The Merionite June 2, 2009
The official student newspaper of Lower Merion High School since 1929
Volume 80, Issue 9
Program encourages students to “Make the Call, Take the Call”
Jenny Ma
Class of 2010 On May 18 The Coalition for Youth of Lower Merion and Narberth held a press conference to discuss family relationships regarding drunk driving and smart decision making. The Coalition invited representatives from Main Line schools to the Administration Building of LMSD to push for fostering a safe atmosphere, especialy regarding alchohol consumption. By bringing together students and parents, the Coalition, a partnership
of community agencies, promotes the “Make the Call, Take the Call” prgram. This program encourages teenagers to have an agreement with a parent or an adult to take their call if they are in a situation where they cannot find a safe way home. The Coalition hopes that students who attended, mostly members of their school newspapers, will now raise awareness in the community. The panel of judicial and community representatives hope to lower the number of teenage lives put at risk when these teenagers do not have anyone
to call for a ride home and instead get into a car driven by another drunk friend. The panel of members, including LM police officers, such as Det. Michael Flasinski, members of the judicial branches, such as Judge Karen Zucker and first assistant district attorney Kevin Steele, and coalition representatives, Paula Singer, Kate Cornwell, and Art Levy, discussed the issues of modern teenage life and the relationships between teens and adults. Michael Flasinski urged the necessity for a child to be able to call his or her parent in a bad situation.
“We have to start [this] message young,” said Flasinski. All of the members in each of their introductory speeches mentioned the urgency of the issue. Lower Merion Sophomore Wenwen Yang agrees. “Too many kids are taking risky decisions while they are drunk. I am glad that the community is working hard to solve these problems,” said Yang. One solution to the situation is to solve the problem not directly, but in-
See Make the Call, page 4
Technology offers School board considers new grading policy students unique gym experience Matt Rublin
Photo courtesy of Anna O’Hora
Students will now be able to enjoy a wide variety of electronic games in gym, including Wii Fit, Dance Dance Revolution, and Wii Sports, picutre above.
Matt Rublin
Class of 2011 LM students will be playing Nintendo Wii next year as part of a new program in Physical Education classes. “Students now have the opportunity to exercise based on their own interests in videogames,” said Health/PE Teacher Tom Kline. The curriculum, developed by Kline, has been tested in one class so far and will expand to more classes next year as part of its trial run. The primary focus right now is getting out the bugs, according to Kline. The idea for Wiis to be incorporated into physical education stemmed from Kline’s own Wii use at home. “I really loved playing the Wii at home with my family so I thought about how it could possibly work at school,” said Kline, who has had his Wii for about five months. Kline has set up five Wii consoles and five TV monitors in room T001 to take advantage of the room’s large amount of space. Different stations within the room are equipped with Wii Fit Boards, Wii Dance Mats, and other software components. Students can play Wii Sports and Wii Fit with the consoles, along with other popular games such as Active Life: Outdoors, EA Active, Dance Dance Revolution, and Mario & Sonic. While students will have the chance to play these
See Wii, page 3
Best sports achievements of 2008-2009 Relive every dunk, pass, and goal See Sports page 18
Class of 2011 The Board of School Directors is considering changes to the District’s current grading policy which were recommended by a grading committee. This grading committee, comprised of students, teachers, parents and administrators, suggested changing the calculation of final grades from quality points (specific points alloted to each letter grade) to percentages. Using percentages, the committee said, would “provide the clearest picture of student progress”. In the proposed system, the numerical average, instead of the letter grade, for each quarter would be multiplied by .2. The scores of the mid-term and final would be multiplied by .09 and .11, respectively, and the total would then be determined and converted to a letter grade. The committee, comprised of 34 members of which two were students, conducted a survey within the school community that found more than half of teachers and 75% of parents supported a percentage system. Current research indicated, according to the committee, that percentages would best depict a student’s achievements. The committee also looked at similar school districts and discovered each of them used percentages to determine final grades. After completing research, 22 members of the committee (65%) voted for the new calculation system.
Students, however, overwhelmingly opposed the new system by a 2:1 margin in the survey. A petition has circulated around the school with hundreds of signatures opposed to the proposed system. Some think that midterms and finals would have more weight in determining final grades. Thus, they believe this new system would be unfair and burdensome. “With this system [the committee is] proposing, you have to start off the year perfect and end perfect,” said sophomore Maia Wikler, one of the student leaders against the new grading system. “One mistake will show up with your final grade.” Other students opposed say laziness and lack of effort will become more prevalent. “Students who recognize that they can’t get an A in the class won’t try as hard [later in the year],” said sophomore Seth Feldman. Some think, however, that students should benefit from higher grades. “Hard work should be rewarded,” said sophomore Nate Diehl. “If you put in [enough] effort, you should not even have to worry about [your final grade].” The grading policy committee also recommended that the Board to eliminate the “E”, and keep current practices such as reporting grades without pluses and minuses and maintaining the current grade ranges.
LM administrators give school finals massive makeover
Jenny Ma
Class of 2010 In order to comply with the state laws and efforts to improve the current system of final exams, Lower Merion is changing the way material will be tested. These changes were considered throughout the year, and now the final decision has been reached. The finals will be 80% identical between different teachers and they will be administered by subject instead of class period. In the past, most finals, with a few exceptions, were written by individual teachers and given during finals week according to the order in which the student had each class in his or her daily schedule. The Administration sent out letters to students’ homes notifying them of these changes. “This is the first year we’re trying this out. We’ll continually tweak it,” said Principal Sean Hughes. A major difference between the finals schedules this year and last year’s is the order of each exam. Instead of going by numerical order of “set,” the exams will be given by “subject.” For example science will be given on Thursday June 11 starting at 7:45 am. All students will be assigned a room and proctor to complete their science exam, whether it is chemistry, biology, physics, etc. If a student has a question in regard to the exam, he or she may ask
Congratulations Seniors! reflect and rejoice See Senior Section pullout
the proctor to call the teacher. “With this new schedule, all kids can take the same exam on the same d a y. T h e number of Photo by Ann Zheng/Staff kids cheatStudents will take their finals in asi n g w i l l signed classrooms instead of with their teachers. Room listings for finals are decrease,” posted outside of the guidance suite. says Sophomore Billy Gu. Teachers point out another benefit to the new schedule. “It should eliminate any reliance on the teacher in the sense that if I proctor the exam, the class has a tendency to ask me more questions. In another room, they won’t have the same sense of reliance,” said math teacher Ni-
See Finals, page 2
What did happen this past year? See Features page 10/11
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June 2, 2009
NEWS
The Merionite
Since construction began in 2008, workers have built the basic structure of what will become the new Lower Merion High School. The Merionite was given an exclusive tour of the construction site, and the following is a photo compilation of the progress of construction over the 2008-2009 school year.
The art rooms in the new LMHS feature wall to wall windows, with an outside area to work on projects. The doors in the new classrooms swing into special alcoves, so “There’s no more hittingpeople in the hallways,” said Project Manager BK Horner.
An L-shaped coutrtyard occupies the middle of the new high school, providing a space for students relax during frees and between classes. Workers will plant No Mow Grass, a special type of of grass that stops growing after it reaches a certain height.
All of the old school except the administration and A buildings will be demol- Students will begin moving into the new school in 2010, and the old building is slated to be torn down from 2010 ished. Portions of the old school and Pennypacker Field will be converted through 2011. By 2012 the new school will be complete. into a back parking lot, which will contain 100 spots for student parking.
For additional photos and to read a more detailed description of the construction progress, visit www.themerionite.org
Photos by Hannah Weilbacher/Staff
LM adopts policy of universal finals From Finals, page 1 cole Sizgorich Although only 60 students are affected by conflicting exams, another benefit to this new schedule is the large amount of make-ups blocks, one per the first three days and all make-up conflict time periods for the last day of finals. As discussed previously this year, the common final will also be adhered to this year. Teachers do not have the choice of administering a common final to their class regardless of their teacher style. Many teachers agree with the concept the common final since many schools in the Central League give 100% common final exams. “I think it makes sense because if students are being accessed on the same content we should have a common assessment. Ultimately, people are assessed by the PSSAs,” said Sizgorich. Although the PSSAs are simply a sort of byproduct of these common exams and not a factor that drove the need for common exams, many teachers support the
idea of teachers working together to teach and assess a group of students. “It guarantees that everyone learns the base education. I agree with it. I don’t think final exams are that much in the great scheme of things, but I do like having students review for the finals, which is intellectually stimulating. They’ll pull together what they have learned from the year,” said math teacher Diane Sweeney. Junior Eric Guo agrees. “It’s more effective in evaluating people’s knowledge,” said Guo. “It tests what you’ve truly learned and what you can take out from the class in the future.” However, some teachers feel too structured and limited by these new state standards. “While cumulative finals do not affect art, I’m troubled by the idea that everything needs to be the same. Teachers have different ways of working with the students and assigning work, ” said art teacher Russ Loue. Others worry about how well they will be prepared for the final exam and whether or not it will be reflective of their class.
“If you’re trying to measure mastering of the information, then grading should be done the same way it’s been done for all the tests given during the rest of the year,” exclaims junior Jennifer Jovinelly. Some teachers are already thinking about common midterms for next year. Chemistry teacher Lawrence McAfoos addressed the future problem, “I am much more troubled by the thought of common midterm exams. I do Stoichiometry and chemical reactions in the third quarter. However, all the other chemistry teachers have already taught these two topics in the first half of the year. What it means is that I have to throw it out of my curriculum or I have to convince the others to change theirs. Neither will be easy.” Overall, the administration and the district agree that these changes will be beneficial to the education of LM students. Principal Hughes says, “[The new system] gives a chance for all of us to foster some more collaboration in what we teacher and how we teach. We’ll see what the future of the program will be.”
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June 2, 2009
The Merionite
Modifications to Senior Project for 2010 Jenny Ma
partner with whom they must attend man- some projects now are not taken as seriously as they should be,” says junior Yueyi Class of 2010 datory meetings. Administrators that these changes will Zhou. Administrators have been discussing decrease the number of students turning in Junior Alexandra Cade says, “I think changes to the senior project process for last minute projects. the Senior Project should be an individual future years. Although these changes are Student feedback on the current system process. As long as the ‘partner’ doesn’t not definite, the system will be discussed has shown that they dislike the large amount take away my freedom of learning on my this summer and throughout next school of tedious paperwork that must be filled out own.” year, and modifications will most likely at different stages of the project. School treasurer Jonah Mann states, “I apply to the graduating class of 2010. “I’m not confused by the paperwork, but have heard rumors that the Senior Project “The intention of the project will remain it is ridiculous,” said senior Danny Green- is changing. I will try to make sure no the same. The project will still be student berg of the number of deadlines. “This is changes are made without the consent of centered, individualized project or intern- so arbitrary.” the students.” ship based on a student’s interest,” said field By making the project more “streamManlin plans to discuss these changes expert, cooperative educator, and director lined,” says Manlin, the confusion over with the entire faculty in June, since some of Senior Project Ronnie Manlin. redundant forms will hopefully be elimi- parts of the new project design remain Both Harriton High School and Lower nated. uncertain. Merion High School will be making these The switch from two faculty partners to changes based on the District’s decisions, one is due to the future curriculum changes and a Senior Project handbook will be in the American Government classes. available for both students and faculty “US Government classes were offered outlining the final policy. for 3/4 of a credit and the remaining 1/4 The Senior Project is worth 0.5 credits was senior project,” said Humanities Suand is a state requirement for graduation. pervisor Jack Maguire. “The senior project The project is currently a 3-week commu- had nothing necessarily to do with the US nity based learning experience. Students Government class and I never quite underbegan planning in October under the guid- stood why the connection had been made. ance of both a mentor and an American It predated my arrival into the district. I Government teacher. Photo by Ann Zheng/Staff did support separating the class from the Next year the project will begin in project and that is what will go into practice Senior Molly Hanlon, pictured January; there will be less paperwork and next year.” above, worked with elementary will no longer be under the guidance of the Student responses to these changes have school students for her senior projGovernment teachers. ect. Current seniors have began been both positive and negative. Each student will be assigned a faculty “These changes are for the better since presenting their projects last week.
Administrators introduce revised advisory system patrick. “If a parent calls, they need to be able to find out where you are at a given time.” On the week of May 18, a new Academic The new system is also run Recovery plan was instituted at LM in rethrough Powergrade, allowing sponse to the low number of students signing teachers to use just one program up under the past system. to keep track of the daily attenUnder the new plan, students must check dance. PE teacher Tom Kline, in each day during Advisory with their Conwith the help of Kilpatrick, nections Advisor in order to go to another came up with this new system teacher. Students must stay in their Connecof advisory. tions Advisories unless they solicit a pass With the problems of the permitting them to work elsewhere. Photo by Ann Zheng/Staff previous Academic Advisory, The previous system required students to LM students must now report to their ad- many administrators advocated sign up for Academic Advisory in advance visors before attending Academic Recov- the abolishment of the advising through a website separate from the usual at- ery to confirm their intended location. period entirely, and the extension tendance monitoring system of Powergrade. of regular classes to accommoThis program was discontinued due to the significant num- date the extra time. Kline developed the idea of checking bers of students not regularly signing up for the advising in with advisors before leaving to work with other teachers period. or attend club meetings. Students who hadn’t signed up for Academic Recovery “I think it’s been successful so far. Kids can get the passes sometimes roamed the hallways or even left campus, posing but also touch base with their advisors every day,” said Kila liability problem for the administration. “It’s a safety and patrick. “As long as students continue the right thing, which security issue,” said 10th Grade Assistant Principal Scott Kil- we know you can do, we will continue this next year.”
Hannah Golberg-Morse
Class of 2010
New technology introduced to PE classes for next year From Wii, page 1
games, the focus of the Wiis will be on “training sessions” and not free-playing. The full-time “Wii room” (the current ISS room) will be a circuit with six stations; students will go from station to station, filling out progress cards and using heart rate monitors. This way, says Kline, students “will be able to track their progress and improvements.” Plans are still being developed for the program, so there is no guess Photo courtesy of lmsd.org Administrators and students alike have ex- as to how many students will be able perimented with the new technology since it to experience the Wiis next year. was installed by the PE department. But for now, everyone has en-
joyed the consoles. “There has been a tremendous response from both administration and students,” said Kline. “The kids are really having a blast.” “I love [using the Wiis]!” said sophomore Lia Mastrogiacomo. “The Wii is a great way to keep students active.” Looking towards the future, Kline believes the Wiis are important in evolving PE classes. “The [Wiis] change the mindset of old school PE,” said Kline. “We’re progressing into the 21st century and we need to start using technology.”
NEWS
NEWS IN BRIEF
1:1 Laptop initiative comes to LM
Administrators will distribute personal laptops to LM students as part of the District’s One-to-One program. LM was originally going to participate in One-to-One this year but the start of construction delayed the program to this coming year. The program, made possible by grants from the state’s “Classrooms for the Future” initiative, was successfully introduced to Harriton this past school year in its first run. “At Harriton, everything went really well. No issue went unaddressed,” said District Director of Technology Virginia DiMedio. Student laptops are equipped with a wide variety of software that can be accessed anywhere with a wireless connection. The introduction of laptops at Harriton has alleviated nitial concerns with the program, as study halls were quiet and very little theft occurred, according to DiMedio. The District has received very few negative responses. “The [Harriton] students’ responses were overwhelmingly positive,” said DiMedio. LM students will be given their laptops on the first day of school after submitting an insurance fee and completing the acceptable use policy. They will carry the same laptop all year and every following year. Technology staff will be on hand to help students with the transition. To protect laptops from damage, the district will give padded sleeves to students. Students will also have the ability to charge their computers during the school day. With money from the grants, teachers have been trained to incorporate the new technology into their lesson plans. Laptop carts were also a management issue for teachers, said DiMedio. DiMedio believes that ultimately creativity and student engagement will be more prevalent in the classroom. “[It’s] not just about giving each student a laptop,” said DiMedio. “It’s about changing instruction and improving 21st century skills and problem-based learning.”
--Matt Rublin, ‘11
Administration cracking down on leaving campus
According to administrators, recently LM has greatly heightened its campus security. “[The number of students leaving campus] started getting worse,” said 10th Grade Assistant Principal Scott Kilpatrick. “It’s a safety issue, and we can’t have kids wandering all over the neighborhood.” Now if a student is caught leaving campus, he or she is given an extended detention for their first offense. Subsequent offenses can lead to an in-school suspension. Said Kilpatrick of the recent situation, “We have repositioned the campus aides to address the issue, and it’s gotten a lot better since the seniors left.” If one would like to avoid trouble, Kilpatrick advises students to “Stay on campus.”
--Hannah Goldberg-Morse, ‘10
Senior prank causes a stir in parking lot
On May 21, the Class of 2009 pulled their Senior Prank. At 5:00 AM in the morning, seniors began arriving in the main parking lot, across from LMHS. Seniors parked around 80 cars at an angle throughout the parking lot, taking up free parking spaces. They also brought along grilling equipment to cook breakfast food. When teachers arrived later, they were left with few places to park. Negotiations between the students and administrators began with administration threatening to call in law enforcement, and one student was towed By 7:30 AM, the seniors had vacated the parking lot.
--Connie Hua, ‘10
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June 2, 2009
NEWS
The Merionite
PRESIDENT JJ HOFFSTEIN
What do you plan to do as president? I intend to improve communication between the student body and the administration. I would also like to provide the student body with more community service opportunities. How do you feel about following in the footsteps of John Lundy? John Lundy and I were good friends, and I learned a lot about being President from him. I’m excited for a new year of Student Council and a fresh administration. Why did you run again for president? As the former President of the Junior Class of 2010 I think my experience in a position of high responsibility is a befitting credential for any leader of the student body. I think I have a lot to contribute to Student Council and want to work hard to improve the school and the Lower Merion community.
VP DAN ARONOWITZ
What do you plan to do as VP? I want to change the role of student council. Too often in the past, Student Council has been merely a messenger for the administration, passing word of new and often detrimental policies on to students, but failing to take any initiative. Under the new student council administration, I want to begin a productive dialogue with the school administrators so that the voice of the student body can no longer be ignored. How do you plan on solving Academic Recovery? I believe that Academic Recovery, although imperfect in its current form, is crucial to students’ academic pursuits. When else can students make up quizzes, meet with teachers, or have important, concise activity meetings? However, the school administration’s concern that many students have consistently failed to sign up for recovery is valid. As such, I believe that we need two things to happen in order to perfect AR. First, students need to sign up, and second, the administration needs to make sign up easier and more accessible, for example, by implementing the proposed default system.
SECRETARY LAURA SOKIL
TREASURER JONAH MANN
What do you plan to do as secretary? My biggest goal is to improve communication- I hope to do this through the facebook group or twitter that anybody can see, regular email updates to homeroom representatives and members at large and a consistent meeting schedule for all committee heads and representatives. I also want to make more opportunities for everybody to take part in committees such as the committee that was reviewing the grading policy or the committee that (supposedly) had input on the cell phone policy. Finally, I hope everybody plans on listening to tons of student council announcements and reading a bunch of posters next year because I believe that awareness through methods such as these is the most effective way to improve communication.
Why did you run again? Transcript credit. ...and ? I want to be able to fight for more student rights.
Why did you decide to run? I really wanted to make a change in the school- I believe that recent changes in things like the cell phone policy and the changes to the advisory system had not been fully introduced to us before they were implemented and I want to make huge changes like that clearer to the students before they’re thrown into a new system that they feel is too restrictive. I also have been a homeroom representative in Student Council for two years and I think I can utilize that experience to help me cater to all of our future homeroom representatives and students who just
What does the Treasurer actually do? Are you kidding? I have no idea. Really? No. Actually, the Treasurer is in charge of finding funding for the student copier, which is one of the few realms where student government has an effect on every student’s daily life. I’m incredibly excited that I get to defend our right to copy for free. I think it is student government’s most important role. I can never tell when you are kidding. Are you serious? Completely. How do you plan to deal with Academic Recovery? I’m conflicted because the only way to make Academic Recovery successful is to issue a thousand detentions, but I do like the policy of the administration turning a blind eye to almost everything. We need to find a balance between liberty and effective programs. Although I don’t want to sacrifice liberty for an effective Academic Recovery, I think this is the only way. Can we have a baby picture for the Merionite? Do you think I was ever a baby? What kind of interview is this?
SERGEANT AT ARMS GUY MENTEL
What do you plan to do as Sergeant at Arms? Currently, there are issues that hinder our efforts to make Lower Merion High School the best that it can be. For example: Academic Recovery. It’s unfair to punish the majority of students who are signing up, so Student Council is working on a new program that will be more convenient for those who sign up and will punish students who don’t. Student parking is also an issue we hope to fix. Lastly, we’ve been discussing ways to make our school more environmentally friendly. How does it feel to follow in the footsteps of Dan Saris and the officers from previous years? I am honored to follow in the footsteps of such a great leader like Dan Saris. Dan had a huge influence on all of the changes that took place this year and he did a great job fulfilling the duties of Sergeant at Arms. I will attempt to emulate his poise, dedication and diligence. Like Dan, I will forge a strong relationship with both the administration and the student body so that every student can have their voice heard by principals and administrators. I am confident that I will be able to do a great job as your next Sergeant at Arms.
Photos by Jenny Ma/Staff
Community urges DUI awareness in press conference From Coalition, page 1
directly. By attacking the problem of teenagers getting into the wrong cars instead of the actual problem of drinking, the Coalition hopes that the rate of DUI car accidents can be lowered. “A relationship that involves cooperation between an adult and a teenager will allow the kids to mature, as they grow more independent,” said Paula Singer, a member of the Youth and Panel. “We have a two pronged approach: one for kids to make the call and two for parents to take the call.” The panel discussed relevant topics and
At a glance:
Info from www.sadd.org
28.5% of high school students in the past month have ridden in a vehicle driven by someone who had been drinking alcohol 52% of fatal crashes occuring during the weekend involve alchohol
students posed questions as a form of getting feedback on the program and its future efficiency. A representative from Harriton High School presented the problem of a possible abuse of the program, or using the system as a sort of “bailout.” Although Karen Zucker recognized that flaw in the system, she stated, “maybe it is a bailout, but it is the lesser of the two evils. It is a mechanism for kids to get out. Let’s be realistic and hope that kids will use it responsibly.” The Committee is unsure of its exact projects next year. For example, the possibility of distributing a list of the names of the students and adult drivers participating in the program is still in question. However, the general idea has been laid out and has established an agreement on the urgency of the issue. According to Flasinski, 150 of his cases per year are underage drinking arrests. Since underage drinking has become a significant part of the changing lifestyle of American teenagers, the role of this Coalition has become even more important.
As part of Lower Merion High School Senior Rachel Kramer’s Senior Project, the members of the coalition are pushing for more awareness. By recruiting more participants, the Committee hopes that the students will drive the process and a group will be developed to work with as the year progresses. “The coalition is trying to get more input from you, whether it is advantages or disadvantages,” said president of the Coalition for Youth Kate Cornwell. The program will go into full swing next year as students begin to sign up and the coalition hopes that the number of DUI accidents will decrease as the number of students begin to have safer rides home. To contact the coalition for further information, please email Paula Singer, the community organizer and member Photo courtesy of Allie Volinsky of the Coalition of Youth of Lower LM Senior Rachel Kramer discusses her Merion and Narberth at paulasinger@ ideas from a teenager’s perspective. As verizon.net or call at 610-896-6966. part of her Senior Project, she is assisting The coalition’s website is http:// the coalition in raising awareness. www.coalitionforyouthlmn.org.
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June 2, 2009
The Merionite EDITORIAL Open your minds to an open campus
In the midst of near-constant change at LM, one policy remains untouched: LM’s strictly closed campus. But this policy is one that ought to be reexamined. Unfortunately the Administration has dismissed calls for an open campus because of feared legal ramifications and potential breaches in student safety. Yet if the Administration, students, and community initiate efforts to develop such a policy these concerns can be addressed and the student body can benefit. What we lack is a period of time during the school day when we can learn responsibility free from the watchful eyes of multiple cameras and omnipresent administrators. Simply walking off school grounds during the school day (permitted on an open campus) makes a student realize unadulterated, individual responsibility for self. There are no bells to keep track of time. There are no teachers to hold our hands to cross the street. We are in charge of our own actions, freed from the confines of the school. No longer do extrinsic factors such as campus aides or hall passes restrict our movement. Rather, it is we who decide where to sit and which sidewalks to roam. So while this experience may not be PowerSchool-compatible (the horror), it is still a vital opportunity to exercise precisely the same responsibility both in high school and later in life. Of course administrators all over the school have already counted the lawsuits that could result from an open campus. While these concerns are legitimate they do not warrant dismissal of the overall goal of an open campus. LM students have already demonstrated their prowess at navigating the mean streets of Suburban Square after the sounding of the 2:40 bell; after all, total chaos does not currently ensue when freshmen stampede to the Ardmore Farmer’s Market on Friday afternoons. LM’s neighbors may also harbor fears of herds of rambunctious students ransacking their property during school hours. This fear, while not completely unfounded, can be addressed. We at LM are open to compromising with the neighbors, as shown through the solutions reached regarding night games on Arnold Field and the closure of Owen Road. The student body is eager to reach additional compromise, and the Administration should follow suit. Within the walls of LM, complacency has plagued all hopes of an open-campus. This does not have to be the case. We can overcome the legal obstacles and cooperate with the community to instate an open campus system which would simultaneously benefit the student body and establish a precedent for a dynamic dialogue between students and Administrators to solve problems previously thought insoluble. Unsigned editorial on this page reflect the general opinion of student editors, not the views of individuals.
The Merionite Published since 1929
Editors-in-Chief
Managing Editor News Editors
Op-Ed Editors
Features Editors
Arts & Entertainment Editors
Sivahn Barsade, ’10 Hana Rouse, ’10
Sports Editors
Hannah Weilbacher, ’10 Hannah Goldberg-Morse, ’10 Jenny Ma, ’10 Matt Rublin, ’11 Isaac Lindy, ’10 Leah Rosenbloom, ’11 Rachel Cohen, ’10 Bina Peltz, ’10 Emily Sorensen, ’10 Han Tran, ’11 Jake Wellens, ’11
Layout/ Web Editor Business Manager
Emily Eisner, ’10 Conor Ferguson, ’11 Xinran Wang, ’10 Noah Zuares, ’10
Ben Forer, ’10
Photo Editor
Ann Zheng, ’12
Copy Editors
Avi Chatterjee, ’11 Connie Hua, ’10
Advisor Business Advisor
Mr. Chad Henneberry Mr. Sean Flynn
The editors believe all facts presented in the newspaper to be accurate. The paper acknowledges that mistakes are possible and welcomes questions as to accuracy. Inquiries regarding accuracy should be directed to the editors of the paper. Editors can be contacted via e-mail at merionite@gmail.com or in Room 116. To represent all viewpoints in the school community, The Merionite welcomes all letters to the editor. Letters can be sent via e-mail or dropped off outside the Merionite office. The Merionite reserves the right to edit letters to the editor for length or clarity.
Editorial/Letters Letters to the Editor
A presidential bulletin My Fellow Students, Abraham Lincoln once observed that “the philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next”. With that in mind I offer my brief list of values. That government is best which governs least. We all should be grateful for Lower Merion’s extraordinary administration. It is one of the finest in the state, by any standard. That having been said, Student Council and I will oppose all arbitrary restrictions put on the student body. Where the policies of the administration impede on student contentment, I stand with the students always. Everybody can be great…because anybody can serve. Lower Merion currently offers a Community Service course where students can sign up and receive credits for their service work out of school. Community involvement by the student body, however, should go beyond the Community Service course because volunteer work offers a learning experience beyond the teaching capacity of a school environment. I believe that every student has something to offer his or her community; that is why in the coming year Student Council will offer the student body more service opportunities. Improve the community; improve yourself. Get your GREEN on. The students, the faculty, and the administration must all make decisions that favor the healthy future of all people and the planet. Take the bus to school, carpool, walk, or ride a bike. Use less paper. Recycle. We can make a difference. Individual commitment to a group effort. Over the past two years, attendance at Student Council meetings has dwindled. I and my fellow Student Council officers intend to reverse that trend. It is important to know that anybody can be a member of Student Council. I also cannot say enough how extremely confident I am in my fellow officers: VP Dan Aronowitz, Secretary Laura Sokil, Treasurer Jonah Mann, and Sergeant at Arms Guy Mentel. I absolutely mean it when I tell you that I believe no students are more capable or better suited members of the Student Council administration than the ones you the students elected. While I am wholly certain that I and the other Student Council officers will make every effort to improve Student Council next year, the success of Student Council as always rests on the shoulders of the student body. More involvement equals more power. Thanks for reading, and let’s go Aces.
JJ Hoffstein Student Council President
Power to the students
Over the past few years, student government has been unable to do much of anything. We have no school dances, there is virtually no school spirit, and the administration walks all over it. Its top-down organizational structure has stifled the creativity that should be present in any legislature and its failure to adhere to its own constitutional procedures has rendered student government incapable of effecting any real change. Fortunately, this year the constitution is due to be revised; a few simple changes will suffice to transform Student Government back into a force of positive change in our school. The Student Government constitution clearly states that “The Student Council, as a legislative body shall vote to approve actions, motions, and resolutions brought forward by the Executive Committee.” During my term in student government, not once was a measure ever put to a vote. If we just began respecting the constitution that we have, it would go a long way towards energizing student government and restoring power to the elected advisory reps. More than simply restore the rightful powers of the advisory reps, we should give them more power. Under the current constitution, reps do not have the power to make motions or propose resolutions. Their purpose is merely to approve or disapprove of the actions taken by the officers. Great ideas should be put to a vote and the officers of student government should be required to take whatever position is agreed upon to the administration. Further, student government should be required to meet for longer meetings and for more meetings. Although much work can be done in committees, student government should be required by its constitution to meet for at least one hour every three weeks. The officers still wield considerable power and although they are elected by a general vote, that vote is the only time they are ever accountable to their constituents. Most officers are seniors during their term. They have no incentive to listen to the students who elected them because they will never again be held responsible to the people with an election. I therefore propose that all student government officers be subject to a vote for retention midway through the year. If a majority of the students vote to recall an officer, he or she will have to run in a mid-year election that is open to any qualified student. These changes, if implemented, will help to revitalize student government and restore power to the people and their elected representatives. It’s clear that the current system isn’t working. It’s time for some change.
Jacob Adenbaum Class of ‘10
6
June 2, 2009
OP-ED
The Merionite
You say tomato, I say pork chop In America, most kids grow up eating hotdogs and hamburgers at barbeques in the summertime. I grew up eating veggie burgers and tofu pups. The m o s t frequent question I get Leah Rosenbloom a b o u t Class of 2011 being a vegetarian is definitely “don’t you ever miss it?” And the answer is no. I was raised a vegetarian because my dad and mom were vegetarians, but after they split my mom lapsed and the decision was mine. Now, I’m a vegetarian because I strongly believe in the principles of vegetarianism. Back when agriculture wasn’t as developed, our distant ancestors killed animals to survive, and used as many parts as they could for clothes, insulation, tools, and weapons. Killing wildlife was a completely legitimate part of survival, and they recognized this by doing things like viewing animals as reflections of God, worshiping animals, and respecting them like kin. Today, America’s meat industry is the exact opposite. Animals are overbred, kept in horrible conditions, and then slaughtered in inhumane ways for a minimal amount of meat. And breeding animals only to be killed is not part of the natural food chain, as many meat-eaters will argue. With today’s agricultural technology, it is certainly possible to have a balanced diet
without going overboard with the meat. And besides, most of the health benefits of meat are completely obscured by the health risks. Although this might not be much of a problem in wealthy LM, for the majority of the lower class American population, “meat” is a McDonald’s Big Mac; pretty much the furthest thing from healthy you can get. A diet full of meat like that (as we can all see in the documentary Super Size Me) is killing America faster than car crashes by a wide margin. The necessary proteins and fats in meat can be easily replaced with soy and dairy, two things very readily available in local grocery stores, so the excuses to be mass-producing cow meat and processing it into McDonald’s “food” are running out. That’s not to say I think we should cut meat out completely. It’s a necessary part of our economy and I understand a lot of
people would be out of jobs if McDonald’s suddenly dropped off the face of the earth. That being said, the quantity of meat we eat and the way it becomes available to us is unacceptable and needs to be fixed. Although I admit the government’s attention should not be solely focused on the meat industry at the moment, enforcing more health and animal rights regulations on fast-food companies like McDonald’s could be the first step. Working towards making soy protein, vegetables, and other groceries more affordable for America could be a second step. After years and years of reliance, the road to end America’s dependence on meat is a long one, and no one solution is going to solve the grotesque misuse of animals overnight. Through diligence and commitment to reforming meat consumption, however, this lofty goal can be attained.
I eat meat. And I am not ashamed. No matter how many disgusted looks I get from vegetarians and despite the countless PETA ads I see, I am unfazed. Meat is delicious. This is not to say that vegetables aren’t per se, but meat is an essential part of any Connie Hua meal (well, Class of 2010 maybe with the exception of breakfast). It provides protein and essential amino acids necessary for humans. High concentrations of nutrients like iron and phosphorus are found in meat and more easily absorbed by the body when from meat rather than from vegetables or vitamin supplements. But I know, I know. Eating meat is evil! The ways in which all the cows, pigs and chickens are killed are cruel and unethical. I struggle to argue with this point. I’m not naïve. I know about the cramped conditions in which animals are raised and the horrifying ways in which they are slaugh-
tered. It’s disgusting. But this is a problem with the meat industry, not meat itself. And the companies that choose to treat their animals in such gruesome ways pay the price. Their meat is bad. It tastes awful and it’s not very good for you. I wouldn’t eat it, and really, neither should anyone. But this doesn’t mean all meat is off-limits. Great tasting beef comes from grain-fed cows who’ve been raised to maturity, and is noticeably more expensive than it’s subpar counterpart. After all, let’s face the facts. Humans are evolutionarily designed to eat meat. Our ancestors were omnivores and we have the enzymes necessary to digest meat. Vegetarians and vegans argue that despite this, it is possible for humans to subsist on a no-meat diet. Which, in all fairness, is true. But I also know while humans should probably get eight hours of sleep, it’s possible to survive on six (I mean, have you visited LM recently?). You can definitely survive without meat and chow on nuts and veggies, but can you be happy? I admire you if you can, I really do. But I can’t, and that’s okay too. I simply cannot function without having meat at my meals. I feel tired after a week without beef. I’m cranky if I don’t have bacon for breakfast. I need to eat meat, but I don’t need your snarky comments or gruesome antimeat propaganda ads. So please, leave me alone with my steak, chicken wings and bacon. I have never bothered vegetarians and vegans for their views, but somehow I get a lot of unfair abuse about what I eat for my dinner. There’s nothing more annoying than fielding away dismissive comments about what’s on my plate. Because really, if you are what you eat my dear vegetarians and vegans... well then, in that case you are really quite tasteless.
The oppression of feminine aggression A high school student (not at LM) recently spoke at a school meeting, analyzing who she was as a person. She’s aggressive, smart, athletic, sometimes callous, strongwilled, solitary a n d Emily Eisner comClass of 2010 petitive, and ultimately she drew the conclusion that she was in fact a man living inside a woman’s body. Without a doubt, this person was incredibly courageous in speaking to his/her whole school about his/ her struggle, and every individual person should be allowed to decide for his/her self who he/she is;
however, why is it that these human qualities – aggression, strength, and will-power among them – are so forcefully identified as male characteristics? And further, why should a biological woman feel so unnatural – even unacceptable – with such, deemed “masculine,” qualities? Think about some of the qualities that we consider feminine: elegance, poise, grace, courtesy, obedience, cooperativeness, compliance. And then consider the masculine qualities: aggression, strength, power, athleticism, determination, forcefulness. The sheer dichotomy of this divide provokes the thought that there is overlap between genders. I know as a young woman that when I step on to the ultimate Frisbee field, I am no longer courteous or poised or docile. I am aggressive, ruthless, and powerful and I am a woman. Even off the field, the person I am is not the stereotypical picture of a woman. I speak out in class, I
argue with friends, I burp loud, prolonged, resonant burps freely, and I am told by even my best friends that I am “a man.” This phenomenon, the labeling of male and female according to a person’s personality, narrows the window for both men and women of what is normal and consequently increases the oppression of both genders. Particularly for women, but for men as well, there exist many qualities that are simply unacceptable under the definition of “woman.” An aggressive woman is too much of a bitch, and a muscular, athletic woman is unattractive. These positive qualities, possessed by many women, are used to destroy women – to tell them that they aren’t women at all, but are men. When Hilary Clinton ran against Barack Obama for democratic nominee for presidency, she was attacked from all sides as too aggressive and too much of a bitch. No male candidate gets attacked for being too aggressive, and even if he were, the
damage done wouldn’t be nearly as detrimental to the campaign as it would be to a woman’s campaign. This oppression – telling young men and women that they are not right the way they are, that they are not true men or women – springs from the way we all categorize. By initially creating a distinction between men and women, a natural instinct induced by the need to conceive and reproduce, society creates boundaries that limit people’s ability to feel natural as who they are and accept others as who they are. In recent thought, the distinction between sex and gender has been created to draw attention to the difference between a person’s organs and a person’s self. “Sex” is used to refer to the biological make up of a person, while gender is used to dictate how a person identifies socially and emotionally. While this distinction does draw attention to an important distinction between the physical and the cognitive, it simply serves as a further divide,
creating more boundaries – more categories – that people should fit into. To argue that a biological woman could house the soul of a man is to admit that there is a serious distinction between the characteristics of men and women. When I originally heard about this high school student, physically a woman, self-proclaimed a man, I couldn’t help but be mildly offended at the suggestion that any person with those specific, widely considered positive, qualities and with that specific outlook on life would have to be classified as “man.” Because I myself do not feel the same way as this person, I do not feel comfortable passing judgment on his/her decision, but I do feel as though the concept of either a man or a woman trapped within the body of the opposite sex is simply a surrender to the classic, outrageously conservative social norms and stereotyping that we should as a society be fighting to eradicate.
7
June 2, 2009
OP-ED
The Merionite
Woe is WebAssign:
Mandatory abortion:
Devil’s spawn of the 21st century?
I had seriously considered taking physics in summer school. I am not the archetypical math student, so physics sounded like a bore. I wanted an extra free. A n d to top it off, physics was synonyIsaac Lindy Class of 2010 m o u s with WebAssign. I had heard horror stories of students staying up all night, physically fighting with their computers striving to make the green checks magically appear to denote correct answers. Due to indecisiveness and an innate aversion to school in June and July, I decided to take physics during the normal school year. While I have thoroughly enjoyed almost every part of physics, from my outrageous classmates’ antics to the wonderfully messy egg drop contest, WebAssign has dreadfully lived up to its infamous reputation. It has become the bane of my junior year existence. Through the total of 15 WebAssign assignments that I have (almost) completed this year, I have come to the conclusion that WebAssign could be one the worst teaching tools in the world. I hate to make sweeping unsubstantiated accusations (most of the time); fortunately, my junior year experience with WebAssign has provided me with an endless amount of evidence to support the claim WebAssign truly is the devil incarnate. First, WebAssign fosters an atmosphere of cheating. This can be attributed to the premise of WebAssign: to get full credit for an assignment, all answers (or
a pre-defined amount designated by the teacher) must be correct. No work has to be shown. No process must be explained. It is simple: get the answer, get the points, get out. WebAssign thereby offers a pseudo-invitation to practice academic dishonesty. It is a well-known fact that to get through AP Physics (a realm of physics I shudder to think about), students must “work together,” which is a euphemism for blatantly sharing answers without explanation. Working together is inherently a good concept. It creates a sense of community within a classroom while building independence from the teacher. WebAssign, however, creates a new form of “working together” called Cramster. One can tell from the name that this website is slightly shady – Napster, Cramster – the similarity is uncanny! Using a classmate’s premium Cramster password to get the answer to an even-numbered problem is the only sort of “working together” that WebAssign fosters. Cramster is cheating, plain and simple, despite what many students and teachers say, and using it is encouraged by our friend WebAssign. I held on tightly to my Cramster V-card throughout most of the year, just as I ethically avoid Napster and its cousin Limewire, which made WebAssign markedly harder for me to complete than for other students. I eventually succumbed to the alluring call of Cramster’s “problem solved” slogan, but not before realizing the tension that WebAssign creates. The purpose of WebAssign is to be finished, to get it done. Each blissful green check represents one step closer to the wonderful finish line – at least for a week until the next assignment is posted. This is the case with many assignments in school. I find myself nearly holding my breath until all my homework is finished, utterly ignoring the
process of learning that is supposed to carry me through these trite endeavors. I sometimes am able to remove myself from the fury of completion to somewhat appreciate the process, whether it be writing a paper or figuring out a math proof. The problem with WebAssign is that there is no higher purpose to appreciate. Yes, the exercises serve as practice, but for what? For getting a 100 percent in “the real world”? And if there ever had been an educational purpose to the madness of WebAssign, it has been thoroughly annihilated by the rampant cheating. In a society where being right all the time is extremely overvalued, and experimentation and failure are frowned upon, WebAssign is an unwelcome visitor. It supplements the unhealthy, perfectionist attitude so pervasive at LM. Contrary to many people’s beliefs, if WebAssign teaches anything at all, it teaches the wrong lessons. I do not care what other claims exist, that WebAssign “aids education through technology” or “creates a student body ready to take on the 21st century” – what WebAssign truly does is augment the tension in this school by fostering academic dishonesty and a terrible mentality of “get-it-done-now.” WebAssign should be promptly removed from the LM curriculum. Gasp! What is this blasphemy? Remove WebAssign? I do realize the consequences of my suggestion. We would have more class time for enrichment activities. Teachers would have more latitude with the curriculum. Oh, the horror! But do not fret. I am sure that LM could quickly replace WebAssign with an equally useless, mind-numbing program. After all, in this cutthroat, ruthlessly competitive academic environment, we grade-grubbers need some way to get meaningless points.
Preventing, not committing, murder Following weeks of spirited contention, President Barack Obama delivered his much-awaited speech at Notre Dame’s c o m mencem e n t ceremony on May 17, 2009. The debate was over the issue of Avi Chatterjee Class of 2011 a b o r tion; a Catholic university, Notre Dame was founded on fundamental Christian principles including preserving the sanctity of life, making the campus largely pro-life. Mr. Obama, meanwhile, is as liberal as they come in regards to abortion, fully supporting a mother’s prerogative to choose in all situations. While hundreds of students and advocacy groups asked for Obama’s removal from the ceremony, it was to no avail: Obama gave his speech, asking for a “fairminded” debate on the heated topic. But, truly, there is no debate. Abortion makes too much sense. Staunch pro-lifers point a misguided finger to the Bible for their (ir)rationale in not supporting abortion. Because the basis of their argument lies in religious context, it cannot be applicable to government decisions. Any argument lending itself to religious ideology is doing a disservice to our country’s secularism. Nevertheless, pro-lifers will maintain that religious bearings aside, purposefully aborting a fetus has motives akin to killing someone. Wrong. Abortion saves lives. It saves lives from an environment void of opportunity, from parental neglect, and from a destitute life that all too often ends as senselessly as it began. My mom has worked at a West Philadelphia shelter for nearly five years, encountering the same story time and time again. A recent high school drop out with a six-month old baby and another one on the way. A 22 year-old mother of four who has bounced around from shelter to shelter and ended up at this one. Babies brought up with no father, no direction. It’s from her accounts that I’ve gained a heightened sense of the consequences these women and children face when abortion is not seriously considered. What’s more is that these single mothers survive off welfare, receiving heftier checks for each additional child. Intuitively, this makes sense; you need more money to care for more children. But the realities of this system magnify its failures. Without any incentive to have abortions and without any consequences of not doing so, most of these mothers will sit
around collecting free money. The city tries to justify this by purporting that all welfare recipients are required to attend workshops to help them find jobs. They’ll attend, but my mom estimates 85% of her clients remain unemployed, leaving seminars early so they can use their food stamps on Chinese takeout and waste their welfare on Timberlands for their four yearold son. This is what taxpayers’ money goes towards. It’s a mess. But abortion can be part of a solution to help this broken system. It can also make our streets safer. A whole chapter in Stephen J. Dubner’s Freakonomics is devoted to the impact legalized abortion has had on crime. Since the Supreme Court’s ruling on Roe v. Wade, which made abortion legal, crime has been dramatically reduced in the United States. But this has yet to resonate with everyone, especially the mothers most directly involved. My mom has gained the understanding that these women use their babies to vindicate themselves. Through their children, they yearn to inflate their sense of worth. Yet their actions do not translate from this rosy aspiration. Instead, they terribly mistreat their children. I’ve seen it. There are exceptions, but they amount to just that: exceptions. A deviation from the majority of moms who don’t care for their children the way a mother should. Their sons and daughters grow up in a cold environment, knowing nothing but crime, and the city of Philadelphia gets rewarded with 300 murders a year. The answer doesn’t lie in timidity or indifference. It will require boldness. The facts are clear: legalizing abortion reduces crime. If something works, and benefits the majority, then enforce it. That’s why there should be mandatory abortion for any mother living off of welfare, in a shelter or some combination of the two. Preventive steps like contraceptives and birth control should be top priority, but when those fail, there needs to be another answer. The system would need to ensure that checkups are consistent and often, so that any pregnancy could be detected as early as possible. I understand I’m in the minority here. Most would argue that you cannot force a mother into an abortion; it’s such a personal decision. Plus, that baby at least deserves a chance. Who knows? Maybe they’ll defy the odds. But what has that lofty optimism done so far? It’s only excused these mothers to have children they simply can’t raise. Mandatory abortion would quell this immediate crisis, so other issues like welfare reform could be more easily addressed. Until then, this vicious cycle will continue, a cycle breeding much of our country’s crime. Isn’t that something we all want to abort?
8
June 2, 2009
OP-ED
The Merionite
Pesky partisan political problems
President Barack Obama is promoting his agenda to try to fix up the country. His job is not easy, and hasn’t b e e n m a d e easier by the fact that the Republican Party is united and up Han Tran in arms Class of 2011 against him. While the party’s unity is necessary for GOP victories in 2010 and 2012, I can’t help but feel like some of this resistance to the President is simply due to the fact that Obama is a Democrat. Unfortunately, this kind of partisanship delegitimizes any attack on Obama. This is especially because Republicans would do the things that they criticize Obama for doing if they were in power. On tax day, April 15, many conservatives got together at “tea parties” and protested Obama’s budget, reckless spending, and economic agenda. While I don’t agree with Obama’s economic policies, these “tea parties” should have happened during the George W. Bush administration.
Where were the tax protesters when Bush turned former President Bill Clinton’s $230 billion surplus into a 1.3 trillion dollar deficit? Where were they when Bush became the largest government spender since President Lyndon B. Johnson? Where were they when Bush expanded the federal government through wiretaps, No Child Left Behind, expansion of presidential powers, etc? Isn’t the Republican Party supposed to be the party of limited government and reduced spending? This is partisanship at its finest. What really shocked me was that popular conservative personalities were in an uproar about the fact that Obama ordered Dijon mustard on his burger when he went out to lunch with Joe Biden at Ray’s Hell Burger in Arlington, Virginia. Apparently that made him an “elitist out of touch with the American people.” Guess what? The Republicans aren’t exactly in touch with the American people either. Didn’t the GOP just run a Presidential candidate who couldn’t count how many houses he owned? Didn’t the GOP just spend $150,000 on Sarah Palin’s clothing? Wasn’t the last Republican President one of the wealthiest men in
the United States? Again, this is partisanship at its finest. I have a friend who is a very conservative Republican. He idolized Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter. When Specter defected to the Democratic Party, that friend immediately lost all respect for the senator, even though Specter had been voting like a Democrat. If my friend was really conservative, he should’ve opposed Specter a long time ago. But even if you don’t buy that, does Specter’s party really matter? Specter’s voting record has consistently been liberal, and that’s not going to change. If you happen to side with the liberals, why should the party name matter? Support the politician you agree with, whether he is a Republican or Democrat. Yet again, this is partisanship at its finest. Also, that same friend has said that he hopes Obama will do a bad job just so that he will be kicked out of office. This attitude is wrong. Barack Obama is our president, whether we like it or not. If you hope Obama does a bad job, you’re hoping that the country will fail too. There’s only one word for that mindset: unpatriotic. Didn’t the very conservative President Ronald Reagan say
that “Republicans believe every day is the Fourth of July?” We may all belong to different political parties, but the glue that binds all political parties together is American citizenship. No matter what party you belong to, there’s one thing you should always do: support the country. As you may have figured, I’m conservative. I come from a conservative family. I did not support Obama in the 2008 election. However, this doesn’t change the fact that this partisan badgering is wrong. It’s hypocritical, it’s immature, and it’s detrimental to national unity. Of course, the Democrats aren’t saints when it comes to partisanship either. They irrationally and wrongly compared to Bush to Adolph Hitler because of Bush’s involvement in the Iraq War. So does that mean that Lyndon B. Johnson and John F. Kennedy should have been compared to Hitler because of their involvement in the Vietnam War? The Democrats criticized the Bush deficits and used that as fuel for their victories in 2006 and 2008. So why aren’t Democrats complaining about Obama’s planned deficits (the budget deficit is predicted to go up to 1.84 trillion dol-
lars by the end of the fiscal year)? The Democrats rightly attacked Sarah Palin for being inexperienced. So shouldn’t they have criticized Obama for having only spent 143 days in the United States Senate before he ran for President? Of course, political parties can and should criticize each other on wrongdoing. However, these criticisms should be based on principle, not just on party name. Bickering between the parties on account of partisanship simply shows that no change will happen. It also distracts the parties from making pragmatic decisions on the important issues. If that’s the way politics are going to be, you might as well base your vote on a coin toss, because no change will be made. In the end, both parties are often guilty of the same things they attack the other party of doing. Both parties need to base themselves on principle, not on names. Both parties need to take a good look at themselves before they attack each other. They also need to be able to take a step backward and badger members of their own party when a politician steps out of line. If not, then neither party will be worth of any respect.
Stop complaining, start appreciating
It’s always something. In recent months, it seems as though every time you turn around something else is “wrong” in Lower Merion School District. The price of assignment books drew complaints, as did standardized testing. The redistricting process was long and (for many people) painful, and proposed grading changes Hannah Goldberg Morse s t r o n g l y c o n Class of 2010 tested. Between hall pass troubles and new laptop initiatives, we barely had time to breathe before the next wave of “problems” hit our hallowed halls. The “construction updates” in The Merionite kept us informed of the progress of our future school, but it was almost always overshadowed by the problems. The new school, granted, is easy to ignore- many of the windows in our building face the other way, and why would we even focus on the new school when, between WebAssigns, quizzes, homework, and extracurricular activities, we already have so much on our plates? Helping to build a school in western Africa this April, though, I realized the vast amounts of work that go into even the simplest structure. The villagers there had never possessed such a school, even one that, with just three rooms and a basic latrine, will pale in comparison to the likes of the hulking behemoth arising right in Lower Merion’s backyard. The students won’t have laptops, a library, or a video
production lab. There won’t be a cafeteria with delectable cookies, much less guidance services like ours. Although simple, it will give the children, and adults, in the village access to an education. Education is something we so often take for granted, almost all of us having grown up in societies where we are both encouraged and required to attend school. Sadly, though, there are many places throughout the world where children have no, or limited, access to education. Seventytwo million children around the world do not attend school, not for lack of want, in most cases, but for lack of access. One in five adults is illiterate. It seems easy to categorize these as problems that plague only the developing world, but statistics say otherwise. According to ABC News, 92 million Americans have low or very low literacy skills. Many school districts in our country do not have the funds for new textbooks or basic computers, let alone a brandspankin’ new school building replete with not just classrooms and computers, but a swimming pool and black-box theater to boot. Too often, though, these facts – we’re about to receive an incredible new building, we have one of the best educational systems in the nation – are lost in the fray of complaints about the more minute details of student life (no student parking?!). I do concede that there are things in our school and our community that could be improved
(the curriculum quickly comes to mind), and I understand that people feel uprooted with all the changes taking place – how could we not? Everyone wants the best for themselves, their children, their community – it’s human nature, and we can’t fault ourselves for that. But it’s important to keep these things in perspective. The
bottom line is, we’re finally getting a new school, with nearly unparalleled new facilities. I won’t be around to enjoy them, as the school will be completed after my graduation, but I urge all who do not to take them for granted. Oh, and take a jump in the new swimming pool for me.
June 2, 2009
9
FEATURES
The Merionite
Hit me baby one more time: new LM parents
Teacher: Ms. Mellet Baby’s Name: Owen Daniel Mellet Date of Birth: 12/21/08 Pregnancy Cravings: Chocolate every day! “I received a great care package from LM staff with all kinds of books and cards and magazines and games to entertain myself. It was such a wonderful surprise and it helped me pass the time. I also got several stuffed envelopes with cards from my students wishing me well, it was so sweet.” “I was so excited when I found out I was going to be a mom. I love every minute of it. I could spend hours just staring at Owen, and some days I do.” Picture courtesy of Alison Mellet
Teacher: Ms. Knight Baby’s Name: Eli Vincent Knight Date of Birth: 4/7/09 Pregnancy Cravings: Sleep and Massages
Teacher: Ms. Sand Baby’s Name: Jackson Stephen Sand Date of Birth: 12/17/08 Pregnancy Cravings: Ice cream and chicken nuggets
“This was my third time being pregnant while teaching, so it felt quite normal by now.”
“He is rolling over, has a tooth and lots of other things that I get so excited about.”
Picture courtesy of Jeff Nyce
Picture courtesy of Jen Sand
“Nick is a precious baby, he is very low- key, and he smiles all the time. He loves bathtime and swimming!”
Teacher: Ms. Miller Baby’s Name: Shane Michael Miller Date of Birth: 1/27/09 Pregnancy Cravings: Pizza- anything with cheese “Life at our house is pretty hectic!”
Teacher: Mr. Nyce Baby’s Name: Nolan Jeffrey Nyce Picture courtesy of Natalie DiTullio Date of Birth: 4/18/09 “My two-year-old daughter refers to Nolan as ‘Hi Handsome!’”
Picture courtesy of Colleen Miller
Melt in your mouth masterpieces Emily Sorensen
Class of 2010
As the weather continues to get hotter, you may find yourself craving a frozen treat to cool off. You may also find yourself perplexed by the plethora of choices. Which is better—ice cream or gelato, that foreign stuff more and more places are selling these days? And is frozen yogurt really yogurt? Well, here are your answers and the best places to get each. Frozen yogurt ought to be self-explanatory, but only select places sell legitimate yogurt. Many ice cream stores sell low-fat ice cream masquerading as yogurt, while other frozen yogurt only actually contains a very small percentage of yogurt and so much sugar is added that you can’t even tell. If made correctly, frozen yogurt is healthier than ice cream because it’s lower in fat, contains more protein, and has live active cultures of good bacteria that help with digestion. When it’s made like this, frozen yogurt has a distinctive sour taste, much like regular yogurt (makes sense, right?). If it doesn’t taste like regular yogurt, chances are a lot of sugar has been
Teacher: Ms. DiTullio Baby’s Name: Nicholas Joseph DiTullio Date of Birth: 2/6/2009 Pregnancy Cravings: Peanut butter, chocolate, English muffins and Ameri can cheese
added. Gelato is the Italian variety of ice cream and contains less fat. Ice cream has a legal minimum of ten percent fat, while gelato has around five to seven percent fat because it’s made with more whole milk than cream. Gelato is also churned much more slowly, resulting in a denser, tastier product. Lower quality ice cream can contain up to 50 percent air, but gelato has no added air—only what is included naturally with churning (about 35 percent less than ice cream). Despite the fact that ‘gelato’ means ‘frozen’ in Italian, it’s served at a slightly warmer temperature than ice cream, making it not completely frozen. Similar to gelato, frozen custard has a small content of air, making it denser, and it is served at a warmer temperature than ice cream. A lot of butterfat and egg yolks lend to a thick, smooth consistency. Water ice, or Italian ice, is simply ice combined with some sort of flavoring, usually fruit. It’s often fatfree, but, like frozen yogurt, it
can be high in sugar if it’s made with artificial flavoring rather than real fruit (which is much better tasting anyway). Make sure to find a place, like Rita’s, that uses fresh fruit. Sorbet is another fruit-flavored treat that doesn’t contain milk, cream, or eggs and relies wholly on sugar, lemon juice, and fresh fruit. Sorbetto is the Italian version, which, like gelato, is more intense because it has more fruit and less water. Dippin’ Dots, or “The Ice Cream of the Future,” is quite unique. It consists of small beads of ice cream made by flash freezing ice cream mix in liquid nitrogen. The beads have less air than regular ice cream and are stored at a much lower temperature. Now that you are well versed in the subject of frozen treats, go out into the world, spread the knowledge and enjoy the complexity of these great creations. On that scorching, hot day when it seems like there is nothing to do except sweat, get together with friends and treat yourself to some tasty goodness. Go out and taste the frozen rainbow!
Picture courtesy of Jeff Nyce
“I am really enjoying motherhood. My favorite time is when I go to get him from his crib in the morning and he is all swaddled up. As soon as I unswaddle him, his arms go flying over his head and he stretches out. It is adorable. One of my favorite things is when he falls asleep on my chest. It is awesome to watch him develop and grow everyday.” Picture courtesy of Natalie DiTullio
Where to please your palate
Now that you’re probably drooling from reading about all these delicious delicacies, on to where to find them! 1. Ice cream has the distinction of being readily available in grocery stores, but nothing beats going out for it. Maggie Moo’s is the local favorite, with a wide variety of flavors and mix-ins (or toppings, if you prefer). It’s also conveniently located in the Wynnewood shopping center. 2. Carvel is less well-known, located right beside the Asian Bistro Sang Kee. Its specialty is soft-serve ice cream dipped in chocolate. Other places to check out: Dairy Queen, Baskin Robbins, Cold Stone Creamery and Ice Café. 3. The best place to get gelato is, well, Italy, or at least some place in Europe. For those of us who aren’t traveling this summer, Pallante’s in the Farmer’s Market sells gelato. Whether it’s real gelato is debatable. But either way, it tastes good. Genaurdi’s also claims to be selling gelato, though its authenticity is questionable. Occasionally Italian restaurants like Bertucci’s will offer it as a dessert. 4.If you’re in the city, look for a Capogiro, a place that seems to be able to pull off legitimate gelato. Just avoid Rita’s attempt at gelato, which is “a disgusting mix of custard and water ice,” according to junior Sara Murray. 5. Saxby’s coffee and Pinkberry both serve non-fat frozen yogurt. Real yogurt, and you can taste it. Saxby’s is right down the street in the Farmer’s market (and at other locations too) and only has plain yogurt, but offers a wide variety of toppings to complement the natural taste. Pinkberry has a similar set up, just is farther away (in New York), and has three basic flavors, and again, the array of toppings to add. 6. Delancy Street and TCBY also sell frozen yogurt, but of a distinctly sweeter variety. Stick with the real stuff if you can get there. 7. As for Italian ice, there’s one easily accessible place: Rita’s. Go there. Frozen custard: same story. 8. Dippin’ Dots can be found at small but brightly decorated stands in most amusement parks. Occasionally you can also spot them in malls and vending machines. Have fun hunting around! All Images courtesy of Google Image Search
JUNE 2008 9: McDonald’s stops serving sliced tomatoes in its hamburgers in the United States following a Salmonella outbreak linked to raw tomatoes
Beijing National Stadium
11: A tornado at the Little Sioux Scout Ranch near Little Sioux, Iowa kills four Boy Scouts and injures several others
SEPTEMBER 2008 1: Bristol Palin, daughter of Sarah Palin, announces she is five months pregnant
19: The long-running comic strip Garfield celebrates its 30th birthday
2: LMHS begins its 08-09 school year
JULY 2008 1: Starbucks announces that it will close 600 underperforming coffee
shops in the United States 11: Chinese restaurants in Beijing are told not to serve dog meat during 2008 Summer Olympics, but can continue to serve Donkey meat 16: Ben Bernanke, the Chairman of the Federal Reserve, asserts that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are in “no danger of failing” AUGUST 2008 3: A stampede at a Hindu temple in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh kills 162 people 8: The 2008 Summer Olympics starts with the Opening Ceremony at the
17: Michael Phelps wins his eighth Olympic gold medal, beating Mark Spitz’s previous record of seven set in 1972.
NOVEMBER 2008 4: Barack Obama wins the presidency and becomes the first black U.S. president 18: Mickey Mouse turns 80 years old
7: Rent closes on Broadway, ending its 12 year run that began in 1996.
28: Black Friday: As the Christmas shopping season begins in the United States, two are shot at a Toys R Us store in Palm Desert, California, and a Wal-Mart employee is crushed in a stampede after shoppers broke down a front door in Valley Stream, New York
11: The Pentagon Memo-
29: In an interview, U.S.
rial in Washington DC, dedicated to 184 people who died in the attacks is open to the public
President George W. Bush names No Child Left Behind as one of his most significant achievements and hopes to be remembered for the current situation in Iraq
OCTOBER 2008 2: Sarah Palin and Joe Biden face off in the anticipated Vice Presidential televised debate 3: President Bush signs the $700,000,000,000 bailout bill after it is passed by the House 12: The LM hallpass is established 29: PHILLIES WIN WORLD SERIES: 4 to 1 against the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 5
DECEMBER 2008 9: Almost 1,400 workers are laid off in the Republic of Ireland as a result of the 2008 Irish pork crisis 15: Iraqi Journalist throws shoe at George Bush as a sign of disrespect 16: The Illinois House of Representatives votes unanimously to begin an impeachment inquiry against Governor Rod
Blagojevich for corruption
temperatures reach above 113 °F
unnecessary lighting
19: President Bush announces a $17.4 billion emergency bailout of the automobile industry to protect General Motors and Chrysler from bankruptcy during the current automotive crisis
FEBRUARY 2009 2: Japan’s Mount Asama erupts
APRIL 2009 12: Swine influenza kills at least 68 people and infects at least 1,000 more in Mexico
JANUARY 2009 8: The United Nations suspends humanitarian aid operations in Gaza after receiving fire from the Israel Defense Forces 12: Six of eight LM School Board Directors vote in favor of the
“Modified Plan 3” redistricting proposal, igniting fierce community reaction, especially in South Ardmore. A Civil Rights investigation follows 15: US Airways Flight 1549, an Airbus A320 carrying 155 people, ditches safely into New York City’s Hudson River 26: A set of human octuplets are born alive for the second time in the United States 27: Junior Class Taste of LM is cancelled 31: A heat wave affects southeastern Australia, killing 20 people as
5: USA Swimming suspends Michael Phelps from competition for three months following publication of a photograph of him inhaling from a marijuana pipe
27: A low-flying Boeing VC-25, Air Force One, causes momentary panic in New York City for an unannounced photo-op
22: Slumdog Millionaire wins eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture; Sean Penn wins Best Actor for Milk and Kate Winslet wins Best Actress for The Reader
28: The first transgenic, fluorescent dogs are cloned in South Korea
23: The Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 fall to their lowest levels since 1997
States Armed Forces to withdraw from the Iraq War
MARCH 2009 6: LM Dunk Tank fundraiser takes place, and cafeteria flooding ensues 18: Acclaimed actress Natasha Richardson dies after a ski accident 21: Five thousand people are temporarily evacuated from Wind Gap, Pennsylvania, after a tank truck carrying hydrofluoric acid overturns 28: Millions of people worldwide recognize Earth Hour by deactivating
MAY 2009: 3: Iraq will not extend the deadline for the United
6: The U.S. state of Maine legalizes same-sex marriage 9: Lower Merion A Cappella celebrates its fifth anniversary 10: H1N1 influenza kills a third United States citizen and spreads to Australia and Japan 19: A 47-million-yearold skeleton of a lemur species is discovered in Germany 20: Kris Allen dubbed American Idol over favorite Adam Lambert
Graphic courtesy of Noah Zuares/Staff Photos courtesy of Google Image Search and lmsd.org
12
June 2, 2009
FEATURES
The Merionite
Some Sensible Summer Suggestions Rachel Cohen
Class of 2010
The sweatshirts start acquiring dust in the drawers. Your sunglasses come out of hibernation. The alleged Seasonal Affective Disorder begins to disappear. What is going on? Fear not, overheated one. The increased levels of CO2 in the atmosphere may indeed make us more susceptible to beads of sweat on our foreheads, but just think, all the more reason to join a membership to the township pool. Now, it can be somewhat daunting planning a summer itinerary. Choices tend to overwhelm us. But it’s time to take out your pencil and paper, your SPF, (or tanning oil if you’re Image courtesy of into that) and start planning the agenda. We’ve compiled a couple highlights to help you out.
Swimming
This may seem trite, but the pool is the symbol of the summer. Crash a neighbor’s pool, drive to a lake, buy a Slip-N-Slide, turn on a hose, do whatever it takes to cool off.
The Scott Arboretum
The Scott Arboretum at Swarthmore College is an ideal place to visit this summer. Admission is free and the grounds are open every day dawn to dusk. Visit on July 13th and expereince a free guided tour with the curator,
open to the public. The tour provides an in-depth look at the collections, gardens and plant selections through the eyes of the man responsible for curating the collection.
Make a Book List
Students often complain about the restrictive, forced nature of assigned reading during the school year. This is the opportunity for all those kids to get the freedom to read what they want, at the pace they choose.
Spring Awakening
Spring Awakening is playing at the Academy of Music this summer. This play was the winner of 8 Tony awards including Best Musical. It’s now coming off Broadway and right into the heart of Philadelphia. The show will playing from June 23rd until June 28th.
Learn a new Hobby
Don’t buy into the idea that an google.com “old dog can’t learn new tricks”. Create some goals. Buy a new instrument. Pick up photography. Be creative.
Biking and Picnics
These aren’t overrated, we promise. (There’s a reason these have been popular for years) I recommend Valley Forge as a great picnic site and West River Drive for a great bike route.
The Sunoco Welcome America
The Sunoco Welcome America is a week-long festival in Philadelphia that includes more than 50 free events,
fireworks, historic reenactments and concerts centered around America’s independence. The festival will run from June 27 until July 5.
The Global Fusion Festival
The Global Fusion Festival is the 3rd annual Global Fusion Weekend produced by Philadelphia’s Multicultural Affairs Congress. Experience the cultural music and entertainment for free at Penn’s Landing. The festival will take place from July 16 until July 18. The local and national recording artists represent the diverse cultures throughout the world.
XPoNential Festival
Rock on at the XPoNential Festival is at Wiggins Park in New Jersey. Sponsored by 88.5 XPN radio station, this concert runs 4 days with 3 stages of performances, and over 40 artists to be represented. Come see the concert between July 10 and July 13.
Philadelphia Bastille Day
Philadelphia’s Bastille Day, is celebrated on July 14, during Batille Day, the French n a t i o n a l h o l i d a y. Come watch this event at the Eastern State Penitentiary, and hear the Philly cry of “Let Image courtesy of google.comthem eat TastyKake!” as the locally manufactured pastries are then thrown at the Parisian militia. An exciting re-enactment of the storming of the Bastille is also included in the program. If you’re lucky you may catch a glimpse of Mr. Kilpatrick.
June is bustin’ out all over Bina Peltz
Class of 2010 Wake up and smell the flowers. Yes, that’s right, June is finally here. As pinks and purples color the lawns, the sounds of chirping birds and rustling leaves fill the air. In 2004, former president George W. Bush designated June as the Great Outdoors Month in order to encourage physical activity and preservation of the environment. So shut off your computer, take a break from studying and help America celebrate nature and all it has to offer. 1. June is a great time to increase your connection with your community, as well as your connection with nature. Volunteer to help beautify your neighborhood and gain appreciation for your surroundings. National Trails Day, held on the first Saturday of the month, is a great opportunity to get involved. National Trails Day helps to increase awareness about the nature trails sprawled throughout the country and promotes community relations. On June 6th, Valley Forge National Park will host a clean up day for its trails. In addition to the clean up, hikes, educational workshops, fitness evaluations and exhibits will be available . 2. Hiking is also a great opportunity to experience the diversity of nature.
Take a family member or friend along and reap the benefits of exercise and the environment. Visit www.trails.com to find local hikes that fit your fitness level. For group hikes, you can join free organizations, such as the Philadelphia Hiking and Adventure Group. 3. Swap those flipflops for sneakers and go for a run. You can find an appropriate running route
Image courtesy
at www.usatf.org/routes. Looking for more of a challenge? Gather your motivation and participate in the Tuesday in the Park 5K series. Four monthly runs are held on the Schuylkill River Trail for all ages. Online registration can be found at www.runreg.com. 4. Head down to the beach and soak up some sun. Bring a good book and bask under the sun while watching the
waves. Toss around a ball, ride some waves or build a sand castle. Include a bunch of friends in a water balloon fight. The possibilities are endless! 5. A great bonding experience for both family and friends is outdoor camping. Pennsylvania’s numerous state parks allow for real, hands on experience with nature. State
of google.com
parks provide cheap accommodations and a slew of exciting activities. Go fishing during the day and roast marshmallows over the campfire at night. Many parks allow you to rent boats and kayaks, so hone your boating skills and go out on the water. 6. If you would rather stay in the comfort of your home, you can cre-
ate a backyard campground. Invite friends over, find some flashlights, set up a tent in your backyard and experience the LM nightlife. Put out a blanket and have a picnic dinner or a barbeque. If the sky is clear, go stargaze. Finish the night off with some good, old fashioned ghost stories and then snuggle into your sleeping bags. 7. Remember the biking obsessions in middle school? The next time you find yourself without a ride, dig up your old set of wheels in the shed, put on a helmet and you’re ready to go. Enjoy the wind in your hair while embarking on a fun, healthy and environmentally friendly activity. Want some more adventure? Try mountain biking and explore the various trails in the area. Contact the Philadelphia Mountain Biking Association to find trails, then rent a bike and you’re off! Now that you are armed with some suggestions, put down the newspaper and go outside. Better yet, read the Merionite outside. Appreciate the beauty around you and try a new sport, plant a garden, go swimming, create a scavenger hunt or bird watch. Don’t stay indoors on the windy day, go fly a kite! Practically anything can be done outdoors, so go out and try! Take advantage of the gorgeous weather and create some good times with friends and family. Make the Great Outdoors Month even greater!
June 2, 2009
13
The Merionite
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Summer blockbusters to behold Han Tran
Class of 2011
Are you looking for places to take your girlfriend or boyfriend this summer? Are you going to be bored out of your mind? Will you need somewhere to hang out with your friends? If the answer is yes to any of these questions, you should consider going to your nearest movie theater. Here’s a sneak preview of some movies that are coming out this summer.
The Hangover
What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. That is, unless your wedding is in two days. Faced with an impending wedding, Doug Billings (Justin Bartha) and his three best friends decide to go to Las Vegas and hold a fantastic bachelor party. After a wild night of drinking and debauchery, Doug’s three friends wake up with no memory of the night before. However, Doug is nowhere to be found. To make matters worse, there’s a tiger in the bathroom and a six-month old baby in the closet of their hotel suite. In order to get Doug home in time for the wedding, the three friends must figure out what happened that night so they can find Doug.Will they succeed? Find out on June 12.
My Sister’s Keeper
Based on the powerful novel by Jodi Picoult, this movie premieres on June 26 as well. Anna Fitzgerald (Abigail Breslin) has been conceived by her parents by in-vitro fertilization for the sole purpose of providing a genetic match for her sister Kate (Sofia Vassilieva), who is afflicted with acute promyelocytic leukemia. Kate goes into renal failure and needs a new kidney. Naturally, Kate and Anna’s parents turn to Anna for her kidney. But the thirteen-yearold Anna decides she doesn’t want to donate her kidney and with the help of lawyer Campbell Alexander (Alec Baldwin), Anna sues her parents for medical emancipation. This film also features Cameron Diaz, starring as Sara, the mother of Anna and Kate; and Joan Cusack, starring as the judge.
people as a legend. The boss of a very young FBI, J. Edgar Hoover (Billy Crudup), labels Dillinger America’s most wanted criminal. Hoover gets one of his agents, Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale), to lead a manhunt for Dillinger. Unfortunately for Purvis, Dillinger seems to outsmart the FBI at every turn. At the same time, Purvis is hunting down other robbers like Baby Face Nelson (Stephen Graham), and Pretty Boy Floyd (Channing Tatum). This Michael Mann directed film also hits theaters July 1.
Brüno
Sacha Baron Cohen is back with a third film based on a character from his hit TV show “Da Ali G Show.” It hits theaters July 10. In this comedy film, Cohen stars as a Brüno, a flamboyantly homosexual Austrian TV reporter who will purposely try to make straight people feel uncomfortable with his homosexuality. Like Cohen’s previous film, Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, Brüno will place a lot of focus on deceiving, scaring, and embarrassing people unaware of Brüno’s fictionality.
Food, Inc.
I n t h i s d o c u m e n t a r y, f i l m m a k e r Robert Kenner takes a critical look at the food industry. Dirty secrets about the food industry that the FDA and USDA know about will be revealed. Kenner will expose how the food corporations have risked consumer health, the environment, and workers’ rights all in the name of money. The movie is loosely based on books The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan (who also stars in the movie) and Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser. This film will also be released in theaters June 12.
The Proposal
When pushy book editor Maggie (Sandra Bullock) faces the risk of being deported from the United States to her home country of Canada, she devises a plan. She asks her assistant Andrew (Ryan Reynolds) to pretend to marry her in exchange for keeping his job. In order to make this lie believable to the investigating government, Maggie and Andrew are forced to go to Alaska to spend the weekend with Andrew’s parents. Hilarity ensues. Despite all the problems facing the couple, Maggie and Andrew begin to fall in love. This film will be released June 19.
Photo courtesy of www.examiner.com
Our lovable friends from the Ice Age will grace theaters once more on July 1.
Public Enemies
It’s the 1930s. Poverty is rampant, as is crime. In this true story, Johnny Depp stars as John Dillinger, a high profile bank robber. Because of his successful bank robberies, Dillinger is seen by the
The Stoning of Soraya M
You think your life is terrible? Just wait until you hear the stories of the characters in The Stoning of Soraya M, which is scheduled to come out on June 26. After his car breaks in a remote village in 1986 Iran, Sahebjam (James Caveziel) meets Zahra (Shohreh Aghdashloo). Zahra tells him the harrowing and haunting tale of her niece, Soraya (Mozhan Marnò). Soraya has been stoned to death only two weeks ago on charges of suspected adultery. Her hot tempered husband, Ghorban-Ali (Navid Negahban), simply wanted out of the marriage and decided to accuse her of adultery. This movie exposes the misogyny, lawlessness, and mob rule of a post-revolution Iran.
Photo courtesy of www.johnnydeppfan.nl
Johnny Depp will steal your heart as John Dillinger in Public Enemies
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen T h e S t e v e n S p i e l b e rg - p r o d u c e d sequel to the popular 2007 film Transformers, is coming out on July 24. Both films are based off of the successful Transformers toy franchise that has spawned a cartoon movie, a cartoon TV series, and a comic book series. The plot centers around the war going on between the Transformers robots. The conflict is between the good Autobots and the evil Decepticons. Human Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf), gleans a piece of tasty information involving the history of the Transformers. The Decepticons attempt to capture Witwicky for this information. Meanwhile, Witwicky allies with the Autobots led by general Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen).
A Perfect Getaway
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
Fox has finally come up with the third and final installment in the Ice Age Trilogy. In this computer animated film, Manny (Ray Romano), Sid (John Leguizamo), Diego (Denis Leary), Ellie (Queen Latifah), Eddie (Josh Peck), Crash (Seann William Scott) and Scrat come across a tropical island that existed underneath the ice for many years. However, this tropical island happens to have dinosaurs on it. Take your little brother or sister with you to see this movie premiere on July 1.
Photo courtesy of blog.newsok.com
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen debuts on July 24
Photo courtesy of www.examiner.com
Brüno, a character from Sacha Baron Cohen’s “Da Ali G Show”
Almost everything you see in Brüno will be in unscripted reality. Also like Borat, Brüno will be in a mock-documentary format. Viewers will decide for themselves whether Brüno will be hilarious or distasteful.
Hary Potter and the Half Blood Prince The sixth installment of the successful “Harry Potter” film series is finally here. The movies are all based on the successful Harry Potter novels by J.K. Rowling. In this film, it has become a fact that Lord Voldemort (Hero FiennesTiffin and Frank Dillane) is alive again, and Albus Dumbledore (Sir Michael Gambon) is heavily preparing Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) for his final battle with Voldemort. Meanwhile, the main characters have found themselves dealing with a much more common problem: puberty. Potter develops a crush on Ginny Weasley (Bonnie Wright), who is unfortunately dating someone else. Meanwhile, Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) finds herself jealous of Lavender Brown (Jessie Cave), Ron Weasley’s (Rupert Grint) girlfriend. Finally, somebody dies! But who? Either read the book or watch the movie on July 15 to find out.
All is right for Cliff (Steve Zahn) and Cydney (Milla Jokovich). They are a happy newlywed couple honeymooning in the beautiful paradise of Hawaii. That is, until tales of murdered tourists reach the ears of Cliff and Cydney. Cliff and Cydney join forces with two other couples on vacation, but all hell breaks loose. Nobody can be trusted, and the murderer could potentially one of their friends. Cliff and Cydney’s vacation quickly evolves into an epic battle of survival. Come see this film on August 14 to find out what happens.
The Boat that Rocked
If you like 1960s music, this film, scheduled to come out August 28, is the film for you. In the late 1960s, American teenagers could listen to rock music on the radio all day. However, British teenagers did not have much choice of what to listen to on the radio. There was only one radio station that the British government allowed to be broadcast, and that station played very little recorded music. In response to this, a gang of disc jockeys decides to set up a pirate radio station named Radio Rock. Radio Rock plays rock music all day, and British teenagers love it. Unfortunately, the government attempts to take the station down. This film has a colorful cast, featuring such famous actors as Philip Seymour Hoffman, Kenneth Branaugh, and Bill Nighy. Also, this film boasts director Richard Curtis, who directed films like Four Weddings and a Funeral and Bridget Jones’ Diary. While this film does bear some similarities to Britain in the late 1960s, this film is not attempting to accurately cover what actually happened.
14
June 2, 2009
The Merionite
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Oldies but goldies from Han’s playlist Han Tran
Class of 2011
LMers listen to a lot of music. Whether that music is good or bad is highly subjective and up to debate. But no matter what you think about popular music today, there is a lot of good music out there that most LMers don’t listen to. If you have free time this summer, check out some of these wonderful yet overlooked songs: “That Means A Lot” by The Beatles: Of course everybody knows and loves The Beatles. However, not many people know this song and for a good reason: The Beatles never released it. This song was recorded in 1965 for The Beatles’ album Help!. This was a time when The Beatles were really starting to step out of their pop music bubble and branch out. Paul McCartney’s vocals are haunting, the lyrics are wonderful, and the harmonies are just right. Why they never chose to release this song is beyond me. You can find this song on the second volume of The Beatles Anthology CD. “Àguas De Março” by Antônio Carlos Jobim and Elis Regina: A large portion, if not all of LM’s music is in English. Why not explore a little? Let’s start in Brazil. This song is written by their most internationally renowned compower: Antônio Carlos Jobim. He pretty much created the bossa nova music genre which became
a huge hit in the 1960s. Bossa nova is a blend between jazz and samba, which is a style of latin music. If you’ve ever heard the song “The Girl From Ipanema,”
Photo courtesy of www.kalamu.com
George Benson, one of the greatest jazz guitarists of lal time.
also by Jobim, that’s the archetypal example of a bossa nova. The duet between Jobim and Elis Regina is cute, and you can tell that they are having a lot of fun singing together. Also, the melody is straight-up catchy and memorable. “Je Veux Qu’il Revienne” by Françoise Hardy: OK, if you’re French, you’re probably laughing at me right now. Go ahead. For all of those who are not French, French people would laugh at the inclusion of this song because Hardy’s music is very old. Nevertheless, Hardy’s voice sends a chill to my spine while the chord progression and melody pull at the heartstrings. This song has a typi-
cal 1960s feel, but it’s in French. Although the lyrics aren’t exactly empowering to women (the song is about a woman who is still in love with a man who cheated on her), it’s still a must listen. “On Broadway” by George Benson: George Benson: not only is he possibly the best jazz guitar player alive, but his singing is incredible! Although this is one of his more commercial recordings, this shouldn’t detract you from listening to it. The groove will have you bobbing your head in no time. This song is just naturally uplifting. The best part of the song is when he plays a very complex solo on the guitar while simultaneously singing his solo. Oh, and did I mention that the solo is completely improvised from scratch? Yeah. “Only The Lonely” by Roy Orbison: Elvis Presley called Roy Orbison “the greatest singer in the world. Yet, Orbison doesn’t get as much recognition as he deserves. It was Orbison who sang ‘Oh Pretty Woman,’ which was featured in the film “Pretty Woman” starring Richard Gere and Julia Roberts. ‘Only The Lonely’ actually inspired John Lennon to write The Beatles’ first #1 hit: ‘Please Please Me.’ This heartbreaking song features Orbison’s soulful and smooth singing. You’ll also hear Orbison’s incredible vocal range. “Will You Love Me Tomorrow?” by The Shirelles: Written by one of the great songwriting
duos, Gerry Goffin and Carole King, this tune is upbeat. Yet, there’s a certain sadness behind this song. Shirley Owens does a great job in expressing bittersweetness through her voice. I love the backup vocals and how they make the song catchy and hummable without destroying the bittersweet message. “Just My Imagination (Running Away From Me)” by The Temptations: This was one of the last Temptations songs to feature Eddie Kendricks and Paul Williams. They both left the band shortly after it was recorded. The bluesy guitar line that starts off this song is just perfect. Kendricks gives a stellar falsetto performance, which is complemented by Williams’ rugged yet sensitive voice. A lush orchestration really highlights the lyrics (listen to the string line right after the line “Running Away With Me”). The phenomenal lyrics tell the tale of a man who is madly in love with his girlfriend, and he will marry her soon. However, we find out that the man is not actually dating the girl, and it’s “Just His Imagination.” The brutal truth is confirmed with the line: “But in reality/she doesn’t even know me.” “The Love You Save” by The Jackson 5: I don’t care what Michael Jackson ever did or didn’t do, he’s still the greatest pop singer and dancer to ever grace this earth. This song has an incredible groove, and you can tell that the Jackson brothers were under the influence
of the groove while they recorded this. Of course Michael Jackson’s vocals are nothing short of amazing, and Jermaine Jackson’s vocals are great as well. The orchestral strings don’t come in until near the end of the song, giving the
Photo courtesy of www.guardian.co.uk
The Temptations
song a sense of closure. This one is full of soul. Check it out. “Let’s Get It On” by Marvin Gaye: Most of you probably have heard this song before, but I couldn’t resist putting it on the list. The groove is hypnotizing, Gaye’s voice is extremely passionate, and the instrumentation is tasty. This is a song that’s hard to listen to without moving to the music. I won’t spoil it for those of you who haven’t heard it before, but this is the ultimate dating tune. Play this when you bring your girlfriend or boyfriend home from
Spoiler Alert: “Lost” Season 5’s explosive finale
Jake Wellens
Class of 2011
Six years ago, the flaming remnants of Oceanic Flight 815 deposited 48 survivors onto a very special island. Since then, we’ve witnessed miracles, tragedies, friendships, love created and destroyed, the birth of destinies, and the death of innocence; all of which take place on a tiny plot of mountainous forest in the Pacific. On May 13, the intense fifth season came to a breathtaking close. I will not attempt to summarize the show up to this point, for a few reasons. First, I could not do it even a hint of justice. Second, if you haven’t seen, or rather, experienced the first ninety-something episodes, whatever imagery and significance this article does manage to capture will be entirely lost on you. At this point, the best possible choice of action for you “Lost-virgins” would be to stop reading this article, go to http://abc.go.com and start watching from Season 1. Every episode is available for free and in HD quality (you could have just found a way to spend the first three weeks of your summer). Anyway, let’s delve into this fifth season finale, shall we? The finale begins with a scene from an ancient time when the foot statue possessed a body and a matching foot. We meet two
new characters sitting on the beach. They converse about finding some sort of loophole and killing each other in a way that makes the subject seem quotidian. We don’t know either of their names until the last line of the conversation (in typical Lost fashion), when one of the men is revealed to be the elusive Jacob (sorry to everyone who put their money on Christian Sheppard). The name had been completely enshrouded in mystery since the third season, and only 3 minutes into the finale, we already have a face with which to link it. (Fans of the “Dexter” TV series may recognize him as Rita’s abusive ex-husband.) Jacob appears as a sort of guardian angel in each of the main characters’ respective childhoods, periodically throughout the episode in flashbacks (remember those?). Then, each of the many sub-plots begin to develop. Jack, Sayid, Richard (1970s Richard, that is) and Eloise remove the plutonium core from the H-bomb, and set out to destroy the Swan Station in an effort to avoid the irreversible electromagnetic damage that created a need for Desmond’s hatch and button, and caused the crash of Flight 815. Meanwhile, Sawyer, Kate and Juliet are handcuffed on the DHARMA sub, debating whether or not to stop Jack and the gang from detonating the bomb and thusly executing the island’s many inhabitants. The decision rests on Juliet, and she makes her choice evident by knocking out a guard and forcing the pilot
to resurface. Back (or should I say out of sight and out of mind in a forward?) in the present, Locke cabin in the jungle for three years. and his newly acquired following They make it to the Swan before march to the residency of Jacob. Hurley’s van and attempt to talk Locke reveals that he is not going Jack out of detonating the bomb. to kill Jacob; Ben is. Also occur- Sawyer and Jack end up having a ring in the present, a group of sur- classic Season 1-style fist fight, vivors from the second plane crash which is cut short by Juliet’s avowtake Lapidus and a giant metal box ing of her change of heart. Now all to the site of the statue in search of of them are on the same team, and Jacob. headed toward F rom the site of the that point, giant drill. The the episode “Dharmy” is gets exponot so keen on nentially being blown more excitup, so they preing. Jack pare to defend and Sayid the drill at all face gunfire costs. Jack and when trySawyer’s team ing to sneak plunge into a through war of gunDharmafire with the ville, which Dharma guys. is particuThis scene is larly premade even carious due more awesome to the fact when coupled Photo courtesy of oneasianworld.com with the fact that Sayid is carrying the core of a Hydrogen that the drill has hit the pocket of bomb on his back. Sayid takes a energy, and everything metal is bullet in the stomach, and Jack getting sucked down a giant well. must defend the two of them In a moment of suspense unique to with just a pistol. Thankfully, “Lost” season finales, Jack drops Hurley, Jin and Myles show up in the bomb down the well, and a DHARMA van and speed them everybody braces for explosion. away towards the Swan. Sawyer Yet, the bomb does not detonate, and company are off the sub and and instead, Juliet gets entangled are also heading towards the in some chain and sucked to the Swan, when they run into Bernard mouth of the well, where Sawyer and Rose who have been living grabs her arm to keep her from
falling. The scene becomes a very emotional one, in which the power of their love manifests itself. However, it is not enough to keep Juliet from falling into the abyss. Locke and Ben enter the base of the statue, and Ben readies his knife and himself for the kill. Meanwhile, right outside the statue, Lapidus and the box-carrying, Jacob-knowing survivors arrive and show present-Richard, and us, the contents of the box while simultaneously managing to raise a thousand questions. In the box lies John Locke’s carcass. This immediately gives us that trademarked “Lost” shudder upon which we all thrive. We then get taken back inside the statue with Ben, wannabe-Locke and Jacob. Ben expresses his frustrations and stabs Jacob repeatedly, and Jacob falls to the ground uttering, “they’re coming.” The last few minutes raise even more questions. The last scene shows a very bloodied Juliet at the bottom of the trench, lying next to the live bomb. She grabs a rock and weakly strikes the bomb a few times, then gives it one final resonating whack. The screen goes white, and four black letters are all that’s left. L-O-S-T. The door was left wide open for next season…how does the explosion affect the future? The past? Is Jacob really dead, and if so, what does that mean for the island? I have no idea, but I do have an intense yearning to find out.
June 2, 2009
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The Merionite
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Kid cuisine: introducing Summer trends to try on chef Nick Normile Hannah Weilbacher
Jake Wellens
Class of 2011
It is uncommon for a teenager to be extremely passionate about anything. It is also uncommon for a teenager to be extremely gifted at anything. It is even more atypical for a teenager to be extremely passionate about and gifted at the same thing. Most of you have undoubtedly heard of Nick, most likely labeled as “the kid chef” or “the guy who cooks at a legit restaurant.” But who is the man behind this mask of professionalism and extraordinary talent? He is an intelligent and affable person with a unique passion and gift, and a surprisingly mature perspective on pretty much everything. His ability to articulate his fervency is contagious and refreshing. In an interview, he shared some personal insights, anecdotes and advice pertaining to his culinary infatuation. Q: When did you realize your passion for cooking? A: I realized my passion for cooking at a young age – I always cooked pies, cakes, jams and the like with Grandma when I was younger, but it really became prevalent a few years ago when I started asking my parents to take me to nice restaurants. I began to appreciate the fine food, and my appreciation for eating that food led to my interest in cooking it. Q: What is your favorite thing to cook? A: It is in no way the most challenging, most impressive, or most delicious thing that I can make, but apple pie is my favorite thing to cook, because for me, it is extremely nostalgic. My earliest and fondest memories are of baking apple pies with my grandmother. Making the crust, cutting the apples, smelling the cinnamon, and finally eating the pie are all part of a process that is very special to me. The process evokes every sense, and the fact that it takes me back to "the golden days" when I cooked with Nana makes it special. Besides that, the cooking that I enjoy most is when I can take a few ingredients, and make a dish that is greater than the sum of its parts. Anyone can sauté a piece of salmon or grill a fillet mignon, but it is nowhere near as easy to transform pork belly into bacon; to make flour, water and yeast into bread; or to transform milk and bacteria into yogurt. The cooking that I love almost always involves a process. If you can go from start to finish in 30 minutes, it's nowhere near as fun or rewarding.
Q: To whom do you look for culinary inspiration? A: Working at Lacroix gives me much inspiration, but the majority of my culinary inspiration comes from everyday life. After seeing room for improvement in the Great Harvest Bread Co's S'mores Bread, I set out to create my own. After being subjected to ridiculous prices for Fage Greek Yogurt, I learned to make my own yogurt. After tasting Savi's cookies, I committed myself to
Photo by Nick Normile
Chocolate-drizzled caramel corn; the fruits of Nick’s late-night boredom. creating better ones. Q: What is a typical night at Lacroix like? A: A typical day at Lacroix is rarely typical. There is always something new going on, and customers are largely unpredictable. Most days however, I follow a general schedule, which changes depending on whether I work Sunday or Saturday. Saturday: I get there around 11:30, and begin prep, which may mean anything from making grilled cheeses on brioche with prosciutto and Parmesan for the next day's brunch, to grilling octopus, or to polishing plates. Later in the day, when the dinner crew begins to arrive, I will do dinner prep, which may mean cutting fish, segmenting oranges, or washing salad greens. Then the fun part comes at around 5:30--customers begin to arrive. I usually work at the garde manger station, which means cold food like salads and raw fish and such for customers. I will leave around 8:30. Q: What comestible delights does this summer hold in store for you? A: I will be saving the majority of the money that I make from working at Rita's to eat at the fanciest and best restaurants in New York. I will also be cooking non-stop. Grillin’ and chillin’- that's what I do. Q: Is there anything you'd like to say to anyone interested in the culinary arts? A: Work in a restaurant kitchen before you decide whether you really want to cook.
Q: How important is cooking to you? A: Cooking is one of the most important things in my life. We exist in symbiosis-I need cooking. It (and writing) are my only true passions: two of the few things that genuinely excite me. Cooking is like a constant that keeps me in place. Without cooking, I would be largely unmotivated. I don't know what I would do with myself, though I probably would do a lot more homework.
Q: What do you eat for lunch on schooldays? A: My lunch for tomorrow is quinoa with feta, red onion, walnuts, and pesto. Sometimes I will eat chicken that I've cooked with broccoli that I've roasted. Other times I will have homemade peanut butter with local, raw honey on whole wheat bread that I've also made. Once in a while I will get the school's chicken fingers. Those things are good.
Q: How often do you cook? A: I cook as often as possible, if not more. That means that pretty much every day, I have at least one food related project or experiment going on.
Nick frequently posts his newest recipes, edible excursions and philosophical revelations on his blog, entitled “Foodie at Fifteen (now 16)”. Check it out at http:// foodieatfifteen.blogspot.com
Class of 2010
Summer’s here- a time for relaxation, taking it easy, chilling by the beach… Most people want to throw on some cutoff shorts and whatever tank top they wore yesterday. But if you want to avoid the contagious urge to kick back and ignore fashion all summer, here are some summer 2009 trends to try: Trim- Fringe has been making a comeback for a few seasons now, but it has mostly been warn in a hippie, bohemian way. Why not wear it in a flapper way? Try a metallic fringe dress, or, for the less daring, a party top trimmed subtly with fringe the same color as the top. You could even try a fringetrimmed bikini top. This trend can be taken to the extreme or tuned down; as your mood goes, so goes your fringe.
Photo courtesy of www.geekhandbags.com
Every outfit looks better with accessories. From headscarves down to shoes, a look is never complete without something a little extra.
a great pair of sunglasses. Retro (70’s, 80’s, 90’s inspired) glasses are always crowd favorites, but this summer try glasses in romantic colors like pink and purple. Complement this look with a romantic, draped bag. Big bags with small floral prints are very trendy this season. Finish your outfit off with some ballet flats- there are some terrific ones made from recycled material everyone’s blogging about.
Colors- Go Dresses- If you like dressfor a more mutes, you’ll love how many options ed color palette you have this season. From graphic this summer. tube to plaid t-shirt to spunky knit, Instead of the you can’t go wrong picking out a bright neons (so dress this summer. Try a strappy, 2008), go for the fitted dress for night, or a belted pastels. They are light, playful, floral sundress for a picnic in the lovelyevery- Photo courtesy of dressboston.com park. Any way you go, your dress thing you want is bound to please. your summer to be. From flesh-tones to powdery blues, pastels can, contrary to Guys- Don’t worry boys, we could popular belief, brighten your day. Try never forget you. If you are looking a variety of colors; any option with the to keep up with the trends, ditch the word “baby” in the name will do. basketball shorts and pick up a pair of pleated slacks or vintage Bermuda Pants- Recently people have begun shorts. Vintage tees are always in, but opting for loose-fitting, comfortable if you’re looking to be really fashionpants rather than tight, revealing ones. forward, add some cool color-block Don’t expect this to change as summer shirts to your wardrobe. Why just have approaches. Loose pants made a Ramones concert tee when you could out of light, airy fabric also have a graphic, brightly colored will make any one (reminiscent of Zack of “Saved summer afternoon by the Bell” circa 1990)? Remore pleasant. Lookplace baggy t-shirts with ing for an update? Try these, and you’ll look as a flowy pant with a raised hot as the Philly heat. waist. This will give your pants Photo courtesy of shoes.about.com an extra boost of trendiness, while keeping you comfortable. AccessoriesFor trendy girls, fashion has always been about accessorizing, and this summer is no different. Start your outfit off with
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June 2, 2009
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Summer shows to see Theatre fun in Philadelphia The Merionite
Han Tran
Class of 2011
School ends in 11 days. Are you wondering what to do during the short three months of summer 2009? One word: concerts! Alternative rock bands Nine Inch Nails and Jane’s Addiction are touring together and will be playing a concert at the Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden, New Jersey on June 5. The leader of Nine Inch Nails, Trent Reznor, has said this tour may be the last for Nine Inch Nails. Thus, you should come see this concert before it’s too late to ever see them play live again. Also, Nine Inch Nails is known for doing visual stunts like breaking their instruments in front of the audience, so the show should provide an interesting spectacle. The popular hip-hop band The Roots are holding a music festival called the Roots Picnic at the Festival Pier on June 6. The performers scheduled to play include The Roots (they will perform for two sets), TV On The Radio, The Black Keys, Santigold; Antibalas, The Pipes featuring Zoe Kravitz, Asher Roth, Kid Cudi, Writtenhouse, and Back2Basics with King Britt and Dozia. After each set, DJ Jazzy Jeff will play until the next band is ready to perform. Also, Public Enemy will be performing their entire 1988 hip-hop alubm It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back. If you want to twirl on the lawn while listening to the reuniting jam band Phish, they will be playing the Susquehanna Bank Center on June 7. Phish’s music is highly improvisational, and no song is played the same way twice, so you know that seeing a Phish concert is
Photo courtesy of www.myspace.com
Green Day’s latest album, 21st Century Breakdown, debuted on May 15.
something special. Seeing as this is a reunion concert, you may want to see it, because it may be one of the last times they perform live. Want to relive the 1960s and 1970s? Then come see classic rock legends Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood at the Wachovia Center on June 12. This is also somewhat of a reunion concert, as Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood were in a band together named Blind Faith in the 1969. Unfortunately, Blind Faith broke up very quickly and only produced one album. Thus, it will be a real treat to see these two together. For jazz fans, jazz vocalist Diana Krall is performing at the Mann Center of the Performing Arts. She just released her latest album Quiet Nights this March 31. Not only is Krall a gifted vocalist, but also a superb piano player. Hopefully she will take a
few solos to show off her piano prowess. If you want to hear LM bands and performers, come to the Coffee House Tuesday June 16 at senior Olivia Ickes’ house. If you haven’t read the March article about them, the Coffee Houses are essentially monthly performing arts festivals held at an LMer’s house. Anybody can perform at them, and should you want to perform, email senior Katie Cochrane at kfcpeace19@gmail. com. There will be a motley crew of performances, including junior Peter Johnston’s band Turtleneck Giraffe; singer-songwriter senior Nina Bar-Giora; playwright senior Jeff Nelson performing an original scene featuring Cochrane, Nelson, and senior JC Chou; a jazz/ funk band Jahoney Mama and the Pootie-Pootie-Tang-Tang HUH!;
Leah Rosenbloom
Class of 2011
Also dubbed as a “chilling ghost story” that affects anyone running from their past as well as a comedy, this show follows a group of Irish misfits on Christmas Eve, intent on spending Christmas boozing away and playing poker. Soon, however, the stakes become higher and more sinister than anyone had ever imagined. Freshmen beware—the Arden Theatre Company has recommended this show for juniors and above. For those lovers of the classics, DeSales University’s Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival will satisfy you beyond your wildest dreams. This summer, the theatre offers Antony and Cleopatra, The Comedy of Errors, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and that’s just part of the July-August repertoire. But Shakespeare’s not all they do— the company will also present a musical based on Peter Stone’s book 1776, which has been declared by the New York Times as full of “style, humanity, wit and passion.” The company also features shows for kids, such as Brandon McLauren’s Cinderella, or Shakespeare for Kids, which, if you were feeling particularly nice, you could take a younger sibling or cousin to see. Although the Kimmel Center is usually known for its classical music performances, the Kimmel Center at the Academy of Music has some great Broadway shows. Obviously intent on starting the summer with a big bang, the company
As the days get warmer and longer, performing arts theatres in Philadelphia are Photo courtesy of wordpress.com getting pumped for their summer programs, consisting of The two “piano men,” Elton an array of both famous and John and Billy Joel playing up-and-coming artists performtogether in concert. ing live. If you have a yearning tions Billy Joel and Elton John for exceptional acting, rockin’ are playing at the Citizens Bank music and the overall visual Park on July 30 and August 1. The arts, these venues and their acts two pianists have been touring are sure to fill your melancholy together in a series of “face to face summer days with something tours.” These “face to face tours” entertaining and substantial. were started in 1994 and will The Walnut Street Theater, continue until 2011 at the earliest. founded in 1809 (making it During these concerts, the two America’s oldest theatre still in begin playing and singing duets use), is still going strong after on two grand pianos. Then, each two hundred years. The theatre pianist plays a set by themselves might be old but the shows sure and their own backing band. Fi- aren’t--this summer will feanally, both pianists play together ture Mel Brooks’ musical The with both backing bands. Producers until July 19, which Singer-songwriter Jason Mraz follows a scheming producer is playing at the Festival Pier on and his accountant set on creatAugust 9. Mraz released his lat- ing the worst Broadway musical est album, We Sing. We Dance. of all time, simultaneous with We Steal Things last year. One of the raucous comedy Forbidden Photo courtesy of www.52shows.com the songs on that album, “I’m Broadway’s Greatest Hits, a Yours,” reached number six tribute to the famous Broadway The Roots will be holding on the Billboard Hot 100. It also hits of the twentieth century a festival called the “Roots reached #1 on the US charts. It and the crazy stars that played Picnic” at the Festival Pier has also made the top ten on many them. The main stage is located on June 6. international charts. Finally, this on 825 Walnut St, Philadelphia. and more. song received a Grammy Award The Theatre of Living Arts For all you punk rockers out nomination for Song Of The (known to the LM populace as there, Green Day will perform at Year and Best Male Pop Vocal the “TLA”) has some amazthe Wachovia Spectrum on July Performance at the 2009 Grammy ing shows racked up for the 19. They recently released their Awards. The album also received summer, including the Plain eighth and latest studio album, a nomination for the Grammy White T’s on Sunday, June 14; 21st Century Breakdown, this May Award for Best Engineer Album, a perfect break in the middle 15. Like their penultimate album, Non-Classical in 2009. of finals. The Veronicas will American Idiot, 21st Century For fans of country music, Breakdown is a rock opera. That is, Keith Urban and Taylor Swift all the songs on the album are con- are performing together at the nected and tell some sort of story. Susquehanna Bank Center on Au21st Century Breakdown tells the gust 1. Although they are playing politically driven tale of a couple together for this concert, they are named Christian and Gloria. As not really touring together. Both Green Day put artists are doit, Christian and ing their own Gloria are “trytours and are ing to deal with only meeting the mess our 43rd up to play topresident left begether every hind.” few concerts. The Disney This is Taylor band that girls Swift’s first love to love and headlining guys love to hate, tour. Her tour The Jonas Broth- Photo courtesy of www.concertlive.co.uk spans across Photo courtesy of www.philadelphia-reflections.com ers, are perform- Jason Mraz will be yours to fifty-two ing at the Wacho- see at the Festival Pier on August 9. cities in thirty- The Kimmel Center is located on 260 South Broad Street on the Avenue of the Arts. Check it out for a nice summer evening via Center on July 23 and 24. eight states and provinces in the of music or theatre. Their TV series “JONAS” centers United States and Canada for six around the three brothers (Kevin, months. On Keith Urban’s tour, take the stage Friday, July 17, will premier hot Broadway Joe, and Nick) and their attempt many artists will join him for dif- and there is a medley of local show Spring Awakening on to live a normal life while being ferent concerts.Some musicians Philadelphia bands playing on June 23, followed by equally rockstars. joining him include Sugarland, July 31. The TLA is home to well-known and well-loved R&B singer Beyoncé is per- Glen Cambell, Dierks Bentley, all sorts of local and famous Grease, which starts on July forming at the Wachovia Center The Zac Brown Band, and Lady bands, and either way you’re 7. This is the perfect company on July 26. On Inauguration Day, Antebellum. Urban has recently sure to get quality. And, since for Philadelphia theatre lovshe sang a cover of Etta James’ released his latest CD, Defying the TLA is located on 334 ers, especially because the “At Last” at President Obama’s Gravity, this March 31. Also, Ur- South Street, there’s plenty to group is planning to do Irving inaugural ball. Also, Beyoncé won ban is offering a few tickets that do before and after the concert. Berlin’s White Christmas later the Outstanding Female Artist only cost $20 at every one of his The Arden Theatre Com- this year. For subscribers, the award at the 2009 NAACP Image concerts. pany, located on 40 North 2nd Academy even offers smashAwards. Considering all the awesome street, Old City, offers an array h i t s l i k e Wi c k e d , T h e L i o n If you’ve been waiting for “The concerts that are coming to Phila- of drama and acting classes King, Avenue Q, and Mamma Longest Time” to see “Rocket delphia, it looks like you shouldn’t over the summer as well as the Mia! right here in Philadelphia. Men” play together, piano sensa- be bored this summer. smash hit comedy The Seafarer.
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June 2, 2009
The Merionite
SPORTS
Lacrosse team catches big break Xinran Wang
team were leading scorer and first team All-Central League attack Matt Dilks, senior Jake Eisenhard, attackBoys’ lacrosse had a tough start man junior Jordan Wolf, and senior to the season, losing four of its first goalie Cody Hornung -- a strong core eight games. However, after losing of players. As the season began with to both Radnor and Conestoga, the a 20-10 blowout win against Springteam has found its magic, winning 11 Ford High School, the players sought straight games, and again setting its to repeat last year’s success. sight on the state tournament. However, the players soon faced During the offseason, the team challenges. Plagued by injuries to lost a number of strong players but Wolf and junior Ahmad Zachary, the retained enough talent and experi- team lost two of its next three games, ence to succeed. Returning to the being outscored by 11 goals overall. After a disappointing start, the players put the losses behind them and looked towards the rest of the season. “We realized we had a lot of games left in the season and we knew we could play better than we did in both of those games,” said Eisenhard. “We continued to work hard and it paid off.” After winning the next two games, LM lacrosse faced consecutive games against Radnor and Conestoga, two of the better teams in the state. Against Radnor, the team suffered its worst loss of the Photo by Esther Hoffman/ Staff season, losing 4-14. Boys’ lacrosse continues an 11“No one could catch or game winning streak. Class of 2010
throw; it was raining; we were on defense most of the game; we lost all but two or three face offs, and we made a lot of very stupid mistakes,” recalled Hornung. The Aces’ became no easier, as their game was against perennial Central League foe Conestoga. In the first half, LM came out flat, digging itself into a 2-9 hole. After losing the first two points of the second half, the Bulldogs pulled it together, scoring eight straight goals against the then 13th ranked team in the state. While the Aces would eventually lose, 11-13, the players realized they had the potential to beat any team and regained their confidence. “That game really proved to us the level that we were capable of playing,” commented Wolf. The Conestoga game would prove to be the turning point of the season. “In that second half we changed, both offensively and defensively,” said Hornung. “We found out that we could play with absolutely anyone.” After that game, the team went on a blistering 11 game winning streak. During the streak, LM outscored opponents by an average of over six goals per game. The team adjusted
A stroke of excellence
Emily Eisner
Class of 2010
The crew team at LM is infamous for its vigorous practices and overwhelming schedule. While the majority of high school students at LM avoid crew, crewmembers love the sport and are fully committed to win. Crewmembers row long, skinny boats that hold either four or eight rowers plus a coxswain. They compete in races called “regattas.” While the rowers are responsible for moving the boat, the coxswain is responsible for motivating rowers, assuming all communication responsibilities. Strokes are quantified on two aspects: “stroke rating” and “power.” Stroke rating is the number of strokes that a rower completes in one minute, or the speed of the strokes. Power is the amount of force behind each stroke (the distance the boat is moved with each stroke). Both of these qualities come together to identify one’s stroke. In a long race, a rower will decrease his or her stroke rating, but retain or increase his or her power. Shorter, faster races require a higher stroke rating. Many freshmen at LM quit because of the difficult transition onto the water. Novice boats begin tied to a dock so they don’t move anywhere while rowers practice stroking together. Junior Leah Greenspan says, “The first month on water is complete chaos…it’s a very messy time.” Greenspan identifies the most challenging part of the transition as the sudden trust that you have to have in teammates. She says that,“Being a novice was very
offensive strategy, focusing on Opponent Score face-offs. Overall, all the players Date (Home/Away) have worked hard to improve 3/21 Spring-Ford W 20-10 and play up to their talent. 3/23 W. C. East L 5-12 Eisenhard was the star in 3/27 Garnet Valley W 9-8 the one of the closest games of 3/31 Springfield L 4-9 the season. During the Katie 4/02 Ridley W 7-6 Samson tournament, the LM vs. 4/04 OJR W 9-8 Germantown Academy game 4/14 Radnor Senior L 4-14 stretched into triple overtime Conestoga L 11-13 after a goal by Matt Dilks at 4/16 4/18 C. B. West W 9-3 the end of regulation. In the 4/22 Haverford W 17-5 third overtime, defenseman 4/23 Upper Darby W 11-4 Eisenhard’s goal sent the Aces 4/25 GA W 6-5 to a thrilling victory, defeating 4/28 Strath Haven W 7-6 a team LM has not beaten in a 4/30 Penncrest W 5-4 long time. 5/04 Archbishop Wd W 8-3 This season, Dilks became 5/05 Marple Newtown W 13-4 Lower Merion High School W 15-6 boys lacrosse’s all-time leading 5/07 Harriton Senior 5/12 Bishop Shan. W 11-2 scorer. Dilks’s ability to create 5/14 Upper Dublin W 13-3 favorable matchups and posi5/16 Downingtown E. L 4-11 tions by himself has led to im5/19 Abington W 12-11 proved offensive production. 5/21 W. Chester E. W 15-6 “I’ve worked on my shot a lot in the off season,” says Dilks. “I like being relied on. When the mains strong. “We all believe in each defense plans there schemes around other and watch each others backs you and still can’t stop you, it feels on the field,” said Eisenhard. After good.” a rough start to the season, the LM In the District 1 playoffs, the boys’ lacrosse team has grown into team’s 11 game streak was broken a strong, competitive team, bound in a 4-11 defeat against Downington to make noise in the upcoming state East. Yet the team’s confidence re- tournament.
Lady Baba wins Ultimate State Championship Conor Ferguson
Photo courtesy of David Greenspan
The varsity lightweight boys compete in finals at nationals. eye opening because it was the first time in my life that I had to trust everybody so much.” Any rower would agree that crew relies heavily on the relationship and comfort between team members; a team is only as strong as their weakest link. During a race, it is essential that the strokes of each rower in a boat are synchronized. Only the coxswain can talk, and a strong bond must be formed between team members. It is an adage in the spot that what makes crew so special is the extreme teamwork required to do well. This teamwork helps motivate people to work harder than if crew was an individual sport. “There’s a lot more to do in crew than in running. You’re not just working by yourself; it matters that everyone is in the boat and you need to have focus all the time and when people are relying on you, you work that much harder,” said junior Morgan Gerwitz. This year, five boats -- the
girls’ JV four, girls’ V four, boys’ JV four, boys’ lightweight four, and girls’ lightweight V four -are attending nationals in Princeton, New Jersey. Last weekend in the Stotesbury Regatta, the largest high school regatta in the nation, the girls’ varsity lightweight four won fourth place in their division. This could foreshadow success at nationals. The boys’ lightweight varsity four also plans on placing at nationals. Senior Casey Klein, and integral member of the boys’ lightweight varsity four, says, “Though the sport is difficult, it is well worth the hard work and practice… Rowing is the ultimate team sport. There is no other sport where every teammate relies on the rest of their team so much.” “You train so hard so all you want is to win…that’s why you trust everybody so much…you want it so bad,” said Greenspan. LM’s crew team will continue to work hard in the hopes of succeeding at upcoming nationals.
Class of 2011
Lady Baba, the girls’ ultimate team at LM, captured the state title this weekend, finally establishing itself as an ultra- competitive, top-tier women’s ultimate team on the East coast. Lady Baba was created by senior Nina Bar-Giora and junior Emily Eisner in the spring of 2007 when faculty sponsor, Christina Minecci, encouraged them to create a team to take to the state tournament. Eisner and BarGiora gathered friends to form a team and recruited world champion Kathy Rowe to coach. That year, Lady Baba placed fifth out of the six teams present at the championships, losing to a team with only five players, one of whom was on crutches. After two years of hard work and little success, Lady Baba has proven itself a dominant team in the region. This past fall, Lady Baba combined with a few members of the well-accomplished Cardinal O’Hara girls’ team to win the “Kit Kat and the Hat” tournament. In late April, Lady Baba continued its impressive streak, winning “Green Eggs and Span,” “Hip Hop on Pop” and the City Championships. After sufferingly only two losses during the spring season, Lady Baby entered the state championships as the first seed in the nine team field. The first day of states illustrated just how dominant the LM girls
were. The day consisted of pool play within two pools to determine the seeds for the next days championship bracket. In four games against teams from both Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, Lady Baba’s intense zone defense let up no points. The team’s extremely tight offense managed to score 44 points on the first day, securing their position as first seed in the championship bracket. On the second day of competition, Lady Baba tore through the championship bracket. Their first game, against the Haverford girls’ team, resulted in an 8-2 win, bringing LM into the semi-finals. The semi-finals match against Mt. Lebanon High School proved to be LM’s toughest match. The team displayed extreme poise in coming back from a 3-1 deficit. Lady Baba’s extraordinary offense picked up the slack and ended the game on a eight point streak. The ladies prevailed, 9-3. The final game, against Pittsburgh’s Fox Chapel High School, stretched Lady Baba’s athletic endurance. After playing six games earlier in the weekend, the LM ladies seemed weary entering the championship match. However, the team soon erased any notion of fatigue, carrying their dominating style of play into the final. Lady Baba prevailed victorious, 12-5, winning the state championship and undoubtedly putting Lower Merion girls ultimate on the map for good.
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June 2, 2009
SPORTS LM’s Top 10 Sports Achievements of ’08-’09 The Merionite
Sports Staff
Class of 2010-2011
To mark the completion of the athletic year, The Merionite has once again compiled a list of the top ten sporting achievements for 2008-2009. These accomplishments are a testament to the exemplary athletics reputation LM has established, and we take pride in congratulating this year’s individuals and teams for all of their successes. These feats have been solely ranked based upon merit and do not represent any partiality on the part of the Sports Editors of The Merionite. 10. JV Basketball Continues Undefeated Streak For Sophomores The current sophomore players that went undefeated last year as freshmen achieved the unthinkable yet again. The players truly embodied the team motto of hard work, dedication, and results. By finishing this season a remarkable 19-0, the sophomore players have compiled a gaudy 39-0 record over their first two years. 9. Boys’ Soccer Reaches States Quarter Finals Boys’ soccer finished yet another dominating season. In regular season, the team outscored its opponents 58-4, and held an impressive 14-1-1 record. With a stingy defense of junior Johnny Dolezal, senior Jason Kass, and senior goalie Justin Corrado, and an explosive offense of junior Jordan Wolf, seniors Greg Robbins, Eric Stahler, and Danny DiLullo, the Aces crushed their opponents on the way to the state tournament. After a first round 3-0 win over Parkland High School however, the team lost in a heartbreaker to Neshaminy on penalty kicks. Nonetheless, the boy’s soccer team still played a tough and remarkable season. 8. Boys’ Basketball Wins Centrals After losing a number of key players and having to learn a new offense, the boys’ basketball team started the season off with a rather uninspiring 1-3 record.
Yet from that point forward the team began to play in true Aces fashion, winning 18 of their next 19 games, including some incredible buzzer beaters. After ending the regular season with a 20-4 record, LM captured the Central League Championship, handing rival Conestoga their second loss of the season, both at the hands of the Aces. In districts, the team eased past Quakertown, and pulled out a close win against Central Bucks West with some clutch overtime scoring. However, LM lost in the third round against a talented Penn Wood squad. Despite a first-round exit in the state tournament against Parkland, the team once again achieved remarkable success. 7. Boys’ Tennis Goes To States They began this season determined to reach states for a fourth consecutive year. Midway through their season the boys were met with defeat when they lost all four of their doubles matches against Radnor and went on to lose three of their four matches against Harriton. By the end of the season, the team had recovered and was prepared to enter districts. Much to the team’s surprise, in the District 1 Final, LM lost to Council Rock North, thus reminding them of their vulnerability. Nonetheless, while Robby Kay was fighting off a bought of tendonitis the boys yet again made it to states. This time however, they were unable to make it to the championship and lost in the state quarterfinals against North Allegheny. 6. Boys’ XC Wins Centrals The boys’ cross country team, a tight-knit group that has shown marked improvement over the last few seasons, continued their ascent to dominance by winning the 2008 Central League Championships. The league title was only the second in the program’s 34-year history. Led by seniors Neal Berman and Ben Furcht, who finished first and second, respectively, Lower Merion captured the league title in resounding fashion. The accomplishment had been a yearlong goal, a vision coach Megan Capewell laid out for the squad at the beginning of the season. Running with an exacting purpose and with hunger in their eyes, the boys delivered, extinguishing the frustration from seasons past.
Photo Courtesy of Noah Zuares
5. Girls’ Track Breaks School 4X4 Record The girls’ 4X400 team of senior Hayley Hanafee, sophomores Laura Peterson and Patricia Neckowicz and junior Lauren Zakheim, with senior Sara Ritterband as an alternate defied expectations all season long. At this year’s Penn Relays they broke the existing school record with a time of 4:04.1. Once districts rolled
Photo Courtesy of David Greenspan
around the team managed to run a 4:03.1, breaking the school record yet again but losing to the opposition by a mere half a second. This dynamic squad credits their success this season to the fact that they were such a tight knit bunch. 4. Berman and Furcht’s Triumphant Year Track stars Neal Berman and Ben Furcht ended their LM track careers with an incredible year. During cross-country season, both runners faired brilliantly at the Footlocker Northeast Regional tournament, finishing tenth and eleventh. Qualifying for the National Championships, Furcht went on to finish 31st with a time of 16:07 in the 3.1 mile course. Furcht became the first LM recipient of the Pennsylvania Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year Award.
Photo Courtesy of www.lmsd.org
The duo continued to excel into the winter and outdoor track seasons. In the winter, both qualified for states in the mile and 3K events. In the New Balance Games, Furcht finished fourth and Berman finished twelfth in the mile with times of 4:24 and 4:30, respectively. Recently, Furcht finished second and Berman finished fifth in the 3200 meter run at the PIAA State Track and Field Championships. With such impressive results, Berman and Furcht have definitely cemented their names as two of the best athletes in LM history. 3. Matt Savran and Coby Kramer-Golinkoff Win In State’s Doubles To cap off an amazing four years of LM tennis, seniors Matt Savran and Coby Kramer-Golinkoff
crushed their opponents en route to the PIAA Boys’ Doubles Tennis Championship. After winning the district title, the doubles team carried its momentum into the state tournament. In their four matches, Savran and Kramer-Golinkoff amazingly did not drop a single set, winning with scores of 6-1 6-2, 6-1 6-0, 6-1 6-4, and 6-1 6-3 in the finals. The dominating win stamped their place in LM tennis immortality. 2. Girls’ Ultimate Wins States The Lower Merion girls’ ultimate team, “Lady Baba,” took the state title Memorial Day weekend at the Allentown Lehigh County fields. The team, formed two years ago by senior Nina Bar-Giora and junior Emily Eisner, experienced two years of hard work and many lost games to finally arrive at the state championships this year as the first seed. Eight other girls’ teams gathered from Pittsburgh and Philadelphia to compete in the two-day tournament. On Saturday, Lady Baba played four games, winning all and having no points scored against them. On Sunday, they barreled through the champions
bracket, beating Fox Chapel 12-5 in the finals. They ended the tournament with a overall score of 7310. 1. Crew Wins Silver At Nationals On Memorial Day weekend, the boys’ varsity lightweight four, James Buckmann, Tom Mickler, Daniel Abrams, Casey Klein, and Michael Lowney, boat took second place at nationals. The National Championships were held in Princeton, New Jersey on the Mercer Lake. After qualifying for nationals earlier in the season, the team traveled to New Jersey Thursday evening. On Friday, May 22, the rowers qualified for semi-finals, coming in second in their heat. On Saturday, they took first in their semis heat and prepared to compete in finals. In finals, the boys rowed next to the gold-medalist, Egg Harbor, and competed hard to finish two seconds behind them and win the silver medal.
Photo Courtesy of Hannah Garfield
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June 2, 2009
SPORTS
The Merionite
LM Tennis: a look at the past and present Class of 2011 Over the past three seasons the Lower Merion boy’s tennis team has established themselves as a perennial juggernaut. Their accomplishments during this era have included: three Central League titles, three District 1 championships, three consecutive state appearances, and two PIAA Class AAA state championships. The Aces headed into this campaign hoping to build off the successes of years past. The Aces showed marked dedication in the offseason, putting in extra work in hopes of making states yet again. The Aces got off to an impressive start, defeating Springfield Delco with a resounding 7-0 victory. However, the next match against Radnor would prove less satisfying. The Aces fought hard but lost the match, 4-3. The Aces responded to this surprising setback by winning eight consecutive games. By beating the likes of Conestoga and Penncrest, Central League powerhouses themselves, the Aces made an emphatic statement that they were a force to be reckoned with. The team’s success was brought to a disappointing halt when they lost to Harriton. The Aces were defeated in three of their four doubles matches and one singles match, resulting in a heartbreaking 4-3 defeat. Lower Merion Junior Ben Sataloff blamed the loss on lack of team chemistry saying, “whereas our tennis abilities and physical fitness seemed to be in line, our team chemistry certainly was not, seeing as we lost three of four doubles matches to Harriton.” At the end of regular season, the Aces finished third in the Central League behind Radnor and Harriton. In District play, the Aces crushed their opponents en route to the District final. Yet the Aces were unable to close it out, losing to Council Rock North, 3-2. The second place finish guaranteed the team a number two seed heading into states. The Aces first opponent in states was Central High. Sophomore Ben Levitt
knew to not take this team lightly, despite their relative inexperience. “We saw them play in the Greater Philadelphia tennis challenge and knew we couldn’t underestimate them, but we came in and did what we had to do.” The Aces went on to crush Central, 5-0. The Aces then went on to quarterfinals where they faced Northern Allegheny, a western Pennsylvanian power. The team started off winning two of its singles matches but then went on to lose both of their doubles matches. The team’s fate rested on the injured wrist of Senior Robby Kay, who at the time was battling tendonitis. Kay won the first match but went on to lose the final two. The Aces season was brought to an unexpected close. Despite the early exit, this season continued a golden age of boy’s tennis here at Lower Merion. There may be no state championship this year, but the team achieved remarkable success nonetheless. The Aces are losing three of their top players in Coby Gramer-Golinkoff, Matt Savran and the aforementioned Kay. Next season may prove to be a tough one. Regardless, Junior Ben Sataloff has faith: “Success is achieved in the offseason.” Courtesy Of Esther Hoffman/Staff
Conor Ferguson
LM Tennis enjoys four years of dominance
seed going into states. The Aces continued to prove themselves as the juggernauts they Class of 2011 truly were. Sure enough, they made it to the It all started four years ago in 2006 when championship and achieved the unthinkthe LM boys tennis team went undefeated, able. They won the PIAA Class AAA state finished first in championship for the second year in a row, centrals, won the a feat that few other teams have ever acDistrict 1 title, complished. A dynasty had been created. went to Hershey The following season, the Aces started and won the PIAA off very strong and were committed to go Class AAA state to Hershey for the third consecutive season. championship. It Mid way through the 2008 season, the Aces was the beginning winning streak came to a crashing halt. Their of an era for Lower 54-0 record, spanning over three seasons, Merion boy’s ten- came to an end when they took on The Havnis, and from that erford School and lost in a tight match. That point on, there was didn’t stop the Aces, as they went on to finish no looking back. first in the Central league for the third season Determined in a row. They went on to win the District to repeat history 1 title for the third consecutive season. On in 2007, the Aces top of that, the Aces achieved yet another triworked harder then umph and made it to the finals of the state they did in the pre- championship for the third season in a row. vious season. They Though, the end of this season was unlike the prior two. Instead of stomping the competition, the Aces lost against Upper St. Clair High School, the team that they had beat for the championship title both years prior. The Aces began the 2009 season, returning full throttle, and ready to defeat any competition that came their way. However, this season would turn out to be the least successful out of all of their most recent. They lost their second game of the season against rival Radnor. They went on to win eight consecutive matches but later lost to Central League powerhouse, Penncrest. For the first time in recent hisCourtesy Of Dot Goldberger/Staff tory, the Aces didn’t finish first in the Central League, or make it to the continued to win all of their matches, and District 1 final. Nevertheless, they made it by the end of the season they were unde- to states for the fourth consecutive season. feated yet again. They finished the regular They defeated their first opponent but lost season as Central League champions for the in the quarterfinals against North Allegheny. second straight year. They went on to win Though the team is losing three crucial playthe District 1 title for the second time in as ers this year, in due time, the Aces will return many seasons and received the number one once again to high school tennis supremacy.
Conor Ferguson
Quote:
Sports:
Junior
Sophomore
Freshman
Hobbies: Summer Plans:
Varsity Tennis JV Cross Country Playing in states
Senior
Jesse Cohen
Kyle Perry
Sports: Highlight:
Rebecca Rittenberg
Faces of the Aces
The best athletes that LM has to offer
Highlight: Play tennis, drums, video games, friends Hobbies:
Varsity Baseball Bernie Pearlman’s Pedro Feliz-esque 3rd base play
Sports: Highlight:
Hobbies: Summer Summer Play tennis and win Plans: Ritas, Camp Counselor, Plans: tournaments Quote: Baseball “Adversity causes some Quote: “When the going gets tough, men to break; others to the tough get Cohen.” break records.” The Stanky Leg
Emily Kleiman
An ace year for the Aces
Sports: Highlight: Lacrosse, eating marshmallows, hanging around with friends Hobbies: Summer Working and Relaxing Plans: “When you are not practicing, remember, someone somewhere is practicing, and when you Quote: meet him, he will win.” Varsity Lacrosse Varsity Tennis The Ridley game
Varsity Cross Country Varsity Indoor Track Varsity Outdoor Track The DMR qualifying for indoor states and the 4X8 qualifying for outdoor districts Running and Baking Lifeguarding at the Belmont Hills pool “Pressure is nothing more than the shadow of great opportunity.”
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Volume 80, Issue 9
The Merionite
SPORTS Neal Berman
Danny Greenburg
• Squash Varsity captain • #5 Nationally Ranked in Boys Under 19 • 4th place - US Junior Nationals • 1st team All-MASA (Middle Atlantic Squash Association)
Robby Kay
Ben Furcht
• 2008 Gatorade Pennsylvania Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year • Foot Locker National Cross Country Championships Finalist
June 2, 2009
• Crosscountry, Winter Track, Spring Track Varsity captain • All Northeast in Crosscountry • Indoor--All American in the 5K
Josh Mallin
• Football captain • 3 year Varsity Baseball • 3 year Varsity Football • 2nd team all Central League • 2nd team all Main Line
• 2 time State Champions • 4 District I titles • 4 Central League titles • 1st team All Main Line
Greg Robbins
• 3 time all-state for basketball • 2 time all state for soccer • Regional all American for soccer • McDonald’s All-American nominee for basketball • 2006 state champions
Molly Hanlon
Hana Chamoun
• Soccer Varsity Captain • Team MVP • Central League Champion • All Main Line Times • All Central League
Emily Labowitz
• Field hockey and lacrosse Varsity captain • 1st team Field Hockey All Main Line • 2nd team Lacrosse All Main Line
• Scored 1000 points • 2nd team All State • Winningest girls basketball team in LM history • Undefeated in Central League
Hannah Newman
• Offensive MVP • 1st Team All Main Line Times All Central League • Varsity soccer all four years
Yuxin Liu
• Tennis Varsity captain • Central League Champion • District Champion • State Champion • Honorable mention Main Line Times
Cara Piccoli
• 1st team All Main Line • 1st team All Central League • Main Line Times Athlete of the Week
Graphic by Noah Zuares/Staff