Campus Currents

Snaps for The

The Upper School musical The Addams Family: A New Musical Comedy asked—in song—what does it mean to be normal anyway? Students on stage and behind-the-scenes created a visually stunning and uproarious production, enjoyed by audiences that filled the Ball Theater.

Small Ensembles Celebrate 10 Years of the Kurtz Center

Small ensembles from all three divisions performed on the stage of the Earl and Pam Ball Theater on Jan. 28, the 10th anniversary of the ribbon cutting for the David L. Kurtz Center for the Performing Arts.

The Kurtz family and other friends of the arts gathered before the concert to mark the occasion. Interspersed among soaring performances by the Brass Ensemble, Girls a Cappella, the Charter Singers, and more, the assembled audience heard from OPCs about the importance of PC performing arts in their lives and the impact of the Kurtz Center on the student experience.

Pictured, from left: John T. Rogers Hon. 1689, Jeffry Benoliel OPC ’76, Jane Evans Hon. 1689, Darryl J. Ford Hon. 1689, Gail Sullivan Ford, Holly Webb OPC ’15, David OPC ’82 and Jennifer Kurtz, Claudia and Lev Nazarian, Jeff Reinhold, George “Skip” Corson OPC ‘52 and Penny Brodie.

RALLYING FOR MIKE MCGLINCHEY OPC ’13 Go, Mike, go! Go, Mike, go! Students chanted support for Mike McGlinchey OPC ’13 as they waved yellow rally towels bearing his name.

McGlinchey, a right tackle for the San Francisco 49ers, in his second year in the NFL, played in Super Bowl LIV against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Though the Chiefs won the game, his Notre Dame and Penn Charter coaches agree he had a great outing, including a play where McGlinchey ran more than 10 yards up the field and blocked multiple defenders. Way to go, Mike!

Fifth graders showed their excitement for McGlinchey playing in Super Bowl LIV.

SCHOOLED CAST VISITS REAL “WILLIAM PENN ACADEMY”

When AJ Michalka and Brett Dier from the ABC comedy Schooled traveled all the way from California to Penn Charter in January, the school and teachers who influenced series co-creator Adam Goldberg OPC '94 gave them an enthusiastic Quaker welcome.

Goldberg, creator of the hit sitcom The Goldbergs, created this spinoff, an insightful and funny take on teachers of "William Penn Academy" in the 1990s.

PC Middle School teacher Charlie Brown, Goldberg's self-described and real-life favorite teacher, who taught him both English and math, emceed an assembly for 216 Middle School fans of the show. The actors, who play Lainey and CB (based on our own Charlie Brown Hon. 1689), fielded questions, posed for photos, handed out hugs and high-fives ... in short, they were treated like celebs, but also kind of like favorite teachers. Students wanted to know everything from set details to the best path to an acting career to whether Dier can breakdance. (Challenge accepted!)

Michalka and Dier met the real Beth Glascott and Liz Flemming (Flemming is pictured above with the actors and Charlie Brown), who inspired characters on Schooled, and joined the middle schoolers in waving rally towels to cheer on San Francisco 49er Mike McGlinchey OPC '13, who would compete in the Super Bowl that weekend.

When the Schooled visitors departed, they went to another Philadelphia landmark: the Rocky Steps at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. But we're pretty sure it was the Penn Charter visit that made them feel like champions.

See photos at flickr.com/photos/penncharter/albums.

DISTINGUISHED SPEAKERS AT PENN CHARTER

Mareena Snowden is the first black woman to earn a Ph.D. in nuclear engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and is currently a senior engineer in the National Security Analysis Department at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory.

Max Stossel spoke to PC faculty, students and parents about the addictive and distracting nature baked into social media design. Having run social for multinational brands and worked for a social media company designing notifications, he offered a unique perspective on the role of technology in schools and society.

Christine Ashley

delivered the 2019 Hubben Lecture to Penn Charter's faculty and staff on Nov. 26. Ashley is the Quaker field secretary at Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL). As a lobbyist and in her role at FCNL, Ashley nurtures and strengthens the relationship between the organization and Friends around the country.

As part of Penn Charter’s commitment to learning and excellence, the Distinguished Speakers Series invites highly respected individuals and groups to speak to students, parents and faculty. A dozen speakers, including the three highlighted here, visited campus during this academic year.

PENN CHARTER’S COMMUNITY SHINES ON GREAT DAY TO BE A QUAKER Penn Charter’s Great Day to Be a Quaker looked different this year, but it was still a great day of celebrating what we love about our school.

The day morphed into an online celebration of PC because all of the activities on campus and across Philadelphia were canceled in an effort to protect the community from COVID-19. “I am grateful for the outpouring of support for our school,” wrote Chief Development Officer John T. Rogers Hon. 1689 in an email to the community, “and especially for the messages of what our community loves about Penn Charter.”

In this uncertain time, many connected to the school found themselves returning to the values and lessons learned during their time in East Falls. We are grateful to be a source of strength for the community, and we draw strength from the community’s messages about what they hold most dear about Penn Charter.

In one day, Penn Charter’s fifth annual interactive day of giving raised $301,559 from 315 donors, including meeting a $100,000 dollar-for-dollar match, a testament to the loyalty and generosity of our community.

See more messages of support and further giving updates at penncharter.com/greatday.

PC SCREENS JUST MERCY

Penn Charter’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion welcomed more than 300 of the Penn Charter family and connected community in early February for a free screening of the critically acclaimed theatrical film Just Mercy.

The movie, starring Jamie Foxx, Michael B. Jordan and Brie Larson, follows the efforts of attorney Bryan Stevenson to defend the wrongly condemned Walter McMillian. The movie is based on Stevenson’s 2014 memoir, Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption, which was among the New York Times’ “100 Notable Books” for the year. Stevenson’s Equal Justice Initiative, founded in 1989, has won reversals, relief or release from prison for more than 135 wrongly condemned prisoners on death row.

“Huge thank you to Dr. Howard Stevenson— University of Pennsylvania professor, Penn Charter parent, and Bryan’s brother—for making this possible,” said Antonio Williams, director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Penn Charter and organizer of the event. “I’m thrilled to have had the opportunity to gather so many in our community to watch this important film that highlights the experience of so many Americans. It is our responsibility as a Quaker institution to shine the light upon the injustices in our country.”

PC STUDENTS LEAD SECOND ANNUAL DIVERSITY CONFERENCE

For a second year, Penn Charter students planned and led the Cheryl Irving Student Diversity Conference for high school students from across the region, including Inter-Ac schools, Crefeld School, Mount Saint Joseph School, and fellow Quaker schools Moorestown Friends and Friends Central.

This year’s workshops and discussions centered on intersectionality, the theoretical framework for understanding how different categorizations of race, gender, class or ability might combine to uniquely impact an individual’s experience of discrimination and privilege.

“I wanted to make sure that the day provided a space where students would explore diversity through the lens of intersectionality and in doing so honor the conference's namesake, Ms. Cheryl Irving,” said Savannah Payton, who led the monthslong, 16-student effort to organize the conference. “The most fulfilling part of my role was watching the day unfold as co-organizers and attending students engaged in meaningful activities facilitated by their peers, made connections and had fun."

Workshops led by students included Free Speech in Songs, Disability Etiquette, Environmental Racism and more. The conference welcomed Kevin Powell, acclaimed civil and human rights activist, to campus as the keynote speaker. Powell is the author of 13 books, including his autobiography, The Education of Kevin Powell: A Boy’s Journey into Manhood. On the eve of the conference, Powell spoke to parents and signed books.

The conference was named in memory of beloved Penn Charter English teacher Cheryl O. Irving Hon. 1689. PC