February 2023

Illustration: Julian Mendez ’24

EDITORIAL: Let’s work to make every Haven student involved

EDITORIAL BOARD

February is the culmination of Strath Haven’s oldest traditions and newest additions. Senior celebrations. The Black History Month assembly. Dances. Singing valentines. And at the heart of all these events? Student leadership.

In every pocket of our school community— from our myriad clubs to the student council to our 300-person marching band— students are planning, organizing, and taking charge. Student council presidents, drum majors, and club leaders are the face of our school community.

Take the Black History Month assembly, for instance, which was led entirely by the Young Activists Coalition. Students took initiative to create a presentation that showcased black experiences and history while also accentuating their personal abilities and passions.

Strath Haven provides the opportunity for students to both pursue their passion and take on a leadership role. Whether you’re passionate about music, sports, or computer programming—a position of leadership is possible.

These opportunities, though, should be afforded to all students, and not just to those who self-advocate enough to get involved.

As reported in “Extracurricular Activities and Adolescent Adjustment,” a 2005 research paper that examined the association between participation in school-based extracurricular activities and general social and emotional

functioning of teens, participation in clubs means lower levels of marijuana use, higher grades and aspirations, and more positive academic attitudes.

Teachers already spend time on icebreaker activities to get to know their students’ interests at the beginning of every semester. By recommending school-based activities that may align with these interests, teachers can foster stronger relationships with students while also pushing them to involve themselves in the school community.

A student leader’s talent should be measured by their capacity to bring people together—to notice where they can use their ability to uplift others.

Recruitment shouldn’t be about quantity, but instead about building a highquality community.

We cannot meet students where they are through teacher intervention alone, however. Student leaders shouldn’t settle for an inactive club or an inactive student body. At our school, at the beginning of the year, students gather around brightly decorated tables, littered with candy, to sign up for activities. This bribe-fest is one of, if not the only, time in the year that student leaders recruit the student body to get involved.

Instead of a competition of how many sign-ups you can get, we should use our ability to observe our peers both inside and outside the classroom, and to inform meaningful connections. For a student leader, recruitment shouldn’t be about quantity, but instead about building a compassionate community where students have the secure space to be ambitious, curious, and passionate.

Student leaders often take the spotlight, but to slow down and observe how they can acknowledge a fellow student is an overlooked, yet critical skill.

When student leaders approach their peers, encouraging them to engage in whichever school activity, they foster a more compassionate student community while simultaneously improving themselves. So we challenge student leaders to proactively reach out to their peers who might otherwise not be involved in extracurriculars. Open a discussion with them, whether it be over email or in person, and don’t give up on them.

It is time to meet students where they are, for teachers to help get students involved, and for student leaders to reach out. When you look around the classroom, you’ll see students that are highly involved, but you’ll also see students whose names you don’t even know.

Let’s work together to learn those names, and make sure all students will become, in the words of our school’s mission statement, “responsible citizens engaged in their community, nation, and the world around them.”*

OPINION: Student journalism is real journalism

Student Press Freedom Day reminds us of the importance of authentic stories.

Julia Gray ‘23

Editor-in-Chief

About once a month, my co-editor-in-chief and I begin the process of pitching and brainstorming stories for our paper. We stand in front of our staff, throwing candy at writers who volunteer to write an article.

Sometimes, though, we are in this process and an article that a writer thinks will be controversial is pitched. The stream of candy stops.

“Can we write about that? Can we ask that question?” we ask ourselves.

As the editor-in-chief of a publication, I see every article before it is published, but I also help during this storyboarding process. Here is where I see the most self-censoring. What story would you write if no one could stop you? If you were free of self-censorship? That was one of the questions the Student Press Law Center asked during a session I attended at the National High School Journalism Convention in St. Louis last fall.

In a room full of excited, dedicated, and passionate student journalists, I learned that students felt they couldn’t write about the LGBTQ+ population at the school, book bans, sex education, or adolescent drug use. I felt disappointed that my fellow students felt that they couldn’t write about these topics—but I wasn’t shocked.

Sometimes it feels like being a student journalist is a constant and long-running fight against censorship, whether it be from outside forces or self-imposed.

The 1988 Supreme Court case Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier, which uses vague language to define when and where schools and colleges can regulate newspapers, leaves student journalists vulnerable to unbridled censorship. This ruling means we must work to protect our ability to tell the stories of our community.

Right here in Pennsylvania, in 2019, students from The Playwickian at Neshaminy High School fought consistent budget cuts and censorship. They persisted, however, and published a story exposing the school’s mishandling of sexual assault and harassment complaints.

The author and editor-in-chief of the publication, Grace Marion, received a Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment award for her work, which recognizes excellence in journalism, education, publishing, law, government, and arts and entertainment. This award, which Marion won for work she completed while she was in high school, is not reserved for students.

This is why it is vital for student journalists to be censor-free, whether it be self-imposed or otherwise. Student journalism is real journalism. Without her reporting, the true nature of Marion’s school’s mishandling of complaints wouldn’t have come to light.

Beginning with our last issue, The Panther Press was subjected to prior review.

According to the Journalism Education Association, prior review occurs when anyone who is not on the publication requires that they read, view, or approve student material before distribution.

Prior review leads to self-censoring, a fear that a writer’s work won’t be “approved” that I’ve seen first-hand.

Student journalism shouldn’t have to be approved by anyone but student editors. We should have the opportunity to take true accountability for our work. Instead, prior review stunts the development of true journalistic responsibility.

The elimination of prior review means the creation of true trust between a publication’s staff and their audience. We should be able to gain trust, admit our mistakes, and live with the consequences without administrative interference.

As student journalists, we have the ability to see into an ill-lit landscape that mainstream news doesn’t have access to. When we are censored, our ability to report stops, and we can’t be the voice of our community,

Student Press Freedom Day is celebrated each year in February (Feb. 23 this year), but these discussions need to be constant in order to protect free speech. *

About

The Panther Press is the student-run publication of Strath Haven High School in Wallingford, PA. The Panther Press publishes 500 copies bimonthly in print and is distributed to classrooms and students at Strath Haven High School. The publication is also online at www. shpantherpress.com

The Panther Press is first and foremost a reflection of the opinions and interests of the student body. For this reason, we do not publish any anonymous or teacher-written submissions, and we do not discriminate against any ideology or political opinion. While we are bound by school policy (and funding) and we will not render any article neutral, although individual points may be edited for obscene or inflammatory content. Finally, the articles published in The Panther Press do not necessarily reflect the views of the editors or advisers.

Submissions

All Strath Haven students are welcome to learn the basics of journalism and become contributors to The Panther Press. Our 2022-2023 Google Classroom code is irwrlgv. Interested students should join the page to learn about upcoming meetings and training sessions.

Letters to the editor are encouraged. Any reader may submit a letter to the editor via email to strathhavenpantherpress@gmail.com. Anonymous letters will not be published. Editors reserve the right to contact letter writers or edit submissions for reasons of space or clarity.

Our staff also welcomes feedback in the comments section of The Panther Press online or via our social media. Each comment is subject to review by a student editor with support from the adviser. Online commenters on our website must have a verified email address, and comments are reviewed for defamation, profanity, obscenity, libel, and invasion of privacy. Not all comments are published.

Bylines

All contributors are listed in the bylines of stories that appear in print and online. Photography, graphics, art, illustrations, and other creative work will be given attribution. Unsigned editorials, when published, feature the byline of the Editorial Board

Social Media

The Panther Press maintains social media accounts on Twitter (@shpantherpress) and Instagram (@shpantherpress). The editors-inchief and social media editor manage the social media accounts in consultation with the adviser. We encourage community members to follow us on social media for online posting and discussion of student news.

Our staff members do their best to ensure that social media content is accurate and verified. Any inaccurate information will be corrected with corrections acknowledged.

Social media participants should remember that anything posted in response to The Panther Press social media is public and reflects on our publication, our school, and the poster. Social media replies and comments will be screened for defamation, profanity, or libel.

Advertising

Print and online advertising is at the discretion of our editors. The Panther Press reserves the right to refuse advertising deemed inappropriate for high school publication or not addressed to our audience of student readers.

2022-2023 Editorial Staff

Editors-in-Chief

Matthew Chen ’23

Julia Gray ’23

Copy Editor

Kaitlyn Ho ‘26

Media & Video

Sylvan Prey-Harbaugh ‘23

Haven Happenings

Editor Rhys Hals ’23

Haven Arts Editor

Imogen Sharif ‘23

Sports Editor Jillian Thomas ‘24

Detours Editor

Matteo Ventresca ‘25

Opinions Editor Sasha Binder ‘24

Adviser

Ms. Kate Plows

As students continue to showcase their extracurricular talents, we need to ensure that all students can engage in their community.

World-traveling

teacher

uses

wedding dress to memorialize special experiences

Counselor and husband published a book featuring pictures of her wearing her wedding dress all around the globe.

Kaitlyn Ho ‘26 Copy Editor

Expanded schedule expected for International Day

On March 19, 2008, counselor and Strath Haven alumnus Jennifer Salvage walked down the aisle to where her husband-tobe Jeff Salvage was waiting.

Ever since, she has traveled the world taking a series of wedding dress photos with her husband, who is a photographer. From climbing the Swiss Alps to walking in China during the 2008 Olympics, Salvage has experienced some fantastical things—all in her wedding dress.

Originally, the Salvages had planned a destination wedding to Easter Island, with the plan that Mr. Salvage would take pictures of her in a quick photo shoot fashion. However, once that was over, Salvage found herself questioning the quick use of her dress.

“After the wedding day, I continued getting in and out of the dress so that he could take some really cool shots all around the island,” she said. “I think it was on the flight home—I was having that feeling that I think so many newly married brides have. It was kind of like, wow, I’m not going to wear the dress again.”

From this feeling blossomed a simple idea, though the couple can’t recall who thought of it. What if they brought her wedding dress to just a few more places to take pictures?

“The response that we got was overwhelmingly positive,” Salvage said. “So many people were so excited about it that by the time we got home from that two months of travel, we kind of knew we were onto something, and it got bigger and bigger and bigger.”

News about their international wedding dress photos spread, and soon their story was in the Philadelphia Inquirer and aired on “Good Morning America.”

They compiled their pictures into a book, “One Dress, One Woman, One World.” The book is filled with pictures of Salvage in her wedding dress across the globe, doing anything from riding roller coasters, climbing mountains, and playing with puppies, accompanied by descriptions of the trip.

“Jeff took all the photos, none of them are photoshopped,” she said. “They’re all real. If I couldn’t get to something, or we couldn’t make it work, we just didn’t use it. But most of the photos are still actually on the website. And they’re a lot of fun.”

They continue to take photos to this day, though they paused due to COVID. They accumulated more than enough over the years to update the book with more pictures and more descriptions.

Salvage recalled her time in Egypt, where she had been playing pool with her husband. She only knows a bit of Arabic, but was still able to

enjoy playing with the kids there. The trip gave her a new appreciation for the perspective her wedding dress photo shoots had given her.

“We kept hearing little giggles, and then we kept seeing little heads kind of peering out from the door of the house,” Salvage said. “We welcomed them to come out and play with us. They were fascinated.”

Salvage painted a vivid picture of curious children. She was able to create a stronger bond with them thanks to her wedding dress, and both her and the children were able to learn more about each other’s culture through this exchange.

“At some point, my husband said, ‘Why don’t you go’—because we always have the dress with us—‘why don’t you go put the dress on, they’ll be blown away’…I came back out [in the dress], the kids went nuts,” Salvage said. “Before we left— there was a little girl and a little boy—the little girl came running and did like a leap into my arms for a bear hug. The shots with her are one of my favorite moments ever, because it was just such a genuine connection.”

Genuine connections are something that many people feel they lacked during the pandemic, and immersing herself in many different cultures prior made Salvage feel that absence strongly.

“I wish more people could have these types of experiences, not necessarily with the wedding dress, but just getting out and seeing different people in different cultures and experiencing different food,” she said. “Because what it teaches you is, we’re more the same than we are different, even if we have different, you know, political beliefs or different religions. So I think it has definitely broadened my horizons. For me, that’s what feeds the soul.”

The business that had given them the wedding dress heard about what they were doing, and jumped on the chance to advertise a dress that could withstand international travel and exploits. They offered help.

“They gave us five for free, had them tailored. We’ve only ever used two of them, so there’s still three in a bag,” Salvage said.

And how does Salvage keep a wedding dress that travels the world pristine white?

“There’s [a] $1.99 dry cleaner in Cherry Hill… that’s where I take them to get them dry cleaned,” she said. “In all these years, even when I’ve brought in two dresses at once, they have never asked me why this wedding dress keeps coming back for dry cleaning.”*

Bailey

Hansen

‘24 Contributor

2023 marks the second year of International Day. This year’s event will expand on the activities and performances from 2022.

International Day was previously a day when students could wear clothes associated with their culture and attend a lively assembly. However, this year International Day will become a day where members of the community–not just the high school–can come together and be engaged in multiple cultures.

For the first time ever, there will be a cultural fair on March 23 from 6-8 p.m. in the grand hall of the high school. The cultural fair is a community-wide event and will include food and games.

Additionally, the fair will have several tables lining the grand hall. Each table will have its own activity that represents different cultures. On the following day, there will be an assembly for students to showcase their culture. This assembly will have a fashion show and other events to look forward to.

Junior Martha Mboowa advocated for the excitement received during last year’s assembly. And with this excitement comes anticipation.

“I really loved what they did with International Day last year and am really excited to see what changes are being made this year,” Mboowa said.

The preparations that have been made can be described as nothing less than extraordinary. International Day presents more than just a chance to inform the students. Faculty advisor Pamela Kaneda explains that International Day offers a chance for students to show their talent.

“It’s another opportunity for students to showcase talent that would otherwise go unnoticed,” Kaneda said.

International Day also offers an opportunity for the community to be included in each other’s culture, expanding the community’s sense of diversity.

Senior student council president Aashna Pandey and senior Dyvne’ Lee are working together to coordinate the high school’s contribution to the day.

“We want it to not only be a cool experience but also something that resonates with the person who’s watching,” Pandey said. “Something that touches you and makes you encouraged to talk about the diversity in your own life.”*

Students pursue passions through college classes

Dual-enrollment program provides opportunities to further educational interests.

Charles Bogert ‘23 Reporter

Strath Haven offers a wide variety of classes in various subjects, but some students still go above and beyond. Seniors Caleb Young and Jai Rastogi are just two of them.

Last semester both Young and Rastogi took online math courses through Johns Hopkins University. Young took Differential Equations, while Rastogi took the Intro to Abstract Algebra. This semester, Rastogi is enrolled in a Harvard Extension computer science course, Data Structures and Algorithms.

In order to take these classes, Young and Rastogi had to get them approved by the school administration. Part of that process is completing Strath Haven’s curriculum in the respective fields.

“I had to complete all of the math classes to take Abstract Algebra,” Rastogi said. “To do Data Structures and Algorithms, I got a 5 on the AP [Computer Science A] exam and that was enough to take it.”

Both students took these classes as an independent study block, doing most of their work in the library.

“The study was great,” Young said. “It was very nice to have over an hour each day to totally dedicate to my class, and since it was self-paced, I was generally able to make the most of that time. I always felt like I had proper resources at my disposal which was in large part due to Mr. [Jason] Torregrossa and Mrs. [Lysa] Rieger who let me ask questions sometimes and use whiteboards.”

Young and Rastogi both said that the classes they took at Haven helped build a foundation for success in their college courses.

“There was a lot of linear [algebra] in Abstract Algebra,” Rastogi said. With this great opportunity comes great responsibility, though, as students should be prepared to study on their own efficiently.

“It’s pretty easy to get distracted sometimes,” Rastogi said. “So you got to stay on top of your work.”*

ZERO G’S • Mrs. Salvage travelled to Florida to experience a zero-g plane ride, a weightless experience that mirrors the zero-gravity environment in space. • FROM “ONE DRESS, ONE WOMAN, ONE WORLD” https://onedressonewoman.com/ JEFF SALVAGE

More new faces, new experiences

More new teachers have joined our school community since the start of the new year.

Evelynn Lin ‘25 Reporter

Ms. Hannah Holt, Science

At just 22, Ms. Hannah Holt joined the Strath Haven community on Jan. 3, 2003 as a longterm substitute for Ms. Kari Reese

She comes from student teaching at Frary Charter High School in Center City, Philadelphia, and last summer, taught a fast-paced five-week chemistry course for students. This transition in her life pushed her into adapting to new changes in her teaching role.

“I got to be a co-teacher, and I got to run all of my ideas by someone else,” Holt said. “And in the beginning, I was mostly observing, and then slowly, I would take on more and more responsibilities until I was teaching full-time.”

Still, Holt had a mentor teacher as guidance. Teaching here at Haven, she has had to accommodate for her students’ learning herself and take more accountability for her decisions as a teacher.

Not just that, but Holt also joined Haven in the midst of upcoming finals.

or something. And that helps me unwind a little bit before I have to start working.”

This new pressure of the teaching world for Holt also pushed her to find ways to better balance her work and personal life and appreciate her weekend time outside of teaching.

It has brought about new challenges she hadn’t experienced in her student teaching before, such as having more significant responsibility over chemistry labs in the classroom and adjusting to block scheduling.

“I think as I get more comfortable with the activities that we do, and with the students that I have, and what they enjoy the most, I think that it’ll be better overall.”

Ms. Hannah Holt

“It was pretty hard, I’m not going to lie. I think the students were worried because each of the different classes was actually in a completely different unit,” she said. “So I basically had to plan for three different classes. And that was a lot coming right in.”

In spite of the difficulties, Holt has found ways to manage the pressure and go to work each day with a fresh mind.

“One thing that is helpful is I do have a rather long commute,” she said. “The commute time itself is about an hour and 20 minutes. And it involves a walk and on the train, and then the subway, but it does give me some time to just chill for a bit and to not think about school. And so I have used that time to read or listen to podcasts

“In previous teaching, I had like 45 minutes to an hour to teach a lesson,” Holt said. “And so I got used to having things go very quickly and trying to get students to move on very quickly.”

Here at Haven, though, classes take on a slower pace, with 1-hour 20-minute classes. Holt has had to learn how to better pace herself in assisting her students.

“Now I’m finding that I have to plan for more things,” she said. “So I’m still working on the balance between making sure that all the time in class is used well, but not making it so busy that students are overwhelmed.”

In any new setting, management can be challenging. But thankfully for Ms. Holt, she has chemistry teachers Mr. Chris Heiskell and Mrs. Danielle Ciamaichelo to help her adapt to such an enormous transition in her life. Her students also aided in Holt’s positive impression of the Haven community as well.

“A lot of them have been very helpful if there’s ever, like, procedural things that I’m confused about,” Holt said. “Students will sometimes be like, ‘Oh, here’s how you do this thing.’ And for the most part, they’re helpful.”

Another difficult yet interesting challenge Holt had

Mr. Brent Thomas, Business, Engineering & Technology

New wood tech teacher discusses his transition from Upper Darby and the challenges of being new in the school community.

There are students working away at large, rectangular tables, learning to use wood-cutting materials to help design their ongoing projects. The smell of fine, rusty wood and nothing but the sounds of drills and saws fill the high-ceiling classroom.

This is the setting Mr. Brent Thomas has always known as a wood tech teacher. Having taught for many years, Thomas recently joined the Haven community from Upper Darby High School on Jan. 4, 2023. Unlike many other new teachers at Haven who have had to adjust to block scheduling, Thomas was already used to it from Upper Darby. He decided to join Haven for more personal reasons in his experience with wood tech.

Protesto, Thomas found it enjoyable and valuable to see the close of the first semester.

“I got to see the end of the semester, and I got to see where students’ projects kind of ended up, how they evolve,” he said. “And now I see where they begin. I see a beginning and an end, which is helpful.”

“I felt that I wanted to grow professionally, in some ways. So, this seemed like a really good way to bring that possibility about in my career.”

Mr. Brent Thomas

“I felt that I wanted to grow professionally, in some ways. So, this seemed like a really good way to bring that possibility about in my career,” he said. Thomas noted several differences between the schools that made the transition to Strath Haven a good fit for him, such as the sizes of classes.

“The classes were a little bit bigger [at Upper Darby],” Thomas said. “And as a result, we weren’t able to use the caliber of machinery we can here at Strath Haven High School. So we weren’t able to use things with the beginners like a table saw or a miter saw… It was a little bit more dangerous.”

Arriving a few weeks before the start of the second semester to replace outgoing teacher Ms. Jessica

Thomas also noted how despite being new, he received much support from wood tech and CADD teacher Mr. Page Brown on his arrival.

“I’m fortunate enough to have Mr. Brown who has taught me a lot about just being part of the school and the school culture,” Thomas said. “He’s always willing to answer questions about different machines that I haven’t worked with before. And different kinds of processes that are important to understand as a teacher here: filling out forms, housekeeping stuff, basically everything.”

Thomas looks forward to teaching students to enjoy the process of making objects and getting settled into the Haven community. He also looks forward to teaching full-time next year, where he will be able to partake in the introduction of potential new classes.

“One thing that we’re supposed to start is a new engineering program and new engineering classes, and there’s equipment that I’ve heard rumors about new equipment coming in,” Thomas said. “And all of that is exciting… but none of that is going to happen until next year.”*

to reconcile with was being not much older than the high schoolers she teaches. Not only is it unusual for new teachers to start so young, but there is also a lot to consider in regard to teaching experience on such a level.

“I think a lot of the teachers here that are a bit older have done other careers before going into teaching,” Holt said. “And so I’ve wondered whether I want to try some other things before being in a more permanent teaching job.”

Unlike most other teachers, Holt chose to take on a full teaching job before others to improve her teaching abilities.

“I think, for now, I’m happy to get some experience,” Holt said. “And I think being younger, there are definitely positives and negatives to that.”

As the second semester progresses further, she continues to work hard to help her students learn to their fullest abilities and is looking forward to the remaining part of the school year.

“I’m excited for things to go uphill. I think as I get more comfortable with the activities that we do, and with the students that I have, and what they enjoy the most, I think that it’ll be better overall,” Holt said. “I think it really can only go up from the beginning.”*

New environmental science and chemistry teacher describes the changes from being a student teacher to a full-time high school teacher at such a young age.

MS. HANNAH HOLT EVELYNN LIN

MR. BRENT THOMAS EVELYNN LIN

Senior hopes to combat imposter syndrome with website

Matthew Chen ‘23 Editor-in-Chief

Up to 82 percent of people in the United States face feelings of imposter syndrome. Senior Aïssata Koné researched this phenomenon for her fall semester independent study.

Imposter syndrome is defined as a psychological pattern whereby an individual doubts their accomplishments and has a fear of being exposed as a fraud.

Koné first realized she felt symptoms of imposter syndrome when she was in eleventh grade.

“I was accomplishing a lot of things like getting good grades and awards and stuff, but I wasn’t happy,” she said. “I was wondering why because usually people who get good awards or good grades are happy about those sorts of things. And I realized that it was because I was denying myself [of happiness].”

Koné decided to find out why she reacted negatively toward her achievements and how she could use her own experience as a resource for others who share the same feelings.

“[Imposter syndrome] is such an important topic to talk about,” she said. “I feel like a lot of people don’t talk about it… I feel like it’s really easy to feel unworthy or not proud of your accomplishments.”

Koné thinks that imposter syndrome may be more prevalent in the Strath Haven community than in other places.

“I just feel like we have a really competitive environment here,” she said. “So I feel like it’s really easy to feel unworthy or not proud of your accomplishments.”

The final product of her independent study was a website that covers the history of imposter syndrome, ways to diagnose and counsel yourself, and the negative influence of social media on the phenomenon.

Social studies teacher Mrs. Amanda Lawson advised Koné’s independent study and pushed her to create a tangible resource that others could use.

“I thought [imposter syndrome] was definitely something that high achieving females in a high achieving school district might be going through,” Lawson said. “I thought [the independent study] was a worthwhile endeavor.”

https://sites.google.com/view/impostorsyndrome-resource/

The task of compiling research for her final website was far from easy. Koné sifted through books about the subject, scoured the internet, and watched movies and documentaries.

Some of the most influential resources in her research were her interaction with Michelle Obama and her interview with Dr. Jess Sinarski.

Koné saw former First Lady Michelle Obama in Philadelphia on a tour for her book “The Light We Carry.” Inspired by the show, she compiled insights from the presentation on the website. Her transcribed interview with Sinarski, a licensed mental health professional, includes helpful insights on overcoming imposter syndrome.

Koné hopes her website reaches other students and community members.

“I thought it would be a really good resource if they’re trying to figure out ways to combat their imposter syndrome, or if they’re trying to help a friend,” she said. “Or for teachers or parents who have kids who might be suffering from imposter syndrome.”

“I just really want people to use the resource because I feel like it can help a lot of people.”*

On the other side of Pennsylvania, a school district is facing a newly-created book ban. Their newspaper name is the same as ours.

Kaitlyn Ho ‘26

Copy editor

Students in the PENNCREST school district in northwestern Pennsylvania are facing a book ban implemented by policy 109.2 during this school year, one of many controversial changes to their school district policies.

Editor-in-chief of the Saegertown High School Panther Press senior Brennen McWright must walk a tightrope between fact and opinion when it comes to reporting, because the wrong word could be fatal for the future of his newspaper.

In a school district where it’s more important than ever to speak about injustices, it’s even more dangerous to do so.

“If I failed to maintain a neutral term while talking about this stuff, then it kind of goes against my own points and will end up hurting me in the long run and press freedom in general,” McWright said.

The revision to policy 109.2 for library materials in the PENNCREST school district includes a section on “Avoiding Inappropriate Content.” The policy reads, “Sexualized content that falls short of material prohibited by criminal laws is nonetheless generally inappropriate and/ or unnecessary for minors in school,” and prohibits materials that contain “visual or visually implied depictions of sexual acts or simulations of such acts; Explicit written depictions of sexual acts, or visual depictions of nudity—not including materials with diagrams about anatomy for science or content relating to classical works of art.”

Another policy revision to policy 123 on interscholastic athletics restricts

transgender students from playing on the same team as their identified gender.

The school district’s legal counsel, Mr. George Joseph of Quinn Law Firm, resigned following the school board’s votes on these controversial policies.

The Saegertown Panther Press has prided itself on being the leading newspaper when it comes to the school board policies. However, this means that they have to be extremely careful in what they say, because they could be next.

“I’m worried that people are going to forget that we’re still students in the district,” McWright said. “We try our best to function as an official newspaper. But we are not entirely that.”

According to McWright, The Panther Press adviser is left-leaning. Community members claimed that a petition against policy 109.2 that circulated at several schools in the district was circulated by Panther Press staff members under “heavy pressure” from their adviser, according to a column by the student journalists published in the Erie Times-News.

McWright stands firm on the Panther Press’s independence.

“[Students] run the newspaper. We decide what to make, what to publish, and, overall, just what actions to take in general,” he said.

Yet McWright also worries that politics may get in the way of student journalism.

“I think if there’s enough pressure, we do have a conservative majority against a more left-leaning adviser, I think they’re going to mistake it for a political war,” he said. “I think that we could be caught in the

PENNCREST School District

45.1% economically distadvantaged 407.75 square miles

$61,859 median household income

Wallingford Swarthmore School District

14.9% economically distadvantaged 7 square miles

$129, 625 median household income

crossfire, and the student body as a whole will be made to pay for political grudges.”

McWright hopes for more open-minded ideas on every side—from students, adults, and the school board.

“I think the school board is struggling to listen to the opposite viewpoint at times. But that’s not to say the entirety of the school board. I think everybody—not just the school board—everybody could be a bit more receptive to the opposing opinion at this time,” he said.

Regarding the policy, McWright feels that book bans are too general and don’t respect every family’s specific wishes.

“I’ve done a lot of research on [policy 109.2], but it seems like we should be working to help our kids and ourselves to be more responsible than forcing other people and other people’s kids to be more responsible, because everybody’s idea of responsibility is a little bit different,” he said. “If you don’t want your child to read something, then… phone the library and

be like, ‘Hey, Little Billy Bobby doesn’t, I don’t want him to read that. That’s not good for my child.’ I think that’s a more effective approach,” McWright said. “Because in that case… the parent gets what they want, in that their child doesn’t read that. The people who do want their kids to read that get what they want, because they’re still allowed to read that. And the school board gets what they want, because they won’t be sued. So I think that’s a win-win-win, in my opinion.”

Amidst the fluctuating tensions, McWright believes the newspaper has written well on the topic.

“I’m really proud of how the staff is handling this. I think we’ve done a pretty good job of staying neutral,” McWright said. “I think it’s just a matter of looking towards the long run and realizing that the community deserves a fair, accurate, centrally based, non-biased retelling of what actually happened instead of a left wing or right wing.”*

Aïssata Koné’s journey of researching imposter syndrome started with her personal experience.

The Panther Press is reporting on a book ban in their school— except it’s not this Panther Press.

BRENNEN MCWRIGHT SAEGERTOWN H.S.

AÏSSATA KONÉ

SOURCES: Pennsylvania Future Ready Index 2022-2023, U.S. Census Bureau 2021 Graphic: Rhys Hals

THE WALL: Alumnus Drew Gallagher credits success to high school challenges

Have you ever stopped to catch a glimpse at the Wall of Honor? We continue a series of noted alumni interviews with a profile of a producer at ESPN.

Matteo Ventresca ‘25 Reporter

Drew Gallagher is an Emmywinning coordinating producer for ESPN. He oversees the production of “College GameDay” (football and basketball), “College Football Playoff Top 25 Rankings Show,” “College Football Live,” and the “NFL Draft on ABC.” These shows are produced by ESPN and cover NCAA Football and Basketball.

Gallagher graduated from Strath Haven in 1995 and later from Boston College in 1999. He shared how baseball played a big part in his high school career.

“I loved high school,” Gallagher said. “First of all, sports and baseball were a highlight of my senior year.”

When he was a senior, he and his friends started to relax and have fun. As a result, they got closer as a group.

“To have that be the way that I ended my high school career was just a great way to go,” Gallagher said.

Going into Strath Haven, he had no idea what his career would look like. All he knew was that he liked sports, storytelling, and didn’t want to have a typical office job.

“I didn’t know I wanted to be in television production. I didn’t know I wanted to be a coordinating producer at ESPN,” he said. Strath Haven was the starting point of his career. He believes that anything a student wants to do in life can come from Strath Haven.

“Strath Haven, whether you know it or not, is the starting point for whatever path you want to take in your life,” he said. His friends were a big part of Gallagher’s high school experience. He remembers going to games and hanging out after school with them.

“This is what 1995 was like: a bunch of guys who thought they were cooler than they really are, all wearing flannel because that’s really what it was like back then,” he said.

He is still friends with many people from his high school years. One of those friends is Mr. Steve Woolery, a physical education teacher at Strath Haven.

“I’m still best friends with my high school friends,” he said. “I will be until the day I die. We have great memories.”

When he was a sophomore, he started writing for The Swarthmorean. He began to cover the Strath Haven football team right after Mr. Kevin Clancy was hired as a coach. He loved being able to follow his football team to the biggest games.

“The football team started finding success under Coach Clancy,” he said. “That was right after Clancy was hired, so playoff games, and they went to the stage, and it was really cool.”

Mrs. Emily Farrell, a former English teacher at Strath Haven, was Gallagher’s mentor. She was the person who pushed him to do the things he enjoys doing today.

Farrell was a rigorous teacher. She wouldn’t give full credit for writing an essay in the correct format, according to Gallagher. She needed to see proof of thought.

“It’s very easy to do the work, get it down on paper, and just have it checked off as done right,” Gallagher said. “That wasn’t good enough for her.”

He knows that Farrell’s contribution to his passion led to his success, which eventually earned him the Wall of Honor

recognition.

“If I was at some other network that wasn’t ESPN or didn’t have the stature of ESPN, who knows if I’m on the Wall of Honor,” he said.

As a big sports fan, he still follows our football team, even though his television show takes him from California to Maine. He’s constantly checking Twitter on Friday nights and watching highlights after games.

“So early in the season, I might be checking on Twitter. But when we get to play in the state playoffs, I’m watching the video highlights in my hotel room on a Friday night in Tuscaloosa, Alabama,” he said.

He retweeted a video of Sam Milligan rushing into the touchdown to beat Bayard Rustin in 2021.

“That touchdown run was awesome,” he

Haney offers take on speaking at graduation

said. “I mean, that was one of the all-time great play calls and executions.”

In high school, Gallagher faced the obstacle of frequent feedback and criticism. He defeated that by seeing only the good side of it.

“Don’t take it personally. It’s going to make you better. Honest criticism is not a bad thing. Feedback is not a bad thing. It should be welcomed,” Gallagher said.

The marching band is something he loves and remembers. He goes to colleges all around the United States and sees many great marching bands, but he still thinks that the Panther Marching Band is one of the best.

“I see all these great bands, these great scenes, and very few of them can match Strath Haven in terms of size, scope, and just when Strath Haven is playing the cadence,” Gallagher said.”*

Three-time graduation speaker considers messages from family and hopes for the future when he prepares a speech.

Kaitlyn Ho ‘26

Copy Editor

At the Strath Haven graduations of 2005, 2013, and 2019, English teacher Mr. Kevin Haney spoke on behalf of the respective graduating classes.

Seniors vote on the faculty graduation speaker each year. Haney has been elected three times to face the challenging job of encapsulating each class in the best way possible.

“I’ve been at Strath Haven for 22 years, so this will be my 22nd graduation this year. To be honest with you, as much as it’s supposed to be celebratory, it’s actually kind of sad,” he said. “You know, you work with kids for the better part of four years, and you’re excited for them to go off and do these wonderful things at school and work and maybe military, but it’s sad to see them go and you hope that they want to stay in touch over the years.”

The first time Haney was the graduation speaker was 2005, when he was relatively new to the school.

“As honored as I was, I was terrified, you know, to be able to deliver a final message of sorts to a graduating class,” he said. “I kind of felt unworthy of the honor, because there were so many amazing teachers here. But I did my best to do what I’ve been taught by my parents. And that is to be authentically me and try to send a final message that would be a lasting message.”

Haney believes in the power of kindness, and that is a message—whether at graduation or in the classroom

—he wants students to remember.

“Empathy for the world really matters,” he said. “And, you know, of course, I hope they can know where to put a comma, and understand Shakespeare a little bit better, no question. But to be able to use what I teach as a tool to help spread kindness really matters to me. I hope they take that with them…You can tell people to be kind all you want. But if you’re not kind yourself, no one’s going to pick up on the message,” Haney said. Each year that he speaks, Haney tries to ensure that each class is well-represented in his speech. He understands that he is speaking on behalf of not just himself, but all of the teachers that have watched students grow up over the course of four years.

Initially, he was having some difficulty with the 2019 speech, but in the end, he was able to implement his message into the speech in a unique way.

“I said, you know, if I can go back and tell my old self, my 18-year-old self, who was wearing a cap and gown, if I can tell him something, what would it be?” Haney said. “And that’s how the 2019 speech started, which was a message of spreading love in the world… really about changing the orbit of your own existence, as opposed to this magnanimous thing of changing the world.”

Mr. Haney wants the Strath Haven community to understand his appreciation towards being not just a three-time graduation speaker, but simply a teacher.

“22 years of teaching here has been an honor, my privilege, and I’ve always said that I hope to teach here a whole lot longer.” Haney said. “I moved my family here for a reason. I really want my three kids to be all of you. I want them to be Strath Haven kids because Strath Haven kids have just been extraordinary over the years, from the musical talents, to what they do in the classroom, [and] athletics.”*

FROM PANTHER SPORTS TO NATIONAL SPORTS COVERAGE • Alumnus Drew Gallagher holds up his Strath Haven high school baseball jersey while posing at his workplace, ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Conn. PHOTO: MATTEO VENTRESCA ‘25

“Strath Haven, whether you know it or not, is the starting point for whatever path you want to take in your life.”

Drew Gallagher ’95

Mr. Kevin Haney offers his 2019 graduation speech at Neumann University. SOURCE: WSSD FACEBOOK

AI will impact future learning, for better or worse

Teachers share reactions to ChatGPT’s effect on education.

Casper Stockman

Contributor

‘26

On Nov. 30, 2022, OpenAI released a chatbot dubbed ChatGPT, presenting unprecedented tools to both educators and students.

Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer (or ChatGPT for short) uses machine learning techniques to provide anyone with internet connection access to a concise compilation of data based on the user’s text input. With this capability, the impact on the humanities field of academia is potentially severe, bringing up numerous questions on the effect such tools have on Strath Haven.

“Twenty or thirty years ago people were really panicking [about] the impact that calculators would have on classroom instruction now,” Director of Secondary Education Leslie Pratt said. “I think, in the humanities, this is our calculator moment,” As ChatGPT accumulates data, its functions diversify. Recent developments have ChatGPT writing code, branching beyond the humanities.

teachers in academia. Teachers may use it as an example to help students develop their writing techniques.

“A robot just wrote this essay. How can you write better than the robot or how can you give it more voice?” Peterson said. “What I always care about is student engagement, so if [ChatGPT] can be used in the classroom for student engagement then that’s great.”

Current ChatGPT development will forever influence the future, but the immediate changes to Strath Haven remain unclear.

“I think it’s really promising,” computer science teacher Mrs. Katie McLead said. “But, I think it’s going to cause anxiety for a lot of people concerned about their jobs. And for teachers, not only our jobs, but our students: that they’re not going to give us authentic work.”

Use of ChatGPT in students’ work complicates the goal of education—to learn.

“If you are given an assignment and you just plug it into the chatbot and it spits back an essay, and that’s it, you’re obviously not learning anything,” English teacher Mr. Daniel Peterson said. “If you’re not doing any part of the process, then you’re not really developing.”

In relation to plagiarism, librarian and AP Research teacher Mrs. Beth Cohen sets ChatGPT as simply, “the newest, easiest tool to not do the work yourself.”

Yet, according to Cohen, a student passing off ChatGPT’s creation as their own is not that different from ways of cheating in the past.

“It’s the same thing as telling your brother or asking your friend to write your essay for you, except that your friend is now AI,” Cohen said. “For student academic work, it’s plagiarism. But there are ways to use it as a tool rather than using it as a substitute for student writing.”

ChatGPT’s ability to compile information goes beyond a basic internet search. “It’s potentially a research or reference source that could provide examples of things if you weren’t exactly sure how to format something,” Cohen said.

Artificial intelligence technology could also be used by

Teachers could even use it as a time saver in assignments—for example, by asking the AI to create a math worksheet.

“‘Write six word problems solving a polynomial equation,’” Cohen said, as an example. “So ChatGPT basically created a homework question sheet.”

Aside from the performance ability ChatGPT assists in, side effects from reliance on ChatGPT could surface in the fundamentals.

“There are a lot of students who need to develop discipline and hard work,” Peterson said. “With such an easy shortcut, it’s not good for their personal development, even beyond writing.”

Current ChatGPT development will forever influence the future, but the immediate changes to Strath Haven remain unclear.

“During an upcoming professional learning day there are teachers in some departments who will be the beginning discussions around things like ChatGPT as a question about what we value,” Pratt said. “And there aren’t easy answers.”

On some level, the implications of ChatGPT will be impossible to avoid.

“It’s going to require educators to revolutionize the way they teach. We just can’t do the same thing that we’ve been doing,” McLead said. “Unfortunately it comes at a time when educators are exhausted from the pandemic. So we’ve already had to revolutionize the way we teach and now we’re going to have to do it again.”

The technology is advancing rapidly, acquiring masses of data to further analyze and improve its own functionality. When it boils down to how machine learning will shape education, there is not an easy answer.

“If there were easy answers, then someone would just decide how we would all move forward,” Pratt said. “But I think we’re at a moment of having really interesting, thoughtful, provocative questions with each other, just listening carefully as we think about: What does this mean for student experiences, and what does this mean for education?”*

Freshman wins Congressional App Challenge

WE ASKED CHATGPT TO WRITE AN ARTICLE FOR THIS ISSUE.

The Prompt: Write 250 words for a high school newspaper about student creation. The objective of the piece is to commend students on their creativity and innovation, specifically in technology and art.

Creativity and innovation are two of the most important skills that high school students can possess. And, here at Strath Haven, we are lucky to have a student body that is overflowing with both of these qualities.

From technology to art, our students have been able to use their skills and creativity to make a real impact in the world.

In the field of technology, students at Strath Haven have been particularly impressive. With the rise of coding and app development, students have been able to put their skills to use and create programs that have the potential to change the world.

For example, students have designed apps that help track mental health, create opportunities for social activism, and even programs that help manage finances. These are all impressive projects that demonstrate the power of technology when used creatively.

But, creativity isn't limited to technology. Students at Strath Haven have also shown incredible artistic creativity as well. From painting to photography, students have demonstrated their ability to express themselves and share their unique perspective with the world. Through their art, students have been able to communicate important messages about identity, culture, and social justice.

The creativity and innovation displayed by students at Strath Haven is truly inspiring. It's clear that our students have a unique ability to think outside of the box and come up with new and innovative solutions to problems.

As we move forward, it's important that we continue to support and encourage this kind of creativity, so that our students can continue to make the world a better place.

In conclusion, creativity and innovation are incredibly important skills that high school students can possess. At Strath Haven, we are lucky to have a student body that is overflowing with both of these qualities. Whether it's through technology or art, our students have shown their ability to create and make a real impact in the world.*

There are many talents in a high school, but did you know there is a freshman in our school that makes smartphone apps?

Matteo Ventresca ‘25

Detours Editor

Freshman Casper Stockman dedicated his time to creating an app that won the annual Congressional App Contest for Pennsylvania’s Fifth District.

Stockman entered the Congressional App Challenge in Nov. 2022 and won on Feb. 1, 2023. The Congressional Internet Caucus initiates the contest each year, and the contest is organized along the U.S. House of Representatives’ districts in each state. Stockman won Pennsylvania’s Fifth District, led by Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon.

This year’s Congressional App Challenge set the record for most student registrations and most apps submitted, with most districts receiving over 20 apps, according to the challenge’s website.

Stockman first heard about the contest opportunity in a Strath Haven newsletter. “I procrastinated submitting it for three to four months, and then I thought I might as well submit something anyways,” he said.

Mrs. Katie McLead is the sponsor of the contest for Strath Haven. She is in charge of publicizing the competition to the students. Rep. Scanlon decides the rest.

“[Stockman] made this amazing app,” McLead said. “I think part of it was his awesome videos.”

Stockman’s app is called “Party Games”. When

Stockman was at a friend’s house, someone looked up “Truth or Dare questions.” This inspired him to make an app with every party game.

“Party Games is an all-in-one app filled with various party games as the name suggests, such as Truth or Dare, Trivia, Never Have I Ever, etc.,” Stockman said.

During the COVID-19 outbreak, Stockman read a book about coding. He became engrossed in the topic, and his love for computer science grew.

“I just started to web design in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, which are different languages,” he said.

requires money—and to earn money with an app, the developer needs to advertise.

Party Games is an all-in-one app filled with various party games as the name suggests, such as Truth or Dare, Trivia, and Never Have I Ever.

After reading the book, he realized that he really wanted to work on mobile app development. He started taking some free courses from Google to learn how to make apps from scratch.

“I don’t really have a specific field of apps that I like to do, just whatever I get as an idea for inspiration, or that I’m really passionate about because the passion really fuels the work that has to go into it,” Stockman said.

According to Stockman, there are three steps to making an app—design, development, and production.

He explains that the design depends on the complexity of the app, but usually takes about two to six days. The development took him a week and a half. The hardest part of building the app, Stockman said, is the production. The production’s main problem is that it

“Once you have things that you think people will want, you have to let them know that it exists, and I have a lot of trouble dealing with that,” he said. A lot of advertising happens on social media. Stockman likes to use TikTok because of its big audience. Advertisements can also be purchased on Facebook, Tik Tok, or Google. Developers also other strategies, such as getting press coverage, so the app gets higher on the App Store listing. This is called ASO or app store optimization, which he is still learning.

One change he would make to the app is to add more questions to the mini-games.

“None of the games are particularly complicated, and maybe something a little less cliche could be more interesting to play,” he said.

Stockman has started developing with “Unity,” a cross-platform game engine, which can increase the complexity of games. He is currently creating a runner game. He enjoys creating apps, but is pessimistic about the future of the field.

“Apps have kind of had their time, but I don’t really think they are thriving very much now,” he said. “It’s a really saturated and kind of dying market, in the sense that it’ll be here for a dozen more years or so.”*

CASPER STOCKMAN

Young Activist Coalition leaders speak on Black History Month presentation

The entirely student-led assembly allowed for more creativity in the presentation.

David Hagan ‘23 & Frank Lardieri ‘23 Contributors

On Feb. 1, Young Activist Coalition (YAC) leaders and members gathered the high school community in the auditorium during second block for the Black History Month Assembly. The assembly featured music performances, poetry recitations, videos, and speeches from students and community members.

“This year’s assembly theme was consistent with the national theme for Black History Month for 2023, which was on Black resistance,” senior YAC leader Anjali Robinson-Leary said.

This year’s presentation was completely student-led, involving all of YAC.

“We started two weeks before the winter break, and it was great to see all of YAC involved in the making and the process of it,” senior YAC leader Collin Woodland said. Robinson-Leary believes that this year’s performance was more creative and intentional than previous assemblies.

“I think all the [YAC] leaders would agree with me, considering that we had a lot more transitions that were more lengthy and still purposeful rather than just switching off speakers and going more quickly,” Robinson-Leary said.

“We also feel like we had a lot more performances [than previous assemblies],” she said. “We had two poets, two songs, and then also a video at the end that was different. In our traditions in the past, we typically do an interview with all the students here who are doing something

creative or remarkable. But instead of doing that, this year, we decided to do something a bit more artful regarding the theme.”

One of the poets Robinson-Leary mentioned is Derek Smith, an aspiring author and local insurance broker.

“What I thought really put the icing on the cake was how we got Derek Smith, who is a community member and has children who graduated from Strath Haven, read and performed a poem for the assembly,” Woodland said. “And it really showed the strength and vitality of the Wallingford-Swarthmore community and kind of coming around a cause that, you know, shouldn’t necessarily be dealt with only outside of school or only inside of school.”

Both Robinson-Leary and Woodland had some interesting insights regarding their favorite part of the presentation.

“For me? I think my favorite aspect was the video at the end, just because it was my idea. I saw it on Tik Tok, and I thought it was cool, and I was glad that I got to incorporate it,” Robinson-Leary said. “I also had a lot of freedom with what I could choose and say and stuff like that because a lot of the themes were larger than what we could have conveyed in any other acts.”

What resonated the most with Woodland was sophomore Jordyn Thrumond’s spoken word poem.

“It was full of passion,” he said. “I can definitely relate to a lot of the points that she brought up, and I’m pretty sure a lot of the people in the audience and people of color can

as well. And I think it was great that we were able to give her that platform to share her experience and her fight, but also share what she’s learned and what she’s hoping to give back to the next generation of Black students at Haven and creating a safer space for them all.”

Robinson-Leary is proud that this year’s graduating class has made an impact with the Black History Month presentations throughout high school.

“This year was a lot about all of us, our seniors,” she said. “Most of us participated in the Black History Month assembly in our very first year, which was, I want to say, Strath Haven’s first since 2005. So this year was all about really making our mark with our last one and paying homage to our leaders that came before us, and when they saw online what we were able to do, they were overjoyed.”*

College Board pilots courses in African American Studies and Precalculus

Collin Woodland ‘23 Reporter

College Board is expanding its pilot of AP African American Studies, while AP Precalculus will be offered in schools for the first time in the 2023-2024 school year.

For decades, College Board’s Advanced Placement program (AP) has represented a unique opportunity for high school students to challenge themselves through college-level courses with the possibility of earning college credit. Advanced Placement offers 38 courses ranging in subjects from Calculus to Studio Art.

One of the most important jobs for Strath Haven’s AP Coordinator Assistant Principal Mrs. Andrea LaPira is evaluating which courses should be added to our curriculum.

AP African American Studies has been the source of recent controversy with the the Florida Department of Education rejecting the teaching of the course in all Florida schools. The Department of Education cited examples of ‘woke indoctrination’ that would violate state laws restricting how race can be taught in the classroom, according to New York Times reporting.

“literature, the arts and humanities, political science, geography, and science— to explore the vital contributions and experiences of African Americans.”

Collins praises the district’s reciprocation in welcoming this course as an AP class.

AP

African American Studies

•First pilot to 60 schools in 2022-2023

•Expanded pilot in 2023-2024

•Offered to any school in 2024-2025

AP Precalculus

•Offered to any school in 2023-2024

“With careful review,” LaPira said, “we are open to gaining a comprehensive understanding of how these and other newly proposed courses will meet the academic and cultural needs of our students.”

As for AP African American Studies and Precalculus, LaPira said the high school is still in the early planning stages in gauging whether or not to adopt them within our curriculum.

“Both AP courses are in their infancy as College Board offerings, and while we are interested in the value they add to the high school curriculum, we intend to fully evaluate the courses in conjunction with the district curriculum office, department teacher leaders, and counselors and to prepare our teachers prior to implementation,” she said.

This process that could take a year or more, according to LaPira.

Two years ago, social studies teacher, Mrs. Xaras Collins, piloted and taught Strath Haven’s first African American Studies course during the 20192020 school year. The inaugural course ran in the spring 2020 and is still listed in the Silver Guide, although it has not run since 2020.

Strath Haven’s course centered primarily around studying the history of the African American diaspora. Collins is excited to imagine the vast possibilities an official AP course has in store for the student body.

“Given the high-achieving nature of our student body, and advanced placement scheduling goals, I think offering the elective as an AP course will broaden the appeal and desire to enroll in an ethnocentric social studies elective,” Collins said. “It will further demonstrate the school district’s overdue commitment to provide a more inclusive and diverse set of courses in our social studies department”

According to the College Board’s website, the course is geared towards providing “an evidence-based introduction to African American studies” with an interdisciplinary curriculum combining

“From conversations with my department chair, Mr. [Richard] Foulk, and our new secondary curriculum director, Dr. [Leslie] Pratt, I’m fairly confident that we will offer the AP African American Studies course with an anticipated launch date for the 20242025 school year,” Collins said. “This coincides with the College Board opening up participation to all high schools. The district has recently demonstrated a commitment to expand our current social studies electives to include more BIPOC/ ethnic studies courses.”

AP Precalculus has also been the source of some controversy nationwide from math teachers nationwide in questioning whether the topic is even worthy to be an AP class to begin with. But despite frequent criticism the College Board remains confident that they’re aiming to fight a broader issue at hand: poor preparation for college-level math.

“Every year, tens of thousands of American students are derailed by a common obstacle: inadequate preparation for higher-level math,” the College Board’s website states. “A third of college students spend time and money on remedial math courses that don’t count toward their degrees because they lack sufficient math skills.”

These students are forced to meet math credit requirements in order to graduate, but with limited preparation in high school, they end up taking required basic math classes that take valuable space from classes that actually count towards their major.

To bridge this gap, the College Board proposed precalculus as an AP option. Completing the AP class can allow high schoolers not planning on pursuing STEM in college to learn the mathematical tools necessary to prepare them for collegelevel math coursework and give them the possibility of earning college credit.

Precalculus teacher Mrs. Lysa Reiger does not think that the AP Precalculus course is fully developed as of yet.

“So they published a curriculum, very [much] like an outline of a curriculum, and a bunch of math educators wrote a formal letter to the College Board appealing for them to revise the curriculum to make it doable in a year,” Reiger said, “Now College Board is saying they’re going to go back and revise the curriculum, but we’re sitting here in December, and they don’t have a published curriculum for this year’s course.”

While it’s evident that the course will not be available to Strath Haven students next year, Reiger doubts that an AP course on Precalculus is even worth it at all.

“Both at our CP and at our honors level, [we have] PreCalc classes that are already close to what the AP class is,” Rieger said.

“Just speaking from experience, I’ve taught multiple kids that graduated with CP PreCalc that did fine in college, and kids that even did engineering that were fine coming out of our PreCalc class.” Reiger however, stands firm in believing that the biggest cost of having this course is the price of the AP test.

“I would hate for everyone to have to spend $100 to take a course that is just as good, or the same, or similar to what we’re already offering that doesn’t cost $100,” she said. “That $100 doesn’t get you anything.”*

The possible addition of two new AP classes sparks mixed reactions among the high school community.

POWERFUL PERFORMANCES • Senior YAC leader Anjali Robinson-Leary performs the Black national anthem “Lift Every Voice and Sing” on piano to kick off the Black History Month assembly on Feb. 1. PHOTO: JESS FARHAT

Mock Trial team wins at Delaware County Courthouse

Matthew Chen ‘23 Editor-in-Chief

Have you witnessed a student deliver a closing argument at a trial? Raise and defend an objection using the Rules of Evidence? Assume the role of a fictional character and answer cross-examination questions on a whim?

Composed of 20 members, the Strath Haven Mock Trial team hones all of these skills during their practices on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Mock Trial is broken into three roles: attorneys, witnesses, and timekeepers.

Senior captain Megan Noon is an attorney who has competed on the mock trial team since her freshman year. She’s familiar with all of Mock Trial’s intricacies—from compiling a case to arguing an objection using the Rules of Evidence.

“In the beginning, [objections] can be really nerve racking for people,” Noon said. “I know I myself, as an attorney, from freshman year to senior year, still get nervous answering objections, because you have to think on your feet and you can’t prepare for it. But it honestly teaches you great skills with thinking on your feet, and learning to think on the fly.” Mock Trial practices are critical for the team’s success.

“We spend practices looking at each direct, finding what’s good, what’s bad, what’s ugly for us,” she said. “[We] work as a team. I think that one of the most important parts about Mock Trial is that you’re always working with someone else. [Mock Trial] teaches you how to be compatible with someone you might not normally interact with.”

When each detail literally counts— performances are scored individually based on quality of presentation—mock trial competitors need to be prepared to receive feedback from their peers and

coaches in order to improve.

“Mock Trial has really hardened my shell,” Noon said. “I’ve learned to take criticism and listen to it, and not just think that my way is the right way.”

Senior attorney Luke DiBonaventura agrees.

“We are all one team,” he said. “We may compete against each other in practice, but when it actually comes to the official competition, we need everyone to succeed.”

Sophomore Zikuan Guo joined Mock Trial this year and took on the witness role. She said that she’s grateful for the relaxed atmosphere that the members create at meetings.

“How the people choose to act in a community or environment is crucial to how the environment feels to everyone else,” she said. “If the people in mock trial were completely different, like if they were complete jerks or something, I would not want to come. But I’m grateful to the members in Mock Trial that they’re really nice people. It makes me want to come to Mock Trial.”

From Feb. 6 to 7, the Strath Haven mock trial team competed at their annual courthouse competition at the Delaware County Courthouse in Media.

Prior to the event, Guo expressed her excitement for competing at her first competition.

“I’m excited to be able to stare at each of the jurors’ eyes, because that’s basically one of the strategies of how you respond to a group of people,” she said.

On Feb. 7, the defense team, represented by attorneys Megan Noon, junior Iris Cheng, and freshman Lexi Benzing as well as witnesses senior Adelaide Orsetti, senior Atticus Clow-McLaughlin, and junior Quinn Kuzemka arrived at the courthouse dressed in courtroom attire.

The environment simulated a real courtroom experience: a professional judge presided over the trial, three professional lawyers served as the jury, and each competitor and spectator was required to pass through security. To minimize bias, neither the judge, jury, or opposing teams were aware of the high schools that were being represented.

From the judge’s call to order to the giving of the closing arguments, the trial took nearly two hours to complete.

At the end of the trial, per mock trial tradition, each team recognized two individuals in the opposition for outstanding performances.

On the Strath Haven side, “Best Witness” was awarded to senior Adelaide Orsetti for her portrayal of the character Chris Empesto. “Best Advocate” was awarded to freshmen Lexi Benzing for her performance as an attorney.

The benefits of participating in Mock

Trial are abundant, Noon said. Not only has she gained public speaking skills but she has also gained experience for her professional career. However, she stressed that mock trial requires hard work.

“I think [mock trial] takes someone who really wants to gain experience and they’re committed to learning something,” she said. “This isn’t just a club for you to go and hang out with your friends and goof around. You have to put in the work.”

According to DiBonaventura, Mock Trial can appeal to many types of people because of the different roles that can be portrayed.

“You can have people who are more into theater acting who partake in Mock Trial to play witness roles,” he said. “And you could also have more people who are really into reading rules and understanding the mechanics of the law taking up attorney positions.”*

Best Buddies launches as new club Club becomes rising success in advocating for inclusivity and positivity while also providing fun activities.

Evelynn Lin ‘25 Reporter

From decorating gingerbread houses, to playing fun games, to taking a polar plunge, Best Buddies is nuturing new friendships.

Founded and advised by special education teacher Sarah Holt, Best Buddies is a club based on the international Best Buddies organization that works to build friendships among the general population and those with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Since its start, Best Buddies has had an impact on all students involved, nourishing connections that otherwise might not happen. So far, the club has met to build gingerbread houses together, enjoy an afternoon of games, and fundraise for the Special Olympics Polar Plunge.

“I feel like it’s just creating new opportunities for people and providing a scenario that someone wouldn’t normally encounter and opening that possibility,” Best Buddies president junior Casey Conway said. It has especially influenced the students with disabilities, who are often left out of student body activities, to get more involved in the school’s culture.

“I know that there are other opportunities out there for my students to get involved, but it isn’t always as easy,” Holt said. “I think this club, being specifically the focus of those friendships, is really nice to see because they’re more likely to attend, and they’re more likely to have the support that they need when they’re attending. And then hopefully, that will lead to

further involvement, to getting invited to go to other things.”

The club has worked to advocate for more inclusivity in the Haven community and the power of differences in every individual.

“I think it’s important to celebrate differences. I think that the differences that we have are what make us unique, what makes us individuals, and I think that sharing that with each other, is really important and meaningful to everybody,” Holt said.

Holt believes that the immense amount of support and diversity of its members in Best Buddies has helped unite a student body that has become more split than ever before.

“There are all different types of students— not just my students who have disabilities, but the kids who don’t—who are coming in, all have very different lives… maybe different friend groups… so it’s really nice for everybody to kind of come together and be getting along and working towards a common goal,” she said.

Best Buddies has also been a hot spot for friends to meet.

“In Best Buddies… I got to see a friend that I was friends with in cooking class together,” sophomore Buddy Director Kieran Smalley said. “It was so nice to see her for the first time since we first met each other.”

There are many things being planned for the future of Best Buddies, such as a fundraiser and a match-up activity that connects disabled and non-disabled peers

together to form friendships

The leadership team also hopes to work toward hosting fun events outside the school building, like a bowling night or a zoo visit, and continuing to grow and gain more members as well.

“I think, for anyone who is thinking about joining, I would really recommend it. It’s just really overall a lot of fun, and we do really fun things. It’s a great time,” Conway said.*

Strath Haven students develop skills and find community in the understated club.

TRIAL TRIUMPH • The Strath Haven Mock Trial team stands outside the Delaware County Courthouse. Both the defense and plaintiff teams won their trials and will move on to the next round in the tournament. PHOTO: MATTHEW CHEN ‘23

BUILDING A COMMUNITY • Junior DayVon Gordy stacks a Jenga block on top of the tower. PHOTO: MARILYN ASHLEY ‘25

“I think that the differences that we have are what make us unique, what makes us individuals, and I think that sharing that with each other, is really important and meaningful to everybody.”

Ms. Sarah Holt

Before coming to WSSD, Conley was the principal of Unionville High School. The Assistant Superintendent role role is new to WSSD.

Dr. Pratt’s role of Director of Secondary Education was created with her hiring. Before WSSD, she served as the Secondary Humanities Curriculum Supervisor in the Lower Merion School District. She previously worked as a secondary English teacher.

In the past three years, WSSD has undergone many changes, fast-tracked by the new administrative team. Since 2020, the high school and district administration has seen a complete turnover, with Superintendent Dr. Wagner Marseille, Assistant Superintendent Dr. James Conley, Director of Secondary Education Dr. Leslie Pratt, and Principal Dr. Greg Hilden.

When Marseille joined the district in 2021, the administration began planning and implementing a strategic plan in conjunction with Bloom Planning. On Dec. 16, 2022, students from 7th-12th grade were asked to take part in a comprehensive survey on this new strategic plan. Little information was provided about the purpose of the survey, leaving many students confused and wanting more.

We sat down with some of the district administrators who are driving the strategic plan to learn more about the plan and the motivation behind it.

TWhat is the strategic plan?

he strategic plan will address a holistic view of the way school functions, through focus areas of learning innovation, student experiences and preparing for the future, and equity, inclusion, and belonging, according to Dr. Marseille.

The plan won’t just change the curriculum, but rather challenge what has long been thought of as a traditional school day. It will look at the way we learn, the way we teach, the experiences we have, and how we spend our time.

“What does time look like in a high school experience?” Marseille said. “I’m also thinking about how much we invest in time. What’s important? What do you spend the most of your time doing as a high school student? How do we think about that from a visionary perspective?”

The strategic plan is a way for WSSD to examine the current way of doing things and change them for the better. It serves as a roadmap for teaching and learning, attempting to create a better, wellrounded Strath Haven student while including the perspectives of all community members and stakeholders in the process.

“You have to ask the question: What do you want

a Strath Haven graduate to look like?” Hilden said. “What are the current outcomes? How can this be made better?”

The strategic plan is a long-focused process still in its earliest stages. It’s not a concrete goal to be completed, but rather a guide for decisionmaking and change. It will be years before the effects of it take shape.

“It’s about innovation,” Marseille said. “It is deliberate, it’s intentional, it’s well focused, it has a clear north star, and it’s visionary.”

At the Jan. 23 School Board meeting, the school board approved a new commitment for strategic plan initiatives for $500,000. This reserve will be used over the course of three years.

Why do a strategic plan?

“It’s the opportunity to pause, reflect on who we are, what we do,” Marseille said. If the district continues with its current pace of progress it will take 93 years to close the outcome and opportunity gaps between marginalized and white students, according to district-wide audit results shared by Bloom during a strategic plan community meeting on Jan. 9. There are other outcome gaps present in the district that are not exclusive to race demographics. The damage done due to disparities cannot be reversed, but WSSD can take the first steps in making change through recognition.

“We can’t turn the clock that quickly; our first step in the conversation…is acknowledgement and passion for recognizing disproportionality,” Marseille said. “Are we providing enough opportunity? Are we encouraging? Are we supporting? What is it that we are unintentionally doing that would mitigate or that would create this type of disproportionality?”

Marseille sees WSSD’s strategic plan as a chance for WSSD to become a leader in K-12 education and to become a destination district—the top educational choice in the area.

“When we started to have this conversation, one of the things that we wanted to do is something different. Something that sets us apart, not the same old,” he said.

Dr. Hilden left his Assistant Principal position at Garnet Valley High School to join Haven. He was a teacher, counselor, and coach at Cardinal O’Hara and a counselor at Unionville Chadds Ford School District.

“I remember when I was taking it I was just really confused. I didn’t really know what was going on or what it was about.”

-Bobby Fooskas ’23

“It was just a way to get an idea of how the student body feels about the school and the school system locally.”

-SONYA BLUM ’26

“It just showed up and they were like ‘here do this’ and I didn’t even know what half the questions meant, I was like ‘I don’t know what these words are’... If I understood what I was doing, I would answer the questions from my actual experiences.”

-Alison Smithey ’24

Dr. Wagner SuperintendentMarseille

Dr. JAMES CONLEY ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT

Dr. Leslie DirectorPratt of Secondary Education

Dr. HildenGreg

H.S. Principal

Previously worked as Superintendent of Cheltenham School District and Assistant and SuperintendentActing in Lower Merion School District. In both districts, he implemented a strategic plan.

Visions for the Future

In addition to looking back, creation of the plan begins with a visioning stage. The administrators are working with Bloom to draft a “Vision for Impact,” the outcomes they want to see from the process.

Through the focus areas of the plan, guidelines will emphasize non-traditional approaches to learning and teaching.

“What I’d like to see is a system set up to help students succeed no matter their learning abilities or styles. Encouraging more non-traditional learning experiences,” Hilden said. “My goal always is to help people figure out who they are, and pick up skills important for late in life. I think we do that now but it can be improved.”

Changing the system involves changing the curriculum, as it is the framework of what goes on in the classroom.

“Thinking about curriculum as experience, thinking about what it means to have those clear learning targets and learning goals, what it means to think about assessment as a statement of value,” Pratt said. “Those are timeless pieces of curriculum that inform the work going forward.”

Pratt said she would like to see a more studentcentered approach to classroom instruction. She outlined how the strategic plan would put curious students in conversation with a curriculum that grants them the expertise to be open to questions to further their success.

In Dr. Pratt’s eyes, the strategic plan represents the balance between immovable information as curriculum and an ‘experience is the best teacher’ approach. This golden mean is where truly engaged students and risk takers thrive.

“I think, for me, there is a real importance on kind of engagement and curiosity, and cultivating and creating spaces where students love and are invested in learning,” Pratt said.

As part of the visioning stage, WSSD administration is drawing inspiration from schools nationwide. In the coming months, teachers will be going on “learning journeys” to the University of Chicago Lab School, a private K-12 school, and High Tech High, a charter school in San Diego.

“One of the key elements in the strategic plan is, is thinking about and learning from experiences from others,” Marseille said. “Learning journeys are an opportunity to bring people to those spaces.”

These learning journeys don’t have to happen across the country to be informative. So far, teachers and administrators have visited Downingtown STEM, Germantown Academy, and Brandywine Technical High School. They will soon be visiting Abington High School and Black Rock Middle School.

The new ideas from other schools are not a direct blueprint, though, as certain strategies may not work as effectively in WSSD as they do in another district.

Conley uses the example of a sports team.

“Maybe you look at three teams and say, well, that one seems not really like us, but boy, I really liked the way they warm up or I liked the way in game they do this play,” he said. “Those are things we take back to our community and say ‘Does it fit?’”

Outreach & Challenges

Especially in the visioning stage, outreach and communication are extremely important. One of the more important parts of outreach is recognizing stakeholders, those who the strategic plan will impact most.

“I think that as we go through this process of innovation, it’s the including of all voices,” Conley said. “So I think as much as we can, that we’re engaging everybody’s voice on this journey together.”

There are challenges with outreach, too, as it’s hard to attract community members that may not have felt like they had a voice in the school district’s plans in the past.

“So we’ve been trying to make sure that we do grassroots campaigning, and try to bring people to those particular meetings,” Marseille said. “But it’s very difficult to bring families and those who feel as though they’ve been marginalized, and ask them, ‘Hey, come to the party,’ when they feel like they’ve never been invited to the party before.”

Another issue that arises is engaging students in the plan.

Marseille emphasized the importance of student support early in the process. “We want to take them [students] along for the ride versus them getting on board ten stops later, because no one really buys in ten stops later,” he said. “They want to do it from the ground floor.”

When looking at strategies, students can expect more engagement and meeting opportunities regarding the strategic plan soon.

“Student engagement. So we have to figure out how to do that,” Conley said. “And if that means having a couple of meetings at the high school, that’s what we’re going to do, because you guys are going to be living it next year.”

Next Steps

As for possibilities to get engaged in the near future, the district will be holding its next community-wide meeting about the strategic plan on Saturday, March 11, from 9-11 a.m. in the middle school cafeteria. The meetings are open to anyone in the WSSD community—parents, community members, teachers, and students.

According to the administration, students should begin to see evidence of the strategic planning process in their daily lives through surveys, focus groups, and pilots in school schedules, curriculums, and activities.

“[The strategic plan] should be manifested,” Marseille said. “And it should be evident in the things you do, the things you see, and the things that you experience and broader, your classmates.”*

“I would like to see information spread more easily. Like maybe on the website or something. Right now it spreads a lot through word of mouth, I don’t really know what’s going on a lot of the time.”

-LUIS SANCHEZ ’26

“Better lunch food.”

-Dylan

Kearney ’26

“Better food.”

-ELIZABETH

MBOOWA ’26

“I would like to see them put into action the things they say they’re going to do. They make a lot of promises about change and they never really go through with it.”

-SILLA

“The water fountains are never changed, especially the ones with the handicap labels on them. They taste like rust.”

Alberto BoydVera ‘25

PROWN ’25

Rhys Hals ‘23, Charles Bogert ‘23 Haven Happenings Editor, Reporter

STUDENT-RUN BUSINESSES

Bagonis ‘26 Contributors

Freshman fuses glass

Freshman Josie Wieland operates a small business selling glass art such as necklaces, earrings and ring dishes. She has been operating her business since second grade and now sells her work in a shop called “Lunch Break Vintage” located in Swarthmore. Wieland’s work isn’t only limited to the store, though—she also sells online. She

Senior designs jewelry

“When I have time I go into my basement, usually on weekends, and start the process of building my pieces. Normally, I have a slab or a block of something and I lay out each piece of glass,” she said. “So I’m working on that surface. Then I just start creating, it’s not a super like confined area and I just do whatever I can when I can.”

Wieland has been producing and selling her creations for years and started working on glass work a little before she started selling it.

“I was inspired to start it because I went to this art camp called Windover,” she

ïssata Koné is a senior student who has a passion for creating jewelry. She runs a business, “GenZJewelz,” through which she sells her jewelry online and at various vendor events. She maintains a website and Instagram page for her business.

Growing up in a creative household, Koné was exposed to crafting and making things. Her inspiration to start her own business came from her mother’s own business, which centered around wellness products such as soap and candles.

“I have a mom who makes and sells things and has a wellness business,” Koné said, “So she makes soap and all this cool stuff and sells them. We’re a really big crafting house and I just make a bunch of stuff. I then started making a lot of pieces of jewelry and I was like: why not sell Koné has flexibility with balancing her schoolwork and her business. She works on the weekends and in her free time where she starts making her orders. When she’s unable to work on her business, she is able to close her shop for a little while. Koné has a specific process she follows when selling and shipping her products. “So first, there will be a customer who buys something on my website. I look

Aat it and then I automatically mark it as progress because I don’t want anyone to think I’m not working on their order… Once I finish, I’ll throw a business card in there. I then package it up and walk it over to the Swarthmore post office because I live right down the street. Then I ship it and then mark it as shipped on my app.”

Koné has expanded her business throughout the years. She recently started selling tote bags and cards she made from her cricut machine. As she gets further along in her business, she gains opportunities of meeting new people at vendors she sells at and learning how to make different things.

Koné’s business is it allows her to express herself to others in a creative way. Many people not only get to see her creativty but also get to wear it.

“My overall motive is probably just creative expression, because I don’t get a lot of time to creatively express myself on a day to day basis because I’m just worried about school and work and all that kind of stuff. So I don’t really get enough time to like, just chill out and listen to music and I find it kind of peaceful to sit there and bend wire.”

Koné would like to continue her business when she’s older and in college because she enjoys making and selling things. Koné hopes to add more and learn more as she continues running her business.*

We asked students: How do you create?

Every Haven student creates something unique. Both inside and outside of school, students’ creations drive their innovation— they make business, art, tell stories, and so much more.

Julia Gray ‘23

Editor-in-Chief

Joe Lynch ‘24

*“I usually do a lot of paintings of my family because they are very important to me. I start with a picture that I think is really cute, like of my baby brother or something, and I go from there.”

*“I would say the greatest way I create things is through photography. Last year I took Photography 1, and it showed me photography as an art form instead of just taking photos for events for the news. Since then, I have really enjoyed taking pictures and a bit of journalism as well, but more of just appreciating photography as an art.”

*“I am an artist, so I like to do digital art, painting, all that, and I think the way I create is that I have an idea I want to represent, or some kind of feeling, and, I don’t know how to describe it, but I usually have some kind of vibe for what I want to put on the canvas and based on that I try to depict what I like.”

*“I create graphic art on the computer, and I draw a lot of inspiration from my daily life and just seeing other people’s artwork and how I can make it my own.”

*“Inside school, I would say I try to create by adding fun things to my powerpoint and stuff, transitioning things like that, outside of school, I make my own things. I crochet and I build miniature models of things.”

*“I do a lot of creative stuff. I write a lot of creative stories, I do photography and journalism, I dance, and that was my first ever moment of self-expression in my entire life. I used to take drawing lessons, and I still draw a lot.”

*“In school, it’s a lot of logical stuff, like, often, I am just writing to finish an assignment. Outside of school though, my creation is very self-motivated. I like to do photography, crocheting, and sometimes I try to do it in school, but when I am in-between classes I often lose motivation, and in the middle of the week I lose my creative drive, but when I am out of school, I try my best to get outside and take a couple pictures or work on a couple of pictures.”

Haven students prove with their inventive creations that it’s never too early to become entrepreneurs.

Luci DiBonaventura ‘25, Sarah

JOSIE WIELAND

AISSATA KONE

Leah Gonzalez-Diaz ‘24

Ameila Andrews-Sullivan ‘23

Emily Crawley ‘25

Evelynn Lin ‘25

Christina Machado ‘24

Meg McManus ‘24

SEE MORE AT @JOSIEFUSIONS

SEE MORE AT @GENZJEWELZ

Senior

explores printmaking as AP Art focus

Winnie Kenney reflects on her WSSD art career, current projects, and her niche artistic pursuits.

Imogen Sharif ‘23 Haven Arts Editor

No matter the art you hope to create, Strath Haven’s art curriculum supports a large variety of mediums.

From graphic design and photography to pottery and painting, Haven’s art teachers make an effort to expand their students’ knowledge of materials by getting them to explore new things.

Senior Winnie Kenney, an AP 2D Art student, is a perfect example of the benefits of artistic exploration. Although her art career in high school began over Zoom, she now excels in various mediums, focusing on printmaking.

During the transition from online to in-person art classes, more and more opportunities were available to Kenney. Because her Art 1 class was during the pandemic, there were no printmaking and painting units.

“It was difficult because we were doing work over Zoom,” Kenney said. “It was much better coming back into art in-person. That’s how I got into printmaking.”

Art teacher Mrs. Jennifer Rodgers has been a great aid and inspiration to Kenney’s printmaking. Rodgers originally started as a Graphic Design major, switched to Drawing, and finally landed on Printmaking as a major, as it challenged her with a new medium. Her influence has brought more printmaking into the art curriculum.

“We’re lucky enough to have a printing press, so [Rodgers] actually showed us how to do etching prints, and that’s what really got me into printmaking,” Kenney said. “Last year I made my first ever intaglio print.”

Rodgers’s goal in Kenney’s AP Art journey is to challenge Kenney to explore different printmaking techniques.

“Specific to Winnie in her work, I encourage her to try new things, like etching into copper, taking what we do in Art 2 a little bit further because we do the etching on plastic,” Rodgers said. “The work itself is a lot about experimentation, which lends itself to the printmaking process.”

Rodgers’s love for printmaking has translated well into Kenney’s artistic process, mainly by providing useful tools and aid when needed. Kenney’s own interests and work ethic have pushed her to fully utilize Rodgers’s help.

“Winnie is certainly exploring what printmaking can do, at least with what our limited facilities have. She’s really taking advantage of it as much as she can, which

INTAGLIO PRINTING:

PRINTING IS DONE FROM THE INK BELOW THE SURFACE OF THE PLATE. THE DESIGN IS CUT, SCRATCHED, OR ETCHED INTO THE PRINTING SURFACE OR PLATE, WHICH CAN BE COPPER, ZINC, ALUMINUM, MAGNESIUM, PLASTICS, OR EVEN COATED PAPER.

is terrific,” Rodgers said. “It’s fantastic to see someone really embrace the medium and really want to explore it as a form of self-expression.”

Specific to Kenney’s printmaking, her growth in techniques has soared over the past few years due to more access to tools. Rodgers’s art classes and the new mediums they provide continue to have an influence in Kenney’s success.

Kenney’s learned skill, intaglio printing, won her a prize at the Wharton Esherick Museum. The museum hosts “Imprint,” a high school print competition and exhibition every year. It features selected works of Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Lehigh, Montgomery, and Philadelphia County artists. Kenney’s piece “Portrait of the Hutch” won first place in the 2022 competition.

Last year, Kenney was given the opportunity to complete an apprenticeship at the Fabric Workshop and Museum in Philadelphia. In a 12week program, Kenney created her own screen printed artwork by hand, worked with other apprentices, and learned how museums and galleries operate.

“I learned how to screen print on really big fabric, and that’s something I totally recommend to high school students because you can literally just go straight to the train station after school, take the train into Philly, and they will pay you because it is an apprenticeship,” Kenney said. “It was just an amazing experience because there are like, real live artists there installing their work, and I got to see that happen.

Kenney screen printed on large pieces of fabric to create unique, repeating patterns. Being able to work on a large scale gave Kenney the chance to try something that the art classroom at Haven couldn’t fit. She created a 4-yard repeating piece, “Yardage of the Hutch”, during her time at the Fabric Workshop and Museum. Similarly, over the summer Kenney took classes at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. She chose a major in Sculpting and minor in Drawing into Print, which consisted of monotype printing.

“I did monotype printing and more screenprinting, but this time screenprinting to make a piece on paper rather than repeating a pattern on fabric,” Kenney said. Moving to the school current year, Kenney’s AP art career has started off strong. She works on her portfolio in Rodgers’s art class, practicing a variety of mediums and styles.

SCREEN PRINTING:

THE PROCESS OF TRANSFERRING A STENCILED DESIGN ONTO A FLAT SURFACE USING A MESH SCREEN, INK AND A SQUEEGEE. FABRIC AND PAPER ARE THE MOST COMMONLY SCREENPRINTED SURFACES.

“AP Art wants to see you branch out with technique and style, so I’ve been experimenting with a lot of different stuff,” Kenney said. “They want to see you pick a skill and develop it, so I’m definitely trying to work on that in terms of growing my printmaking skills. I’m trying to get into woodblock printing.”

Although printmaking is the focus of Kenney’s AP Art portfolio, she also finds interest in other mediums. To take breaks from prints, Kenney has picked up oil painting again. Her current in-progress piece is of a cowboy who lives in a fish tank and rides a goldfish, which comes with humor and advice for other artists.

“If you are using a new material for the first time, draw something fun and silly. This is true in general in art, life is supposed to be fun, some art can just be fun,” Kenney said.

Besides funny paintings and oil paints, Kenney also has considered taking a gap year, which she believes are “highly underrated.” She plans on going to art school for printmaking, but only after learning mediums not offered in the colleges she has looked at.

Specifically, Kenney hopes to experiment with taxidermy and bone pinning.

“This is so cheesy but there’s something very powerful about holding the bones of an animal and knowing that somebody lived in this their whole life,” Kenney said. “It’s a strangely intimate experience to have with a little mouse.”

The experience she has gained over the past years has helped Kenney create works of art unique to her, reflecting her personality and the creativity that shines through her.

She hopes to bring her and her peers together to create this year’s legacy project. For reference, every mural within this school is a legacy project. Although Kenney might not help create a mural, there is a plan in the works. Keep an eye out.

Kenney offered advice to all students at Strath Haven, whether or not they consider themselves to be artists, and invites students to join an art class while they are in high school.

“You do not need to be an artist to take Art 1 and Art 2, you can do it for fun and for the art credits. It’s so important to enjoy art, there’s a lot of content out there and we see so much it’s hard to appreciate it,” Kenney said.*

MONOTYPE PRINTING:

A UNIQUE PRINT, TYPICALLY PAINTERLY IN EFFECT, MADE BY APPLYING PAINT OR PRINTING INK TO A FLAT SHEET OF METAL, GLASS, OR PLASTIC. THE PAINTED IMAGE IS TRANSFERRED TO PAPER EITHER BY MANUALLY RUBBING OR USING A PRESS.

WOODBLOCK PRINTING:

A FORM OF RELIEF PRINTING THAT IS BASED ON THE PRINCIPLE THAT PARTS THAT ARE NOT TO BE PRINTED ARE CUT OUT AND COLORS ARE PRESSED ON THE RAISED PARTS. TYPICALLY, THOSE LEARNING START WITH PLASTIC, MOVE TO LINOLEUM, THEN FINALLY WORK WITH WOOD.

“It’s so important to enjoy art, there’s a lot of content out there and we see so much it’s hard to appreciate it.”

Winnie Kenney

YARDAGE OF THE HUTCH • A large-scale repeating piece that Kenney created during her time as an intern at the Fabric Workshop and Mueum. PHOTO: PROVIDED BY WINNIE KENNEY

WINNIE KENNEY

PORTRAIT OF THE HUTCH • Kenney’s intaglio print that won first prize at the Wharton Esherick Museum’s “Imprint” show.

PHOTO: PROVIDED BY WINNIE KENNEY

George Slick Fellowship

Elise Molloy ‘24

Contributor

Along with being known for his phenomenal guitar abilities, sophomore Sam Sentivan is an artist in every sense of the word.

From visual art to percussion and guitar to writing and producing songs, Sentivan will be spotlighted for his multimedia talents during the George Slick Fellowship concert in the summer of his junior year.

Ever since he picked his first guitar at seven years old, music has been an interest for Sentivan. Winning a prestigious music award is surreal for him.

“I’m so excited because it’s a really cool opportunity and I want to do as much with it as possible,” he said. “The plan is to write an album, which I’m doing right now.”

Releasing music is not a new endeavor for Sentivan. In 2022, he released an instrumental EP on Spotify titled “When/Where.” The artist feels that he has grown a lot since then and is excited to do more with his next piece.

“I spent a lot of time really putting in what I like to do in terms of production,” he said. “I’m planning on getting some kids together to help record. And I record as much as I can on my own.”

Sentivan’s support system at Haven has been a big part of his development as an artist.

“I’ve met with both art and music teachers about projects, and they were super supportive in terms of giving me time to work on my stuff,” he said. “It’s super helpful in terms of like thematically helping me narrow down stuff.”

Sentivan is already getting started on preparations for his George Slick Fellowship Concert, which will take place in June 2024. He is planning to combine his talents in multiple fields to create the best show possible.

“Right now I’m in the initial stages of preparing for it. I’m planning on doing a lot of visual components as well,” he said. “Actually, I am planning on having some elements of projected visuals along with music at the same time.”

He hopes to combine his music and artwork together with a theme.

“There will be some kind of gallery component to it,” he said. “I’m going for an overarching theme so I’m going to try to tie it all together. I’m hoping with my project to do the biggest variety of stuff possible. It’s a lot of stuff I like doing so I can put it all into this thing and have it be like a big project,” he said.

Combining visual and musical art is not common at George Slick Fellowship concerts, as the fellowship is usually awarded to a student who specializes in one area of the arts.

The George H. Slick Arts Fellowship and Grant was created to honor Dr. George H. Slick, Superintendent of the Wallingford-Swarthmore School District from 1978 to 1996 and 2006-2007. The intention of the fellowship is to “recognize the importance of the arts in a nation that aspires to greatness.” Students typically apply in the spring of their freshman year, and the recipient receives support towards a recital or exhibition in their junior or senior year.

Sentivan intends to have a collection that showcases all of his talents. He looks forward to putting together a show that no one will want to miss.*

Knitting Club welcomes all experience levels

Imogen Sharif ‘23 Haven Arts Editor

Whether or not you know how to knit, crochet, or other yarn-weaving craft, the Knitting Club welcomes you with open arms. Students have created a space on the fourth floor where anyone can learn a new skill and enjoy a stressrelieving experience with friends.

Knitting Club was founded last year, and is held in room 402 on Thursdays. Their teacher advisor, Ms. Beth Winkowski, is an avid knitting enthusiast and wanted to create a fun space for students. This is the second Knitting Club run by Winkowski in her career.

At Winkowski’s previous school in Washington D.C., an hour each month was set aside for community bonding between students and teachers. Each teacher sponsored a non-curricular activity, and Winkowski taught students how to knit.

Winkowski’s first year teaching at Strath Haven was interrupted by COVID-19, making it difficult to create new connections and clubs among students. When hybrid learning began, the few students who came to school expressed interest in being involved in a club.

“When I came to Strath Haven, I originally wanted to start a club to spark more interest in math, but at that time I saw a more pressing need for students to have an opportunity to socialize and bond. Knitting Club seemed like the perfect solution,” Winkowski said. Her students agreed that Knitting Club was something they wanted to have at SHHS.

“Over quarantine, when we had cohorts, I only had a couple of students in person, and we got really close,” Winkowski said. “I talked to them about my old school and knitting and they were so on board with it.”

During the 2021-2022 school year, when students were back in person, Winkowski and her students finally had the opportunity to start Knitting Club. She enlisted two of her students, juniors Caeli Rieger and Meg McManus, both of whom showed a passion for crafts and wanted to create a welcoming space for students.

“Students in Ms. Winkowski’s class came up with it,”

Rieger said. “She knew that I was interested in knitting and I would be someone willing to do the paperwork and get the club started.”

Other than Rieger and McManus, other students who had an interest in knitting from the start of the club joined in, and they helped to build the Knitting Club into what it is today.

Senior Erich Boerth, a self-identified “big knitter,” has been a member since the very beginning of Knitting Club. He is a major advertiser of Knitting Club, and will most likely invite you to join if given the opportunity. Boerth’s efforts have sparked a large increase in club attendance.

“I don’t think it [Knitting Club] was extremely popular in its first semester. I think they had a few people, but then me and my friends have slowly filtered in, and we’ve turned it into a decently big club,” Boerth said.

Regardless of your skill level, the upperclassmen that run Knitting Club invite you to join, either to find comfort in the community or learn a new skill. Rieger identifies that as the main purpose of the club.

“The goal is to let people knit and to get the tools and knowledge to knit. We have knitting needles and yarn that we provide people with,” Rieger said.

Newer members are allowed the opportunity to try knitting in a welcoming space with a variety of levels of experience.

Gianna Bergin, a junior with no previous knitting experience, joined Knitting Club this year during the second quarter.

“I went to Knitting Club and I started not knowing how to knit at all. It was easy to learn, Erich went around and taught me how to do the regular stitch,” Bergin said. “I had to keep relearning every time I went because I kept forgetting. But after a while I just kind of got it, and now I’m knitting a whole hat.”

Bergin works alongside her friends on Thursdays and has seen a huge growth in her own progress in weeks.

That’s a common theme among the students in Knitting Club.

“It’s not always obvious, since Knitting Club is once a week, but the people who have been with us since the beginning of Knitting Club really have learned a lot,” Rieger said.

One of the most important parts of the Knitting Club is the opportunity to learn even with no experience. Ms. Winkowski, student leaders, and peers are always open to help teach new members.

“You should come to Knitting Club regardless of experience,” Bergin said. “You can come with no experience at all and it’s really nice and everyone’s really fun.”*

Award just the beginning for talented Haven artist Sophomore recognized for his work in both music and art as he begins making his debut album.

The Knitting Club has grown in popularity, and its knitters have become skilled at their craft.

“You can come with no experience at all and it’s really nice and everyone’s really fun.”

Giana Bergin ‘24

LEARNING THE BASICS • Senior Eric Boerth assists junior Gianna Bergin on her knitting project. PHOTO: IMOGEN SHARIF ‘23

SAM’S WORK • Sentivan works in a variety of visual media, including drawing, painting, sculpture, collage, and digital art. PROVIDED BY SAM SENTIVAN ‘25

SAM SENTIVAN

CLUB MEETS IN ROOM 402 ON THURSDAYS

District ensembles: next step for students in Haven’s music program

What would happen if a handful of the best musicians from schools in the district joined together to perform a concert of moving music? Well, PMEA districts does exactly that and has been serving as a place for these musicians to let their talents flourish for decades.

PMEA (Pennsylvania Music Educators Association) hosts three different ensembles: District band, for winds, brass, and percussion. District orchestra, for mostly string instruments. And finally, district chorus for vocalists. Generally, in all district ensembles, students audition to join in the fall. If they earn a spot, they will travel to a nearby school in late winter where they will practice music for two days straight. On the third and final day, the students’ hard work is put on display in a concert for parents.

District ensembles have been around for decades, and Strath Haven’s band director, Mr. Pignataro, has supported this activity ever since he stepped foot into the music program. Today, he is able to give the students the opportunity to attend these district ensembles. This year, about twenty students participated in at least one ensemble.

“Students get to actually learn famous classical repertoire and they get to work with world-class conductors and clinicians which is something that is above and beyond enriching,” Pignataro said. “You also get to meet people from other schools and these are the very people you’re going to be going to the workforce with and going to college with, so it’s like great music, and meeting other people.”

Auditioning and getting selected to go to one of the district ensembles is one thing, but actually going to a nearby school and spending hours on stage and learning music has its own challenges. Pignataro often visits the ensembles when they are practicing.

“I personally like seeing my students grow from when

we drop them off on audition day, then I usually visit the next day to see how rehearsal is going, and then at the end, they’re exhausted, but I like how musically they’ve grown as an ensemble,” he said. “I like that I know that they’re up there on the stage, grueling, but they’re working together and building camaraderie.”

Sophomore Wendy Chen was one of the five Strath Haven students to attend district orchestra. She found the audition process to be quite stress-free.

“They give you the audition material near the beginning of June and then you have like three or four months to work on it for your audition in October,” Chen said. “It’s really nice because it’s online so you get to record all your excerpts separately, you get to do as many takes as you’d like, which gives you a lot of opportunities to put forth the best audition you can.”

But out of everything, for Chen, being able to bond with other students was what made the countless hours of practicing the violin worthwhile.

“The people really make it or break it, and the people that I met were really awesome,” she said. “Honestly, they’re just like anyone you would meet at school or something, except you’re all struggling to get through the same thing.”

Chen’s exceptional performance at district orchestra compelled the judges to select her to continue on to regional orchestra where she plans to further continue improving her violin skills.

Throughout high school, senior Dae Taylor has participated in plenty of the festivals PMEA offers. But even after going to the same event year after year, he still finds each one to be unique.

“My favorite thing about districts is probably just the new experience that it brings every single time,” Taylor said. “Often the guest conductors they have are really cool to play and work under. It’s interesting to kind of experience

OPINION

Display more art in school community

Luci DiBonaventura ‘25

Contributor

Art is an essential element of any educational environment, and schools should make a more concerted effort to ensure that there is plenty of it on display.

Although Strath Haven hangs up a lot of students’ art, there are still many empty places where both students and teachers would like to see more work shown. More art around the school will serve as a source of inspiration and motivation for students.

Seeing art in the hallways can spark curiosity and imagination, encouraging students to think more deeply and creatively about the world around them. Additionally, art can provide a sense of connection and community, which helps to create a more welcoming and inclusive environment for all students.

Sophomore Tanush Talekar would love more art to be hung up around the school and thinks it’s a great way to connect people.

“Aside from the emotional aspect, it’s important for a school to be connected to their students,” he said. “Hanging up student artwork shows that the school actually cares about what the students are pursuing and doing. Students would like to express themselves better to a larger group of people, so hanging up art is necessary to foster the growth of artists.”

Along with creating a community among students, artwork being hung up allows other non-art students to have an idea of what art students are doing in class.

Sophomore Linden Corbett agrees that it’s nice to see students’ artwork.

“It’s cool to see what the art students are working on,” Corbett said. “I also think it adds a good decorative component to the school as students are constantly walking through hallways and stairs thinking about their next class and it’s refreshing to see color and visuals rather than the constant reminder of school work.”

Art does not only add a decorative and inclusive

component to the school, but can be used as an educational tool. The different styles of art can show students different cultures and famous time periods surrounding the pieces, as well as providing students a way to learn different styles and techniques involved with it.

A problem with the art that is featured now is that it is hung up for a short period of time. This only gives students a couple weeks to see the work on display. With additional permanent installations, students would see more art and blank spaces around the school would be filled.

Art teacher Mrs. Jennifer Rodgers wants to have more display cases and picture frames in order to make this possible.

“I think it would be great to have more permanent art pieces around the school, and there’s a lot of places where this could be displayed,” she said. “We want to put more display cases in, but it costs a lot of money to install them. So if we had the funding to do all of this that would be great.”

Even though there aren’t permanent art installations around the school, Rodgers started a system years ago for hanging students’ current artwork.

“We do have strips of pine wood that are on the walls that we can tack finished artwork on to,” she said. “They’re the same strips that are in the third floor hallway, honor area and those were all put up probably almost 20 years ago…there’s definitely other spots we can still put art up. I know that there are TVs that we can put artwork on and show it.”

Along with student art, people have suggested more murals around the school. Freshman Fletcher Noto thinks adding more murals or repainting murals would be beneficial.

“Murals add a really cool decorative component to the school and makes it feel less bland and boring. It would

“On February 9-11, I participated in PMEA district band myself over at Great Valley High School. My time on stage over there was nothing short of amazing... I absolutely adored my section of bass clarinets as their company made all the hours of practicing worth it. I even enjoyed things as simple as the early morning van rides with the fun group of musicians we had on board. I feel so privileged to be able to participate in events like this that drive me to become a better musician. PMEA can definitely expect to see me again next year!”

Quentin Saylor ‘25

other conducting styles, other rehearsals directing styles, and to just be exposed to kind of a new experience.” Taylor believes that it’s worth joining a district ensemble not just for the experience of meeting new people, but also because those same people can drive one to grow as a musician.

“District bands are a really cool opportunity because it’s a very competitive group,” he said. “You’re playing with people all around you where everyone is the same level as you or better than you. That’s the best way to get better as a musician, by playing with people who are better than you.”*

be cool to add more murals so there’s more to look at around the school or even repaint over the ones we have now,” he said.

Many people around the school seem to enjoy art being hung up because it provides many benefits. There are different options of displaying these art pieces around the school like putting it on TVs or having more display cases if more funding were put to it.*

A look inside what it’s like to participate in a district ensemble and what it means to the students who attend.

Quinten Saylor ‘25 Contrbutor

Students and teachers express their appreciation for the art displayed in the hallways and want more.

EMPTY TOO OFTEN • Our columnist argues that walls and display cases should showcase art year-round.

PHOTO: LUCI DIBONAVENTURA

Seeing art in the hallways can spark curiosity and imagination, encouraging students to think more deeply and creatively about the world around them.

OPINION: Affirmative action in colleges REPORT CARD

Kaitlyn Ho

Collin Woodland

Copy Editor & Reporter

According to the Cornell Law School, Affirmative Action is defined as a set of procedures designed to eliminate unlawful discrimination among applicants, remedy the results of such prior discrimination, and prevent such discrimination in the future.

In 2014 and 2019, a group called the Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) sued Harvard University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, alleging that the schools’ admissions policies discriminated against Asian American applicants.

The SFFA argued that Harvard and North Carolina engaged in racial balancing, used racial stereotypes, and gave preferences to less qualified applicants based on their race, in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The SFFA filed a similar suit on the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) in 2019, with the same arguments.

In both cases, federal courts ruled in favor of the universities.

The Supreme Court heard arguments on this case in fall 2022, and, according to reports, may overturn decades of precedent allowing race-conscious admission decisions at colleges and universities in upcoming decisions this spring.

Two students from groups who may be impacted by the upcoming decision weigh in.

Affirmative action should help all minorities

Kaitlyn Ho ‘26

Twenty years ago, when affirmative action was on the line in the case of Grutter v. Bollinger, former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Conner was the deciding vote in the majority decision that allowed affirmative action to continue.

She made a statement that people come back to time and time again while discussing the most recent Supreme Court cases regarding affirmative action in colleges. O’Conner stated, “We expect that 25 years from now, the use of racial preferences will no longer be necessary to further the interest approved today.”

Yet, here we are today, with Harvard and the University of North Carolina, two toptier colleges, being called out for their use of affirmative action in their admissions process. The case was brought to the Supreme Court in November, and the decisions are expected to be made in early summer.

Affirmative action in the context of college admissions is the question of whether race should be considered in applications. While affirmative action is intended to even the field in the admissions process, it does have its cons.

I am speaking specifically for the AsianAmerican community. There is a fear shared among many of us, a fear we even joke about but never actually confront. Have we become the majority when it comes to colleges? And even worse, does that mean we could be rejected because of our race, if affirmative action is to continue?

People arguing against affirmative action often exploit this fear for their own gain, touting claims that affirmative action will negatively affect Asian-Americans. After all, there has long been a stereotype of Asian-Americans, and we are too often seen as robotic, over-achieving, emotionless people.

The people who state that affirmative action will affect us negatively are playing to the trepidation of Asian-Americans all around the world, specifically immigrant parents in the United States. Immigrants have learned, or at least hoped, that as long as they work hard and don’t complain, they will get the desired outcome. So to say that race, this uncontrollable factor, could have a hand in the final decision, is terrifying for them. These fears are valid, but they cause us to miss the whole point of affirmative action. Affirmative action is supposed to help all minorities. Furthermore, affirmative action does not simply give a boost to minorities, skyrocketing their chances past everyone else’s. It lets everyone have the assurance that they were able to achieve something based on their own merit, and not their race. We cannot allow these people to divide us between affirmative action and nonaffirmative action sides.

Other minorities are not the enemy.*

B C-

Admissions can’t be equal if the path to get there is not

Collin Woodland ‘23

When it comes to affirmative action in higher education, it’s important to remember that when affirmative action was first passed in 1961, higher education—aside from some Historically Black colleges and universities—was reserved almost solely for white men.

The extra boost to recruit more minorities in higher education strived to create equal educational opportunities for all Americans. However, with recent headlines from the supreme court hearing, affirmative action has gained a massive spotlight for its alleged discrimination against Asian-American students in college admissions.

I’m not writing this article to make the argument that there should be fewer Asian-Americans in higher education, but instead that in the midst of this controversy, we should imagine what we stand to lose without affirmative action.

The major argument is not that AsianAmericans are being denied admission, but that universities are using affirmative action as a means to prioritize recruiting higher percentages of other minorities in their place.

And this here is my biggest problem with affirmative action; the philosophy that every applicant should have an equal shot in college admissions. I know that statement hits the ear wrong, and honestly I do believe college admissions should be completely equal. However, the reality of the situation is that college admissions can’t be equal if the path to get there is not.

While college admissions should be a meritocracy, the reality is that not every applicant comes with the same advantages. The racial wealth gap in America varies considerably by race, but Asian and white Americans still clock in at the two highest-earning median household incomes, according to PGPF.org.

It’s no surprise that with statistics like these, Asian and white Americans also report the highest college enrollment rates per capita.

In a reality like this, it’s time for us to admit that opportunities in higher education reflect the opportunities given in society. I’m not saying all Asian or white Americans will have the opportunity to access a college education, but I am saying they have a disproportionate advantage in comparison to other racial demographics in America.

This inequality is exactly why we need affirmative action.

College should focus on enriching the development of young minds, and this includes exposing students to diverse perspectives, ideas, and most importantly, people.

Affirmative action does not mean that less qualified candidates are given preferential treatment. Rather, it aims to create a level playing field so that all qualified candidates have equal access to higher education by evaluating the talents of students in the context of the social inequalities they’ve faced.*

The lockers

- Too far from most classes to be efficient.

+ Adds a nice touch of color to the school halls.

+ Where would we be without the green mile?

Seats in the cafeteria

- There are never enough!

- Fights break out over this issue.

- No one wants to sit on the floor (ew).

AB+ F

Rainbow Dance

+ Colorful lights and awesome balloon arch.

+ 1k to the Ali Forney Center!

- One too many ABBA songs.

Singing Valentines

+ Best way to embarrass a friend

- They oversold; watch the say-do ratio.

- Rickrolled, yet again.

WSSD’s social media mistakes

- It’s not that hard to edit a caption.

- Shouldn’t you know what your own students look like?

- Might need prior review until they can step up their game.

EDITORS

UPCOMING EVENTS, IN BRIEF

HAVEN HEARTTHROB

Keeping in the tradition of last year, Mini Thon will be hosting another Haven Heartthrob. There was an interest meeting in room 209 on Feb. 23 for all potential heartthrobs (juniors or seniors) to attend and learn more about the event.

GREASE!

Cast and crew are busily preparing for the spring musical producion of “Grease.” The show runs March 3, 4, 10, 11 at 7:30 p.m. and March 5 & 12 at 2 p.m. Tickets are only sold at the door, and student tickets are $5.

TRACK TO PTFC CHAMPIONSHIP

Junior AJ Glavicic, senior Alex Falsone, junior Matt Lund, and junior Dan Wuenschel qualified for the state championships for their boy’s 4 x 800m relay team at the Meet of the Champions at Lehigh University.

BAND CAMP

On Feb. 20, the marching band announced, via Instagram, the dates for the full band camp, new student orientation, and leadership camp. Full band camp will take place on Aug. 21-25, and all members of the marching band must attend. The new student orientation will be on Aug. 18 and will introduce new members to the band. Leadership camp will be held Aug. 14-18.

BLOOD DRIVE

On March 2, Student Council and the American Red Cross are hosting a blood drive in the gym from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. One person can save three lives, and each donor gets a 20 dollar Amazon gift card. Sign up using the QR code below!

In lieu of the recent affirmative action Supreme Court case, how are students thinking about affirmative action?

‘26,

‘23

OPINION: School lunches should be free

Yash Singh ‘23 Contributor

Congress ended the COVID-19 provision of free lunches for all schools in 2022, reverting to a system where low income families had to fill out paperwork about their income to determine eligibility for aid.

This raises the question: What requirements must a student reach to receive free lunch?

The National School Lunch Program provides free or low cost meals to students if they meet the preconditions. The requirements are the following: 1) the student’s family’s income must be at or below 130 percent of the poverty level, or 2) The school district must be located in a low-income area.

Strath Haven is not located in a low-income area, which means students must meet the first requirement. According to benefits.gov, family income must fall below a threshold to qualify for the National School Lunch Program. For a family of four, that threshold is $51,338.

The median household income in the WallingfordSwarthmore School District is $129,625, according to 2021 U.S. Census data. However, 4.3 percent of residents in our district do fall below the poverty threshold.

“I feel as if this is very hard to reach especially for families who fall just outside these requirements,” senior Frank Larderi said.

“Whether it’s the right decision [to end free lunches] is hard to say, because I wonder how many families really took advantage of it,” German teacher and

Cultural Proficiency Leader Mr. Alex Paul said. “Even if they are affected, there still is [an] option to get free lunches.”

Don’t be misled by the statistic that 49 percent of students in Pennsylvania are eligible for free lunch in 2023. This number is so high because of the many schools that are located in low-income areas, allowing a whole school to be eligible for free lunches without any consideration of any one family’s salary.

Some Pennsylvania senators have proposed legislation to allow free lunches for all students again beginning with the 2023-2024 school year. According to Sen. Lindsey Williams of Allegheny County, providing free breakfast and lunch for all students in Pennsylvania every year would cost taxpayers $300 million annually—which is less than 1 percent of the state budget.

Members in our community might be right outside of the preconditions to receive free lunch and need free lunches more than some families living in low income areas.

This makes it beneficial for Pennsylvania to feed every student for free at Strath Haven and every other public school, a small cost in the state’s budget that would create a large change.*

“I would choose instrumental music. I feel like it is very laid back, whatever you want to do, and whatever instrument you want to indulge in, the class will help you get to whatever level you want to get to.”

“Art 2: Printmaking and Design. I really like my art class right now. I also really liked Macro and Micro Economics. They were both good learning experiences because they get you to learn what you’re not good at. I ended up not being good at them, but they were very helpful for the experience.”

Early Childhood Education

“My favorite class is Childhood because I really enjoy working with kids and it’s something that I want to do in the future. It’s a good break in the day for me since I enjoy it so much.”

AP Environmental Science

“AP Environmental Science. After the AP test, we spent a lot of time outdoors which was nice and we just did a lot of like hands on style classwork. I really liked the material and I didn’t feel like it was a particularly rigorous class but it still taught me a lot. It was a really fun time. And I love Ms. Freeman. ”

Early Childhood Education

“Childhood. 100 percent this class. No question. It’s what I want to do as a career.”

“It’s gotta be Public Speaking. I don’t know, I just really liked it. Mr Haney is a pretty fun dude and I learned a lot from his class.”

“Global Foods. It’s a really fun class, and I love Mrs. Zanoni, she is the sweetest person. Plus, it is really fun to eat early in the morning.”

“It is such a great way to break up your day. It is your freshman year. Break up your time, relax a little bit.”*

The class you don’t want to miss Seniors share which classes they loved the most and why they would recommend this class to other students.

Sasha Binder ‘24

Opinions Editor

Jake Gallagher

Steven Day Public Speaking

Ella Shifflett Global Foods

Ella Grossman Art 1

Nailah Sweeting

Instrumental Music

Mackenzie Murray Art 2

Laura Conner

Rhys Hals

A small cost in the overall state budget would make for a positive change.

Senior Tim Styer faces his match against a Penncrest wrestler on February 8. Despite not wresting their best, according to coaches, the team still took victory over their Media rivals.

PHOTO: KELLY MONTAGUE

Dignazio siblings support each other at the rink

In the cool, brisk, sweat-scented air of the Central League ice rinks, this 2023 hockey season was a unique one, especially for siblings Nick and Annie Dignazio.

This year, sophomore Annie Dignazio was invited to play up with the boys hockey team, which meant joining her older brother and captain, senior Nick Dignazio.

“It’s a super cool experience,” Annie said. “It’s definitely something I never thought I would do, to play with my brother. And I wouldn’t trade it for the world, but it’s just very different than the girls high school team. It’s more competition.”

Annie has been playing on the girls Pennhaven hockey team since eighth grade, and still participates today. This team combines middle and high school girls from Penncrest and Strath Haven. However, now that she plays for both the boys and girls teams, the game is transformed for both Annie and Nick— siblings who admire each others’ skills as varsity athletes.

“Most of the time, I don’t even need to look. I could just get the puck and throw it across the ice, and she should be there because [she’s] probably one of the fastest kids in the league,” Nick said.

Both Dignazio siblings have been athletes since their early ages—playing soccer,

lacrosse, and hockey. Nick continued with varsity soccer and varsity hockey in high school, as well as a Tier 1 club hockey schedule with the Little Flyers. As a sophomore, Annie plays on three varsity teams—soccer, lacrosse, and hockey. They both earned All-Delco honors in soccer in their most recent seasons.

But it is extraordinarily rare for a brother and sister to play on the same Central League varsity team—especially one as physically demanding as hockey.

Their sibling relationship is established within the league. Everyone knows to tread lightly with them.

Nick recalls a time when a Conestoga player checked Annie hard.

“This kid, like, smoked her. And of course she’s playing a men’s varsity sport, she’s going to get hit,” Nick said. “But it was kind of a dirty hit, and I just kind of let loose. I didn’t get a penalty because I’ve been playing [hockey] for like, ten years. So I know how to deal with these situations.”

Nick found the jersey number of the player who hit Annie.

“So next shift, I go out there, and before I go on the ice, I’m like, ‘Yo Annie, watch this,’ and then I just smoked him…And he was kind of shaken up for a bit, he didn’t go back into the game for seven minutes,”

Uncovering the training of Haven coaches Coaches receive specific training to lead athletic teams.

Jason Zhang ‘26

Contributor

There’s more to high school sports coaching than meets the eye.

From first aid knowledge to coaching camps, high school coaches go through a multitude of courses to ensure that they not only can lead their teams, but also help in a time of medical crisis.

“Every year I have to take concussion tests where I need [to] know how to treat a concussion. The second course is sudden cardiac injuries and how to deal with them,” Haven football coach Mr. Kevin Clancy said. “The third training we need to take is heat, heat acclimatization, and understanding heat related illnesses.”

“From purely a PIAA standpoint there’s required first aid, and general coaching training for newer coaches,” Athletic Director Mr. Pat Clancy said. “There’s required principles in coaching courses that we provide online for any new coaches, and they have to complete the courses within the first two years of their employment.”

Coaching a sports team involves much more than just teaching the players how to play the game.

Coaching a sports team involves much more than just teaching the players how to play the game. In addition to ensuring the safety and well-being of their athletes, coaches must also be prepared to handle a variety of other issues that may arise throughout the season.

Therefore, the PIAA (Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association) and Strath Haven require all new coaches to complete a series of first aid and general coaching training designed to teach new coaches with how to conduct the most efficient practices and how to handle different scenarios if something was to go wrong.

There’s not just purely medical training behind becoming a high school coach. According to Mr. Pat Clancy, the coaches’ training includes the details—like how to react if there’s issues with transportation, what do you do if the bus breaks down, or what you would do if you have parent conflicts.

New coaches also attend clinics to prepare for their specific coaching position.

“Most sports have clinics where coaches can go and listen to speakers, college coaches, or professionals talk about the sport and new coaches pick up things from those conferences or they could take notes from other high school coaches,” Mr. Kevin Clancy said. “There’s an awful lot of specific stuff online that you can get as well to learn how to become a better coach.”*

he said.

Annie recalls another huge moment for the duo from this season during Senior Night—a favorite moment for both siblings.

“My favorite memory [from the season] probably was the Springfield game when I got chucked into the net, and then Nick scored but I didn’t know,” she said. “I got up and looked around, and then I went into the pile and [Nick] broke away from the pile and hugged me.”

It ended up being the game-winning shot, ending a wonderful night to celebrate the seniors, taking a victory 3-2 over Springfield.

“I never thought I’d play on a team with Nick. I’ve been planning my senior year with Tessa, my little sister. We’ll play soccer, lacrosse together. She might play hockey,” Annie said. “But I never could have imagined that I played with Nick and I’m so grateful to play with him.”*

THE PANTHER PLAYLIST

Vol. 2: Captains Playlist

1

3

5

“Just Wanna Rock”- Lil Uzi Vert Mackenzie Irey / BASKETBALL

“Hey Ya”- Outkast Nuala McHugh / CROSS COUNTRY

“Beez In The Trap” - Nicki Minaj, 2 Chainz

“Lose Yourself” - Eminem Ella Shfflett / SWIMMING

“Whatever It Takes” - Imagine Dragons

“Lord Knows” - Meek Mill, Tory Lanez Nick Dignazio / SOCCER, HOCKEY

“Outro” - Meek Mill, Lil Snupe, French Montana

“Low Down” - Lil Baby Jack Edwards / BASKETBALL

“Free Smoke” - Drake

“Hells Bells” - AC/DC Sam Milligan / FOOTBALL/BASEBALL

“She Looks So Perfect” - 5 Seconds of Summer

“Better Than Revenge” - Taylor Swift Georgia Gianopulos / SWIMMING

“She’s So Gone” - Lemonade Mouth (Naomi Scott)

“Never Ever Getting Back Together” - Taylor Swift Bobby Fooskas / FOOTBALL

“GD Anthem” - Rooga Ben Farabaugh / FOOTBALL

“Fortunate Son” - Credence Clearwater Revival

“Cruise” - Florida Georgia Line Tyler Debusschere / GOLF

“That’s My Girl” - Fifth Harmony Emma Wei / CROSS COUNTRY Kelly Montague ‘25

Sophomore and senior siblings enjoyed the opportunity to skate for the same team—for the first and last time.

Kelly Montague ‘25

Contributor

ANNIE DIGNAZIO PHOTOGRAPHER: KELLY MONTAGUE

FEBRUARY CROSSWORD

Kaia Smith ‘25 Contributor

ACROSS

2. Split before a much needed haircut

4. Initialism of government agency likely to be in an action movie

5. Current day Constantinople

10. The Katniss Everdeen of love

11. Childish Gambino’s surname

12. Sob like a willow

14. Shape a shrub or sheep

15. Schrödinger’s pet of choice

17. Jerry’s eponymous 90s sitcom

19. Trite

20. Like a fox

DOWN

1. The “D” in the ED of college applications

3. “It is the east, and Juliet is the ___”

4. Two words: junction of UT, CO, AZ, and NM

6. Console that sounds like a French yes

7. Illegal seizure of power, for short

8. Broken body part in theater language

9. Anatomically incorrect shape

13. Overjoyed

16. What a little star might do

18. Speak of the ___

ANSWERS AT SHPANTHERPRESS.COM

Matteo Ventresca ‘25

Detours Editor

It was another rough year across the globe. From the biggest invasion in Europe since World War II to the World Cup, here are some of the most important stories that made 2022 a year to remember, for better or worse.

1. Russia invades Ukraine

On Feb. 24, Russian soldiers started began their march into Ukraine. Russia and Ukraine have been tensions have been rising since 2014, and Vladimir Putin, Russia’s president, decided to invade the country. Since then, there have been many deaths and destructions.

2. Will Smith hit Chris Rock during the Oscars

In April, Chris Rock made a joke about Jada Pinkett’s bald head due to her Alopecia. Will Smith didn’t seem to appreciate the joke and proceeded to walk towards Rock on stage and slap him across the face.

3. Monkeypox re-introduced

In May, health officials discovered a rise in a disease called monkeypox. It was initially reported in the UK and quickly spread across the world.

4. Texas shooting kills 19 students and two teachers

On May 24, a gunman in Uvalde, Texas opened fire at Robb Elementary School, killing 19 students and two teachers. The gunman had killed his grandma and crashed his car near the school moments before he opened fire. This school shooting was the third most deadly school shooting in U.S. history.

5. The Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade

On June 24, the supreme court overturned Roe v. Wade, which effectively criminalized abortion in many states of the nation. This caused 13 states to ban abortion completely and 12 states to limit abortion.

6. Pro-democracy protests in Iran

Protests began in September when a 22-year-old woman died in the custody of the police. She had been detained for violating the Islamic Republic’s dress code.

7. Queen Elizabeth II dies

On Sept. 28, Buckingham Palace confirmed that the queen died at Balmoral Castle, her official residence in Scotland. Queen Elizabeth II was Britain’s longest-reigning monarch dying at the age of 96. Her eldest son, King Charles III, has taken her place.

8. Elon Musk takes control of Twitter

On Oct. 27, Twitter agreed to sell their company to Elon Musk for $44 billion. This has caused a lot of controversies around the world. Musk started changing the verified symbols to various colors, reinstating controversial accounts, and making it more open to different kinds of speech as soon as the deal was made.

9. WNBA star released from Russia as a prisoner swap

On Dec. 8, Brittney Griner, a WNBA star held in Russia, was released and taken back to the U.S. Griner was held for months in Russia on drug charges and was released with a prisoner swap between the U.S. and Russia.

10. Messi and Argentina win the FIFA World Cup

In the 92nd Edition of the World Cup, Argentina reached their goal of winning the World Cup. In one of the wildest finals in the history of the tournament, Argentina managed to win their third title by beating France 4-2 in a penalty shootout.

THE PANTHER PLAYLIST

Vol. 3: Feb. Playlist

Strath Haven Panther Press ~ 14 songs, 53 min 3 sec Nuala McHugh ‘23, Mackenzie Murray ‘23

Silvertones spread love through song

Rhys Hals ‘23

Haven Happenings Editor

For almost 30 years, Valentine’s Day at Strath Haven has included musicfilled halls and interrupted classes. The tradition of Singing Valentines is a studentled event that has been passed down from one generation of Silvertones to the next.

This year, senior Sophie DeCristofaro led the preparations for the love-themed caroling day. The Silvertones rehearse before school every day, but starting in November, Tuesdays were designated specially for Singing Valentines practice.

“I play the piano so I’m able to play out individual parts,” DeCristofaro said. “I listen to it and see what needs to be adjusted.”

The catalog of songs sung has not changed much over the years, with Britney Spears’s “Toxic,” The Jackson Five’s “I Want You Back,” and Beyonce’s “Crazy in Love” on rotation. However, some years, the students pick a new song to add.

“This year I arranged ‘Honey Honey’ by ABBA,” DeCristofaro said, “We have some newer ones, but then there’s also classics.”

The older Silvertones are able to recall the arrangements from previous years and can help pass on the tradition to the new members. Through this method of student-led preparation, the director of Silvertones, music teacher Mr. John Shankweiler, can take a step back.

“I listen to them and give my suggestions but… it’s sort of like corporate memory,” Shankweiler said. “They remember it from last year and they teach the new students for this year. They take ownership in it and it’s fun.”

The day before winter break, the Silvertones spontaneously carol in the halls. In the early 90s Singing Valentines evolved out of this festive tradition.

“We’ve always done the sort of clandestine caroling,” Shankweiler said. “It came out of that.

We put together some really great arrangements back in the very late 80s, early 90s.”

At its core, the tradition has not changed much, but in the planning and organization of student orders for songs, technology has made the process easier.

“It’s evolved, in many ways it’s gotten a lot better. Spreadsheets and the computer have made it a lot easier. In the beginning it was always stacks of paper,” Shankweiler said.

The money raised from the purchased Singing Valentines goes into the Silvertones student account and is compiled for the Italy tours.

Besides raising money for the singing group, the tradition is a way to spread cheer and raise school spirit.

“It’s a way to have some school spirit and lighten the day on Valentine’s day and it’s something totally different and I think that’s fun,” senior Nathaniel Hodges said.

To junior Julia McClean, spreading the spirit is one of the best parts of Singing Valentines. “I think it’s fun…to celebrate what Valentine’s day is, to spread love and fun and good cheer,” she said.

Another part of the excitement on the Silvertones end is seeing the expression on the face of the recipients. “People get surprised and sometimes embarrassed and it’s fun to see their reaction,” freshman Ryan Markey said.

Aside from a long lunch break, the Silvertones spend the whole day walking around the school singing, which is both physically and mentally taxing.

“We had a pretty long lunch break so that was nice. We just went outside and laid on the grass,” junior Callie Susek said. “We just have to wait till we get home to relax.”

To keep her voice alive, Susek’s main strategy is to stay hydrated.

“Mostly just drink a lot of water and hope you can make it.”*

Watch videos for Singing Valentines & Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service at

Inaugural Day of Service exceeds expectations

With over 500 volunteers in attendance, the district’s first MLK Day of Service is reimagining community engagement

Collin Woodland ‘23

Reporter

“Powerful.”

“Breathtaking.”

“Inspiring.”

These were just some of the reactions shared by Wallingford-Swarthmore community members, following the district’s inaugural Martin Luther King Day Jr. Day of Service on Monday, Jan. 16.

“If you were there, you would see me grinning ear to ear,” Superintendent Dr. Wagner Marseille said. “I’m extremely excited and happy about the turnout today, and even more excited to see what next year will look like as we begin planning.”

At about 9 a.m., the event commenced in the middle school auditorium. Packed with WSSD students, parents, and community members, the energy in the room was bursting through the seams with volunteers ready to kick off the day and serve.

Hosted by Marseille and senior Anjali Robinson-Leary, the event kicked off with community messages from Pennsylvania Senator Tim Kearney, and Representative Leanne Krueger on the importance of voting to create local change and inspire large-scale action.

Following the captivating speeches and two Silvertones performances came the event’s keynote speaker, featured distinguished national

researcher on American race relations Chad Lassiter, who spoke on the importance of love.

The presentations concluded with performances from WSSD students, including two original poems and a rendition of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” by elementary schoolers, a dance performance by middle schoolers, an original speech by SHHS senior Supraja Sudarsan titled, “The Limits of Empathy,” and a district-wide rendition of MLK’s acclaimed “I Have a Dream” speech.

As the performance side of the day came to an end, it was time for the actual service, as hundreds of community volunteers filed out of the auditorium to play their part in giving back. The majority of activities were located in the gymnasium. Each school manned its own individual service project.

The schools came together to honor Dr. Martin Luther King’s legacy through service activities like food drives, toiletry drives, and care kits.

“I think that it’s good for the WSSD community to be giving,” senior Aïssata Koné said. “We get a lot, and I feel like if you get too much, and you don’t know about the process of giving, and how meaningful giving is, it isn’t a good balance in your life.”*

The Silvertones celebrate V-Day for yet another year by bursting into classrooms, bringing humiliation galore.

TOP • Silvertone boys sing to junior Aditi Halpe while in AP Calculus BC class.

PHOTO: JOE LYNCH

ABOVE • Junior Brianne Caldwell hugs fellow junior Nico Taylor while soloing for him.

PHOTO: JESSICA FARHAT LEFT • The silvertones girls suprised history teacher Mr. David Waldman by serenading him. PHOTO: JULIA GRAY

TOP • Senior Anjali Robinson-Leary adresses the crowd while announcing the following speaker.

RIGHT • Senior Sadie Herr paints a child’s face during the volunteer activities.

PHOTOS: MATTHEW CHEN