Campus News

Data compiler Niche.com has just released its list of 2021 Top Schools in America, and The Haverford School ranked as the No. 1 Best All-Boys High School in the state of Pennsylvania.  

City Love, a music and education group based out of Philadelphia, held virtual assemblies with Haverford’s Lower School students on Friday, Oct. 9.

James Gates, a III Former pianist, recently performed in The Philadelphia International Music Festival’s new PIMFOnline.org Master Class. Playing Chopin’s “Waltz Op 34 No 1 in A flat major Vivace,” James, who auditioned against students from around the world for this opportunity, brilliantly dazzled a global audience with his talents and spirit. 

Seven seniors at The Haverford School have been recognized as Semifinalists by the National Merit® Scholarship Program. Ten students were recognized as Commended Students. 

In late September, Peter Blynn ‘14 cycled 100 miles as part of the Bike to the Beach event to raise money for the Kip Taviano ‘13 Scholarship Fund. Blynn raised more than $8,000 for the fund, which provides tuition assistance to a deserving Haverford School student-athlete.

In early February, the Haverford School community hosted the Fords vs. Cancer event during a varsity basketball game against Germantown Academy. The event raised funds for the Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania’s (CHOP). This summer, a check for $10,000 was delivered to CHOP with the intention of continuing research and the fight against Osteosarcoma, a type of cancer.

A part of the Middle School music curriculum for several years, all Form I and Form II boys are learning to play guitar this school year. Form II students are taking lessons this fall, and Form I boys will be learning about the instrument in the spring. Boys have music class three times a week.

The Haverford School marked the start of the 2020-21 school year with time-honored traditions on Sept. 9.

The Haverford School’s state-of-the-art Middle School was officially opened during a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Sept. 8.

Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Brendon Jobs was named a Top Teacher 2020 by Main Line Today. Read the full write-up >

This summer, The Haverford School soccer program partnered with the Starfinder Foundation, an organization that provides field space, training, and tutoring for children in the Philadelphia area. The team raised $1,750 for Philadelphia youth soccer players.

Upper School science teacher Kara Cleffi and science department chair Dr. Daniel Goduti presented a webinar to the Delhi Public School Society on Friday, Aug. 7. They spoke to more than 150 teachers about encouraging student interest in biology through teaching biotechnology and current research. 

The Pamela and Ajay Raju Foundation is working to distribute 100,000 face masks to a variety of super disseminators and community organizations in Philadelphia. Neetish Sharma '19 attained the masks for distribution through a Stanford contact. Sharma drove to New York City with Nick Chimicles '19 to pick up the masks and bring them back to Philly. 

James, a rising Third Former, returned to his hometown of Moville, Iowa during the recent COVID-19 outbreak. In an interview with KCAU 9 News, James explains how he has been using his incredible musical talents to uplift his community and "bring everyone together" during the pandemic.

Damien Blair is one of the area’s top college basketball coaches. He's been at the helm of the program at Division II West Chester University, his alma mater, for the last 12 seasons. Listen to the full interview on KYW Newsradio's 1-on-1 with Matt Leon >

The Haverford School has closed Character at Our Core, a comprehensive fundraising campaign designed to build upon the School’s expertise in the art and science of educating boys, complete a new Middle School building that supports 21st century pedagogy, and continue to build a diverse and inclusive community that is prepared to contribute to life beyond the School.

Chris Sims was All-Delco in track and field as a sophomore in 2019.

"When coronavirus hit, it felt wrong not having track season in the spring," said Sims, a rising senior at The Haverford School. "But in some ways, it was a blessing in disguise."

Read the full story in the Delco Times >

The Haverford School inducted 22 students into the Cum Laude Society in a virtual ceremony on May 27, 2020. This was the School’s 90th induction ceremony, and celebrates the School’s first and founding purpose: to educate young men in accordance with high standards of scholarship that will imbue them with an aspiration for and appreciation of intellectual excellence throughout their lives.

Upper School science teacher Will Leech shared various science experiments that can be done at home with products you may have on hand. Remember to use safety precautions where necessary, such as using googles and having an adult present.

More than two dozen Haverford School students will continue their athletic careers at their respective colleges and universities. Director of Athletics Michael Murphy hosted a virtual celebration to honor the boys’ commitment to their athletic careers and wish them well as they transition to their respective colleges and universities this fall.

The Haverford School has launched virtual Conservatory lessons in an effort to keep music an integral part of students' lives through the summer months. Lessons are offered in piano, violin and viola, cello, guitar, woodwind, brass, percussion and drums, voice, and trumpet.

Sixth grader Sam has put his creative skills to work to support the Providence Animal Center in Media, Pa. Sam is helping to raise money by drawing a picture of an owner’s dog when they make a donation to the organization. Sam asks for a small donation to the Providence Animal Shelter in exchange for a one-of-a-kind drawing of their dog. 

Two IV Formers in Kristin Brown’s photography class took part in the Lower Merion Conservancy Nature Photo Contest on Instagram. Joshua Ricefield received first place, while classmate Daniel Hou’s “spring” (pictured) earned third place in the contest. Both boys will receive a garden starter of plants native to Pennsylvania.

Pianist James Gates said practice doesn't only bring perfection. It can also bring permanence to music. "By practicing, I'm learning notes and chords, but I'm also following proper technique and understanding what the composers were experiencing when they were composing a piece," the Moville, Iowa, native explained. Read the story in the Sioux City Journal >
 

On May 8, The Haverford School celebrated the important connection between our boys and their grandparents and special friends.

WRT Design, the architectural firm selected for the forthcoming Middle School, has launched a virtual tour of the Commons, Makerspace, Learning Commons, classrooms, science labs, locker pods, and the green roof.

Boys in Mrs. Thorburn and Mrs. Heavey’s third grade classes virtually met Dr. Steve Phillips, an archeologist with vast experience working on sites in Egypt. Dr. Phillips, who serves as the Curatorial Research Coordinator for the Egypt Section at the Penn Museum, shared historical facts about ancient Egypt and described his many archeological digs in Egypt. 

Woodworking teachers Greg Ressler, Jill Sides, and Mark Thorburn have a unique opportunity in adapting their classes to Virtual Haverford. Their distance learning curriculum focuses on a key component of woodworking: design.

Mike Toomey, The Haverford School’s incoming Director of Enrollment and Financial Aid, will assume leadership of the cross-country program effective July 1, 2020. Toomey will succeed Tim Lengel ’07, who will continue as assistant coach and focus additional time on his teaching and advising duties in the Upper School.

Join Dr. Pam Greenblatt, Head of Lower School at The Haverford School, to gain practical tips on how to support young readers. This is part of the Best for Boys Speaker Series, which highlights topics and practices that help foster the social, emotional, and academic growth of young boys. The May 6 event will be presented at 7:30 p.m. in a virtual format, in partnership with Tredyffrin Public Library.

On April 15, members of the Haverford School community gathered virtually for the annual Scholarship Luncheon. This event celebrates the connection between named scholarship recipients -- of which there were 72 this year -- and donors. While donors were unable to meet and converse with their scholars in person, they had the opportunity to hear from Keyveat Postell '16, a soon-to-be graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and incoming analyst for Goldman Sachs, and VI Former Ben Hokenson.  

In mid-March, Cole Berman ’14 started Fuel the Fight, a campaign to support local restaurants and health workers impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. Fuel the Fight purchases meals from local Philadelphia restaurants and safely delivers them to health care workers at hospitals throughout the greater Philadelphia area.

By Bruce Adams, PAPrepLive

A senior, Sunny Yu was slated to play No. 1 singles for Haverford this spring. He played No. 2 singles as a junior, posted a 9-4 record, and won a deciding three set match at EA to keep Haverford’s streak of 10 consecutive Inter-Ac titles alive. Yu was undefeated in doubles play as a sophomore and freshman at Haverford. Ford head coach Antonio Fink said, “Sunny is a great competitor, and a great leader.” Read the story >

A junior, Baoer Li recently created International Student Alliance, an affinity group for international students at The Haverford School. Li is also part of the Pan-Asian Alliance club on campus. Academically, he received the British Biology Olympiad Silver Award in 10th grade, and was declared the winner of the Delaware Valley Science Fair for his project titled “Software Developers’ Response to the Unethical coding Task Request” last year. Read the story >

Forty-one Upper School students at The Haverford School have received regional honors from the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. Five of those students went on to receive national recognition for their work. 

Middle and Upper School students from more than 35 local schools attended The Haverford School’s 12th annual Middle School Diversity Conference on March 4. The conference’s theme was “The Power of Sharing Our Stories.” Internationally-recognized poet, novelist, and professor Dr. Javier Àvila was the keynote speaker at the event.

Six seniors at The Haverford School – Daniel Chow, William Curran, Andrew Feng, Alexander Greer, Toby Ma, and Aditya Sardesai – were named finalists for the
National Merit Scholar competition.

In the fall, The Haverford School unveiled an enhanced Strength & Conditioning Center, dubbed “the work room” by Strength & Conditioning program director Matt Rosko.

Led by senior captain Alec Stern, Haverford’s golf team raised $2,300 for Shriners Hospital for Children - Philadelphia through their “Bucks for Birdies” campaign. 

Students at The Haverford School recently connected with people from around the world – all without leaving campus. 

Twenty Lower School students from The Haverford School were recognized for their writing as part of the Gladwyne Library League’s 47th annual Junior Author Contest. Each student submitted original writing in either fiction, nonfiction, or poetry. Read the story >

The Haverford School’s Robotics program, known as The Calvary, had seven teams competing at the Eastern Pennsylvania State Competition. Team 169Z took home the state championship title, securing The Calvary’s tenth consecutive state championship.