Campus News

A senior at The Haverford School, John Zhang is Co-President of both Peer Counseling and the Mindfulness Club at the school. He is an actor, writer and ensemble member of Haverford School Theater Productions, and is a Human Relationships Fellow and a tour guide at the school. Zhang was Student Council Class President his junior year. He was a Philadelphia Committee delegate at the Harvard Association Cultivating Inter-American Democracy and attended the Wharton Summer Business Leadership Academy at the University of Pennsylvania. He is Chairman of the Honor Council at The Haverford School and Senior Prefect of the Signet Society. Zhang is a National Merit Commended Scholar, helped the Haverford School squash team win the Mid-Atlantic Squash Association championship and has won numerous regattas. He is founder, CFO and lead counselor of Wick Summer Adventures, an outdoor day camp for boys ages 4-8.

Smithsonian Magazine's Joe Pappalardo explores the current landscape of the moon race and shares an update on the contributions of Mario Maggio '13.

Upper School students in Ms. Sides’ Woodworking II class completed a lesson on wood bending. The class explored different methods of wood bending, but spent extra time focusing on bent lamination.

Elijah Lee, a senior at The Haverford School, recently completed a three-year project of 3D printing a full-scale carbon cello, and his interest in this field led him to found Forte3D. Lee is the co-president of the School’s a cappella group The Notables and serves as the president of the Haverford Orchestra. He serves as one of only five Tour Guide Captains, meaning that he is a main figure that prospective families see when they visit Haverford. He is a member of the Haverford Materials Group (soft robotics) and has placed first in the Soft Robotics Toolkit Design Competition. Lee was published in the Soft Robotics journal and Journal of Chemical Education. His interest in soft robotics has also led him to several conference presentations, including one at NASA. Lee is also a member of Haverford’s VEX Robotics team that captured the state championship in 2020. At Haverford, he’s been awarded the Music Technology Prize, the Rudolph Hamma Blythe Jr ’59 Computer Award, and the Williams College Book Award. Off-campus, Lee interned at MIT in the Therapeutic Technology Design and Development Lab, during which he developed tools for bench-top left atrial appendage flow simulation. He also has interned at Penn Medicine in the Laboratory for Structural Physiologic and Functional Imaging to generate training data for automated spinal CT segmentation.

This fall, Middle School boys took part in STEPs Day—or “Solving The Earth’s Problems.” The boys researched the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and considered how those problems impact them, their communities, and their world. Middle School faculty members Emily Odeh, Mario Masso, and Kori Brown led the program.

HAVERFORD — It was do-or-die time for The Haverford School.

The Fords needed a first down to run out the clock and preserve a 13-7 victory over archrival Episcopal Academy Saturday afternoon at Sabol Field. The task, though, was a daunting one.

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's (LLNL's) Debbie and Charles Ball ’80 have received the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) Medal for Exceptional Public Service while on assignment with OSD. The medal is presented by the secretary of Defense to non-career federal employees, private citizens and foreign nationals.

The Haverford School Crew wrapped up its 2021 fall season over this past weekend with the Hidden River Regatta. The Fords had an adjusted fall schedule this year due to the aftermath of Hurricane Ida that left the program and local rowing community in recovery mode. 

Sam Gerber was mid-sentence when the need for an updated example hit him.

The Haverford School senior wide receiver was extolling the toughness of his classmate Mike Galasso, about his ability to bounce back, even as he’s shared snaps all season with fellow senior quarterback Michael Benincasa. “We’ll have a third-and-13,” Gerber said, “and he goes into every play thinking we’re going to convert.”

During the fall months, members of the Third Form have been volunteering at Memorial Church of God in Christ food pantry located in Haverford. The Form III Called to Serve Project takes place most Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays during study hall. The boys walk a few blocks to the church to pack boxes, bag vegetables, and deliver cases of water and soda to the church members’ cars.

A senior at The Haverford School, Mitav Nayak serves as the 2021-22 Student Body President. He also serves as the Editor-in-Chief of The Index (school newspaper), Editor-in-Chief & Designer in Chief of Newton’s Notebook (school STEM journal), and Model UN President. Nayak is also the Jazz Band President, the Math Club President, and the founder and president of the Economics/Stock Market Club and the Science Club. He is also a member of the Cum Laude Society (highest academic honor) and the Hephaestus Society (highest extracurricular honor). Nayak is an intern at Watermill Asset Management in New York City, during which he has researched biotech and med-tech companies about to come public through IPOs. He conducted summer research at Penn after being accepted into the Gene Therapy Program Student Internship at the University of Pennsylvania, where he worked with researchers repurposing drugs for rare diseases. Nayak has received multiple awards, including the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia Prize in Economics, the Yale Club of Philadelphia Book Award, and several awards for his journalism and writing work. He is captain of the Fords’ squash team, and individually, he is ranked 10th in the U19 age division in the United States.

Inside the Inter-Ac is a spotlight on some of our most important stakeholders, the coaches. This weekly feature hopes to allow fans of the Inter-Ac to get to know the coaches on a more personal level.
 
This week, we heard from: Mike Toomey, Haverford School, Boys Cross Country

Several Haverford School students were recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Program, including nine who were named National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists.

Grant Ament admits that coming back to Haverford School as the team’s new Offensive Coordinator completes a unique circle of growth in his lacrosse career.

“It’s kind of crazy, I’ve come full circle,” said Ament, who was recently named to the post by Fords head coach Brendan Dawson. “I couldn’t turn that down.”

This past summer, sixth former Jeffrey Yang and fifth formers Jay Crowther, Isaiah Shuchman, and Jaiden Shuchman spent time volunteering at PALS, an organization that fosters friendship and independence among young adults with Down syndrome. The four Haverford School students were joined by young alumni Robert Esgro ’19 and Ryan Ngo ’21, who have been working at the camps for many years under the recommendation of Ms. Jini Loos, Haverford’s Director of Service Learning.

The Haverford School celebrated the Opening Day of the 2021-22 school year on Sept. 10. The community returned to in-person traditions and welcomed new Head of School Tyler Casertano.

By Terry Toohey
 

HAVERFORD – Officially, Sam Gerber is listed on The Haverford School football roster as a slot back and free safety.

Gerber, though, is much more than that.

In addition to his duties as a receiver and defensive back, Gerber also returns punts and kickoffs, is on the hands team and the holder for all kicks. He would probably do more if head coach Brian Martin asked him to.

“He’s like a Swiss Army Knife,” Martin said. “He does it all.”

CHESTER — The legion of purple jerseys with No. 16 on the back was the first giveaway. The array of Haverford School lacrosse stars filling section 121 of Subaru Park was the second. And the line of kids waiting to take selfies with Grant Ament was easy enough to follow if you had any questions.

Not many high schools could claim what Haverford School did Sunday, with players in both halves of the Premier Lacrosse League semifinal doubleheader in Chester. Split between the Atlas blue-clad fans cheering for Dox Aitken in the first game and Chris Sabia’s purple Waterdogs in the nightcap, there was plenty of Delco lacrosse history on the field.

In February of 2020, Devon native and former Conestoga High School student Chris Tsetsekos and his two Haverford School classmates Jon Krouse and David Graham were living in the temporary limbo known to many high school seniors.

It was the period between receiving a college acceptance letter and the fear of the unknown that would await them when they arrived at their respective college campuses in the fall.

After nearly a year-long search, the all-boys Haverford School appointed Tyler Casertano its 10th head of school.