S2
June 8, 2010
The Merionite
Seniors 2010
Reflections from our editors in charge Sivahn Barsade Editor-in-chief
As high school students we make mistakes. People vary in their choice of errors: some fail tests, some trip over inanimate objects, some fight with their parents, some hurt themselves, some hurt others, some crash a car, some break the law, some break a bone. During my own high school career, after a day full of mistakes, a day where it seemed that everything went wrong, my mom asked “so what did you learn from those mistakes?” I was about to commit mistake number three mentioned above (fight with parents) and berate her for: not allowing me to wallow in my misery but instead forcing me to relive the horrible day and dig up some “lesson.” But then, in a fit of sudden calmness, I followed her advice. I recounted each misfortune and thought about how either I could have prevented it or how I could have altered my response. I decided to make a conscious effort never to make that specific mistake again and surprisingly I felt better (the piece of chocolate may have helped a bit too). But the healing powers of chocolate aside, ever since that afternoon I always work to find some lesson in my (multiple) mistakes, and it really helps—both by not repeating the same mistake
Hana Rouse Editor-in-chief
Senior year was nothing like I expected. I certainly developed my own case of Senioritis and ended my fair share of tweets with “Seniors X,” but I don’t think I ever experienced that mythical moment of release when everything suddenly became easy. I don’t know if my classmates had similar experiences, but for me the work load never lessened as senior year progressed: teachers still justifiably cared about their classes; there were always SAT IIs and AP tests to study for; extracurricular activities did not suddenly end. The legendary easy senior year that I had been promised never happened for me. That being said, senior year was still the highlight of my four years of high school, though for very different reasons than I expected. Senior year is a liminal time of transition. As we prepare to move on to the next chapter in our lives, we work to both strength-
again, but also pushing me to focus on improving instead of wallowing in the embarrassment and frustration. Just as teachers and coaches don’t want us to make the same academic or athletic mistake over and over again (thus prompting test corrections and foul shots practice) we should push ourselves to avoid repeating the same interpersonal mistakes. We should look at high school as a time both to messup and learn something in the process.
Hannah Weilbacher Managing Editor
I entered LM as a petrified freshman. I had come from a class of 39 to one of hundreds, where I knew fewer than five of my classmates on day one. Armed with my Smackers lip-gloss, a hair straightener, and my brand new LL Bean backpack, I saw every day as a battle. How do I get to my next study hall? Who can I sit with at lunch? Why can’t my teachers remember my name? I remember walking through the halls completely and totally lost, both physically (it took me days to figure out how to get to the cooking room and the annex) and emotionally. I didn’t raise my hand, I didn’t make a fuss. I wanted to stay under the radar. If no one sees me, they can’t dislike me, right? But I chose to dispose of that philosophy within the first few weeks, when I joined Players. I joined on a whim – I liked theatre enough – but I had no idea how important it would become for me. I didn’t know that it would provide me with a community of positive, intelligent, fun kids, or that it would give me life experiences that would help me after high school, or that I would learn as much about who I was as a person as I did about putting on a show. Luckily, I shed my arsenal as soon as I was swept up by Players, and later by The Merionite, and by other outside activities that I loved. While I know I would have socialized enough to get by in classes, my extra-curriculars threw me into the settings I needed to not simply get by, but to thrive. Not only did I find a community of friends who loves and supports me, but I found job experience, I found out how to run organizations, make a newspaper, and work with the administration in a proPhotos by Madeline Berger/staff ductive way. And it was always fun! I am vastly different from the freshman I was four years ago, and I think that my positive growth is a direct result of my involvement with LM. So, if en the friendships we already have and reach out to you haven’t already, take advantage of the wonderful extrathe people that we never had the chance to interact curriculars LM has to offer. Join a team – even if you just want with. I think that I met more new and interesting to be their statistician. Go out for Players’ fall musical—if you people in senior year than during any other year of don’t get in, join scenery and build a sweet set. Write for The high school. To the upperclassmen I became closer Merionite, or take pictures with the Photo Club, or write poto, I wish I had more time to get to know you. To etry for the Dolphin, or exercise your brain at TSA or Science the underclassmen, I advise you to reach out to the Olympiad. But do something! If nothing else, it will be fun. people around you while you have the chance. Senior year really is about the people you meet. They are what we will remember when we think back on high school. The building we spent four years in is being torn down; tangible things like The Merionite office and the auditorium lobby will no longer exist when we revisit our high school. The thing that really binds us will forever be our classmates and the memories we have made together. So many of those moments center on senior year. Senior year is when we witnessed the return of the school dance and finally beat Radnor in football. During senior year we were introduced to the 1-1 and fought the administration over grading policies and watched Players host its first sold-out show in years. I still stand by what I said in the beginning: senior year was by no means easy. I spent the first half attempting to maintain my grades for college, and the second half trying to survive the heavy workload that as a junior I was crazy enough to think I could handle. However, it is also the year that changed me the most. I don’t know if I could pin down exactly how I changed. I know that I matured; I know that I have grown. In addition to all the good things that senior year has taught me, it also helped me refine the art of procrastination. And so, as I turn in this reflection one week after the due date, I am left with one lingering thought: Seniors X!!!
S3
June 8, 2010
Seniors 2010
The Merionite Eisner represents class of 2010 as Valedictorian
Emily Eisner I feel compelled to make clear, as valedictorian, that grades were not my focus and should not be the focus of any high school student. Lower Merion high School fosters enough anxiety about grades and building up resumes for colleges. But the way I understood my time in High School was not working for every grade or trying to buffer my resume, but instead to find joy and excitement and relationships between everything I was doing. Learning to love academics and make learning fun is definitely challenging, and I definitely did not succeed in every class or every day, but when I did succeed, it both increased my energy and made subjects easier to understand and learn, because I liked it and I felt that it connected within the broad spectrum of studies that I was undertaking. Understanding the historical context of mathematical and scientific achievements, and literary works, or following women through history and thinking about how women play sports and exert energy and release aggressiveness all tied together for me, and gave me just a few windows through which I could look at and understand almost everything I learned in High School. Freshmen year, I even went to the oncologist with my grandmother because I thought I had seen a relationship between enzyme inhibitors, which I was learning
about in Bio, and chemotherapy. And it turned out I was right – when I took the test on that unit, I was able to really understand the functions of enzyme inhibitors, because I had seen them used and acting in real life. Not only was it easier, but I just liked everything more that way! I do love many of the things I learned in High School, and it disappoints me when people lose hope in finding joy in what they are learning, or doing outside the classroom. I believe that everyone should do what they love, and in turn, they will be successful, because loving what you do is what enhances your energy and happiness in your whole life. I loved calculus, and lit, and music major, and chorus, and physics, and loving all of these classes influenced me so much to keep working and keep wanting to learn, and even more to keep trying to help other people learn. I love when people widen their eyes to the idea that they too can enjoy what they’re learning. However, on top of every moment of academic enjoyment, I find myself remembering the moments outside the classroom even more. It was always important for me to find myself taking a break from working, or putting something at a high priority, even. So many spring afternoons, I’ve found myself outside playing ultimate at the park, or just lying in the grass talking with a friend. Spending time away from the classroom, outside in the beautiful environment was what I needed to ensure happiness and reduce anxiety in my life. This winter, the most beautiful moments were in the deep snow with friends I had had since elementary school, laughing and playing. Time almost seemed stopped then—like in James Joyce’s The Dead when the snow over all of Ireland holds the characters from letting go of the past—and I could still enjoy and experience high school and my friends and living at home. And now, even when the snow is gone, I still will always look back at High School as a time in which I learned so much about who I am and what I enjoy, and how to capture those two elements of me and use them to harness success and foremost happiness.
A fond farewell to LM... I love the art show. All year the art program is isolated in a mysterious corner of the Tech Building. Not being an artist myself, except for the occasional glance at a friend’s drawing pad, my high school days are essentially art-less. But every year when May comes around, displays of art pop up all around the high school. And even though it frustrates the gym teachers by taking up the only gym in the building, the art show brings something to the building that (sorry Mr. Downer) gym class does not. When you re- a l ly stop to look at the displays i n the Down’s gym, you real- i z e something. “Wow. This art is ridiculous.” There are the good displays, and then there are the jaw-dropping displays, like are you kidding me Hanna Williams those paintings are nasty (nasty good). It really goes to show how talented Lower Merion students really are. This was, of course, the last year in the old building. “Everything’s going to be different next year,” I’ve been hearing a lot. As Seniors, though, instead of declaring our misfortune a curse, we looked at it as an opportunity. The last Pep Rally in the Down’s gym was hype (not so much for you, though, Freshmen). And we put on easily the best Maroon Madness event ever (safe to say that event is here to stay). Lower Merion High School might look different next year, but it will be more the same than you realize. At Lower Merion, there is an ineffable sense of spirit that hovers over the maroon and white. And it’s not just at the pep
JJ Hoffstein
rallies. It’s in the art rooms and the music rooms; it’s in Players and Dawgma; it’s in Science Olympiad and Student Government. It’s everywhere, it’s inescapable. The setting next year will be different. The bathrooms won’t have any graffiti, the walls won’t be littered with posters, mice won’t fall from Mr. Lynn’s ceiling. But the school will remain the same. The new building doesn’t mean a “fresh start” for Lower Merion High School. We don’t need a fresh start. What we need to do is to carry on the traditions and the spirit that makes Lower Merion so special. Thirty years from now, the world will be very different. There will probably be teleportation, hovercrafts, and schools all across America will be kick starting their 1:1 iPad programs. But when I come back to Lower Merion High School thirty years from now I expect to feel the same way I’ve felt for the past four years—at home.
“I expect to feel the same way I’ve felt for the past four years—at home.”
Maintaining friendships, beyond your immediate circle
Though we may hate to admit it, things are about to change. For the past four years, we have all come to the same place five days a week. We’ve gone to the same
able to meet our friends in the main lob, we won’t know where to find Mr. Kaczmar, in fact, we won’t even know where the bathrooms are. The halls will be flooded with new students, who will be as unfamiliar to us as we are to them. The Lower Merion we entered four years ago has transformed, with a new principal, a new schedule, and of course, new computers. And although at the moment the scariest thing may seem to be leaving our family and friends, I believe the hardest part will be letting go of the familiar encounters that we have grown accustomed to over the years we have spent in this building. When we return home, our family and close friends will be there for us. We all know we will be making an effort to see them over breaks during the year, not to mention the entire summer we have ahead of us. But what about the people that we don’t make an effort to see every day? What about the friends we have made simply by being here? I’m talking about the girl who has sat behind you in history and cracked jokes about the substitute teacher who talks during tests. Or the kid you know from gym who gave you a ride home from the plat when you thought you were totally stranded. And don’t forget that junior in your AP E&M class who had your back when you needed their help on a Webassign at one in the morning.
Over the past four years, I have spent more time during the school day with these classmates than with my best friends. These are the familiar faces that have gotten me through the week, for the past four years. And, inevitably, these are people that it is going to be the hardest to keep in touch with once we leave. These friendships were held together simply because we were required to spend six hours a day in this school. And now that we have finished that stage in our lives, that requirement no longer serves to reinforce that bond. It is now our responsibility to maintain whatever friendships we have formed. For those of you who have a few more years left in this place, take advantage of those relationships. Appreciate the periodic encounters you have with these classmates, and use the opportunity you have to form friendships. When you find yourself in a class without your usual clique, reach out to meet someone new. As homogeneous as the Lower Merion student body may seem at times, it truly contains a vast array of interesting personalities. So get to know these people. Because when it’s all said and done, you’ll miss that familiarity the most. I know I already do.
“it is now our responsibility to maintain whatever friendships we have formed.”
Anna Menaged classrooms, used the same lockers, and seen the same faces. But, when we come back to visit, Lower Merion High School will be an unfamiliar building. We won’t be
S4
June 8, 2010
Seniors 2010
The Merionite
Ask who, not what, you want to be “What do you want to be when you grow up?” It’s a question that gets tossed around a lot by the people in my life. From when I first strapped on my little pink Barbie backpack for kindergarten to last weekend when my aunt pressed an envelope with a $100 bill into my hands as a graduation present, I can remember that question being asked. People are obsessed with the future—of possibilities, of what will be. It’s only natural human curiosity that prompts this cliché question over and over again. But living continually in preparation for the future causes people to also write off the present. They forget that today has importance too. I’ve observed while in high school that students
Connie Hua
get wrapped up in this question of “being” in the future as well. Maybe not to the extent that they agonize over career options and different professions, but there is an overwhelming aura of “I will be the student who applies to college with a perfect GPA. I will be the one who at least passes that Physics test. I will be the kid who doesn’t get caught at the Plat. I will be the girl who kisses that cute guy at that party tonight. I will be, I will be.” Insert whatever you’d like- I’m sure it holds truth to some extent. It’s not bad to have goals and to be ambitious. It is however unfortunate to be so one-dimensional and to forget the present entirely. To forget to stop and appreciate is not only idiotic, but also to an extent, selfish. Forget that trite question above, routinely (and often insincerely) asked. Instead ask yourselves and each other: “Who do you want to be when you grow up?” Rather than focusing on what we will be, focus on who we are today, and the type of person we hope to be in the future. Personality traits, more so than labels, should define us and our future. Too often admirable qualities are forgotten in high school. Too often people forget that the way they interact with others is so incredibly important. So remaining students at Lower Merion—I leave you with this one piece of advice. Life is paradoxically short and long at the same time. It’s too short to not live in the present, but long enough to be something beautiful… if you should choose to make it so.
I’m crutching on you, class of 2010
I splatted. I wouldn’t deem it a fall or a trip or a tumble. I literally “splatted.” And I’m sure the entire table of upperclassmen heard the splat as they stood, pointed and laughed. But who wouldn’t have? A prepubescent freshman boy had just placed one of his crutches on the strap of a backpack and had immediately face-planted, crutches and legs splayed. Time has since numbed the embarrassment I felt that day as I crutched quickly out of the cafeteria. I know for a fact, however, that even after that pesky injury healed and I was crutch-free, I still struggled to find my footing at LM. Sure, I technically “walked” through the halls, waving amiably to vague acquaintances, but in this school of 1400 students, I thought I was slipping. Teachers and administrators would wave to other freshmen whose older siblings they remembered and I would summon my most sullen oldest sibling sigh. At pep rallies, seniors sprayed silly string upon the juniors to a school-wide roar of excitement and I would wonder why I shared none of the fun I was witnessing. As my high school slip n’ slide stretched into sophomore year, I wondered if my quest to plant my feet at LM would ever prove fruitful. Every time I thought I had maybe begun to understand the behemoth school in which I was trapped, LM changed. We wel-
Isaac Lindy
comed a new principal—twice. A new schedule—twice. A new Athletics Director. A new floor plan of the building. My visceral reaction to this disorientation was to reach out and find a grip. With increasing conviction, I was determined to find that foothold from which I could gain a secure vantage point to observe the ever-changing LM landscape. I wanted to carve an identity in this building. My eyes closed, I relied on an innate sense to point me in the direction of the most appropriate stepping stones, and I threw my hand in the air to volunteer to direct a class production of Twelfth Night. I threw in an application to be an editor of The Merionite. I threw myself into the audition and rehearsal process for Guys and Dolls. These were horseshoe tosses, meant to link to something somewhere, and they worked. I suddenly found myself not only walking with purpose through my school, but even sauntering down basketball courts in intramural games and strutting my goodies down runways in school-wide pageants. I had gained a foothold through intense involvement in a couple of key activities and, subsequently, my disorientation melted. LM’s opportunities became mine to harvest. But really, these horseshoe tosses were bound to be successful— eventually. It’s inevitable that in such a new, large environment we feel lost, for even two years. We look for connections, we rely a bit on instinct to guide us, and we finally plant our feet and from there discover the rest of LM’s offerings. Of course, LM may not be as dramatically disorienting as I’ve depicted. After all, we have our perennial support systems. We’re coddled. We’re privileged. We’re spoiled, even, to go to a school like LM that has such a devoted and capable community supporting it. But one can still fall with crutches. Learning to wade through the massive sea of LM is a commendable feat no matter how privileged we may be. It’s a feat of which I’m proud, as an individual and as a member of a senior class that has planted its feet. We don’t need crutches anymore.
Finding ourselves amongst the lost
Remember a freshman year spent in the Ardmore Annex, may it rest in peace, when H days existed and the cocoa yams of Okonkwo dominated our English class discussions? Remember that cool first day outfit, which we wouldn’t be caught dead wearing now? As cliché as it sounds, so much has changed since that 20062007 school year. The week before I began LM, I dreamt this recurring nightmare, four nights in a row, in which high school was some sort of amalgamation of The Breakfast Club and High School Musical. Coming from a private school where my previous grade was one-tenth the size of LM’s incoming freshman class, I convinced myself that I would not make it out alive and created a plan b, c, and d for the first day of school. Graced with a 101 degree fever, I embarked on the anticipated first day with a feeling of slight nausea as I tried to navigate through the angst filled hallways. I came home (yes I cried) convinced I was the only one who felt incredibly lost and lonely. While that story is admittedly slightly embarrassing, luckily I did survive to tell the tale and somewhere along these four years, that individual experience morphed into a shared experience. I can’t identify that specific turning point for me, but I believe that everyone, at one time or another, has felt a part of this. Maybe it was during those inevitably rainy fire drills, or maybe it was at 11:30 at night as you worked with half of your physics class to finish that web assign by midnight. Maybe it was bemoaning the toiletless bathrooms, shaking your booty at a pep rally, or maybe it was just complaining about school. It wasn’t just the Shakespeare we read that taught us, but the laughter that filled the hall as we acted out the roles and the heated discussions that continued far past the bell. We subconsciously pushed aside social barriers and stereotypes, and while it may have only lasted for a few minutes, it left an imprint. As Vitamin C so eloquently put it, “when we look back now…will we still remember everything we learned in school?” Probably not. But while I may not be able to recite the hormones of the endocrine system or the exact points of the Treaty of Versailles, I still remember 8th period “dance parties” in Ries’ freshman bio class and Shelby Foote impersonations in APUSH. I still remember when I discovered that most everyone felt lost at some point during freshman year. So don’t box yourself in, because it all comes together, I promise. Sen10rsX
Bina Peltz
“Life is short, so make fun of it”
Rachel Cohen
Back during the wretched “College Process,” people used to say to me, “Rachel, it doesn’t really matter where you go. You’ll be happy wherever you end up.” And while
this may be true, that I may indeed be happy, I felt a strong, unyielding, and often hard to articulate sensation that the different institutions I attend shape who I become, and thus, the decision did greatly matter. Why did I feel this way? I think the majority of Lower Merion students would say that Harriton students, students that live in the same geographical location, learning with comparable resources and opportunities, and of similar demographics, are, simply different. No matter how much the administration would like to “equalize” us, in the end, we have a distinct culture here. A unique feel. A different attitude. And, undoubtedly, it has made me who I am. Lower Merion has taught me to laugh at myself. I was electrocuted by a computer cart during a Health class in 10th grade. All my tampons spilled out in front of Savi’s Hut freshman year. I’ve tripped down the stairs, I’m pretty sure I’ve tripped up the stairs, and
even as a senior I’ve fallen off The Ledge. But no worries. I’m still here, and I’m happy. And because I can laugh at myself, I can laugh at other things too. Making webcam jokes that don’t get old, affectionately mocking our librarians, teasing our teachers’ mannerisms, joking about the state of our bathroom stalls…it’s as if our entire year is set up to look for material for the April Fools edition of The Merionite. Don’t get caught up with cynicism about the SATs or the fallacious notions that “LM only cares about packaging us up for college.” It’ll only turn you into a sour, angry person. Instead, throw spitballs back. An overarching message I took from Lower Merion is this: life is short, so make fun of it. But find things that you care about also, and take them seriously. Be it a friend, a boyfriend, a club, a team, a class, a cause—put your passion into something. Your time here will seem, and BE, wasted without it.
I’m going to end this with a piece of advice: make friends outside your immediate social circle. A group is good in many ways, and provides the kind of comfort you won’t find anywhere else. But in a place like Lower Merion, where there are so many interesting individuals walking through the halls, to confine yourself solely to kids in your grade, that have known you for a long time, would be to sell yourself short. My experience has been made so much richer by older friends, younger friends, mock trial friends, Merionite friends, field hockey friends, and teacher friends. (Yes, I said teacher friends.) Lower Merion is unique. Some may call it an unrealistic bubble. Whatever you want to call it, all I know is that I just spent the last four years in one of the most spirited, earnest, and special places I could have found myself. And I really mean it when I say I hope you all get as much out of your time here as I did. It goes fast. Live it up and laugh.
S5
June 8, 2010
Seniors 2010
The Merionite
Role reversal: the journey from short freshman to (short) senior Go ahead, clap for me. That’s right, I deserve it, I’m graduating high school. I’ve done enough papers, presentations, and homeworks to call myself a senior. You know, I used to look up at the seniors my freshman year and wonder how they got so old; now I look at my self and wonder, why am I still so short? However, a lot has changed over the years, and these 4 years at Lower Merion have been grand. I started out, like most of us, a shy lil’ froshypoo who hoped to not get caught in the midst of a stampede in the clustered hallways. I used to sit on Penny Packer field and eat my lunch during 7th period,
Dani Dobkin
the same time every day. But soon that field turned to dirt and then morphed into a concrete box. Then sophomore year tumbled along. Ahh yes, sophomore year, the forgotten year. I can say firmly that this was my favorite year. I think it was the mix of the new schedule, the sophomore slump and my classes that made this year so beautifully chaotic. No, really, I did enjoy my 79 minute block of chemistry every B day! The colors of every class all came together creating a mural of thoughts, questions, adventures and advice. Sophomore year I learned to think on my feet and ask the right questions. Alright, junior year wasn’t that bad. It’s not like I cried myself to sleep every night. Like all years, it had its ups and downs. While the ups were tiny little skips and the downs were like falling down a flight of stairs and then being kicked in the face with iron toe boots, I still got through it. Which means, (look at this! Words of encouragement!) you can too. If it was one thing I learned form junior year it’d be (*cough* play ultimate),
“I started out, like most of us, a shy lil’ froshypoo”
Going against the grain I really only have a couple of suggestions to the future kids of this school. The first, be bold. Over the last few
Kyle Peters
weeks that I’ve sat back and reminisced on my high school career I realize that the memories that are most vivid are the ones where I put myself out there and went against the grain. Although some of these experiences may have been scary at the time, as I sit here about to graduate, I could not be more happy that I went through with them. Think back on what you learned last Tuesday in class. I bet you don’t remember much, but I’m sure you’ll remember the time
stop, take a breather, and relax; these AP tests, PSSA’s, ACT’s, SAT’s, won’t kill you. You’ll be fine. They always say that the view is better from the top. Well, it is! Here I am, at the top of the totem pole and senior year is winding down. As a senior I enjoyed being that kid who caused a ruckus and ran over any innocent underclassman that got in my way. However, senior year wasn’t all fun and games. First semester was by far the hardest semester I’ve been through (sorry to all those juniors who were looking for a break…). Yeah I did wait until the night before it was due to write my college essay, but that’s not the point. Don’t give up your senior year, at least not the first half. Well, here I am now. I’m graduating soon and I can’t believe how quickly these 4 years have gone by. While I’m sad to see it go, I’ll always have fond memories of high school. I wish you all the best of luck where ever you end up. Seniors X.
you stood in front of your class to make a speech, getting the lead in the school play, or scoring the game winning goal. I’ve learned that Lower Merion is one of the best high schools that gives you the opportunity to make a name for yourself so take advantage of it. Don’t be afraid to be bold. My last word of advice is my most important as well as easiest to follow. Be kind to one another. In my last four years at Lower Merion I’ve realized that school isn’t so bad when people are good to one another. What you may not realize now is that this school is your second home and that makes the people that go to this school your second family, so why not be good to your family? I can honestly say that the people I’ve meet in my last four years in this high school have taught me more than what I learned in the classrooms and have made me the person I am today, and will be tomorrow when I go into the real world. The more kind you are to people, the more willing to teach you they’ll be, and the more ready you will be in your future endeavors. So thanks to everyone I’ve met over the last four years. Whether I had four years of class with you or just a four minute conversation, you have all taught me things that I will never forget.
The value of LM
My four years at Lower Merion have been an exciting and foundational part of my life. The relationships I have developed have shaped me and will continue to influence me on many levels. Not only have I formed tight relationships with peers, but also, many LM teachers have shaped my thinking and inspired me intellectually. Some teachers have pushed me beyond surface-level judgments, challenging me to “think big” while delivering the highest quality work. Others have sparked real curiosity in subject areas that carried little prior interest. Combined, my many valuable experiences with the LM teacher community have helped me establish a solid foundation of knowledge and constant love of learning and has thoroughly prepared me for a lively and intellectually rigorous college experience. Along with great academic success, I have also spent the past four years working toward high levels of athletic success on the basketball court. Anyone who knows me understands the pride I take in Lower Merion Girls’ Basketball. The program has given me countless memories and taught me important lessons associated with hard work, determination, teamwork and leadership—qualities I will utilize throughout my life. My supportive coaches and all of my teammates cannot be thanked enough. This extraordinary group has been instrumental in my development as an athlete, my soaring success in my senior season and the opportunity to continue my basketball career at the collegiate level. I leave Lower Merion with intellectual confidence, enduring relationships, great life skills and a strong sense of community. No matter where I go or what I aspire to accomplish in the future, my high school years have provided an extraordinarily supportive foundation to pursue whatever goals I set next and opportunities that may come my way. I will always value the privilege of a Lower Merion High School diploma.
Dana Albalancy
Walking or running, we’ll get there all the same I remember walking to class in the Ardmore Annex for freshman year humanities. It was the same group of us, every day, and we were nearly always late. (As some of you remember, the walk from the auditorium lobby to the far reaches of the Annex was roughly 6.2 miles long.) As the bell got closer and closer to ringing we would start to speed up, overly full backpacks slamming against our shoulders as we raced down the hallway to African and Asian studies. The run down the humid, chlorine-scented hall was a blur; we barely spoke as we panted and squeaked over the linoleum. At some point during the year, maybe mid-winter, I realized that it wouldn’t matter if I was 30 sec-
Becca Hafter
onds late to class. It wouldn’t even matter if I was 45 seconds, or even a minute late. That’s when I stopped running. Not everyone in that little group shared my same flouting of authority. I watched them speed ahead of me as I leisurely strolled behind. I tried my hard-
“Being late was a victory I held alone; no one else had achieved the same level of rebellious triumph.” est to convince them that there would be very few consequences to our miniscule tardiness, but most of them didn’t buy it. They insisted that the rules were there for a reason. I held that opinion in angsty adolescent disdain; how could my peers, my best friends, my brilliant and intellectually astute classmates be so caught up in the game school forced us to play? Marginally disgusted, I dropped the subject and decided to
blaze my own trail. Being late was a victory I held alone; no one else had achieved the same level of rebellious triumph. Throughout the years of high school, I realized that my own little form of resistance wasn’t the only way to achieve happiness. Not everyone needed the satisfaction of pseudo-beating-the-system to feel content. It was really okay that some of my classmates adhered strictly to the rules; in their own ways their high school paths were as fulfilling as mine. Late, early, or on time, we all made it through these four years. Now, as the bell to begin our post high school careers gets closer to ringing, I continue to appreciate the paths we have all chosen to take. I know that the way each of us is dealing with the transition, this liminal time, is the right way for each individual. It’s okay that I’m walking while others run; it’s okay that some of us want to move on quickly while others want to savor the past. This may be unbelievable, but I’m pretty sure that the hallway leading to the rest of our lives is a lot longer than the hallway to the end of the Ardmore Annex. I’m sure I’ll see you all on the way there (though I may be a few minutes late).
LM Matriculation 2010: Go Forth To Serve...
Beatrice Abbot Peter Abramowitz Benjamin Adams Jacob Adenbaum Dana Albalancy David Ancona-Cole Katarina Anton Julien Aoyama Elizabeth Arganbright Margaret Arko Maija Aro-Bailey Daniel Aronowitz Stephanie Arthur Jacob Avershal Sarah Badin Maxwell Balbin Hannah Baranov Jennifer Barker Lilith Barlow Olya Barnett Sivahn Barsade Seth Barton-Roberts Andrea Batt Christopher Baumohl Marta Bean Ian Bellah Zoe Benditt Lila Berenholz Aliza Berger Myles Berson Antwine Bing Michael Block Douglas Blum Zachary Blumenfeld Michael Blunt Claudia Bokulich Caitlin Bonney Jake Bosin Rachael Bowen Jessica Bowman Hannah Brannau Rachel Breslow Andrea Brint Marcus Brockington Jordan Bromley Eva Brown Elizabeth Bruss Julia Buckman Nicholas Burgos Olivia Burns Haesun Burris-Lee Bridget Butler Alexandra Cade Christian Caramanica Caroline Carpey Madeleine Carroll Chloe Castellucci Sule Cerdan Shourjo Chakravorty Alexander Chambers Angela Chang Robert Chase William Chimekas Karen Chonofsky Matthew Ciarrochi Courtney Cines Kelly Clark Ryan Clinton Daniel Cohen Oliver Cohen Pierce Cohen Rachel Cohen Jordan Cooper Alexander Cope Anna Corrigan Lilian Crooks Robert Cross Aylin Daldal Ruth Dana
Bard Colllege Pennsylvania State University Drexel University Swarthmore College Connecticut College University of Maryland Jean Madeline Amherst College Tulane University University of Michigan Central Montco Techincal School University of Pennsylvania Montgomery County Community College University of California- Los Angeles University of Pennsylvania Drexel University Pennsylvania State University University of Delaware Chestnut Hill College Bloomsburg University Williams College Temple University Year Off Tufts University Scripps College Vanderbilt University University of Pittsburgh Skidmore College Pennsylvania State University Pennsylvania State University Unavailable Fairleigh Dickinson University- Florham University of Delaware University of Maryland West Chester University Pratt Institute University of Richmond University of Pittsburgh Skidmore College Temple University Saint Joseph’s University Year Off Johnson and Wales University- North Miami Indiana University of Pennsylvania College of Charleston West Virginia University Marquette University Vanderbilt University School of Visual Arts Pennsylvania State University Washington University in St. Louis Fairfield University Eastman School of Music Community College of Philadelphia University of Michigan Wesleyan University Communcity College of Philadelphia Unavailable Emory University Northwestern University Drexel University Year Off Temple University University of Delaware Arcadia University University of Pittsburgh University of Maryland Hunter College University of Rochester Tufts University University of Pittsburgh Johns Hopkins University Bard College ‘15 Pennsylvania State University Cornell University Maryland Institute College of Art West Chester University University of Pennsylvania College of William and Mary
Alicia Danzig Omar Darwish Aaron Dash Rachel Dash Michael Davis Rachel Deery Serina DeMello John DePasquale Bryan Deuber Danielle Dobkin Jonathan Dolezal Kelly Dougherty Molly Edler Emily Eisner Amelia Engel Amanda Farrell Rebecca Ferber Mark Fitzmyer Arianna Flood Conor Foote Benjamin Forer Anna Forman Bryce Friedman Aaron Friggle Curtis Gage Grace Gallagher Madison Gallagher Hannah Garfield Morgan Gerwitz Benjamin Gidaro Paul Gilbert Jason Ginsburg Taylor Giorno Eric Glass Dalia Goldberg Daniel Goldberg Drew Goldberg Hannah Goldberg-Morse Meredith Goldberg-Morse Kira Goldner Ethan Goldstein Matthew Gomberg Ava Goodman Talia Gottesman Carlton Grandison Matina Granieri Darrel Green Leah Greenspan Quiana Griffin Daniel Griffin-Johnson Rebekkah Gross Samuel Gross Jacob Grossman Susanna Grundstein Tiansheng Guo Rebecca Hafter Jennifer Haines Klevis Halili Chantae Hall Benjamin Halpern Daniel Harris Kassandra Harrison Jalil Hasan Jordan Heiliczer Cody Heller Ashton Hicks David Hokcy Carol Hoelscher Lauren Hoffman Jacob Hoffstein Shanequa Howell Carolina Howland Constance Hua Jillian Hunt Kyle Ingerman Michelle Itkin Ivana Ivanovic Emily Jacobson Devaki Jadeja
George Washington University Year Off Tulane University University of Michigan Delaware County Community College Temple University Undecided Work Force Delaware County Community College Bard College University of Pennsylvania New York University- Abu Dhabi West Virginia University Dartmouth College University of Rochester University of Maryland ‘15 University of Pittsburgh- Titusville ROTC Year Off Dickinson College Lehigh University Rothberg International School-Jerusalem University of Pittsburgh Unavailable Marines University of Pittsburgh Saint Joseph’s University Tufts University University of Pittsburgh Yeshiva University University of Rhode Island Yeshiva University ‘15 St. John’s University Pennsylvania State University McGill University Washington University in St. Louis University of Pennsylvania Claremont McKenna College University of Southern California Oberlin College Washington University in St. Louis Temple University Pennsylvania State University University of Massachusetts-Amherst Ithaca College Maryland Institute College of Art Unavailable University of Oregon Unavailable Unavailable University of Pittsburgh University of Michigan Temple University DeSales University Princeton University Kenyon College Unavailable Drexel University Harcum College New York University Dartmouth College Wheaton College Unavailable University of Maryland Year Off Undecided Drexel University Pennsylvania State University Unavailable Amherst College University of the Arts- Philadelphia Elon University University of Pennsylvania University of Massachusetts- Amherst Colage University Shippensburg University Undecided University of Delaware Saint Joseph’s University
Gregory Jarmas Eunice Jin Daray Johnson James Johnson Peter Johnston Ana Jones Maris Jones Jennifer Jovinelly Sarah Jurkofsky Giorgi Kalandadze Benjaming Kamens Melissa Kaufman Michael Kaufman Alexander Keat Ann Kennedy James Kennedy Stephen Kent Ananas Khogali-Mustafa Deeanna King Chloe Kirkland Brittany Kirschner Jesse Kitnick Georgia Kitsios Zachary Kollmann Marianna Kozak Jason Kraman Leah Kramer Grace Krotkov Andrew Kuklinski Mark Kvalsvik Eleanore Lail Eve Laren Nora Lashner Losimani Lavulo Oren Lawit Lauren Leibach Yisroel Leibowitz Kendre Lesch Jessica Levin Laura Levine Deborah Levy Sasha Levyn Amanda Lewis Khyree Lewis Lauren Lewis Andrew Lichtenstein Danielle Lindheim Isaac Lindy Tianyi Liu Alexandra Lockhart Stephen Logan Amelia Lohmann Amelia Lord Jonathan Lubeck Jana Ludwig Jenny Ma Marlee Madora Serendipity Major Jonah Mann Joshua Margolis Gabrielle Marino Christian Marriner Lauren Maslanka Allegra Massaro Zoe Matza Julia May Alexandra Mazis Christine Mazzanobile Nicole McAvoy-Hull Becky McCartney Teyanna McCoy Kylie McDevitt Jason McGonigle Ashley McKay Michael Meade Sebastian Medina Caroline Meehan Dara Meekins-Anderson Anthony Melendez
Princeton University Boston University Art Institute of Philadelphia Undecided Skidmore College Pratt Institute Ithaca College Temple University Ithaca College Unavailable Pennsylvania State University West Chester University Vassar College Occidental College ‘15 Fordham University Pennsylvania State University-Brandywine Harvard University Goucher College Duquesne University Undecided Dean College University of Pittsburgh Jean Madeline University of Delaware New York University University of Michigan Hamilton College Guilford University Pennsylvania State University Marines Moore College of Art University of St. Andrews University of Michigan Saint Mary’s College of California University of Pittsburgh University of Michigan Tulane University Saint Joseph’s University University of Pittsburgh University of Michigan New York University University of Maryland Rhode Island School of Design Rutgers University ‘15 Syracuse University Temple University Syracuse University Vassar College Rutgers University Washington University in St. Louis Unavailable Undecided Allegheny College Wesleyan University Emory University University of Pennsylvania Emory University University of Arkansas- Fayetteville University of Pennsylvania University of Pennsylvania Moore College of Art and Design Delaware Valley College University of Pittsburgh-Bradford St. John’s University George Washington University Duke University Rosemont College Drew University Montgomery County Community College Unavailable Howard University Bloomsburg University Undecided Immaculata University Unavailable Unavailable Pennsylvania State University George Mason University Delaware County Community College
Anna Menaged Guy Mentel Ron Mentel Alyson Miller Jonathan Miller Alexis Miller-Golub Asahel Millis Ryan Minster Andrew Mongeluzzi Elizabeth Mooseburner Ethan Moritz Christopher Morrill Paris Morrison Casey Murray Sara Murray Dana Myers Momo Nakagawa Alec Nathan Jonas Newschaffer Anthony Nguyen Quinton Nistico Sophie Novick Israel Nuñez-Marcos Nnaemeka Nwafor Marcus Odom Heather Paley Emily Partridge Anthipi Paxinos Margaret Payne Julien Pearson Bina Peltz Kyle Peters Frieda Peterson-Horner Samantha Platt Rebecca Plotnick Julia Policastro Mark Potter Stephen Prifti Michael Rabinowitz Renee Ragwan Ryan Rampersaud Zachary Ray Adam Reicherter Christopher Reilly Neirys Richter Rebecca Rittenberg Angus Robertson Brian Robertson Howard Robins Sophia Rodbell Alexandra Roesler Paige Rollins Magali Roman Eric Rosenbaum Danielle Rosenzweig Daniel Rosner Brenna Ross Jamal Ross Dena Rothman Hana Rouse Joshua Rubin Noor Ruwaih Christina Sacco Adam Sachs Adam Saltzberg Julia Sarnacki Benjamin Sataloff Johnathan Sataloff Ankur Saxena Max Scharf Andrew Schiffrin Benjamin Schlesinger Christina Schoenhard Dylan Scott Alon Seltzer Joseph Shallow Kyra Shore Gabriel Siegal Andrew Silver
University of Pennsylvania Georgetown University Temple University Skidmore College University of Michigan University of Pittsburgh Immaculata University University of Pittsburgh Towson University University of Colorado-Boulder Wesleyan University University of Southern Maine Undecided Pennsylvania State University New York University University of Colorado-Boulder University of Pittsburgh University of Delaware Continue at LMHS Temple University Immaculata University University of Maryland Year Off American University Hartt School of Music Towson University Bucknell University Delaware County Community College Pennsylvania State University Delaware County Community College Princeton University ‘15 Temple University Goucher College Pennsylvania State University Carleton College Temple University University of Pittsburgh Emroy University University of Delaware Eastern University Drexel University West Chester University Temple University Year Off Montgomery County Community College Colgate University University of Pittsburgh University of Pittsburgh University of Michigan Roanoke College Widener University Unavailable Temple University Shippensburg University University of Pittsburgh University of Pittsburgh George Washington University Year Off University of Rochester Harvard University Franklin and Marshall College Temple University Indiana University of Pennsylvania University of Michigan Skidmore College Montgomery County Community College Vanderbilt University Amherst College Drexel University Rutgers University University of the Arts Philadelphia Temple University Maryland Institute College of Art The Hartt School of Music The Salisbury School (Prep) Immaculata University Tyler School of Art New York University Temple University
Sophie Skoke Momadu Sluwar Allison Smith Lucas Smith Shulamit Smith Jordan Smith-Hobson Laura Sokil Emily Sorenson Julia Sosenko Ryan Spencer Zane Stalberg Alexa Stango Justin Starkman Joseph Stedford James Stellato Lauren Stevens Claire Summers Leah Sutton Elese Swift Daniel Szallsi Eva Tan Max Tassano Kouri Taylor Stephanie Thai Robert Thomas Chelsey Thompson Nile Thompson Jordan Tillage Daniel Timm Jessica Titlebaum Nash Tomey Carolina Torres Christopher Turton Tamir Tusia Ellen Urheim Jack Van Adelsberg Lucas Van Houten Delia Votsch Taylor Votto Julia Vresilovic Lazar Vuckovic Michael Wade Xavion Walls Kathryn Walsh Tianwei Wang Xinran Wang James Warshaw Jade Waterman Ryan Watson Jennifer Weidner Hannah Weilbacher Ari Weisband Caroline Wells Kate Werder Kara Wertheimer Briana White Walter Whiteman Hanna Williams Sarah Winston Daniel Witte Meron Woidislavsky Jordan Wolf Craig Wooten Nechelle Wooten Rekik Worku Dominique Wright Jamai Wright Carmel Yaari Ahmad Zachary-Duncan Lauren Zakheim Zachary Zelouf Yueyi Zhou Benjamin Zielonka Noah Zuares David Zucker Joshua Zuckerman
Temple University Yavapai College West Chester University Unavailable New York Unversity ‘15 Saint Joseph’s University Cornell University Columbia University University of Maryland Threshold Program at Lesley College Juniata College University of Pittsburgh West Virginia University Temple University Drexel University University of Massachusetts-Amherst Vassar College Washington University in St. Louis Philadelphia Community College Saint Joseph’s University Unavailable Carnegie Mellon University Saint Joseph’s University Drexel University Unavailable Immaculata University Ursinus College West Chester University Macalester College Wesleyan University New England Conservatory Drexel University University of Pittsburgh Unavailable Johns Hopkins University Ithaca College Claremont McKenna College Drexel University Hope College Trinity College Pennsylvania State University-Abington Continue Studies at LMHS University of Arizona Newumann University Pennsylvania State University-Brandywine University of Pennsylvania Princeton University Drexel University Lock Haven University University of Pittsburgh Oberlin College Ursinus College University of Virginia University of Massachusetts-Amherst University of Pittsburgh Unavailable Unavailable Laguna College of Art and Design University of Pittsburgh Hamilton College Temple University ‘15 Duke University Delaware County Community College Temple University Dallas University Unavailable Montgomery County Community College Binghamton University University of Vermont Muhlenberg University University of Colorado-Boulder University of Pennsylvania Washington University in St. Louis Drexel University Washington University in St. Louis University of Pennsylvania
The editors of The Merionite offer our sincere regrets to anyone not mentioned in this year’s Matriculation list. We wish you all the best of luck in your future endeavors.
S8
June 8, 2010
Seniors 2010
The Merionite
Savor the memories, for they’ll fly by
Not only was senior year by far the most incredible year of my life but it was also the quickest. In the last month I’ve heard so many people say, “I remember when I was just a freshman. It felt like yesterday.” Even though high school has flown by, it will always be a time that I’ll remember. Being
done with school hasn’t exactly hit me yet but, here are my thoughts. High School is like nothing you will ever encounter in your life. There is no other time where people of
a given community get to wake up every single morning and spend 6 hours with each other 5 days a week. When school is over you will obviously see your closest friends but, the ones you don’t see so much outside of school will be almost forgotten. What I noticed most about senior year was how connected our grade became as a whole. As senior year got closer and closer to ending, my grade got closer and closer as well. Now that it’s over that camaraderie is weakening which is pretty sad. Sports were a big part of my life at Lower Merion. My high school sports career is close to ending. However, I am going to play lacrosse next year so it’s not like I’ll be done with sports but it will not be the same. There is something to be said about a team of players winning and representing the community they were all raised in. Coach Fadely used to always touch upon teams being a family and looking out for one another. There is no other time in your life where you will feel that type of bond and as I continue with my sports career next year, it won’t be the same. Everyone always says that they can’t wait to be done with school and how they can’t wait to go to college. However, I am telling you right now that you will miss high school so don’t rush too fast to get out of here. I wish I could go back—I already miss so many people I used to see every day. I am bored out of my mind sitting at home and wish I had another year to spend with them all. To Bully, Wow, Rose, Lemonick, McKenna, Stoosh, Hank, Rachel and your girls, and everyone I missed, make sure you guys have a really great year next year and go really really hard.
Well here we are. Or are we? It’s more likely that most of us are there, thinking about what’s for dinner, what’s on TV tonight, what we could, should, or would like to be doing. That’s where my issue with Lower Merion comes in, and it’s not so much about the school, but about our student body. We’re obsessed. It doesn’t matter if we’re out on smoker’s row skipping gym or cramming in the library until we go cross-eyed. We’ve all got this sickness and it’s sucking us dry. But what is this illness that blinds us to the life around us, that turns our tongues black as complaints spill from our lips? We’re never here. We’re shadows of ourselves, constantly craving the next big thing. How many times have we heard: “I can’t wait ‘til this test is out of the way, ‘til American Idol comes on, ‘til I’m in college.” How many times have we said it ourselves? The present
moment is never good enough. If we’re in math we’d rather be at lunch and if we’re at lunch, we’d really rather be at home. Each Monday starts the countdown to Friday and each Sunday night we wallow in our back-to-school blues. Is there a magic cure-all for our situation, a little blue pill that sends us down a rabbit hole of salvation? No. Unfortunately, staying present takes a little work and it isn’t always easy. But what if we try unplugging ourselves from our computers and iPods (yes, everything is wireless, but mentally unplug)? Let’s shut down the computer and put it away, hide it in the basement where we can’t be tempted to stalk our friend’s cousin’s sister on Facebook. Let’s turn off the cellphone and cut the umbilical cord that links us to everyone we know and then some. Without all the technology weighing us down, we’re free to be human again, to be kids again. We can hop in the car and drive aimlessly, stick our heads out the window and let the wind wash us clean. Or we can just go outside, lie down in the grass, and breath, maybe even turning up the corners of our mouths and laughing deeply. It’s okay. We’re allowed to be crazy and enjoy life, right here, right now, as it is in this moment.
“What I noticed most about senior year was how connected our grade became as a whole.”
Jordan Wolf
To be human again: living in the now
Lexi MillerGollub
“We’re shadows of ourselves, constantly craving the next big thing.”
In a heartbeat Of leaks and legacy
Chris Turton
Lower Merion has been a smooth and easy trail for me as a student. First coming in at the age of 14 I was both naïve and ignorant of what to come. Entering into this school I was under the influence that the teachers were the scariest people and did not care about you, but boy was I wrong! The faculty and coaches make it their job to make sure that you are as happy as possible. On top of being happy, sports definitely softens your fall into high school. All of our athletic programs combine kids who may have a lot of friends with those who don’t have
many and builds a community outside of just academics. Personally, from doing sports I felt that I knew everyone because kids from different grades participated in the same activities as I did. I couldn’t have enjoyed my stay at Lower Merion anymore than I did especially freshman year. Freshman year is always the hardest for kids because they have a hard time adjusting to the new atmosphere and times. Contrary to belief freshman year is the easiest because the teachers focus more on your transitioning into adulthood than workload. The same applies in junior year: I was focusing so much on how I was going to apply for college and taking the SAT/ACT’s that my teachers would understand sometimes that homework wasn’t always the first priority. Senior year couldn’t have been anymore fun because once you get accepted into college you can sit back, relax and be happy that you were accepted into college. Now that I’m currently working on my senior project and will be departing from Lower Merion shortly, I can truly say that I enjoyed my stay and if I had a chance to relive any of it, I would in a heartbeat.
Kara Wertheimer
Ever since construction began on LM, every local stranger I talk to tells me how sorry they are for me that I won’t get to experience the new building. I quickly tell them that I’m not sorry at all and that I’m actually overjoyed to be the last graduating class of the old building. Although the class of 2010 may have been deprived of the fancy amenities the new building will boast, I’d gladly give that up for the history and tradition of this soon to be destroyed structure. So what that we had to deal with crumbling ceilings and constant leaks? In my opinion that is a small price to pay for what we did get to experience, such
as shaking our booties as freshman on the stage of the main gym and sitting on the platform in the cafeteria as seniors. These traditions were a part of the old building, just as the yellowing walls and the engraved science tables were. These flaws added character and gave the school a personality that no new building will ever be able to replicate. I sincerely hope that next year the classes that follow will be able to bring some of the old spirit over into the new building. Lower Merion High School has always been recognized as a school of excellence and that is not just because of its academic standards. It’s because anyone who enters feels the sense of community that surrounds every student. Even if you choose not to get involved, you are part of the Aces, and most school don’t foster that attitude. I was lucky enough to get involved in many organizations throughout my four years, which is probably why I am finding it so hard to leave behind LMHS and advance on to the new chapter in my life. I take comfort in the fact that LM kids are proud of their spirit and even if traditions change, they will never die. So, please don’t pity the Class of 2010 for missing out on the new building! I think I speak for all of us when I say that we are proud to graduate with the legacy and memories of the old building.
S9
June 8, 2010
Seniors 2010
The Merionite
A passion unlike any other
“I love Lower Merion.” What is this, 1965? The Beatles are huge, and the Beach Boys are bigger than Dylan? A relic of a phrase, captured in the opening of a brand new Lower Merion School? I don’t know as much about any of those times, even as a History teacher. I do know that these words are from this year, from a member of this senior class and in my mind they reveal quite a bit of the joy that the class of 2010 brought to my daily experiences with so many of its members over the past four years. Optimism, but not misplaced. Balance, between intense devotion to school work and passion for things student-run and Dawg Pound loud. To make the best of school life in half a building, to anticipate eagerly the experiences of their younger classmates in a new school building that they themselves will nevertheless not be present to enjoy speaks volumes about the collected personalities of this group of seniors. “ I love Lower Merion.” Well stated. Thanks, folks. I am privileged to know you from the classroom and from afternoons devoted to theatre. I look forward to meeting more of you upon your return to LM as a graduate. You are all defining elements of my life as a teacher. Good luck. Peace.
John Grace History
Power in places and people The places from where you come impact who you are. This sentiment seems simple, especially in the midst of graduation speeches and high school goodbyes. In these moments, everyone seems to be talking about how high school in general or Lower Merion in particular has shaped them. But in all honesty, the power of the places you live and the people within those places are much more complex than we sometimes admit. The places we live and the people we know inhabit us. It is never simply a matter of geography. They instill within us the unspoken norms of what is valued or despised, what is worth a struggle or lost without care, what is memorialized or forgotten. In ways we don’t always know or recognize, these places and people cast into relief details of our lives. They keep us in touch with the people we used to be and shape the people we become. Those people are complex and varied, even within single individuals. No person is simply one “type.” Walt Whitman describes this as “being large” and “containing multitudes.” George Lamming describes this as being comfortable “in the castle of your skin.” In Light in August, William Faulkner describes identity shaped by
Leslie Pratt English
space as “of itself alone serene, of itself alone triumphant.” Carolyn Forsche describes the embrace of this complexity as the choice between “ourselves and nothing.” We are never one essentialized self. While you have shared experiences with friends and classmates, you never take away the same understandings as the person sitting next to you. So there is something wildly social and deeply personal about the four years you have spent together in this common space of Lower Merion High School. How you have made sense of those experiences and the many ways you see yourself in light of those experiences shapes you. In this vein, I think about my own experiences with the power of place to impact identity. I think about growing up in a small town in the old coal region of Pennsylvania, a town two hours and a world away from Lower Merion. Where I grew up crafted my character in indelible ways. Some of these ways are incredibly positive. Others are not. But this is the great gift of any graduation and commencement; endings and beginnings offer the opportunity to reflect and make sense of the people we have become and the places we have been. It allows us to take with us the best parts of ourselves and our pasts in ways we would not otherwise be able to do. Perhaps even more importantly, it allows us to take those “not so best parts” and learn from them. I wish each member of this class this sense of life-sustaining memory and character creation that comes from remembering the people you used to be and the places you used to know. This is why it is essential that you never allow yourself to be narrowly constructed as a person. To be one thing obscures the beautiful, albeit risky, complexity of who we are. I hope that you embrace both beauty and risk as you leave Lower Merion, as you become the men and women you were meant to be.
“While you have shared experiences with friends and classmates, you never take away the same understandings as the person sitting next to you.”
Read additional teacher reflections online at www.merionite.org
Imagination can breathe life into reality
“
...And because, in all the galaxy, they had found nothing more precious than Mind, they encouraged its dawning everywhere. They became farmers in the fields of stars; they sowed, and sometimes they reaped. And sometimes, dispassionately, they had to weed.
”
The above quotation opens the Epilogue of 2010: Odyssey Two, by Arthur C. Clarke, a National Bestseller of mythical proportions within the world of science fiction. Conceived and written during the years 1964 – 1968, C l a r k e ’s p r e q u e l 2001: A Space Odyssey ponders the gravitational field of Jupiter in an effort to discover more about the planet. Ironically, this same fictional tactic was employed by the Vo y a g e r s p a c e probes in 1979. We never envisioned in the 1960s that an exploration of the moons of Jupiter would reside fifteen years in the future. We also never envisioned that Man’s exploration of the cosmos within a literary tradition would predate Neil Armstrong’s landing on the moon in 1969. We certainly never imagined that Clarke’s creative Mind would craft an explosion of the oxygen tank within the Command Module (aka Odyssey) into his plot structure and HAL, the Command Module’s fictional computer, would declare, “Sorry to interrupt the festivities, but we have a problem.” This fictional explosion and declaration precedes the real explosion aboard the real spacecraft Odyssey on April 13, 1970, when the real astronaut, Jack Swigert, during the Apollo 13 mission declares, “Hey, we’ve got a problem here” and the real astronaut and mission commander James Lovell repeats to Mission Control, “Houston, we’ve had a problem.” Despite the onboard explosion and the failed lunar landing in the Apollo 13 mission, the crew of three highly qualified , precision-intensive and imaginative astronauts landed safely on Earth, April 17, 1970, and galvanized lunar exploration. Therefore, Imagination can breathe life into Reality; Life imitates Art; Nature imitates Art; History and Fiction interlace; and the Mind can invent History! Each of you owns a kernel, a seed of knowledge that makes you distinctive. As high school graduates, you launch your new status as “farmers in the fields of stars;” cultivating your dreams becomes a vital rite of passage. As you till the soil of your Mind seeking to make the invisible somehow visible, you will begin to understand that the kernel/seed planted in autumn germinates during the winter, sprouts new life in the spring and bears fruit in the summer. Sometimes, the harvest is bitter; sometimes, the harvest is sweet; but the labor is imperative! Fieldwork renders a degree of uncertainty; the weeds of doubt, indecision and apathy may appear spontaneously and shift the meaning and value of the labor. Weeds destroy the fruit by extracting essential nutrients from the soil. Astronauts and Writers and Seeds, OH MY! Okay, here’s the connection. As the odyssey of life continues to unfold, nourish the soul of your Mind. Remember that reaching for your dreams is labor intensive; remember that you possess the power to change history. Finally, when you savor the labor and give reverence to the voyage rather than the destination, you achieve a leadership moment , which allows you to unite the stars with the earth.
Debora Hobbs English
Congratulations and Good Luck Class of 2010! Oh the Places You’ll Go
By the numbers
Where seniors will reside next year
International
Graphic by Matt Rublin & Noah Zuares/Staff
UAE- 1 Israel- 4 Canada- 1 Scotland- 1
The Count is In: Most popular schools for the Class of 2010
Pittsburgh- 28 Temple- 19 Penn State- 18 UPenn-13 Drexel-13 Michigan-11
Graphic by Matt Rublin & Noah Zuares/Staff