Campus News

By Bruce Adams, PAPrepLive.com

The senior midfielder led the highly-ranked Fords’ soccer team to the Inter-Ac title this fall, and was named Inter-Ac Most Valuable Player, as well as all-state, first team All-Delco and first team All-Main Line. The University of Chicago commit is also an excellent student who is a National Merit Scholar semifinalist. Off the pitch, Wada participates in the Peanut Butter and Jelly Club at Haverford School, which makes lunches for homeless shelters in Philadelphia. Read the story >

In Conceptual Physics, students were introduced to Ozobots in coordination with "Hour of Code" events. Ozobots are programmable robots with text block-based and color-based codes. Students focused on the color code structure, understanding that placement of code is just as critical as in any other language. They used the color codes to program the Ozobots to successfully navigate a map.

The Haverford School’s Robotics Team joined materials science professionals from around the world at the Materials Research Society (MRS) Fall Meeting in Boston, Mass., Nov. 25-30. Upper School engineering teacher Dr. Holly Golecki joined the team of nine students at the event, where the boys showcased their work in soft robotics, made valuable networking connections, and learned about the materials science industry. Two Haverford alumni, Jon Paras ’14 and Ed King ’18 also attended the conference. 

By Matt Barbosa, Carly Hayden & Jonah Hennes, PhillySportsDigest.com

Once a year, the communities of Episcopal Academy, Agnes Irwin School and Haverford School come together to enjoy a weekend of friendly Inter-Ac League competition as well as fellowship between alumni, faculty, staff, students, families and friends of the respective communities. Read the PhillySportsDigest.com story, with video >

Temple senior Shizz Alston Jr. reflects on playing in the Big 5, his time at the Haverford School & offers advice to high school students aspiring to play at the next level. Read the PhillySportsDigest.com article and watch the video interview with Shizz Alston Jr. '15 >

Six Haverford School robotics teams competed at the VEX Robotics Competition on Dec. 1 at Great Valley High School in Malvern. Team 169A earned the title of Skills Champion and received the Design Award. Team 169A and 169X were named Tournament Champions, and along with Tournament Finalist 169Y will advance to the state tournament in March.

The Haverford School Parents’ Association held the annual Party and Auction on Nov. 3. The event, which had the theme ‘Let’s Hear it for the Boys,’ raised more than $200,000. All funds raised support important initiatives at the School, including service learning programs, the performing arts, athletics, facility improvements, academic programs, faculty support, and scholarships for students.

As part of their study of music, eighth-grade boys write original lyrics and compose a song. Several groups are selected to perform for the Middle School students and faculty in the 250-seat Ball Auditorium. Every group must include a singer and guitar player but can incorporate other instruments that the students practice as part of various ensembles.

Digital First Media

Students from Episcopal Academy, The Haverford School and Agnes Irwin School worked together to pack 1,000 sandwich and snack bags for the hungry Sunday, Nov. 4. Read the Main Line Media News story >

New York Times contributor Jennifer Finney Boylan '76 asks whether fellow Haverford School graduate John Hickenlooper '70, Governor of Colorado can run for president as a centrist. Read the Opinion piece >

Eight student-athletes have signed National Letters of Intent to play D1 sports, including baseball, lacrosse, golf, and basketball.

Ring in the season at one of The Haverford School's upcoming winter performances. Our choral and instrumental groups have performed around the world. New this year: Lower, Middle, and Upper School singers and musicians will perform in the same concert.

Dr. Howard Stevenson is the Constance E. Clayton Professor of Urban Education and Director of the Racial Empowerment Collaborative at the University of Pennsylvania. On Nov. 12, he visited The Haverford School to educate faculty and staff on racial literacy during the School's in-service day, and for a group session with the School's Faculty Inclusion Committee. That evening, Haverford hosted a racial literacy parent education event in collaboration with The Agnes Irwin School.

Upper School science teacher Jamison Maley, who has taught at The Haverford School since 2005, earned a Stanford University Teacher Tribute following a nomination by Nico Tellez '18.

Since 1889, The Haverford School and The Episcopal Academy have engaged in sportsmanship, tradition, and competition as part of the second-oldest athletic rivalry in the Inter-Academic League: Haverford/EA Day. On Nov. 9 and 10, the two teams faced each other, this year on Haverford’s campus.

On Monday, Nov. 12, The Haverford School will partner with The Agnes Irwin School to present Exploring Racial Literacy: An Evening with Dr. Howard Stevenson. The event will be held at 7 p.m. in The Haverford School's Ball Auditorium, located in Wilson Hall.

The School's annual can drive kicked off on Nov. 5 with a special presentation. The Upper School can drive runs from Nov. 5-19, while the Lower School can drive runs from Nov. 6-20.

Upper School multimedia teacher Zoë Blatt and Director of Informational and Instructional Technology Andrea Drinkwine are co-teaching a new Upper School class: Visual Communication in a Digital World.

The time-honored sports competition between The Haverford School and The Episcopal Academy comes once again to Haverford's campus on Friday, Nov. 9 and Saturday, Nov. 10. The Fords are seeking to reclaim the coveted "split sweater" after losing it in 2017, when EA bested Haverford in cross-country, golf, and football.

Fourth- and fifth-grade students study chimes as part of Haverford’s music curriculum, and had their first practice with a new set of five-octave handbells from Schulmerich Bells, LLC, the world’s largest manufacturer of musical handbells. 

Jackson Simon '15 is one of four Yale University economics majors to receive the 2018 Tobin Scholar Prize for outstanding performance in economic core theory courses. The award is named in honor of former Yale professor and Nobel Laureate James Tobin. Simon will also be inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa Society, the oldest academic honor society in the country, in December. Read the Yale University story featuring Jackson Simon ’15 >

Pictured: Jackson Simon ’15 with Tobin Scholars Prize founders David Swensen and Stephen Freidheim.

In a special assembly at The Haverford School on Oct. 25, author and teacher J.A. White spoke to middle schoolers about his writing career and particular interest in scary stories. 

Students in Portfolio I Honors, co-taught by Mr. Raeder and Mr. Ressler, are embarking on a three-week project that introduces new artistic techniques and processes.

Haverford School student Intel Chen (VI Former) and alumni Mark Gregory ’18, Michael Schlarbaum ’18, and Sam Turner ’18 were recently recognized with Merit Certificates in Columbia Scholastic Press Association's 35th Gold Circle Awards program.

The Haverford School honored leadership donors at its Maroon & Gold Society party on Oct. 10 in The Haverford School’s Durham Community Room.

Twenty Haverford School seniors, representing 20 percent of the Class of 2019, have been recognized for their achievement by the 2018 National Merit Scholarship Program. Nine students – Nik Chakraborty, Intel Chen, Michael Fairorth, Jared Hoefner, Aram LaVan, Logan McAllister, Neetish Sharma, William Vauclain, and Griffin Wada – were named Semifinalists and will have the opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,500 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $31 million. Nationwide, there are 16,000 National Merit Semifinalists representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors.

By Donald Hunt, Philadelphia Tribune

Temple senior basketball standouts Ernest Aflakpui and Shizz Alston Jr. will take on some extra responsibility this season. Aflakpui and Alston were recently named captains of the Owls’ basketball team by head coach Fran Dunphy. Read the Philadelphia Tribune story about Shawn Alston '15 >

Join The Haverford School for an evening of scenes and songs, Oct. 19 and 20, at 7 p.m. in Centennial Hall. This year's Middle School Cabaret is titled "When I Grow Up" and highlights the good, the bad, the ugly, and the hilarity of adolescence.  

The science whizzes of the Haverford School's Soft Robotics Team knew that following up the sweet taste of 2017's first-place victory for designing soft robots made from gummy-bear-like candy wouldn't be an easy second course. But it turns out winning still fits them like a glove – literally. Read the Philadelphia Inquirer article >

The Index and Pegasus, two student publications at The Haverford School, have earned national acclaim for their writing and photography. One of The Index's 2017-18 editors is now a guest columnist for the Yale Daily News.

On Oct. 1, the Upper School inducted new members of the Honor Council and the Character Mentorship Program. Headmaster John Nagl spoke to Upper School students about the values of respect, honesty, and courage, and noted that the decisions students make today will determine the kind of men they become in the future.

At the Sept. 27 Mural Arts Month Kick-Off Press Preview, senior Garrett Johnson spoke with reporters about how art can impact and transform communities. The event included Executive Director of Mural Arts Philadelphia Jane Golden, Mayor of City of Philadelphia Jim Kenney, PECO President and CEO Michael Innocenzo, Barnes Foundation Curator of Public Programs Kathleen Greene, mural artists Brad Carney and Eurhi Jones, DJ and collaborator King Britt, and students from The Haverford School and Mastery Charter School - Shoemaker Campus.

Upper School English and history teacher W.D. Ehrhart will present his poetry and writings on Friday, Oct. 26 at 7 p.m. at Wor-Wic Community College, while Lower School art teacher Antonio Fink will exhibit his paintings, prints, tiles, and photographs Oct. 15-Nov. 2 at "The Barn" in Berwyn.

By Edwin Malet, County Lines Magazine

Technology. It cuts both ways. It can offer information, safety and community. Or it can be dangerous, especially for school-age kids. Fifty years ago, we asked, “Is our child old enough to drive?” Now our question: “Is she old enough to have a smartphone?”

Strangers, privacy, theft, bullying …. The list of on-line perils is lengthy.

As adults, we know how to avoid problems. Our kids, however, are inexperienced and exposed. Meanwhile, our schools struggle to find the right balance of protecting security, openness and youthful curiosity, acting as our partners in this process. Read the County Lines Magazine story, in which Haverford's Director of Technology, Andrea Drinkwine, is quoted >

This Haverford School senior, the 2018-19 student body president, is a member of soft robotics club, The Index (student newspaper), Model UN, Hephaestus Society (academic recognition) and a school tour guide. He also runs track for Haverford School and participates in service activities, including Special Olympics, the Peanut Butter and Jelly Club and Rowan Homes Tutoring. Read the Main Line Media News story >

Keith DiMarino’s daughter, Alexa, 12, had a migraine headache that would not go away. It lasted for three long months this past spring. The family consulted with a neurologist at Johns Hopkins and Dr. Donna Stephenson, a pediatric neurologist at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). Happily, Alexa is doing much better now and is in seventh grade at St. Katharine of Siena School this fall. Read the story about Keith DiMarino '96 >

The Haverford School’s Soft Robotics Club was awarded first place in the 2018 High School Soft Robotics Design Competition, sponsored by the Soft Robotics Toolkit at Harvard University. The club developed a novel method of producing pneumatic actuators, and then used those actuators to create a glove that could help teach students the nuances of using a pottery wheel.

"For decades we've been asking: Can squash grow?" said Ned Edwards, a Penn grad, U.S. Squash Hall of Famer and the project's executive director. "Well, it is growing, especially among juniors. But this is a more democratic way for us to manage this growth. We can go to public schools in West Philadelphia and get across the socio-economic spectrum. There's an appetite for it." Read the philly.com story that mentions Ned Edwards '76 >

Jonathan Morgan’s pedigree made him a natural to join the family business. His keen vision has made him a standout. Read the Multifamily Executive story about Jonathan Morgan '03 >

Penn picked up its a victory by beating Bucknell, 34-17, in its season opener, and for his role in the win, senior placekicker Jack Soslow was named Ivy League special-teams player of the week. Read the story of Jack Soslow '15 on Philly.com >

The Colorado governor has just created a political-action committee to see whether there’s an appetite among Democrats for a pro-business moderate. Read the Atlantic story about John Hickenlooper '70 >

The University of Chicago selected Upper School English teacher and soccer coach Dan Keefe for the Outstanding Educator Award. He was nominated by University of Chicago student Matthew Baumholtz ’18.