‘YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW’

The Heely Scholars in Archival and Historical Research investigated World War II and much more.

If the Lawrenceville Heely Scholars in Archival and Historical Research have a mantra, it comes courtesy of Anne Louise Smit P’10 ’13: “You don’t know what you don’t know.”

The departing history teacher and Heely Scholar program director uses the adage to remind scholars to expect the unexpected, that the expansive scholarly research they are about to undertake is almost certainly going lead down unexpected paths.

“You never know which direction,” Smit explained. “It’s a journey.”

Each year, eight rising Fifth Formers are nominated and selected by Lawrenceville history teachers to become Heely Scholars. Their goal is to address topics that place Lawrenceville within the context of national and global events, such as 2022’s exploration of World War II. The program begins with a two-week boarding summer seminar that introduces students to primary research from the School’s collection in the Stephan Archives and local research institutions. Students become fast friends, Smit said.

“They are so deeply immersed in getting so much done that there’s a pride that comes out of it that’s very different than the more predictable pattern of their academic year,” she said. “It’s a real deep experience.”

Not only does the program enrich scholars’ knowledge of this historic event, but it also deepens their understanding of their school.

“Some of the most surprising things I learned were the ways that Lawrenceville operated during the 1940s. While there were many differences from how Lawrenceville is now, there was a surprising amount of similarities,” said Lillian Gessner ’23. “We got the opportunity to read files such as minutes from trustee meetings or personal correspondence of alumni in the war that other students may never get the chance to see.”

For Gessner, the best parts of the program were the hours spent in the Stephan Archives, where she and her cohort spent “hours on end” reading historical documents.

“Every now and again we would break and share interesting things that we found,” she said, “and it was a really great opportunity to learn about what everyone was finding.”

Once such discovery Gessner made was a rendering of a World War II memorial plaque designed for one of her favorite campus buildings, Edith Memorial Chapel. After speaking with several staff members in the Alumni office, former School chaplain Rev. Sue Anne Steffey Morrow H’12, and Sarah Mezzino, the Archives’ curator of decorative arts and design, Gessner learned that the plaque was never actually commissioned.

“I then created my summer project on this and presented it to the Lawrenceville School Trustees, who were very receptive to helping get it created,” she explained.

In the fall, Heely Scholars enroll in an advanced research course to expand their summer inquiry into a senior thesis, which is presented to the School. Throughout the program, Scholars learn how to use tools they will need for university-level research.

“Everything is not ‘Google-able,’” Smit cautioned. “You need to develop the tenacity to find books, primary documents, competing resources, and how to use those resources to find others. You have to read enough first to have an historical question, then to develop a thesis that drives your paper.”

Ely Hahami ’23 focused on the efficacy and impact of World War II fiscal policy, specifically President Franklin Roosevelt’s Fair Employment Practices Committee (FEPC).

“I analyzed whether the FEPC was effective in providing jobs to African-Americans and whether or not that helped increase the economic status of Black Americans and reduce economic inequality,” Hahami said. “While I found that the FEPC in many aspects failed – for instance, it had weak enforcement mechanisms and did not improve the quality of jobs for Black Americans – it did set the framework for the ensuing civil rights movement, which has important implications today.”

Smit calls the Heely Scholars program “an independent journey,” and she provides a sounding board or occasional pushback to ensure the students think more deeply. Hahami says it has all strengthened his critical reasoning abilities.

“I had to adapt a whole new perspective on how to approach historical research that I had never encountered before,” he explained. “It challenged me, but Heely made me a more careful reader, a more thoughtful thinker, and a clearer communicator.” n

— Lisa M. Gillard H’17

ARE TWINS NATURALLY DRAWN TO LAWRENCEVILLE?

It seems possible, as there are more than 10 pairs on campus. Twins do a lot of sharing, bringing up some interesting questions: Do they have the same personality? Do they have twin-telepathy? Going to a boarding school where social networks expand easily, how does a twin deal with having mutual friends with his or her biological counterpart? We asked three sets of twins to clear up some of these questions. Here’s what we learned:

As Frances Brooks ’25 and Matthew Brooks ’25 adjusted to life at Lawrenceville, having a built-in best friend made navigating boarding school more comfortable. They don’t mention being twins often, so many people are surprised to find out they are. Since they no longer see each other all the time, their go-to hangout spot together is Wildflour Cafe, an excellent gluten-free option on Main Street for the duo, who also share celiac sprue. Both have quickly involved themselves in campus life, with Frances pursuing squash and guitar and Matt performing in the Impulse comedy troupe. When asked who the better twin was, they were surprisingly in agreement: It’s Frances.

From co-founding climate organizations to working together on research projects, Alex Noviello ’23 and Andrew Noviello ’23 regard their relationship as similar to coworkers. They believe that their experience at Lawrenceville has changed their relationship with each other for the better, growing to be more cooperative than competitive, something they attribute to living in separate Houses. The Noviellos are