’s speech was eyeopening for me in that it demonstrated the force of the acute problem: lack of women’s rights that still exists in Central Asia/Middle East. It was traumatizing to hear that the Taliban wields such influence inside the country of a key U.S. ally; however, it was pleasing to hear of the support the Pakistani government tried to give her.”

Pakay graphically described the physical harm imposed by the Taliban on women for trivial misdemeanors, to which chapter member Fifth Former Joe Solomon remarked, “What I got out of the visit was a true understanding of how deeply rooted the sexism of the Middle East is, specifically in Pakistan. I was, however, unaware of the social divisions in Pakistan where there were more progressive regions and much more conservative regions of the country.” The Haverford chapter has actively studied human rights in Pakistan and, in November of 2011, the chapter attended a presentation by Pakistan’s former ambassador to the United States, Hussain Haqqani, hosted by the Rotary Club of Wilmington, Delaware.

In his speech, Haqqani described the need for joint Pakistani-American involvement to address concerns over human rights in the Middle East.

Being the only all-male chapter in GLI, the Haverford Chapter has discussed the necessity of the involvement of men in the quest for universal women’s rights. Considering the patriarchy of the nations in question, it is

essential to educate boys on the importance of women’s equal rights or, in the words of Mattila, “It is important for young men to understand the hardships the other sex has to face, whether those in his society or across the globe.

This type of enlightenment, which too few men have experienced, is beneficial for their growth as valuable members in human society as well for the betterment of women’s standing in societies around the world.” Through education, it is possible to end the cycle of oppression where the male dominated society continues to subordinate women.

In addition to its inherent injustice, the void of women in the workplace prevents further economic growth and productivity. Fifth Former Niticon Davis focused on the moral obligation to equality. “It is the charge of good people to speak out against what is unfair and unjust, regardless of whether or not it directly affects them,” he explains.

Chapter faculty advisor Mr. Jamison Maley wrote of his impressions: “They were held in rapt attention and admiration while Maria related her amazing story of perseverance and ultimate triumph despite an environment where women are deprived of their basic rights...It quickly became clear to the members of People to People that this remarkable young woman was a living embodiment of great courage.”

With her rising prominence, Pakay hopes to gain support for her cause. She believes firmly in the attainability of rights for women.

Impressed by her optimism for a more tolerant Pakistan, Fifth Former Alexander Dawejko was impressed by “her ambition to change Pakistan and her belief that it can be done.” ■

Another Open Mic Night will showcase the talents of Haverford’s various performers on April 24th.

Jason Tabas ‘13 At The Haverford School there are countless opportunities for students to display their wide array of talents. For those who excel in the performing arts, Open Mic Night offers the perfect proving ground.

At Open Mic Night student performances can range from singing, poetry reading, skit performances, band performances, and anything in between. This year’s Open Mic Night includes a star-studded lineup of Sixth Former Dean Feinman, Fifth Former Mike Green, Sixth Former Brennan Kensey, Sixth Former Charles Mueller, and many more.

When asked about his level of excitement for the upcoming Open Mic Night, Green responded, “I’m super psyched for Open Mic because it’s always awesome.”

Specifically, he is “really excited to see what Dean has in store, for it’s his last Open Mic.” It is a bittersweet moment for those Sixth Formers as it is likely their last chance to perform in front of their peers.

While Open Mic Night is a great opportunity for those to express themselves, it is also a fantastic experience for those who attend. Fifth Former Sam Bloch commented, “I look forward to attending.” He explained further, “I try to attend as many art performances as [I] can as they never disappoint.”

While many of the Upperclassmen at Haverford are aware of Open Mic Night, some of the Underclassmen remain unaware of the potential joys that it has to offer. Third Former Jordan Siegal said that he was “rather unfamiliar with the event.”

Subsequently, when he was informed about some of the usual occurrences at a typical Open Mic Night, he explained how he “would certainly make an effort to attend.”

Talented ladies from Baldwin psdgraphics.com and Agnes Irwin will also have the opportunity to perform, and they always impress. This year Open Mic Night will be held on April 24th at 6:30 p.m. in the community room. Entrance will be free and food will be provided. Please make an effort to attend as it helps support those who will be performing. ■

Haverford Tech Working Its Way Up

at Haverford. While this move has not yet been sanctioned, many think that it would be According to Mrs. Connolly, the laptops helpful but possibly unnecessary. Lisk argues “will reach the end of their useful life at the that, “[While] more bandwidth is always nice, end of this academic year,” meaning that we don’t really need more…I don’t think it’s something the school needs to prioritize.” Khandelwal concurs, stating, “It does well enough as it is…I think we should be happy that we even have Wi-Fi for our computers.”

While many students still groan about hard drive capability, Wi-Fi bars, bandwidth, and other technical features, there is a silent yet substantial group of students who feels that the technology is fine as it stands presently.

Many of these so-called Index Staff Fourth Former Jon Harmon using devices that he brought from home. “problems” that arise are due the school will remove them in June, but to students being lazy and failing to log out or the question of what the replacement will plug in a laptop. They occur because different be remains. Mrs. Connolly explains that the students are simultaneously playing Run 2 school is “still deciding if [it] needs to replace while watching Kobe’s best dunks and playing all of them [or]…if [it] even needs to buy computers for students to use, since everyone is bringing their own devices in.” This idea of new laptops is tantalizing to many students such as Dennis, who describes how it is “a great idea.” However, many think that having no laptops is a poor choice, such as Mr. Scibilia, who opines that it would be “a big mistake…it is great to have something that is easily accessible [to students].”

While the laptops are often slow, Erich Prince they fill an important hole in One of the many laptop carts, the laptops of which may soon be replaced. classrooms with teachers who are trying to get students acclimated to a digital competitive Sporcle, things that should not be world. occurring while at school. However, one fact Mrs. Connolly also commented that remains clear. The technology department has the school will “increase the bandwidth as the purchase and use of devices down to an more kids bring in more [devices].” Such an exact science, and they are prepared to replace increase will meet the needs of the constantly anything that is unusable. And for devices such growing presence of student-owned devices as laptops, that day of replacement is soon. ■ Continued from Page 4

Page 6 The Index - Arts & Entertainment

Arts & Entertainment

April 2012

Eating with Sam - Chinese Edition just enough of a kick to make me reach for my water every couple minutes. The true star of the dish was obviously the pork belly. The (I also decided that garlic-chili-pepper breath pork was truly succulent and juicy. Whatever was not going the twiceto be good.) cooking Maybe my method favorite thing is, it about the brings sausage was out the the fact that juices in it was big. the dish Some Chinese really restaurants will well. The give you only dish is a few slices of covered a dish like this in chili oil sausage, but and the Han gave the juiciness entire sausage of the citypaper.net that must have chili The spicy food at Han Dynasty. been over a foot long. It was a lot of great food oil combined with the pork juices is truly for a very fair price. incredible. The pork had a great chewiness, but After the sausage we moved on to our main it was still easy to eat. I have found that some course. First, they brought out our twiceplaces cooked their pork belly into rubber and cooked pork belly. Served with an assortment Han Dynasty certainly did not do that. of vegetables like leeks, hot peppers, and The spiciest dish of the evening was the black beans, this was probably my favorite dry pot beef. It was really a great dish, but it main dish. It was not too spicy (listed as a was just a little too spicy for me. The Danfour on their rating scale but half as hot as Dan noodles really hit the spot for me, but the Dan-Dan), but it still had great flavor and this put me a little over the edge in the spice

department. The chunks of beef came out in a sizzling mini wok with the fire still cooking the dish. The dish also had mushrooms, snow peas, bell peppers, and Sichuan peppercorns.

The dish was cooked in a spicy hot pot sauce.

It is tough to describe the flavor of the sauce as anything other than really spicy. The sauce is loaded with chili peppers, which apparently you are not supposed to eat. The chili pepper flavor is absorbed in the sauce, but if you really want to eat something spicy and you are feeling really stupid, pop one of the peppers in your mouth. I did it without realizing I was not supposed to eat them, and it was the second hottest thing I have ever eaten in my life (behind a dish with ghost peppers in it).

If the dish was a little less spicy, I probably would have enjoyed it a little more, but the beef was still really good. It was cooked so that it would just melt in your mouth and explode with flavor. My waiter told me that any dish you order can be made less spicy upon request.

Next time I head over to Han Dynasty, I am going to order the dry pot beef at an eight instead of a ten.

There were a few other small things that came with the meal. Of course, we got brown and white rice. I was not expecting a traditional Chinese restaurant like Han Dynasty to have brown rice so it was a pleasant surprise when they did. Both rices did a great job in dulling

Greg Boyek ‘14 reviews a recent performance of the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Mer by Claude Debussy, an impressionistic from composers as varied as Beethoven to composer from Bernstein and Bach the turn of the to Debussy. Musical last century. The celebrities such as name is French pianist Lang Lang for “The Sea,” have accompanied and it presents sold-out Orchestra the wide range performances, and of emotions guest conductors produced by have included Simon the ocean, Rattle of the Berlin from the calm, Philharmonic and to raucous, Rossen Milanov to violent, to of the Princeton majestic.

Symphony Orchestra.

These three All of the concerts pieces made for are presented by a fascinating the Philadelphia concert Orchestra with repertoire which such unbelievable demonstrated virtuosity as to make the huge range one wonder why of incredible its skills are held as abilities “boring” or “oldMs. Leslie Poor possessed so fashioned” to many of Greg Boyek during one of trips to examine art. close to home the ears of today. at the Kimmel Center with the Philadelphia I hope to bring to you in next month’s issue Orchestra. one of the season’s closing concerts featuring This concert was one of the more Simon Rattle, the conductor of the celebrated memorable of the Philadelphia Orchestra’s Berlin Philharmonic. ■ 2011-12 season, which has featured pieces

Continued from the Front Page

out the spicy flavor a little bit and allowing me to continue on to my next bite. As a side dish, we ordered string beans with minced pork. By the time the string bean plate made its way over to my seat, I was already stuffed. But for the sake of this review, I plopped a couple into my mouth. They were pretty good string beans with a great crunch and no sogginess.

That is essentially what I want when I order string beans at a restaurant. The minced pork that covered the vegetables was great. One of my life mottos is that everything is better with some meat on it, and the string beans were certainly no exception to that. Lastly, the jasmine tea that they served us at the beginning of the meal was really flavorful. I am not really a tea guy, but this was some of the best tea I have ever had.

Han Dynasty is the best Chinese restaurant in the area right now. The restaurant now has four locations. Anyone that lives downtown, near Manyunk, in Exton, or in Royersford can enjoy the great food without having to travel far at all. Also, the prices are fair. The average entree is about $15 and the average appetizer is about $8. So it is pretty affordable compared to other area Chinese restaurants like Yang Ming and Sang Kee. The next time you are in the mood for Chinese food or spicy food, head over to Han Dynasty and you will not be disappointed. ■

Philadelphia Orchestra Captivates Audience Greg Boyek ‘14

The world-renowned Philadelphia Orchestra gave a premier of contemporary Scandinavian composer Esa-Pekka Salonen’s Violin Concerto, under the baton of the composer himself, on March 29-31. The soloist for this performance was virtuoso violinist and Curtis Institute graduate Leia Josefowicz, with whom Salonen composed this piece in 2008.

The composer states that the Violin Concerto was written for the young violinist’s incredible abilities.

The concert began with Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta by prominent earlycontemporary Hungarian composer Bela Bartok. This piece features a meandering, serpentine melody and complex interaction of the strings.

The major event of the concert was the

groundbreaking performance of Salonen’s Violin Concerto which demonstrated the incredible abilities of the solo violinist, Josefowicz. The first movement of the Concerto, called “Mirage,” features the soloist striking alien pitches in other-worldly harmonies with the orchestra.

The second and third movements, entitled “Pulse I” and “Pulse II,” are, as their names suggest, based around beats. These rhythms, featuring modern jazz and rock styled percussion and brass, are seemingly misplaced and contrasting with the violin solo but are in fact carefully intertwined in the music.

The final movement “Adieu” brings back the peculiar harmonies of the first movement and features dissident but orchestrally connected notes from the soloist.

This modern composition was followed by the traditional, but strikingly similar La

Haverford Reflections Continued from Page 3

With the faculty having come to a point where it is reaching out to students to speak, it is evident that a real necessity for more student speakers who are willing to step up has emerged. Boerner comments that he was “happy to share [the] experience” and that he would “highly recommend any relevant experiences [to] be shared with the student body.” He also expresses that if he should have some other similar experience, he would be content to share it during a Reflection.

Unwillingness or intimidation to share does not seem to be the sole cause of the lack of Reflections as there are definitely students out there who share Boerner’s willingness to share, but it does play a role.

Another factor that could possibly be causing this year’s lack of student Reflections is an unawareness of whom to approach to volunteer to give a Reflection. Out of Anderson, Clementi, and Boerner, who even had spoken before the school already, none knew that one should approach Mr. Fifer or the Signet Society should he wish to give a Reflection. This lack of knowledge could definitely factor into the decrease in Reflections this year. Mr. Fifer admitted that “probably not all students” would know whom to approach about giving a Reflection partly because the Signet Society and faculty “probably haven’t done as much as [they] could,” regarding providing the student body with the information for whom to seek about giving a Reflection.

Recently however, Sixth Former and member of Signet Society Zachary Rego gave a quick announcement at an assembly informing and encouraging students to seek out a Signet Society member should they wish to give a Reflection. Mr. Fifer also stated that so far “about seven” students have approached him or the Signet Society to give a Reflection in the second semester. The student body may look forward to an increased amount of Reflections in the near future.

This declining trend of Reflections may in fact have shown a sign of letting up, as the Upper School has already experienced a meaningful and powerful reflection in the early second semester. Not much more than a month into the second part of the school year, Sixth Former Dean Feinman gave a Reflection on his life experiences as a way of attempting to uncover the meaning of life. He used this Reflection as a means to convey the message that one’s purpose in life should be to try a plethora of new activities and things in an attempt to truly get something out of these experiences.

Clementi compliments the Reflection, noting that it found a way to “[talk] about a very esoteric concept in a very relatable way.” He adds that the reflection was, “well executed,” and that Haverford definitely “should have more [Reflections].” Hopefully, this new semester may mark a reemergence in the prominence of Reflections as seen by the growing number of students finding Mr. Fifer in hopes of making their mark on a Thursday morning. ■

THS Chariot Racing Continued from Page 4

This project was part of what Ms. Adkins called a “trend” being pioneered now at Haverford. The project brought Latin students out of their classroom and to the Engineering Lab and Art Department. Ms. Adkins says that “as a department chair I should be trying to step out of my comfort zone and be doing something that is not just Latin in its own little space but Latin connected with other departments.”

Ms. Adkins says that this innovative inter-disciplinary work was successful thanks to hard work from the students and incredible assistance from faculty of the other departments. Ms. Adkins further explains that she “could not have asked for more support from the Art Department and the Science Department.” In particular, Ms. Adkins says that “the building process could not have been done without Mr. Rooney…providing the workspace and expertise.”

The students were assigned to teams based on similar heights to make the competition equal. Because Ancient Roman charioteers were normally small in stature, Ms. Adkins did not want to give any team an unfair advantage by having certain members be of heights particularly well suited to pulling or riding the

chariots. Having teams of students who might not naturally work together was a learning process for all involved. Ms. Adkins describes how “the process of kids working in teams has been fascinating. Watching who stepped up as leaders – not always those who you would expect – who works together well, who does not.”

Ms. Adkins definitely intends on doing this project again next year. She hopes to broaden the scope of the project to perhaps include students taking classes in Multimedia Art and other disciplines so that the process can be filmed and photographed to be presented to the school community. “I’d love to see this as a tradition,” Ms. Adkins remarked. “The classes involved have been fun about this,” while working diligently at the same time to complete their part of the project.

And of course, Ms. Adkins added, “An awesome thing was seeing Mr. Carpe Diem, Mr. Green, out there willing to wear whatever costume I gave him.” He raced in a chariot with replica Roman armor from the vast collection of History Department Chair Mr. Donald Miller.

The First Annual Haverford Chariot Races was an experience that no one who saw will forget. Hopefully, it will be a Haverford tradition for many years to come. ■

Page 7 The Index - Arts & Entertainment

April 2012

Arts & Entertainment

De Libris: Davis’ Book Review Column Musicopia For this edition of De Libris, Niticon Davis ‘13 reviews The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran, a 100-page philosophical work on various compelling topics.

Niticon Davis ‘13

The Prophet, written and with illustrations by the extraordinary poet and artist Khalil Gibran and published in 1923, is a collection of 26 prose poems that retain poetic qualities such as heightened imagery or emotional effects. The poems deal with Gibran’s entire philosophy on life and how one should live it; they span the topics of love, marriage, children, giving, eating and drinking, work, joy and sorrow, houses, clothes, buying and selling, crime and punishment, laws, freedom, reason and passion, pain, selfknowledge, teaching, friendship, talking, time, good and evil, prayer, pleasure, beauty, religion, and death.

The story behind the poems begins with the prophet named Almustafa, who sailed to and lived in the city of Orphalese for twelve years and is about to board a ship that will carry him home. He muses over how much he has experienced in the city that he is about to leave and how difficult this will make his departure. Before he sets off, he is stopped by the citizens of the city who are also saddened by his leaving and ask him to speak to them one last time.

Behind Shakespeare and Lao Tzu, Khalil Gibran is the third most widely-read poet of all time, and I would even go as far as to say the third most influential of all time. Though a small portion of what he writes can be difficult

Niticon Davis posing next to a piece of art.

to comprehend, the vast majority of it is still completely accessible, and the larger meanings and overarching messages of the poems are always clear. Since The Prophet has a little over one-hundred pages, it is no chore to get through.

Like the previous book I reviewed, The

Alchemist, The Prophet has strong religious connotations, but this in no way takes away from the universal appeal of the book. This has been one of the most powerful books I have ever read, and I found myself tacitly accepting Gibran’s philosophy. With the universally applicable truths that Gibran writes, he leaves little room for argument, which is why I believe that this is a book that everyone should read at some point in their lives. I myself will definitely be reading it time and again for the rest of my life.

Mary Haskell, a good friend and biographer of Gibran, wrote to him after she received a copy of The Prophet: “It seemed in its compacted form to open yet further new doors of desire and imagination in me, and to create about itself the universe in nimbus......

This book will be held as one of the treasures of Index Staff English literature. And in our darkness we will open it to find ourselves again and the heaven and earth within ourselves. Generations will not exhaust it, but instead, generation after generation will find in the book what they would fain be - and it will be better loved as men grow riper and riper. It is the most loving book ever written.” ■

Amar Patel ‘13 explains Musicopia, a charity collaborating with Haverford.

Amar Patel ‘13

Music is an integral part of life that shows up everywhere: the rhythmic thump of one’s heartbeat, the in-tempo clicks of one’s feet on the ground, and the in-tune pitch of one’s voice and intonation. It is a gift that should be cherished by all, and an opportunity that should be available to all. Unfortunately some never receive that opportunity, but Musicopia strives to change that by making music’s ubiquitous presence accessible to every child in the Delaware Valley.

Musicopia is a non-profit organization that seeks to provide instruments or musical opportunities and lessons to students either who do not have the financial resources to learn music or whose schools are cutting down on their music programs. Musicopia helps over 40,000 students who live in the Delaware Valley per year with over 1,000 private teachers. 40,000 students is quite an astounding figure. There are about 1,000 students at the Haverford School, so Musicopia reaches out to a number of students greater than that of 40 Haverford students bodies.

And yet, how many students remain unaided

by Musicopia and have no access to music?

Continued on Page 8

Artist of the Issue: Harrison Kendall The multi-talented Kendall is this issue’s featured artist.

He specializes in painting, especially portraits.

his classes. 2D Foundation proved to be very enjoyable; however, Kendall decided to take Sixth Former Harrison Kendall is known for his Fourth Form year off with the hopes of his prowess on the soccer field, intelligence in starting up again as a Fifth Former. the classroom, and all-around kindness. What Sure enough, Kendall leaped back on board members of the Haverford community may the Upper School art track in his Fifth Form not know about him are his exceptional artistic year with his participation in 2D Portfolio, a class taught by abilities.

Mr. Fox that Kendall first focuses mostly plunged into the on beginner Upper School oil painting. art scene during That class his Third Form happened to year. After strike a nerve enjoying the in Kendall arts throughout that has kept Middle School, him interested he thought he in painting would continue ever since. honing his He describes skills on a himself as higher level.

Index Staff Claude Giroux, one of Kendall’s portraits. simply “not Kendall a pencil guy.” Although he can perform had also heard rumors of Mr. Fox’s teaching moderately well with such an instrument, he techniques and decided to look into one of Peter Thompson ‘13

explains that he is “drawn more to paint.”

Kendall then began to narrow his focus. He found that he enjoyed painting portraits more than anything else, and put the majority of his time and energy into that subject. “I didn’t enjoy painting landscapes nearly as much,” he explains, “I would much rather paint people I like, such as celebrities.”

In fact, Kendall’s portraits have been so incredible that Mr. Fairfax has purchased three of them. They hang in his house at this very moment.

For those who have not seen Kendall’s works, he tends to use a noticeable technique during construction. Generally, all of his portraits contain a large face of whoever is being focused on, and then a complementary background. “I always try and make the background correlate to the person,” says Kendall, “I’m big on city skylines.”

Kendall’s Sixth Form art experience in the Senior Thesis class, again taught by Mr. Fox, proved to be one of massive improvement.

Mr. Fox often describes how his students tend to reach a new level of understanding in the arts at the Senior Thesis level. He sums the idea up easily in what he calls a “breakthrough painting.”

Kendall happened to produce his

“breakthrough painting” this year. He painted the current Philadelphia Flyer, Claude Giroux, and it is in fact quite a step up from his work during Fifth Form year (this painting hangs outside of the art studios). He attests to the validity of Mr. Fox’s theory, describing how “it all starts to fit together somehow.” The paintings that have succeeded Kendall’s breakthrough have continued on a new plane of excellence.

When prompted to offer words of wisdom to the students presently taking art courses with Mr. Fox, Kendall explained, “It takes time. You pick up skills every day. Mr. Fox constantly teaches me new techniques and new ways of viewing images. Pretty much every time I call him over to help me out he points out something I didn’t notice…When it comes down to it, try and emulate what Mr. Fox tells you,” he added with a laugh.

Kendall in no way considers himself one of the best painters. He offers advice as a means to improve the artistic talents of all students, and nothing further. He is a humble young man to say the least.

More of Kendall’s painting will be on display as the year comes to a close, and it is highly advised that students take a peek inside the art studio when passing by. ■

Van Gogh Exhibit Intrigues Crowd Greg Boyek ‘14 visited and now reviews the Vincent Van Gogh exhibit in the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Greg Boyek ‘14

“Van Gogh Up Close,” a substantial traveling collection of the great impressionist master’s work, is making its only stop in the United States right here at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. This exhibition contains paintings from throughout van Gogh’s life, documenting his many styles and subjects which he progressed through in his career. The exhibit has received rave reviews and had over 150,000 visitors from 44 countries in the first seven weeks of at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Van Gogh, born in 1853 in the Netherlands, was known in his early life for still-life paintings. Most of the works in the exhibit are from the last four years of his life, during which he produced an incredible volume of work in Paris and the south of France.

These works ranged from his famous stilllifes to landscapes, following a trend from impressionistic works to his signature style of post-impressionism featuring bright colors and large brushstrokes.

The gallery is centered on van Gogh’s tendency to feature close-up “portraits” of natural objects, botanical illustrations of grass, trees and his famous sunflowers. This is particularly notable in his later works in which he uses large swaths of color and high horizons to compress and flatten the scene. His final works are striking for their display of emotion.

Van Gogh was inspired by traditional Japanese prints, which recognized the beauty and dignity of simple natural entities and simplified landscapes into patches of distinct color. Some of these Japanese prints are included in the exhibition alongside the works which they inspired.

Van Gogh’s scenes grow increasingly claustrophobic, despite their outdoor locations, as he descended into mental instability. However, the shining star of the exhibition, in my opinion, is a bright and cheerful image known as “Almond Blossoms,” depicting a flowering tree against a sunny sky. Even though it comes from the last months before his suicide, its depiction of simple natural beauty is the culmination of years of his work.

The Philadelphia Museum New York Times of Art hosts an incredible “Almond Blossoms,” a painting by van Gogh in 1890 that is on display. permanent collection as well, worthwhile. Take the time to wander through from medieval cloisters and period rooms, its seemingly endless collections and marvel to paintings by the great masters, to modern at centuries of history and cultures from times works, to a spectacular collection of arms and places far away. and armor. I would recommend a visit for Van Gogh up Close runs until May 6th this exhibition alone, but the world-class at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. I would galleries available so close to home make any recommend reserving tickets ahead of time. ■ experience in the Philadelphia Museum of Art

Page 8 The Index - Arts & Entertainment

Arts & Entertainment

April 2012

Compendio’s Movie Reviews - Spring Edition Chris Compendio ‘12 This spring showed a lack of creativity from Hollywood as most major releases are based on old stories (John Carter), fairy tales (Mirror Mirror), children’s books (The Lorax), sequels (American Reunion), sequels of remakes (Wrath of the Titans), and rereleases (Titanic 3D). While most of these films haven’t fared well either in the box office or in reviews, two adaptations that I was able to see during the break were critical and commercial successes.

21 Jump Street A comedy based on the police drama that aired from 1987 to 1991, this film follows two youthful-looking officers, played by Oscar-nominee Jonah Hill (Superbad, Moneyball) and Channing Tatum (G.I Joe, Fighting), as they go undercover in their high school to prevent a new synthetic drug from spreading to other schools while finding the suppliers of the drugs. This film doesn’t require any knowledge of the TV show (although you may not understand a certain cameo near the end of the film) and is able to stand on its own. Hill, as usual, gives a great comedic performance, but he is surprisingly equaled by Tatum, who is usually only known for being in dramatic and romantic films. While the beginning of the film with their two characters becoming friends was rushed, they still develop good chemistry with each other and the pair are enjoyable to watch. They’re also joined by a good supporting cast with Ice Cube as their hot-headed, profanity spewing superior, and Rob Riggle (Step Brothers, The Hangover) as their loudmouthed, abrasive P.E teacher. The film’s humor is what you might expect from a modern day raunchy R-rated comedy, which for most is a good thing. It gets a little clichéd by the end, and there’s one visual gag at the end that I found more disgusting than funny. Still, this is a satisfying watch and is probably the best comedy of the year so far.

As a reminder, here is how I rate films: SEE IT: This movie may have its flaws, but it is still very entertaining and worth the watch.

RENT IT: This movie is far from perfect, and might not be worth to watch in the theaters.

However, it’s still worth checking out.

SKIP IT: This movie has little to no redeeming qualities. Avoid it like the plague.

SEE IT

meetinthelobby.com

The Hunger Games Based on the 2008 novel by Suzanne Collins, this film takes place in a dystopian future in the fictional nation of Panem, which is split into twelve districts and a wealthy capitol city. Each year, one boy and one girl from each district are selected as tributes and are to fight to the death until one person remains. The tributes from District 12 are the focus of the film: Katniss Everdeen, played by Oscar-nominee Jennifer Lawrence (Winter’s Bone, X-Men: First Class), who volunteers to be a tribute when her younger sister is chosen, and Peeta Mellark, played by Josh Hutcherson (Bridge to Terabithia, The Kids Are All Right). Supporting characters include their drunken mentor Haymitch Abernathy, played by Woddy Harrelson, and eccentric TV host Caesar Flickerman. Having not read the novel, I was intrigued by the fictional world that this film created. However, I still didn’t feel that I fully understood how the nation of Panem came to be or how the Capitol developed into the place it is with its inhabitants displaying bizarre fashions and behavior. Still, this world was quite believable, thanks to the shaky camera work and lack of any color used in the scenes in poorer districts, and the costumes, make-up, and special effects used in the scenes in the Capitol. However, Lawrence’s performance drives the film.

Her performance is very real and never tiring to watch, even though the film basically only follows her. The moments before she had to leave for the Hunger Games were very chilling, thanks to her performance. The violence is brutal, although there isn’t as much of it as you would think, and many of the more graphic parts are obscured through editing or shaky camerawork. The film also suffers from weak and uninteresting male characters, including Gale (Liam Hemsworth), Cato (Alexander Ludwig), and even Peeta. Still, with Lawrence’s performance and the high production value, this is still an entertaining and well-made film, and this new book-to-film franchise is destined to be a hit.

SEE IT

starpulse.com

What’s coming up: Comic-Con: Episode IV - A Fan’s Hope (April 6th, limited): A documentary by filmmaker Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me) following five attendees at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con. It’s basically a tribute to “geekdom.”

The Cabin in the Woods (April 13th, wide): A horror film produced by Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly) following five friends in a remote cabin in the woods as things begin to go wrong. While the trailer didn’t grab me, it’s been getting good reviews and buzz so far and may end up being a sleeper hit.

The Avengers (May 4th, wide): A comic book film directed by Joss Whedon following six superheroes from different Marvel films (Iron Man 1 + 2, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America) as they team up to defend the world from Loki and his forces. As a fan of superhero movies, I cannot even begin to describe how excited I am for this. ■

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wikipedia.com

blogs.indiewire.com

Musicopia Collaborates With Haverford Continued from Page 7

And yet, how many students remain unaided by Musicopia and have no access to music? Too many to enumerate.

These students may have a talent or passion for music which will remain unexperienced and unnoticed. If there is something on this Earth that cannot be squandered, it is talent.

So, we at Haverford must help Musicopia help others discover talents and passions they never knew they had.

Musicopia has been a welcome and growing addition to the Haverford community.

Haverford’s connection with Musicopia began two years when Sachin Patel ‘11 and Amar

Patel ‘13 held a benefit concert. This concert was relatively small and housed an audience in Ball Auditorium. Despite the size of the crowd, Haverford was still able to raise a few thousand dollars, a remarkable amount for a school benefit concert.

The next year, because the concert had been such a success, the Musicopia concert was combined with the annual Haverford Spring Concert. Not only did this change increase the size of the audience, but it also provided a big enough stage to invite the Musicopia String Orchestra to collaborate with the Haverford Advanced String Ensemble. The concert raised over $7,000.

Audience members were able to witness

their peers or sons give the gift of music, which, as a member of the Haverford Advanced String Ensemble, I can personally say was an ineffable experience. To be able to perform and practice alongside such determined, focused, and passionate students encouraged and inspired me to continue pursuing my interests in the piano and violin.

The goal for this year is to reach $10,000 in donations, with the help of you and corporate sponsors. Please, help make it a reality.

This year, Haverford was fortunate enough to again collaborate with the Musicopia String Orchestra, and the proceeds from this year’s Spring Concert will again benefit Musicopia.

Many of you witnessed the talent of Musicopia

students when you watched Max Chambers perform Leo Portnoff’s Russian Fantasia at a recent assembly. Many other students like him will be performing with the string orchestra at the Haverford Spring Concert on April 16th.

Come and show your support for this worthy cause by attending the Spring Concert, which features both Haverford and Musicopia students. If you will not be able to attend, you may always mail a donation to Mrs. Jini Loos.

All checks are to be made out to Musicopia and qualify as tax deductible donations. You can also show your support by donating musical instruments during the week of the Spring Concert. Please help give the gift of music. ■

Page 9

The Index - Sports

Sports

April 2012

Fords’ Tennis Steamrolls All Competition James Shecter ‘13 reports on the tennis team’s unbelievable start to the 2012 season.

Continued from Front Page Haverford also rested the top of their lineup in a match against The Jack M. Barack Hebrew Academy. Singles performances by Sixth Form Captain Dan Brennan, along with Scherer and Shecter, helped earn the Fords a fourth consecutive 7-0 match sweep.

Over Spring Break, the team spent three days practicing at the Sea Colony Tennis Center in Bethany Beach, Delaware. Working with a former tennis coach at the University of Virginia, the team spent four hours on court per day and improved their games dramatically.

Brennan commented, “All of the coaches at Sea Colony knew exactly what they were talking about, and they helped us all a lot with strategy, technique, and other skills.”

He added, “The trip was also a great time

for the team to get to know each other. We really do have incredible, unparalleled team camaraderie.”

For an individualistic sport like tennis, camaraderie and team spirit are imperative ingredients for team success.

On Tuesday, April 3, Inter-Ac League matches started as Haverford squared off against Penn Charter. Amazingly, the Fords swept 7-0 again, and again they lost a mere three total games. On the doubles front, allstar performances at first position from Dan Brennan and Sam Kendall, at second from Fourth Former Narayan Rustgi and Third Former Nathan Kidambi, at third from Scherer and Shecter, and at fourth from Fifth Former James Tarte and Sixth Former Andrew Han ensured the victory.

To recap, thus far Haverford Tennis is 35-0

Erich Prince

Sixth Former Oliver Lee prepares to hit a forehand.

in total matches. They have lost around 20 games total compared to an unreal 420 games won. “I think the raw talent we have on our team is practically unmatched in the entire league,” said Assistant Coach Dr. Mark Gottlieb.

“As all the guys know, we just need to put in the work in daily practice and maintain concentration if we want to reach our goals.”

Both Head Coach Mr. Antonio Fink and Coach Gottlieb are indescribably proud of the team’s work thus far, but they realize that work ethic needs to be sustained.

Headmaster Dr. Joseph Cox compared this year’s tennis team to last year’s undefeated lacrosse team.

Although the team is far from a number one national ranking, they have been doing quite well so far. Come out and support the Fords’ spectacular tennis team whenever you can. ■

Opinion: Athletes Earn Way Into College Connor Atkins ‘15 believes that the hard work of high school athletes deservedly becomes a ticket to college.

Connor Atkins ‘15

On average, more collegiate student athletes receive their diplomas than non-student athletes. So are collegiate sports and recruitment a bad or unfair thing? A study from the NCAA showed that 65 percent

of Division I athletes received their diplomas compared to the 63 percent of the overall student body who receive their diplomas.

In other words, a greater portion of student athletes remain in school long enough to graduate.

Although it is true that less than one percent Ms. Dawn Blake Sixth Former Grant Jamgochian will be matriculating to Lehigh in the fall. of college

athletes actually go on to the professional level, athletics in general help students adapt habits which will help them in their careers after college. But how are these facts and statistics relative to The Haverford School?

It is clear that there are students at Haverford who are greatly affected by the college recruitment process in both a positive and negative way. However, although some might believe that this process is unfair, students athletes should be rewarded for hours of hard work that they put into their sports every day.

Is it fair for someone to be accepted to college over someone else because they are good at a certain sport? To play sports at a college level, a student must be committed to the sport for hours a day, and they must learn how to balance their academics with their athletics.

Athletes must learn how to manage their time, how to work together with their peers,

and how to develop a work ethic that will help them later in their lives. Competition to be the best one can encourage these athletes to “give it their all” and rewards them for all of their hard work. So is it fair for colleges to reward student-athletes for their hard work and their drive? Of course.

College recruitment not only rewards student-athletes, but it also gives students the opportunities to go to more demanding colleges.. Although less than one percent of college athletes go on to play in professional sports, being able to go to a more challenging school gives these student-athletes a better education, an education which will help them in the careers they follow after college.

For many athletes, sports help them receive scholarships to help them further their education. These students deserve to be rewarded for the amount of time they have designated to their sports. ■

Lacrosse Team Looks Forward to Big Season Haverford’s Lacrosse team believes that its one loss thus far this season will not inhibit its shot at the #1 national ranking. George Hall ‘14 reports.

George Hall ‘14 The Haverford School’s lacrosse team, despite its recent loss, has upheld its strong reputation and winning program.

Unfortunately, Haverford’s 30-game win streak recently came to an end, when the Fords suffered a 5-4 loss to The Landon School. This loss should not overshadow the fact that the lacrosse program has had some of the greatest nationwide success in the last couple of years.

Many high school lacrosse analysts have said that Haverford cannot be ranked number one again this year. It was thought that Haverford had such a spectacular year last year and, with so many outstanding Sixth Formers lost, this year’s team could not live up to the same expectations. But for the most part, this year’s squad has done just as well, and with only one loss, the Fords still have a chance to end the season number one in the nation yet again.

The Fords kicked off the season on Sabol Field with a 15-8 win over Maryland’s St. Paul’s. Haverford dominated the beginning of the game with an 8-0 start to which St. Paul’s had no reply. The Fords then played McDonogh, another Maryland school, in their second regular season game. Haverford handily beat McDonogh 10-2 in front of a strong home crowd.

The team then traveled to Loyola Blakefield High School in Maryland. As Assistant Coach Mr. Travis Loving said, “We started our season with a bunch of games against teams in Maryland, which are always close, competitive games, but we did pretty well.”

The Fords came out against Blakefield and

won 6-5 in a nailbiter. However, in their next game the team was not as lucky. The team was scheduled to travel to the NavyMarine Corps Memorial Stadium to play against the Landon School. Unfortunately, the Fords lost a close battle 5-4 in a game where their offense was held in check.

This was the first loss since May of 2010 for Haverford lacrosse. Sixth Former defenseman and Michigan recruit Paxton Moore spoke after the game saying, “It’s like we felt we couldn’t lose and all we had to do was just show up. We have to use this as motivation for the rest of the season.

We’re angry and were going to do our best to finish the season 20-0.” This is the mindset the Fords need to have to finish the season at the top of the table.

The team responded quickly with a 13-6 win over highly-ranked St. Joseph’s Prep and a win at the Inter-Ac season opener against Penn Charter 6-3. When asked what he thought the team could improve on, Coach Loving replied, “Being ready to play every day. Sometimes we aren’t ready to play like we should be... [this] starts with our Sixth Formers.” From the way the Fords have played, they have shown no signs of weakness.

Recently, they jumped out to a 5-1 start against Gilman, a team ranked number eight in the nation that had beaten Georgetown Prep and Landon. Haverford closed this game with an 11-9 win in which Sixth Formers Henry Blynn and Will McNamara each had three goals.

The team has been very unlucky with injuries. Sixth Former long pole Warner Bailey suffered a knee injury early in the year that kept him out for numerous weeks. Fourth

The Haverford lacrosse team during practice.

Form Princeton recruit Peter Blynn has had a leg injury. And finally starting goalie Fifth Former Jake Landman has suffered from both a concussion and shoulder injury that have kept him on the sideline for the beginning of the season.

The Fords have some exciting games in the remainder of the season that are highly anticipated and will have even more action.

In the Checking for Cancer tournament at Haverford, the team will play Lawrenceville of New Jersey. Then, at a tournament later in the season Haverford will take on Conestoga, who is currently atop the rankings in the United States. And then of course, there is

Erich Prince

Malvern, Haverford’s Inter-Ac rival, always a competitive matchup.

Hopefully many fans will show up for the Checking for Cancer event that is hosted by Haverford (fans should wear light blue for the event). Without a doubt, the remainder of the season should be action packed and fun filled not only for the players but for the entire school. The Fords now sit ranked #15 on ESPN high school Powerade Fab 50 rankings.

However, this is subject to change because this was projected just after Haverford’s loss and has not yet taken into consideration the win against Gilman. Haverford looks to move up to #1 over the course of the rest of the season. ■

Page 10

The Index - Sports

Sports

April 2012

Baseball Finding Groove Track Looking Strong Stewart Denious ‘13

The start of the season has been a search for consistency for the Fords baseball team.

After starting out with a convincing win over Germantown Friends, the Fords lost a pair of games to St. Paul’s and Friends’ Central School in what can only be described as a letdown. However, after going 5-1 during their recent trip to Orlando and ESPN’s Wide World of Sports, the Fords seem to have found their groove and have carried over this confidence into their first Inter-Ac game against Penn Charter, winning convincingly 9-2.

The Fords have focused their team this year on their strengths, pitching and defense, behind the strong arms of Sixth Former Eric Close, Fifth Former Matt Galetta, Sixth Former Vince Piccioni as well as Fifth Former Pat Valentine and others. With the imposing defense behind them led by Sixth Formers Andrew Landolfi and Gus Costalas in the middle, the Fords have been rather stringent in allowing runs to other

teams. The offense has been mainly a smallball style of play, pandering to strengths of the team. Players like Galetta, Landolfi, and Fourth Former Steve Scornajenghi have all flourished under this system - they constantly get on base. With the powerful bats of Valentine, Sixth Former Tom McCarthy, and Fifth Former Steve Fitzgerald behind them, the Fords offense has been churning.

In the second half of the season the Fords depth will be tested in the grueling Inter-Ac schedule; playing a home-away series with every team will provide a strain on both the pitchers’ arms and the batters’ stamina and patience. And with every team in the InterAc looking competitive, the Fords will have nothing handed to them: the team will need to fight for each and every game. However, the Fords look to be in prime position for another run at an Inter-Ac title and perhaps a second state title if they can keep up the consistent high quality of play and sustain the outstanding Sixth Form leadership shown in these last few games. ■

A Fords baseball player at bat.

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Lucas Elek ‘13 The track team has had a strong showing this year. The official season opened when the Fords destroyed EA in a dual meet. The first invitational at the Penn Track classic was successful with several Third Form relays competing as well as some Varsity individual events and a Varsity 4 X 200. The team has continued to build on their success and most recently had an impressive showing at Chestnut Hill Academy Relays meet. The highlights of the relay Erich Prince Fords’ sprinters starting off their blocks in a race. included a Sprint Medley competed incredibly well. An additional Relay, which is a 400-meter leg followed by highlight of the meet was when Third Former a 200-meter leg, another 200-meter leg and Spencer Rappaport placed third in pole vault. finally an 800-meter The team is only leg; this team won getting stronger the race. The team, and will continue which consisted to get better this of Sixth Former year.

Geoff Bocobo, Fifth The coaching Former Andrew staff feels that the Weiner, Fifth Former Fords have a good Chris Morgan shot at going far and Fifth Former this season with Lucas Elek, ran an the current team impressive time of that is shaping up 3:36.60 not only to be formidable. won the race but also The team is set a meet record Erich Prince looking forward and qualified for The Fords’ team competing with EA in the mile event. to a successful year nationals. with plenty of fan support for the home meets.

Next, a 4 X 800 led by Third Formers ■

Crew Asserts Presence Frisbee Coming Along Jack Henderson ‘15

Continuing its dominance in the early Manny Flick Regattas in Philadelphia, the Fords Crew Team now looks ahead to May, which holds the biggest races of the season: City Championships, Stotesbury Regatta, and Nationals.

The season has started off well with every rower improving on a daily basis. The leadership of the upperclassmen has kept the underclassmen focused and motivated to perform at their best.

In the three Manny Flick races in which the team has competed, the team has fielded ten different boats, proving its versatility and depth.

One of the most encouraging boats of the year, the JV Quad, consisting of Fifth Formers Wick Egan, Gerard Hoeltzel, John McMichael, and Jack Kling, has already pulled out first and third-place finishes.

The JV Double, composed of Fifth Formers Max Freundlich, a captain, and Colin Meehan, pulled a first-place finish at last year’s SRAA JV Double National Champions against Malvern and other perpetual rivals in Roman Catholic and Conestoga.

Fourth Formers Beauchamp Zirnkilton, Colin Adams, R.J. Meiers, and Gavin Adams, received first place in the Lightweight Quad, normally a division for veteran Sixth Formers, beating the second-place crew by upwards of twenty seconds.

In the Lightweight Double, Fifth Former Sam Blitzer and Fourth Former Eamon Glavin pulled out third overall behind Malvern and Haverford High School.

Fifth Formers Michael Maggio, Ryan Kinsey, and Mario Maggio, coxswain Amar Patel, and Fourth Former Chet Bickhart took fifth place in Haverford’s JV Four, finishing behind St. Joe’s Prep and Father Judge High School, some of the most dominant crews on the Schuylkill River.

In the most experienced boat, Sixth Form captains Jake Gaskill and Patrick Meehan as well as Freundlich and Colin Meehan have shown themselves to be invaluable assets, leading and teaching the team by example. In a race that included the top-five crews finishing within two seconds, Haverford placed third with a time of 5:22:45.

The Freshmen Four, featuring Third Formers Curran Browning, Ricky Rodriguez, Kyle Bowman, and Greg Kirwan, with coxswain Berkeley Melvin, rowed in their firstever race against Upper Merion, St. Marks, and PCR. They pulled out first place in what is beginning to look like a very promising year for the Freshmen Four.

All of the boats are gaining chemistry as they remain dedicated to practice and refining their skills. Arduous training is a necessity for success. The team will push themselves to new levels of preparation and performance.

Come Nationals, Haverford Crew will be unstoppable. ■

A quad racing.

Jack Meehan

Former Patrick Somers, and Helber turned the tables in Haverford’s favor early, but the vigorous running game was determined by Discs are flying on the Bryn Mawr Polo the fitness level of the players. Coach Fenton Field. Haverford Ultimate Frisbee players attempted to rally the team, but they just could are running hard, jumping for passes, faking, not pull it out. Haverford looked tired and Penncrest took advantage of the opportunity.

After a lazy winter for many of the Haverford Ultimate athletes, the final score was a disappointing 15-4.

“However tough the loss was, though, it showed the Fords our main weakness very early in the season: Erich Prince speed,” said Sixth Form Captain Andrew Helber tosses the disk forward.

Helber.

Practices are now focused on conditioning shouting, and having a great time under the because the team needs to get in shape for their direction of Coaches Mr. Stephen Kim and Dr. upcoming games. Without fast, tireless runners Andrew Fenton. The sun is out, the weather capable of controlling the disc, the Haverford is mild, and the start of the Frisbee season has game falls flat. Along with conditioning, finally come. The team of more than thirty students, consisting of men from all four Upper Coach Kim feels that the team needs to improve its ability to move the disc down the School Forms, is psyched for another great field. Because of this, the coaches formed a year of Ultimate. relatively novel drill. Players line up at various The team’s first game was on Wednesday, lengths down the field, and throw the disc March 21, against Penncrest High School. to one another in rapid succession, until the Sixth Form captains Andrew Helber and player at the end of the field has “scored.”

Brennan Kensey, and Fourth Formers Then, the lines rotate, and the process is Christman Henderer and Sawyer Warden had repeated. Practices are exhausting but worth the team prepped and ready for the match. the effort if the team is to have the kind of Although all of Haverford’s enthusiasm was success they have had in past years. Kensey channeled into the game, Penncrest won after stated, “We’ll definitely be ready for our next a tough fight from the Fords. Amazing plays game.” ■ from Fourth Former Stephen Boyd, Fifth Christman Henderer ‘14

Page 11

The Index - Opinions

Opinions

April 2012

Students React to Recent Opinion Article Lucas Elek ‘13 analyzes the results of a poll he put out to the Haverford student body regarding a student’s controversial opinion in the March issue.

Lucas Elek ‘13

Last month’s edition of the Haverford School Index caused quite a stir. The frontpage article entitled Pressman on Haverford’s Challenges by Fifth Former Fisher Pressman led to an eruption of emotion from people who agreed and disagreed with Mr. Pressman. The article, if you missed it, called into question the school’s integrity by discussing character issues including: cheating, drug abuse, entitlement and bullying. According to Pressman, these issues run rampant throughout the school. Pressman questions Haverford’s virtues, “respect, honesty and courage” and asks the question: “Do we really fulfill those values?”

Students argued with Pressman and with each other. Was this really happening in our school, our Haverford; is it really this bad?

The arguments spilled over into passionate, and often public, Facebook debates. Many of these debates unfortunately turned vicious as students began to take shots at one another.

The students were very passionate about

this issue, and they needed a way to express themselves and so, with the blessing of The Index’s editors, I created a nine-question anonymous survey that included a optional verbal response question (the latter for students

The Haverford “Walk of Virtues.”

who wanted to elaborate on their answers and discuss possible solutions to the problems discussed in Pressman’s article).

The results were truly stunning. Many in this school will tell you that everyone disagrees with Pressman . While this group seems to be in the majority, there is a quiet but vibrant minority that thoroughly agrees with him. In a poll of a 100 upperclassman and sophomores, 40% had a favorable opinion

of Fisher’s article. However, that number would be substantially higher if one includes people who responded that while they held an unfavorable view of the article, they agreed with parts of what Pressman was asserting.

Many students either responded in the comment section or spoke to me and told me they appreciated certain aspects of Pressman’s article but thought he went too far and was too aggressive.

38% students admit to having cheated at least once. I do not need to tell the math wizards at this school that 38% is certainly not a majority. What was interesting to me that students believe that there is more cheating going on than there actually is.

When asked the question “As a percentage how many upper school students do you think have ever cheated at least once?” 64% of students surveyed believed that more than 40% of their class has cheated. In fact 44% of students surveyed went as far as to say more Index Staff than 60% of their classmates had ever cheated. Those numbers do not match up. If we are to believe that only 38% of students have ever cheated, then students think that there is more cheating going on than there actually is.

The darkest part of the survey I believe was when asked the question: “Do you feel that students are overly entitled? Do you feel that students are more entitled at Haverford than at other schools?” 59% said yes. To put

that number in perspective, a majority of the student body believes that Haverfordians act more entitled than students at other schools.

The most positive results of the survey were not only that most students believed that Haverford could improve on these matters, but 80% believed Haverford students were more respectful to each other and to teachers than those at other schools. I believe that number above all else says a lot about our community.

80%, by far the closest I got to unanimous agreement.

That is not even including those who thought that we were about the same as other schools in terms of peer and teacher respect. These students believed that we are a respectful community and I agree with them.

We obviously have our problems, but the school is doing pretty well.

I believe that entitlement is Haverford’s elephant in the room. Nothing angers me more than dealing with arrogance and unjustified pride. However, it is a problem that we are working to address, and I think that it will get better over time.

I agree with most of my peers that participated in the survey: that while cheating may be a problem at Haverford, we are eons ahead of where other schools are now.

According to glass-castle.com, the national average for cheating is about 70%.

My problem with Mr. Pressman’s article is not the dark subjects he discusses, but the lack of hope he offers. Where is the light at the end of the tunnel? What about the great things I know we as a community do every day?

Lastly, I would like to thank everyone who participated in this survey. I thank you all for your courage and your honesty. I know that there are problems at Haverford, but I also know we will get better. ■

College Admissions Envy Must Come to an End Tadas Antanavicius ‘12 provides a personal analysis of college admissions and its consideration of “hooked” applicants. He argues that students should not be upset with peers who benefit from the consideration of these hooks.

Tadas Antanavicius ‘12

With the conclusion of the 2012 season of college admissions, most Haverfordians now know where they will be going to college next year. And yet, some are understandably disappointed with their results.

But is the ever increasingly popular thought of “He shouldn’t have gotten in over me” the right way to handle the disappointment?

Could it be true that a college made an “unfair” decision in admitting another student over you?

The answer is a resounding “no.” To arrive at this conclusion, we must take a closer look at what college admissions really is.

The overarching goal of most of the elite colleges that Haverfordians typically apply to and attend is to build a class. A class has a range of roles to fill, some of them more controversial than others. Does race really matter? What good do athletes bring?

The science behind putting together a perfect class is mind-numbingly difficult.

How many legacies must you take in to ensure a steady stream of donations from current alumni? Will it be enough for current students to appreciate the gesture their children will receive in the future? What sort of racial and ethnic diversity do you need to ensure a culturally-stimulating environment? What sports need some athletic recruits to build up the school’s national reputation? And among all of these categories, which students will take up the newspaper’s editorial positions?

Who will uphold the debate team’s national reputation? Will there be students performing community service to improve the college’s community reputation?

Layers upon layers of these kinds of classifications go into making as perfect a class as possible, and that is even before taking into account who might and might not accept a college’s offer of admission.

be considered “well-rounded,” so that will not ways. You have athletes, musicians, debaters, make you stand out or contribute anything scientists, mathematicians. You have people special to the class. from various countries and cultures all over Many people refuse to come to terms the world. You have people with unique with this because they experiences have the preconceived and hardships. notion that college is all You have about taking sociothe “most economic qualified” and racial students in diversity. academics and Of these, extracurriculars some can and giving be debated. them an Take race education for example: from the best is it truly professors in necessary to Josh Pau the world. That have racial The wall outside of the College Counseling office. is a very shallow diversity in view of the term “education.” a class? Why not base admissions on life A poll conducted over SurveyMonkey and advertised on Facebook by What these people forget is that experiences rather than the color of someone’s Fifth Former James Shecter of 100 Upper School students. college is not all about the classrooms skin? and professors. It is about the people To answer that, you have to come to terms This system is the reason students eager around you. A big part of the college education with the fact that we live in a dreadfully to get into the most elite colleges are often comes from your peers, not your professors. imperfect society. It is not “colorblind,” and all encouraged to find a passion and pursue it to Students must not only be students but also sorts of prejudices exist. Some locales may be its fullest. If you are unique and extremely need to bring something to the table as teachers in better shape than others, but colleges take talented in some particular aspect, you will to their peers. To get a quality life and social it upon themselves to create racial and ethnic be able to bring a type of diverse perspective education from your peers, you need diversity diversity where otherwise little would exist. that nobody else can match: colleges would be of perspective.

Without that diversity, some students might clamoring to admit you.

Diversity can be achieved in numerous forever remain ignorant and prejudiced when it Many students work hard for all comes to issues of race. those years of high school, building That is not to say that the accomplishments up those well-rounded résumés that of someone admitted with the help of one of they hope will make them “qualified” these factors are to be belittled. Sometimes to receive a golden ticket to a college they might appear slightly less “qualified” on of their choice. Alas, all of that résumé the outside, but you do not know everyone’s building could and often does come to life story to be able to judge them. naught when your favorite college just It all comes down to providing the best does not have a role for you to fill in education possible to the greatest amount of their class. That or they have chosen students possible. American colleges, with all slightly “more qualified” candidates to of these special admissions considerations, fill the roles that you might have been have solidified their high reputation among able to fill. the world’s universities. Without these To a point, it is the luck of the draw. considerations, U.S. education would lose That is not to say “well-roundedness” aspects critical to its continued success. Thus, is not valuable: well-roundedness is an there is no sense in holding contempt for integral part of surviving in our multiA poll conducted over SurveyMonkey and advertised on Facebook by Fifth those who benefit; without them, we would faceted world. But these days, everyone Former James Shecter of 28 Sixth Form students. all be worse off. ■ applying to elite colleges could probably

The Outdex

Page 12

The Index - The Outdex

April 2012

Sam Bloch ‘13 & James Tarte ‘13 & Jon Smith ‘12

IN THE NEWS...

Senior caricatures are starting up. This tradition is quite accurate, because nothing sums up a Haverford senior better than a person with a massively inflated head.

Dr. Andrew Fenton and Mr. Steve Kim will be coaching ultimate frisbee this year. They are clearly going with a good cop/bad cop coaching strategy Haverford College is a well-respected liberal arts college that is not funny in the slightest way.

The yearbook staff has announced that senior paragraphs for current juniors (Class of 2013) are due at the end of the month. Juniors: if you fail to turn in your paragraphs on time, you will be punished with expulsion.

Who is Albert Ciardi, and why does he like My Little Pony so much?

In a surprising decision, Sixth Former William Schwartz will not sign contract with the New York Yankees worth an estimated $15 million and will instead take his talents to the Middlebury Panthers.

a

How many Haverford students does it take to cut a piece of wood?

Erich Prince

After hearing that his favorite hot dog place, Johnnie’s Dog House, closed down, Fifth Former Sam Bloch is now suffering from stage-seven depression.

If you see Sam, please give your condolences for his loss.

Ms. Loos has a special service announcement: “Ummmmmmm.”

Happy birthday to Senior Tadas Antanavicius and Freshman Sammy Foreman.

Both just celebrated their sweet sixteen last week.

Did you know that Mr. Matthew Deasey enjoys tofu?

The local state of the art institution for learning.

googleapis.com

Dr. Cox recently let Sixth Former Pat Meehan borrow his car. Needless to say, this was a terrible idea, as Pat crashed the car into the Democratic congressional campaign headquarters. ■

Albert Ciardi’s obsession.

aduckinherpond.com

The Outdex is The Index’s humor page and its content is neither true nor intended to hurt or offend anyone. Please contact hsindex@gmail.com with questions or concerns.