Strath Haven High School December 2011 Haven Athletes Shatter

Panther Press
Strath Haven High School
December 2011
Haven Athletes Shatter School Record With Four
Named as Player of the Year
By Phil Bergman, ‘12
Staff Writer
years along the way. The midfielder/
forward led the team with 12 goals and
five assists, including one score and three
assists in the postseason. The University
of Delaware signee finished her storied
career at Haven with 39 goals and was
named to the All-Delco first team for all
four years in the school
“It’s a good accomplishment for
her.” said head coach Gino Miraglia. “She
works hard, was good player, had good
skills, and she deserves it.”
While Grossman also won the
Player of the Year award in 2010, her
route to stardom was not as easily to predict as DiTaranto’s. “Entering my freshman year I
played soccer and lacrosse and had no in-
At the end of every high school
athletic season, the Delaware County
Daily Times compiles a list of the best
players in the area, known as the “AllDelco” list. In December, athletes for
the eight fall sports (men’s and women’s
soccer and cross country, football, volleyball, women’s tennis, and field hockey)
are selected to the teams, with each sport
naming one Player of the Year. It is quite
an accomplishment for a school to have
just one student on one of the first teams,
and it’s exceptional for a school to have
a student named as Player of the Year.
Many say it’s unheard of, some believe
impossible, for two or more Players of
the Year to be from the
same school during a
single school year, let
alone a single season.
Well, Strath Haven once
again did the impossible, being the recipient
of half of the Player
of the Year awards
available for the 2011
fall season. Seniors
Gina DiTaranto (soccer), Hannah Grossman
(cross country) were
named Player of the
Year for a second consecutive year, while Jess
Keller (volleyball), and
Tomas Shiiba (soccer)
both won the sought
after award for the first
time. With four
recipients, the fall
Thomas Shiiba fights for possession. Image courtesy of delseason of 2011 has been
cotimes.com
the most successful
for Delco Times Player of Year in school
tention of running.” said Grossman. “I am
history, surpassing three won in the fall of so happy that I decided on a whim to join
2010. the track team in 9th grade.” The decision
“It’s special [to have this number has sure paid off for the University of
of students win player of the year].” said
Pennsylvania commit, who since starting
Athletic Director Chip Carroll. “It talks
cross country in her sophomore year has
to the quality of the coaching and the kids been named to the All-Delco, All-Central,
we have at Strath Haven.”
and All-State teams twice, and is the first
DiTaranto, the 2010 Delco Player female cross country runner in Haven
of the Year, was predicted by many to
history to win Player of the Year twice.
repeat the award at the start of the season,
This past season, Grossman took it a step
and lived up to her expectations, leading
farther, winning Delco’s, Central’s, and
the Lady Panthers to a 17-4 record, while
the District 1 Class AAA individual title,
back-to-back Central League championand placed 14th overall at the Northeast
ships, and advancing to the PIAA Class
Regional. AAA tournament for the first time in six
“If you had asked me going into
By Chad Maguire, ‘13
Staff Writer
The most recent production to
grace the Strath Haven stage, Noises Off
has proven to be among the best in recent
memory. Showing from November 17th
to the 20th for a total of four shows, the
play-within-a-play’s run was relatively
short, but incredibly well received by the
student community.
The three-act comedy focuses on
the cast and crew of the fictional production Nothing On as they prepare for the
opening night of the show’s ten-week
tour. From the get-go, it becomes evident
junior year, I would not have told you that
it was a goal to win Delco Runner of the
Year. I honestly did not even see it as a
possibility.” Grossman said. “But being
able to surprise myself after putting in so
much effort prior to that and to improve
further this year really showed me how
rewarding running is.” Grossman’s hard was seen at the
state competition, where she became the
highest-place female finisher in Delaware
County history, placing second behind a
student that attends a school with around
3,400 students, almost three times the size
of Strath Haven, effectively giving her the
imaginary Class AAA state title. “Track and cross country have
helped me learn so much about setting
goals and the hard work it takes to achieve
them,” said Grossman. “My time running
for Haven has been a great experience for
me, and I have made many great friends
through it along the way.”
Following in the footsteps last
season’s Delco Player of the Year, Emma
Deininger, Jess Keller helped the volleyball team have a repeat of the annual
award. “It’s a big deal to win this award.
I would’ve never expected it as a fresh-
Hannah Grossman, Delco Runner of the
Year. Image courtesy of pa.milesplit.com.
Theater Review: Noises Off!
that Nothing On is doomed to fail; inept
actors, a moody director, and other technical issues plague the show’s final dress
rehearsal. The entire first act is spent
exploring the dysfunctional relationships
between the characters as they attempt
to cope with these difficulties, with little
success. Through these interactions, one
gains an appreciation of each character
and their quirks. Whereas the first act
takes place onstage, the second act is
set backstage during the show’s opening
night. Predictably, the cast’s composure
is quickly lost soon after the curtains
rise, resulting in a mad scramble behind
the scenes. The show’s third and final
act returns attention to the stage, where
on closing night, the show begins to
completely fall apart at the seams. All the
while, the audience is constantly laughing;
the dialogue, while occasionally crude,
was consistently witty, and the show was
laden with slapstick humor. There were so
many jokes and visual gags within Noises
Off that it nearly warranted multiple viewings in order to appreciate everything.
While in play, the actors could
be described as unprofessional, this could
not be said of the student performers.
Leads Kara McGee, Andrew Perricone,
Kyle Floyd, Rachel Pallmeyer, Meghan
Hadley, Kalev Rudolph, Sami Simons
man.” said Keller, who didn’t pick up
volleyball until the start of eighth grade.
Since then, the 6’2” Appalachian State
commit hasn’t looked back, posting better
numbers each year she plays. This past
season, Keller broke the school single
season record with 574 kills, ranking
25th nationally in that category, and was
named to the first team all-State, all-PIAA
tournament, and all-Delco teams, as well
as being named the MVP of the Central
League. While Keller is pleased with her
achievements on the court this past fall,
she is even more excited about the accomplishments her team had this past season
under 12th year coach Kevin Haney. “There are no other girls in Strath
Haven history that can say they went to
states.” said Keller. “To be the first team
in school history to go this far is a testament to everything we worked for. All of
the girls who were a part of this team will
remember it in the future and it’s for all of
the girls who worked to make this a good
program.”
Unlike Keller, Thomas Shiiba
has been electrifying Nether Providence
soccer fields ever since the days he
could barely walk. The four-year varsity
member and co-captain of the 2011 squad
helped guide the Panthers to a 11-6-3
season, before losing in the District 1
Quarterfinals, one win shy of a PIAA state
tournament berth. Although juggling back
and forth between Haven practices and
workouts with Philadelphia Union’s U-18
academy team as well as the reserve team,
a squad he saw game action in, Shiiba
played terrific, scoring 16 goals while also
adding in eight helpers. For his efforts, the
Naval Academy commit was named first
team All-Central, All-State, All-Region,
was runner-up for Central League MVP,
and was the first male soccer player from
Haven to win Player of the Year since Karl
Reddick did it twice from 2005-06. “I’m honored to be selected for
this award and to be coached by Coach
Ryan O’Neil and his assistants.” said
Shiiba “I loved them as coaches and it’s
really cool to share [this] accomplishment with them. They motivated me a ton
to do what I know I can do.”
Overall, the 2011 fall season was
a successful one, and the accomplishments
made by these athletes will be kept in the
record books, and talked about by the
student body, for years to come.
Dylan Harrington, and Mike Fackenthall
were masterful in their performances.
Credit for the show’s success also belongs
to the countless students who worked hard
as assistant directors, company members,
stage crew, tech crew, make-up crew, and
costume crew, working hard behind the
scenes.
While avid Haven theatergoers may be disappointed that this year’s
drama has already come and gone, don’t
fear! The musical Godspell is slated for a
February opening, and it is sure to calm
the savage hearts of Haven’s loyal thespian fanatics.
Editors’ Page
December 2011
Page 2
The Leditor
By Aaron Jacobs, ‘13
Editor-in-Chief
to find out! Personally, I’m not opposed
to placing a pdf of the Panther Press on
the school district’s website in addition to
maintaining a printed edition. By placing it
on the school’s site, parents would have the
opportunity to form a stronger understanding about what students are like at Strath
Haven, and would hear about some of the
you going to go see a movie during the
time off? You should probably avoid Steven Spielberg’s War Horse. Yes, it is a
World War I epic, and with Spielberg at the
helm it will probably be Oscar bait. But
seriously, the movie is about the friendship
between a young man and a horse. This
is not a World War I version of Saving
Panther Press Editors
December 2011
-Editor-in-ChiefAaron Jacobs
-EditorsCharlotte Jenkins
Milena Williamson
Vidya Venkatesh
Abby Lowe
Dan Ziring
-AdvisorsMrs. Jennifer Fisher
Mrs. Laurie Bruch
Editor-in-Chief Jacobs
To start off, I’d like to apologize
to Kyle Floyd. On the front page of the
November issue, his college basketball
preview was accidentally mislabeled as a
college football preview. Also, the final
line of his article was inadvertently cut off.
Sorry, Kyle!
Inside this issue, Phil Bergman
and Nick Shields square off on whether or
not the Panther Press should be put online.
For years, popularity in printed newspapers
has declined. Since the advent of the internet, people all across the world have been
more inclined to get the latest news online
rather than waiting for a newspaper. Today, virtually every major newspaper has
an active online edition. So, why shouldn’t
Strath Haven’s one and only newspaper
join the trend and begin publishing a digital version? Read Phil Bergman’s article
Strath Haven High School
205 South Providence Road
Wallingford, PA 19086
610.892.3400
If there were no printed newspapers, there would be no paper boys!
latest news. Although it would be great to
gain more readers in the form of parents,
my ultimate goal is to increase the student
readership of the Panther Press, and I think
that eliminating (or greatly reducing the
number of) paper copies would be counterproductive. Let’s keep the printed Panther
Press alive!
Also in this issue, Ian Anderson
and Pat Doyle spark a debate about Ryder
Scott, Strath Haven’s president. Is he a
dictator? Ian Anderson seems to think so,
and Pat Doyle…may or may not agree.
Have a great winter break! Are
Private Ryan in the least. Instead, go see
David Fincher’s (director of The Social
Network) newest movie, The Girl With the
Dragon Tattoo. Albeit gruesome and grim,
I expect it to be completely absorbing, and
one of the year’s best movies. As per tradition, I will be seeing it on Christmas Day!
Send anything and everything
to shpantherpress@gmail.com. We’re always looking for new writers!
Best,
Aaron Jacobs
Editors’ Picks
A gentleman is one who never hurts anyone’s feelings unintentionally.
Charlotte Jenkins
Dan Ziring’s Editors’ Picks: They are the
best! You should read them every month!
See page 15 for the
complete staff list!
Dan Ziring
“Dystopia”: A word with such an illustrious
Panther Press history. Please, add it to your
vocabulary today.
Talbert: What a name.
Talbots: My favorite clothing store!
Aaron Jacobs
HBO Go: HBO is one of the best things ever.
So, when I learned about HBO Go, where all
of HBO’s recently aired tv shows and movies
are available on-demand for subscribers, I was
pretty excited. It’s like Netflix Instant Viewer,
except with HBO programming!
Having Four Editors’ Picks: WOOOHOO!!
Abby Lowe
Milena Williamson
Hidden Messages: See Pat Doyle’s article on
page 12 for details.
Hot Chocolate: Nothing’s better than coming
home after a snowy day and enjoying a cup
of hot chocolate. Now if only we had some
snow...
Winter Break: The best holiday present is
having the time to sleep in!
Vidya Venkatesh
Wearing head-to-toe wool: This is theoretically possible.
December 2011
Haven Happenings
Bringing Dance to Strath
Haven
By Tamar Reisner, ‘14
Staff Writer
As a student of Strath Haven
High School, I’m sure you are aware of
our strong arts program. You have heard
about or seen our amazing plays and
musicals, the most recent of which was
Noises Off. I’m sure you’ve also seen
the wonderful artwork, graphic design,
sewing, drawing, printing, photography,
etc. our student body produces. We also
have an outstanding band, orchestra,
jazz band and choral groups. You might
ask yourself then, what is missing? What
else do we need; what could we possibly add to this rich environment that
spawns creativity? After all we are one
of the only
schools
to evade
cutting
the arts
programs.
However,
we are
missing
one form
of art. One
form that
is equally
as valuable
as music,
theatre
and fine
arts, but
one that is
often overlooked. Can you guess what
it is? That’s right; we’re missing dance.
Strath Haven does not have a dance
program. Sure we have band front and
dance line, but that’s not the classical
style of dance I’m talking about. There
is no ballet, modern, jazz, hip-hop or tap
dance program.
In my opinion, the reason there
is no dance in the school curriculum is
because it is, unfortunately, viewed as
more feminine than any other art form.
It is true more females are interested in
dance, especially ballet in the United
States. At the recreational level, according to an article in the New York Times,
it “is still a routine experience for ballet
students in the United States.” However,
at the professional level, the number
of males and females is approximately
even; there are fifty percent females and
fifty percent males. Dance may appear effeminate, but it takes an extreme
amount of effort, dedication, passion
and strength, both mental and physical.
Dance may also be overlooked by school
curriculums because of the extreme
physical activity it requires. In some
ways it is like a sport. Those who are
serious about dance must spend hours on
end, sometimes over 14 in a week practicing, in order to progress to the professional level. Students in high school may
not be able to put in that much time and
energy for something they wish to do as
a hobby.
These views are unfortunate because dance has a multitude of life skills
that benefit people for the rest of their
lives. Dance teaches discipline. Just like
a sport, dance has rules; there is a certain
etiquette that is required in a dance studio. One is not allowed to talk while the
class is going on. There are certain ways
exercises must be done and there is a
certain structure to the class. People who
dance learn to discipline their bodies to
do what
the specific style
requires of
them, train
their minds
to pick up
combinations of
steps rapidly, and to
remember
series of
steps that
are eventually made
into dances
put to music. Dance
is also exceptionally physical. One must
be strong and flexible to move his or her
body in extreme ways often not meant
for the original structure of the human
body. Dance gives students the opportunity to perform on a stage, which teaches
public performance. This is helpful in
life when one gives a public speech or
presentation because they get used to
entertaining an audience. Anyone can do
it and it’s a fun activity for students to
try new movement. Music adds another
fun element to the already rich experience that is dance.
Dance is an expressive art
that can be about an infinite number of
themes. Whether it’s social justice, a
fairy tale, or a story you want to tell, you
can tell it through dance. The accomplishment I feel after a performance is
so vast that I feel sometimes like I have
just won a million dollars. The reason
for this great satisfaction is because I
know that I have worked hard, and that
I have put my whole body, soul and
mind into making a masterpiece. Dance
should be part of the Strath Haven High
School arts curriculum because of the
rich experiences and life skills it offers
to students.
Students battle it out at the beginning of a match in the recent Dodgeball Tournament! Image courtesy of Jack Huemmler.
Page 3
Details on Diversity
Trainers
By Hannah Herrera, ‘13 and Victoria
Price, ‘13
Staff Writers
not end at the in-service day. The group
gathers monthly under the supervision
and leadership of the dedicated faculty
sponsor, Ms. Sherry Paris, to discuss an
array of issues that arise in such a diverse
community as Strath Haven. While the
nature of the meetings may seem intense,
time is often spent playing games, acting
out skits, sharing stories, and especially
laughing, all with the intent to better
understand ourselves and others. We focus
on the communication between people as
well as unspoken preconceptions people
have in everyday life; we discuss biases
in real life and attempt to understand how
and why biases can occur. We discuss
On Tuesday, November 8th, the
Diversity Trainers, comprised of more
than 100 students, had their annual inservice day conference. They participated
in several different stations where they
discussed, reflected, and learned about
topics not normally pondered by the average high school student. Differences such
as race, gender, class, cliques, and sexual
orientation are a few of the main focuses
of Diversity Trainers.
Along with the students in
training, four very
special guests joined
the Diversity Trainers for the in-service
day. Tommy Atz,
Shayna Israel, both
former Strath Haven
students, Jeff Haviland, former guidance
counselor, and Mark
Linkins, the former
curriculum director, all led inspiring sessions that
The Diversity Trainers working at the inservice day in Novemdelved into themes of ber! Image courtesy of Ms. Sherry Paris.
acquiring greater selfawareness. Dr. Noonan, superintendent of
how everyone is different and how those
schools, even came to observe and show
differences do not make anyone “better”
his support. Ms. Bruch, a social worker,
or “worse.” A main purpose of Diversity
Mr. Taylor, guidance counselor, and Ms.
Trainers is to create a confidential enviMorris-Brady all helped out with the event ronment in which everyone feels comfortas well. Everyone had lots of fun interact- able to share their feelings, thoughts and
ing with their peers as well as their leaders experiences.
(especially dancing in the dark for a full
The Diversity Trainers plan
five minutes), but students also took the
to visit the middle school in the spring
opportunity to step out of their comfort
semester to pass down the knowledge they
zone and discuss topics generally considacquire during the course of the year, but
ered taboo in the classroom. One student
much preparation will take place from
reflected about the day, “I love DT! DT is
now until then. Ms. Paris, the student
such an inspirational activity and I hope it leaders, and all of the trainers look forteaches others as much as it has taught and ward to building an accepting and friendly
helped me.” The students took this day
environment which they can share with
to enjoy themselves and meet new people
the students of Strath Haven, and they will
as they began to build their basis for an
continue to use what they learn in their
accepting, insightful community.
everyday lives.
The Diversity Training does
School Board Update:
December
By Phil Bergman, ‘12
Staff Writer
The past month and a half has
been a busy one for the board of school
directors. The main point discussed over
these meetings was the NPE project,
which is scheduled to start construction
in the summer of 2012. Over the past
decade, the district has made a serious
effort in renovating the educational facilities in the district, and Nether Providence
Elementary is the final school to go under
the preliminary rounds of renovation.
Earlier this year, the board set a
bid out to local and regional architecture
firms to design a new or renovated building that would fit in the board’s budget of
around $16.5 million. After many rounds
of bids, on November 28, 2011, board
President Mary Gay Scanlon announced
that “the board was ready to write a
contract for the NPE project to GodshallKane Architecture, the architecture firm in
charge of the WES project”.
The board was impressed with
Godshall-Kane’s efficiency and keeping to
schedule at WES, their relationship with
district administration, and their new and
innovative design at NPE that will bring
green features to the building, as well as a
safe and enhanced learning environment
for the students. It was also announced at
this meeting that beloved NPE Principal
Jennifer Gaudioso will leave her position
following the school year in order to take
the position of Director of Elementary
Teaching & Learning at WSSD. Also at
recent meetings budget discussions began,
and the 2010-2011 Audit Report as well
as the Annual Assessment Report were
presented.
Lastly, the board announced that
two board members, Joanna Sloskey and
Michael J Rinaldi would be leaving due to
elections and a new job offer. Mr. Rinaldi
was an active participant at meetings and
always brought up many important issues
to the table while being a member of the
board of school directors for multiple
years, while Sloskey, a Strath Haven alum,
did a good job during her short tenure on
the school board, which started in February.
If you have any comments, questions, or items of information that you
want brought up at meetings, feel free
to contact Student Rep Phil Bergman or
President Ryder Scott.
December 2011
Haven Happenings
Page 4
Roving Reporter
By Jack Huemmler, ‘13
Staff Writer
As the Holiday Season closes in, Jack Huemmler asked:
What do you want for Christmas/Hannukah?
“I want some fur boots.”
-Sami Rahman, ‘13
“I want a new camera.?”
-Sierra Matika, ‘14
“I just want snow.”
-Lexi Mazur, ‘12
“1.25 for some dirties.”
- Brian Paintin, ‘12
“I want the right to bear
arms.”
-Carl Reitenbach, ‘13
Showcase Review
By Andrew Lombard, ‘15
Staff Writer
The Marching Band is one of
the defining symbols of our school. This
year’s season was a great one, and what
better way to end it than with the Marching Band Showcase. The showcase this
year featured songs such as We Got the
Beat, Mr. Roboto, Poker Face, Seven Nation Army, and many others. The showcase was successful as usual this year
but it was HOT. Everyone there seemed
to agree that it was hot. I asked Band
Director Mr. Hontz what he thought of the
performance, and he said, “This year was
our 8th annual Marching Band Showcase,
and it went extremely well. We try to do
the Showcase to give the parents a big
show outside of a football game. We had
By Nick Shields, ‘12
Staff Writer
The Turkey Bowl has always
been an almost universally popular annual event that the Strath Haven students and faculty have used to celebrate
Thanksgiving while still going hard in a
competitive atmosphere. Students from
each
a great selection of music this year and it
was fun for the students to play. This year
we had a great year of student leadership
and participation, and we look forward
to another great year of the same”. The
Showcase this year was very successful,
and we are all sad the season is over, but
at least we went out on a high note.
You may have noticed some new
figures hanging around Strath
Haven.... made by our very own
artists!!
The Turkey Bowl: Traditions
Continue
and seniors participated against a fiercly
competitive staff
The teachers, despite lacking
their usual signal caller Mr. Wood, managed to get out to an incredibly fast start
which paced
them to a
decisive
victory.
They got
big performances from
Mr. Haney,
Mr. Adams,
Mr. Waldman and Mr.
Turkey Bowl seniors pose before the match. Image courtesy of Alyssa Pooler Woolery,
all of whom paced the teacher’s offense as
grade had the opportunity to play and
they posted more than fifty points on the
participate in the game, which was, like
vaunted students’ defense. The teachers’
a typical football game, divided into
defense recorded a key turnover in the
four quarters. Almost an even distribuform of a Mr. Waldman interception that
tion of freshman, sophomores, juniors,
also fueled the victory.
Despite the loss, students
who chose to participate in the Turkey
Bowl said they enjoyed it. Jake Hoyle’s
favorite part was “spotting the big G.”
The students received strong outings
of victory. If looking for success in
future years, the students should look to
recruit some offensive firepower that can
allow them to compete with the teachers’
explosive offense. All in all, the Turkey
Bowl was loads of fun for all, especially
Emcees Phil Bergman, Ryder Scott, Jeanna Kenney, and Ian Anderson enjoy the
show. Image courtesy of Alyssa Pooler
from senior Jake Hoyle, junior Tevon
Howie, and senior Jesse Robbins despite
the loss. The students were simply not
able to compete with the potent teachers’
offense, which rendered them incapable
the many spectators. With the flawless
announcing of Ian Anderson, Phil Bergman, and Ryder Scott, this year’s Turkey
Bowl was as fun as ever.
December 2011
By Nick Shields, ‘12
Staff Writer
Over the past several years, the
severe economic downturn has taken its
toll on all aspects of our society, education included. School districts have had
to make cutbacks, and the WallingfordSwarthmore School District is not immune
to them. Recently, administrators in SHHS
brought up making the Panther Press “go
digital” in order to save precious dollars.
I am here to say that the Panther Press
should “go digital” not only to move into
the future but to save money for the school
and the district.
Although the Panther Press is
currently enormously popular around the
school among both teachers and students,
there are flaws. Not only does its distribution take time and effort, but with local and
national news media outlets moving towards digital distribution, it is only natural
that the Panther Press does the same thing.
With the rest of the media world moving
into the future, the Panther Press cannot
be left behind. As Strath Haven’s own Dr.
Yannacone has said, “We have seen the increased use of digital media by local news
outlets, and want to keep up with the current technology and education in this area
for our students.” A digital, online Panther
Press would help the newspaper move into
the future and save valuable time and energy.
Another significant reason for
digitalization of the Panther Press is to
conserve both money and resources. As
an environmentally friendly school, Strath
Haven has always been ahead of the game
with regards to being environmentally
friendly. But there are still steps that can
be taken to make SHHS an even more ecofriendly school. In addition to its costs, the
Panther Press uses vast amounts of paper
each month to print copies for almost everyone in the building, and then some. A
digital Panther Press would not only give
students, teachers, and administrators a
Haven Happenings
Should the Panther
Press Be Online?
different source from which they could
view the newspaper, but it would save
trees and money as well. As Treasurer of
environmental club Green Haven, senior
Cassandra Kyriazis “absolutely support[s]
the digitilzation of the Panther Press.” Dr.
Yannacone has commented on this issue
Image courtesy of sfnblog.com
by saying that “We have been approached
by the Sustainability Committee through
Dr. Noonan with the challenge to consider
ways to reduce our consumption of paper,
for both environmental and financial benefits.” With far less paper being consumed,
the school would be in a much, much better
environmental and financial situation moving into the future.
The Panther Press’s enormous
success since its inception has been magnificent; it has articles on everything from
upcoming concerts and the state of Philadelphia sports to fashion picks. It is one of
the few high school newspapers in the area
which enjoys such a wide variety of subjects. According to Dr. Yannacone, there
is a plan in the works to offer the Panther
Press in two forms, one print, one digital.
The printed paper will be available in the
offices, guidance center, and library, and
the digital version would then be available on the T drive for students to access
at their leisure. In order for Strath Haven
to move into the future, the Panther Press
“going digital” is must. Not only does it cut
costs and the environmental impact of the
school, but it allows member of our school
community to view the Panther Press
whenever they want, without killing a tree.
By Phil Bergman, ‘12
Staff Writer
In today’s age in media, newspaper companies and other journalistic
authorities are prompting to shut down
their print outlets in order to compete
in the rapidly changing field of journalism. Companies are focusing more and
more on their multimedia platforms and
less on their actual papers. Colleges now
offer degrees in online and convergence
journalisms, and are stopping to give out
degrees in print journalism. Top writers
now update their Twitter handles and their
blogs instead of their columns, and many
city newspapers print only a few times
each week, forcing the consumer to read
the latest news articles on their website
instead. Over the past few years, our
country has been in economic decline, and
cuts have to be made in all fields, including in our fine educational system. One of
the programs that many schools believe
can easily be cut is its school paper, an
endeavor that costs thousands of dollars
each year to print and run functionally, but
brings in no money towards the school.
Recently, our principal, Dr. Mary Jo Yannacone, has proposed the idea of putting
the Panther Press solely on the district
website. Please, dear students of Strath
Haven High School, stay above the influence and make sure that the Panther Press
stays in print for years to come.
First of all, everybody knows that
if the Panther Press was not physically
handed out, no one would read it. Until
you read this sentence, how many of you
knew that the Student Council and the
School Store both had pages on the district
site? If the Panther Press is put online,
nobody will be able to find it. The only
people that will ever read it are the kids
that wrote the articles and their parents
who in typical Wallingford-Swarthmore
fashion, would send the link to relatives
and close family friends so that they could
Poll Princesses: Holiday Edition
By Hannah Grossman, ‘12
Margaret Murray, ‘12
Staff Writers
Hey guys,
We realize it’s been awhile since
we took our last poll, so we wanted to
make sure this was a good one. With winter break quickly approaching and B101
never letting up on the holiday music,
we decided it would be fitting to ask you
what your favorite modern holiday song
is. Since every artist these days seems to
come out with a holiday album, we had
a lot to choose from. We felt like these
five songs were some of the ones we’ve
been hearing most frequently: “All I
Want for Christmas” by Mariah Carey,
“Drummer Boy (feat. Busta Rhymes)” by
Justin Bieber, “Last Christmas” by Taylor
Swift, “The Hannukkah Song” by Adam
Sandler, and “Santa Clause is Comin’ to
Town” by Bruce Springsteen. While we
were impressed with how many votes
Justin Bieber’s “Drummer Boy” got, being released so recently, it did not take the
cake. The easy winner was “All I Want
for Christmas” by Mariah Carey. Classic! We hope you guys enjoy your winter
break, maybe even listening to these
tunes! See you next year!
xoxo,
Poll Princesses
Page 5
brag about their kids.“I would be really
sad if the Panther Press stopped coming
out,” said senior Kirsten Wise, “It is the
brightest part of a student’s day to get the
paper and read what is going on in the sch
ool.”
Many kids read the paper when
it is distributed, and the paper gives
students a nice break from texting during
their boring classes that they must endure
throughout the day. It is the Panther Press’
job to inform the student body of what is
going on in the school. Seriously, without
this fabulous paper, how would we ever
be able to know what the best cheese of
the month is, and what the theatre performance that was poorly attended was abo
ut?
When discussing the cutting of
the Panther Press, one must not forget
about the six editors of the paper, and its
teacher-advisors Mrs. Fisher and Mrs.
Bruch, who spend countless hours each
month editing, laying out, and crafting
the art which is referred to as the Panther
Press. “If the Panther Press is put online,
it would be a complete waste of time for
the editors,” said a former Panther Press
editor who spoke on anonymity due to the
severity of the topic. He or she continued,
“The editors spend many late nights editing and laying out each issue each month,
and it would be a detriment to our hard
work if it was put online.”
Do not forget that if the paper
was put online, the average student who
doesn’t feel like searching wssd.org for
the Panther Press would not learn all of
the great tidbits mentioned each month in
the Editor’s Picks section. I know personally I found out about Paul Simon’s latest
CD through Abby Lowe’s pick last June,
and how can anyone forget about Cigar
Man, a character many learned about
through the post made by former sports
editor Ben Sobel “Soup.”
Finally, let’s be honest with ourselves here. If we, Strath Haven, did what
everybody else did, our school would be
home to a beautiful turf complex and our
marching band would be atrocious. But as
of now, we still have an awful grass field
and our marching band is awesome. Why
should we succumb to others on this issue
as well? In true Strath Haven fashion, let’s
be different and original from everyone
else, and keep the Panther Press in print.
DISCLAIMER
The results are in, and “All I want for Christmas” by Mariah Carey is
the best holiday song! “Drummer Boy,” “The Hannukkah Song,” and
“Santa Clause is Coming to Town” follow, with Taylor Swift’s “Last
Christmas” coming in last!
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), we will
not render any article neutral, athough
individual points may be edited for obscene or baselessly inflammatory content, with the consent of the author.
Finally, the articles published in the
Panther Press do not necessarily reflect
the views of the editors.
Detours
December 2011
Page 6
The Christmas House
It’s only the most well-known house in the Wallingford Swarthmore School District!
By Anna Jaoudi, ‘15
Staff Writer
When we think about the holidays, we recall that chilly time of year
in which everyone spreads the warmth
through their spark of cheer. There are
many ways people spread their wintertime spirit to the community, usually with
decorations and lights. I got in touch with
home-owners Lauren and David Plummer who live a few doors from our school.
Their great display is known by local children as the Christmas House. It features
pieces celebrating various winter holidays
and includes 35,000 lights, making it an
ever-growing collection for the Plummers.
They not only take pleasure in assembling
the display, but many people around town
tell of taking different routes when driving
just to admire the joyous scene of lights in
mass amounts. Even though they cut back
on energy usage each year, they’ll simply
never cut back on the holiday spirit.
AJ: How many years has it taken to create
your collection?
LP: We had just a few things when we got
married 12 years ago. We have built up
this collection since then, mostly through
yard sales, thrift shops, and online. It’s a
lot like treasure hunting for us! A lot of
the larger custom pieces were my grandfather’s. He had a huge display in Aston,
and I love having some of his things to use
in our display. A lot of things my husband
has created as well.
AJ: How many lights are there? To save
energy, are any LED?
LP: This year the count is 35,000 lights.
Every year we try to top ourselves! A few
years ago we were pulling 115 amps, but
last year we moved some things to LED
and got it down to 75 amps. We moved
even more to LED this year, and the whole
display is now only pulling 50 amps.
AJ: Which takes longer - putting them up
or taking them down?
LP: It is a labor of love by my husband…
AJ: What is your electric bill like?
LP: Keeps getting better thankfully.
PECO probably wonders if we quit putting up a display! This year should cost
us about half of what it cost to run two
years ago, but we still have more lights.
AJ: What do the neighbors and other
The Christmas House on Providence Road! Image courtesy of
wallingfordgriswolds.com/
it’s really his baby. He plans, dreams, finds
new ideas throughout the year, and works
on it off and on. It took about fourteen full
days of work spread out over a few weeks
to put it up this year. Sadly, it will come
down in three or four. Setting up takes a
lot more planning and thought than the tear
down! We are lucky to have some young
Marine friends who climbed around on the
roof and helped us out this year! It has been
fun to have our kids get involved too now
that they are a little older.
people generally say?
LP: Happily, people seem to enjoy the
display. We get a lot of people who slow
down or stop to enjoy it, and we love to
hear the honks as people drive by each
night! Our twins are in first grade at
WES, and as we’ve gotten more involved
in the school district, it has been fun to
hear stories of how kids look forward to
driving by and how they beg their parents to go out of the way to drive by. I
have found that I don’t need to give my
address; people know exactly where the
‘Christmas House’ is!
AJ: Is the inside decorated as much as the
outside?
LP: We definitely decorate inside, but no
not as much as the outside! This is, obviously, our favorite holiday season, and
we enjoy surrounding ourselves with the
holiday spirit. I don’t think I even own a
thanksgiving decoration because we have
Christmas stuff out before Thanksgiving!
AJ: Where do you store it all?
LP: In our garage. If you stand in our garage and look up, it looks like Christmas
will explode down on you!
AJ: Have you ever gotten recognized for
it?
LP: We were shown on ABC one year
when they spotlighted displays, and we
were in the Daily Times. The paper doing
a piece on us last year was fun! We have
friends out of the area who wanted to see
the display, so we created our own website
for it, and try to update it each year, www.
wallingfordgriswolds.com
AJ: What’s one thing you’d just like to say
about all your holiday cheer?
LP: We just really hope that people get a
smile, a moment to slow down, and time
to enjoy the display and the holiday spirit.
This time of year can be stressful, and we
hope that our display brings some cheer, a
moment of reflection on the nativity and
the baby, and a beautiful place to take your
family to and make a memory. I hope to
hear you honk or see you wave when you
go by!
Shopper Profile: the Last Minute Man
By Nikitha Cherayil, ‘13
Staff Writer
After hearing Mr. Haviland confidently state/make up the statistic that 70
percent of people in the mall the week before Christmas will be men, I searched for
the truth behind the myth of the “Last Minute Man.”
In a study done in 2007, a reported 35 million Americans hadn’t started
their holiday shopping by December 18th
of that year, about 11 percent of the population. One in five men surveyed admitted
this compared to one in fourteen women
who confessed the same.
This statistic makes sense with
the common truth that most men do not enjoy Christmas shopping, dare I say, shopping in general. In fact, in a survey done in
Queens, New York more than half the men
said that they would rather be dumped, lose
their job, or move back home than shop for
Christmas presents.
Researchers have categorized
these male shopping procrastinators or the
“Last Minute Men” into 3 groups: “the
grab and go” who want to get in and out
of a store as quick as possible, “the whine
and wait” who are dragged around shops
by women, and those who have “a fear of
the feminine” and try to avoid shopping
altogether. These men can be indentified
in large department stores wondering the
aisles aimlessly and sweating copiously
with a blank expression tinged with fear
and a credit card at the ready.
Obviously, stores take advantage
of men at this very vulnerable moment in
their lives. They stay open until midnight
with sales that give men some sort of justification for the delay. Salespeople spot
their prey from behind racks of clothing
and pounce, eventually persuading them to
store in Britain, has even placed an “SOS
shopping service” during the last week before Christmas specially tailored for the
Last Minute Man. This service includes a
30 minute one-on-one session with a sales
King of Prussia Mall...Image courtesy of http://www.visitphilly.com/
buy something expensive that “your girlfriend/wife will just love!” Julian Chamberlain, manager of a retail store in England, explains that the “Last Minute Man is
a salesperson’s dream. He’s cash rich and
time poor. He often makes a distress purchase when all rationality goes out of the
window. [He] has no list and browses haplessly from aisle to aisle.” In light of this,
stores train their staff to spot these men and
go for the kill. Selfridges, a department
associate who will guide men to the “perfect” gifts.
Because of this, men actually
spend 15 percent more on gifts when they
shop at the last minute. On Christmas Eve,
purchases by men are behind 63 percent
of all high value sales. They will spend
any amount of money on anything, (And
I mean anything. One percent of Last Minute Men do their gift shopping at gas stations.) as long as they can stop shopping as
soon as possible. And what for? Why go
through the hassle when 1 in 3 of their gifts
is refunded after New Years?
When asked why he puts off
Christmas shopping until the last minute,
a Torontonian man answered “I’m a man,
that’s how we do it.” This is actually the
truth for all men, (it’s not just because
he’s Canadian) and there’s evolutionary
evidence to prove it. A study conducted by
the University of Michigan concluded that
shopping habits correlate to hunting and
gathering activities in the human race’s
past. The study explains that “shopping
could be considered a form of foraging
in the modern consumer environment.”
Because women were generally the gatherers, shopping is more suited for them.
They spend time looking around and pick
the perfect berry/cute purse. Men, on the
other hand, were hunters who couldn’t
waste time as they were stalking their
prey, which explains their current graband-go shopping tendency.
The myth of the “Last Minute Man” is
confirmed. From polls to evolutionary
studies, it has been proven that men are
more likely to procrastinate on their holiday shopping than women. Validate it for
yourself by going out to a mall on the 24th
or before any major gift-giving holiday
and scout out the “Last Minute Man.”
December 2011
Detours
Horoscopes
Taurus (4/20-5/20) - Aw shucky
By Cassandra Kyriazis, ‘12, Jill Troutman, ‘12, & Labonno Islam
Staff Writers
Sagitarrius (11/22-12/21) - Sometimes your birthday gets outshined by a
turkey, just eat it and you’ll eliminate the
competition! Aside from that minor obstacle, you will come across an enchanted
plume. The plume has magical powers,
and if you go to school every day for a
month, it will grant you three wishes. But
beware, all magic comes with a price... In
the meantime, Happy Merry Christmahanakwanzeid everyone!
Capricorn (12/22-1/19) - Lately
you’ve been dancing and crying and laughing and having a really really really good
time. You’ll remember this moment for the
rest of your life. Just be warned, in order to
have the best dance party in the world, all
you have to do is dance...
Aquarius (1/20-2/18) - You will
meet your true love this month. If it snows.
And we don’t have school because of the
snow. And it has to happen before December 26. So, start wearing those PJs inside
out, take those ice cubes out of your water
glass and stick them in the toilet, and get
used to sleeping with a spoon under your
pillow. If it doesn’t snow, not only will you
have to wait 10 more years to meet your
true love, but if you’re a girl, he’ll have a
mustache and will bleach it. And no, his
natural hair color isn’t bleach blonde. If
you’re a guy, she will always wear pink.
Like always.
Pisces (2/19-3/20) - Look up,
look down, count to six, now triple inhale.
Flap your arms twice whilst rubbing your
head and patting your tummy. Now wink
at the next person you see. Congratulations, you are now a federal marshall of
the grand state of Idaho. You will receive
your potato-shooter and Stetson in the mail
within the next 4-6 business weeks. Thank
you for calling Good Police home of good
police.
Aries (3/21-4/19) - Fangs. Pale
Fangs. Furry Fangs. Bad acting. Where
are you? You’re in a nightmare. You have
a perpetual open-mouth problem, close
it and run the other way. Do you know
where this is leading? An eternity with
pale chills and a husband whose only expression constitutes major whining.
ducky, nine is fine. You may have suspended your grand master plan, but that doesn’t
mean you’re not still garnering support for
what you have in store. Skeletons in your
closet? Who cares! Don’t let the man get
you down! You go, Glen Coco! Pizza >
politics.
Gemini (5/21-6/21) - Watch out
for the water on the edge of the bathroom
sink! You don’t want to look like your belly button peed itself! Oh and watch out for
cloudy water in the water fountains, but actually.
Cancer (6/22-7/22) - You will
have a very lovely conversation with the
student in the third floor window doing a
record 13-day headstand. You will learn
that his name is Arty P. Roject, and he is
just very ambitious. Tell him that you understand it’s hard to bathe yourself while
doing such an extended headstand, but
showers are important. A change of clothes
might be nice for ol’ Arty, too.
Leo (7/23-8/22) - Try hitting up a
techno dance party. There are yellow diamonds hidden in every sky.
Virgo (8/23-9/22) - There is a
Girls Next Door marathon on tomorrow on
E!2. Instead of watching Glee with your
significant other, turn on the (insert any
team but the Eagles here) game and kick
back with some pretzels.
Libra (9/23-10/22) - You are addicted to Temple Run. Your doctor has
threatened you with the possibility of severe farsightedness problems. If you don’t
cut back on the playing, something much
worse than creepy skeleton-gorillas will
catch up to you. Next thing you know,
the local ABC News will be calling you
for an interview with the youngest person
in the area affected by carpal tunnel of the
thumbs.
Scorpio (10/23-11/21) - The SingOff has inspired you to start an acapella
group. How casual. Your bass #3 has been
starting some drama because he likes his
beats fast and the bass down low...too low.
Don’t let his negativity get you down! Ask
him why can’t we be friends? If he answers
that you look better with the lights off, tell
him he better never get to thinking he’s irreplaceable. You shine because you’ve got
odes in different area codes.
December Crossword
Page 7
Shopping Shockers
By Nicholas Diefenbach, ‘14
Staff Writer
This year’s Black Friday may
have been the most violent one yet, but
economically it turned out to be the most
stimulating shopping day in recent years.
“Black Friday” gets its name because it
normally puts retailers “in the black” the
day after Thanksgiving. This year was
especially competitive for the large name
retailers, such as Best Buy, Wal-Mart, and
Macy’s. The companies are fighting for
customers in today’s weak economy. Many
stores lowered their already rock-bottom
prices more than they had in the past. According to the National Retailers Federation, 52.4 billion dollars were spent this
year, in contrast to 2010 when Americans
spent an estimated 45 billion dollars. This
was a 16 percent increase. Two hundred
twenty six million customers shopped
and spent on average $398. The increase
in sales is a sign that our economy may be
recovering, but it also could be due to the
days and days of hype prior to the sales.
With all of the incredible deals, a
few people went to extremes just to save
big. In Los Angeles, about 20 customers,
including children, were pepper sprayed
by a woman shopping at a Wal-Mart, to
prevent them from getting the discounted
electronics, which she wanted to purchase.
Ten people were sent to the hospital with
minor injuries. Meanwhile in San Francisco, a man was shot in the parking lot of
a Wal-Mart. Apparently, the man was defending his merchandise from an attempted mugging by several robbers with guns
who tried to take his family’s purchases by
force. In North Carolina, gunshots were
reported in a local mall food court, but
thankfully no one was hurt. Police allegedly beat one grandfather in Phoenix, Arizona because he was accused of shoplifting
discounted video games. The video of the
unconscious man with a bloody face quickly went viral on the Internet. Many customers were screaming at the police about
their brutality. The police are now under
fire because the witnesses reported that the
grandfather only put the video game in his
waistband to help his trampled grandson.
The police report, however, stated that the
grandfather was resisting arrest.
Regardless of whether people
were spending because they have more
money, or because they got caught up in all
of the excitement, Black Friday 2011 was a
one for the record books!
Answers to the November
Crossword
By Ian Everbach, ‘13
Puzzler
1. “___ of Good Feelings”
2. See 53-down
3. Potion that poisoned Socrates
4. Decorative golden alloy
5. Circumference sections
6. Biomed. research org.
7. Clearly understood
8. Double-edged scalpel
9. Those chosen for salvation, with ‘the’
10. Sir’s counterpart
11. Least certain
12. Infinitely-repeating geometric figure
13. Sign on lawns
18. Substance obtained from 49-across
22. “I can’t wait!”
23. ___ tai
24. Periodically: abbr.
25. Gull-like seabird
28. Crucifix placed over the chancel
30. ___ matter of fact
33. Powerful genie
34. Suffix that forms nouns, verbs, and adjectives
35. Italian opera composer Guiseppe
36. Literally, sharpen with a whetstone
37. Untanned leather
38. Sent via computer
39. Restaurant queue message, with ‘Now’
40. Certain Japanese automobiles
41. Vodka brand
42. Third unknown, in graphing
43. Fraternal assoc.
45. Aristophanes play
46. #1
47. Carnivores have none
50. Alpha ____ Majoris
53. Ornament for displaying 2-down flowers
54. “Mr. Roboto” band
57. Abbr. followed by a number
58. Big Twelve Sch.
59. Rep’s associate
1. E, in radio communication
5. Anoint by giving extreme unction to the dying
10. Annoy
14. Remorseful one
15. Marvel, to 21-Across
16. Frizzy hairstyle
17. See 45-across
19. At a distance
20. Firewood
21. Originator of mister Mr. Terrific and sergeant Sgt.
Rock
23. Bread or dough
25. The answer to the riddle “Thirty white horses upon a
red hill. First they clamp, then stamp and then they stand
still.”
26. Basque separatist movmt.
27. It may power a CFL light
29. Kind of cell carcinoma
31. Congealed substance, informally
32. Archaic food-scrap
33. Crowd one another
34. English county
36. Informal greeting
37. Took 5 or caught 40
40. Prefix with U
41. Kind of synthetic dye
44. Arab commander: var.
45. Typed on a 17-across
48. Tolstoy’s antithesis of Peace
49. Scarlet seaweed
51. Bottle-_____ dolphin
52. AIDS syndrome cause
54. Place to store feed or missiles
55. Hip bones
56. US-Soviet negotiations that lead to the INF forces
treaty
60. Private rooms
61. Daddy’s sister
62. Trick
63. Work one’s way (toward)
64. See 34-Across
65. Non-lethal, as guns or grenades
December 2011
Detours
All I Want For Christmas
Is... Some Great Movies
By Josh Kauffman, ‘15
Staff Writer
The art of film has many genres.
From comedies to film noir, the moving
picture has captured our hearts and our
imagination for more than a century. However, there is only one category of film that
encompasses humor, emotion, and festive
cheer: the holiday movie. Yes, whether it
be Christmas or Hanukah (the only Kwanzaa movie I can find is a documentary
called The Black Candle. If you have, at
any time, viewed this film, I would like to
hear your thoughts.), holiday films have
always held a special place in our hearts.
Yet, not-so rarely, a film will come along
that appears to have cashed in on the holiday spirit in order to make a quick buck
or was good-hearted enough but was,
simply, just terrible. We, as good-hearted
people, must do our best to highlight these
films, if only to save a poor child from being robbed of their untarnished Christmas
spirit by a viewing of Four Christmases.
I am here now to with an introduction to
holiday films that rose above the pack and
some that tripped themselves up in their
own schlock and overall depravity.
The greatest holiday film of all
time is, of course, It’s a Wonderful Life.
This 1946 Frank Capra-directed classic stars Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey, a man who has lived his entire life
in the small town of Bedford Falls. We
see George develop from a small boy to
a grown family man. The film’s culmination is regarded as one of the most famous
scenes in movie history. After having
his life fall to pieces on Christmas Eve,
George attempts to commit suicide by
jumping off a bridge into the ice cold water below. Thankfully, his guardian angel
Clarence jumps in and pulls him out. After
revealing himself, Clarence tries to show
just how much George has helped his community by presenting to him what Bedford
Falls would be like if there were no George
Bailey. The resulting scene showcases just
how grateful we should all be and how it
really is a wonderful life. The fact that the
scene takes place on Christmas Eve cements this film as a holiday classic.
Two more recent holiday standards are Elf and A Christmas Story. Both
of these films star a boyish personality
who is trying to reach his goal in a world
By Nikitha Cherayil, ‘13 & Jessica
Cherayil
Staff Writer
Hoping to get in the spirit of the
holiday season and continue our annual
tradition, we sat down to watch Arthur’s
Perfect Christmas, a PBS classic from
the TV hit Arthur. Watching it probably
the hundredth time renewed love for this
special as well as Arthur in general. It has
been a while since we have indulged ourselves into a good 15 minute episode, so
this was a pleasant experience after a hard
week of school.
There are innumerable perfect
things about Arthur’s Perfect Christmas.
First of all, the special is a musical. If you
loved other Arthur musical hits, such as
the world famous Having Fun Isn’t Hard
When You’ve Got A Library Card, you’ll
love this music-filled extravaganza. Featuring an assortment of musical numbers
ranging from Muffy’s somber tune about
her best friend to Arthur’s slightly offpitch finale, your ears will never feel the
that tells him they can’t. In Elf, Will Ferrell
wants to bond with his estranged father and
in A Christmas Story, Ralphie just wants a
Red Ryder B.B. gun. These films are near
and dear to all of us during the holiday season for their loving interpretations of the
winter holidays. At the end of year, we all
reflect on the goals we accomplished that
year and can relate to someone like Buddy
the Elf trying so hard to reach his own goal
of convincing his father to love him.
When it comes to holiday films that are
just disgraces to the genre, I have a few
special picks. The first is Deck the Halls.
This “comedy” stars Matthew Broderick
and Danny DeVito as neighbors competing for the best Christmas lights on the
planet. With its lame humor and desperate grabs at Christmas themes to give the
movie some heart, it’s safe to say that this
is no Ferris Bueller or One Flew over the
Cuckoo’s Nest for Broderick and DeVito,
respectively.
Possibly the worst holiday movie
I’ve seen is also the odd one out among its
brethren. That film is the Hanukah story
called Eight Crazy Nights. This animated
film stars the voice and likeness of Adam
Sandler, who took the title from a lyric of
his much-beloved classic, “The Hanukah
Song.” While we usually associate animated films with children’s laughter and cute
images, this abomination is anything but.
Almost all of the film’s jokes are extremely
cras. In fact, Sandler’s folly almost ruined me for holiday movies. If you need
your faith restored in the virtues of holiday films, I suggest a viewing of A Very
Harold & Kumar Christmas. It really is a
joy to watch. Speaking as a Jewish person,
I must say it really is a shame that Eight
Crazy Nights is the best we can do, as far
as Hanukah films are concerned. To date,
the best Hanukah movie or TV special is
“A Rugrats Hanukah,” an episode of the
children’s animated series in which the babies see Grandpa Boris act in a Hanukah
play. While this VHS release is mostly now
seen in Hebrew schools everywhere from
New York to Los Angeles, I think it is a
high time for a Hanukah theatrical release
of high quality, on par with the likes of Elf
or, at the very least, Scrooged.
With all of these holiday classics in mind, I
wish you all a very happy holiday and joyous movie viewing.
Page 8
Best Board Games
By Peter Gao, ‘13 & Sam Boxer, ‘14
Staff Writers
sensation that’s sweeping board game nation, Settlers of Catan pits two to four players in a fascinating battle of diplomacy and
As the weather takes a turn for sheer luck. Winner of the Meeples’ Choice
the worse, one may wonder what to do Award and the Deutscher Spiele Preis,
when bored. Personally we enjoy sitting Settlers of Catan is like that critically acby the hearth and listening to the classical claimed obscure band that you’ve probably
stylings of jazz maestro Kenny G, while never heard of.
4. Connect Four: Designed by
playing some of our favorite board games. In this spirit, we’ve come up with our top board game genii Howard Wexler and
10 list of best board games ever, in hopes Ned Strongin in 1974, this addicting vertiof expanding the local board game com- cal board game has proven a hit with the
under-10 population. Although this game
munity.
10. Every other board game ever has been mathematically solved (hint: start
except Clue: Who in their right mind came in the middle), it provides a challenge to
up with Clue? The true object of Clue is everyone who has conquered its inferior
simply to cheat your way to victory by cousin, tic-tac-toe.
3. Trivial Pursuit: While our time
stealing your brother’s sheet and furiously copying it down. Nonsense. True enthusi- would be better spent pursuing more fruitful endeavors, this board game remains a
asts never cheat.
9. Parcheesi: This Indian clas- household staple for its uncanny ability to
sic is far superior to its American cousin stump and frustrate. What three European
“Sorry!” True enthusiasts give no apolo- countries begin with the letter A? What
U.S. state boasts
gies for victory. As
the most car ownyour traveling piecers? The world may
es seek refuge in
never know.
the central “home”
2.
Scrabble:
one can only hope
Ever since the
that they do not get
emergence of a cerbounced by your
tain phone-based
opponents.
copycat of this clas
8.
Mansic game, the fate of
cala: Mancala, coming from the Arabic Monopoly is the best! Image courtesy Scrabble has been
uncertain. Howevword “to move” will
of amazon.com
er, true board game
have you jumping
out of your seats as you accuse your op- connoisseurs will always appreciate Scrabponent of cheating. It just bounced out of ble for its combination of obscure words
and straight lines. Bananagrammers, bethe pit, we swear.
7.
Chess/Checkers/Backgam- ware.
1. Monopoly: Expanding the homon: Frankly, these games are basically all identical, so we’ve bundled them up into rizons of young moguls everywhere, Moone at number seven. While chess elitists nopoly has burned up coffee tables since
insist that they deserve their own club, its invention in 1934. Ever wanted to put
board game enthusiasts, such as ourselves, your brother out of business? Who hasn’t?
happily welcome chess into our inner For these reasons, we’ve put Monopoly at
circle. Keep triple jumping those check- number one. For all of you who’ve ever
actually finished a game of Monopoly, we
mates.
6. Battleship: With a franchise salute you.
So, the next time you are sitfilm due to come out in 2012, this game is currently experiencing a mass revival in ting and enjoying a hot cup of eggnog,
local board game clubs. We simply hope and watching yet another re-run of Fresh
that this doesn’t turn Battleship into the Prince of Bel-Air, remember our list. Save
yourself from another fit of hysteria from a
next Clue.
5. Settlers of Catan: The German classic Carlton Dance.
Arthur’s Christmas
same. Our personal favorite is Buster’s ode
to Baxter Day, a holiday made to calm his
mother’s nerves. One of the beloved stanzas goes as follows:
“We could just sleep late if that’s what we
wanted to do. We could even stay in pajamas all day and maybe eat a snack or...
five!”
Watching it this time, we were intrigued
by the characters’ quirky features. Trying
to capture the voice of pre-pubescent boys,
Arthur and Buster sounded especially high
and annoyingly cute. (It seems like as the
TV series continues, the male characters go
through reverse puberty, a Benjamin Button-esque phenomenon, where their voices
just get higher.) Arthur’s singing voice was
fantastic, like that of a young Frank Sinatra. He also wowed us with his exemplary
piano skills, which played during the opening scenes.
Since Arthur is an educational TV show,
we are taught about what various cultures
do during the holidays. George honors
Santa Lucia, the Brain celebrates Kwanzaa, Francine celebrates Hanukah, and
Muffy praises Christmas.
The show continues with a portrayal of the
usual holiday hype. Arthur hurries to get
the perfect gifts for his family while dodging and weaving through the packed mall
(Great action scene!). Meanwhile, his sister, D.W. is filling out her letter to Santa,
obsessing over Tina the Talking Tabby, the
“in” toy this year, and decorating the tree.
Arthur’s family welcomes their clumsy, yet
wise Uncle Fred to their home who reminds
Arthur in his time of need, that “you might
not always get what you want. You might
get something better.” Oh Uncle Fred...
We ran through several emotions while
watching the TV special. Our hearts broke
as we watched Arthur hold a broken glass
duck intended for his mother; we “awwed”
at the ending; we rejoiced when all problems were solved; and we marveled when
it snowed just in time for the ending musical number. We giggled throughout as we
relived memories from our Arthur-watching years (not too long ago).
Arthur’s Perfect Christmas is great for all
ages. We were quickly enveloped in the
holiday spirit through the eyes of a small
kid. This was nice because it brought us
back to a more innocent time when all we
cared about was whether Santa got our letter and how to make our Christmas tree look
perfect. If you just want to remind yourself
about your favorite childhood TV show, or
just want to immerse yourself in the season,
Arthur’s Perfect Christmas is just for you.
Have a boogie-woogie Christmas (or holiday season) and a rockin‘ and a rollin‘ New
Year!
Arthur’s Christmas image courtesy
of amazon.com
December 2011
Arts & Entertainment
Holiday Music = Love
By Tyler Gallagher, ‘12
Staff Writer
Seriously, why does everyone
hate Christmas music? I know some of the
worst songs ever are Christmas songs (I’m
looking at you, the Killers. I heard “Don’t
Shoot Me Santa” on the radio the other day,
and 25% of my soul died), but some of the
best are too. Okay, “Do They Know It’s
Christmas?” is pretty bad and borderline
offensive. But think about songs like “Last
Christmas” by Wham! or “The Christmas
Song” by Nat King Cole (the first and last
time Wham! and Nat King Cole will be
mentioned in a sentence together, I really
deserve an award). Maybe we just need
some good ol’ holiday spirit to destroy
the hostility surrounding Christmas music
these days. Here’s my list of hypothetical
holiday songs (I threw in a couple Hanukkah songs as well) that would definitely
supply some:
6.Monster Zarbon-“Drunk on X-Mas”
(Shouts out to my boyz in Monster Zarbon)
7.Lil B - “I Think I’m Santa Claus”
8.Jay-Z and Beyonce - “Second Coming”
(Yes, I am saying that Jay-Z and Beyonce’s
baby will be the second coming of Jesus.
Believe what you will.)
Holiday Movies: Also
Pretty Great
By Holly Buhler, ‘14
Staff Writer
When it comes to Christmas movies, the oldies are most certainly the goodies, with just a few exceptions of course.
A Year Without a Santa Claus
Despite the clearly ancient cameras and effects used during it, I think it’ll always be
up there as one of my favorite Christmas
movies. Imagining a year without Santa
Claus definitely would be a “blue Christmas” (corny enough?). Just a little joke for
those of you who have seen the ancient,
and by ancient I mean at least 40-year-old,
movie. The familiar “I’m Mr. Heatmizer”
song always seems to be an easy way of
getting into the holiday spirit, if you’re
someone who’s lacking just that.
1. Andrew WK - “Christmas Party”
2.Andrew WK - “Eight Hanukkah Parties”
3.Katy Perry - “Light My Menorah”
4.The Killers - “Really, We’re Putting Out
Another Awful Christmas Song?”
5.Eminem - “Yelling at My Kids on Christmas”
Concert Schedule
Winter 2011/12
By Gabrielle Verzella ‘13
Staff Writer
The godly couple.
image courtesy people.com
I personally think all of these
songs would revitalize the Christmas music industry. End the hate. Christmas music
rules.
Hawt Or
Nawt
Tom
Mizsei at
Tom Jones
1/15 In Flames @ Trocadero
1/20 Anthony Green @ Union Transfer
By Soraya Perry, ‘13
Columnist
12/16 Wu-Tang Clan @ Trocadero (18 +) 1/26 Megadeath w/ Motorhead@ Susque
hanna Bank Center
12/17 The War on Drugs @ Union Trans1/28 Moshav @ Union Transfer
fer
Hawt:
12/21 Molly Moore @ The Balcony
1/31 The Swellers w/ You Me At Six @
12/22 Victory in Numbers @ The Bal- The Barbary
cony
2/4 Nick Carter @ Trocadero
12/23 Ruby the Hatchet @ Trocadero
2/4 SOJA @ Electric Factory
12/28 The New Deal @ TLA
2/4 Rise Against w/ A Day to Remember
@ Susquehanna Bank Center
12/28 Valencia @ Electric Factory
12/28 Lucero @ Union Transfer
12/30 Thursday @ TLA
2/7 The Darkness w/ Foxy Shazam @ Tro
cadero
2/11 The Summer Set @ Union Transfer
12/30 Third Eye Blind w/ Sublime @ The
2/11 Umphrey’s McGee @ Electric Fac
Electric Factory
tory
12/30 The Heavy Beat @ Trocadero
2/15 Doomtree @ Union Transfer
12/31 Lotus @ Festival Pier
2/17 Zola Jesus @ Union Transfer
12/31 Good Old War @ TLA
2/18 Big Gigantic @ Electric Factory
12/31 Clutch @ Trocadero
2/25 Heartless Bastards @ Union Transfer
1/5 Sicktrust @ Trocadero
2/25 Pink Floyd Experience @ Electric Factory
1/7 See-I @ Union Transfer
1/12 Girls w/ King Krule @ Union Trans
fer
Rudolph
Another oldie but goodie. You can’t help
but feel bad for poor little Rudolph, completely rejected for his shiny red nose. I
don’t think I could count how many times
I’ve seen this movie, but it never gets old.
The Grinch
I’m not so sure how people feel about The
Grinch. As a kid I know I was always a
little scared of the Grinch, and how he so
badly wanted to ruin Christmas for everyone. I don’t think it does such a great job of
putting you in the Christmas spirit, but it’s
a definite Christmas classic.
1/14 Rebelution @ Electric Factory
1/29 Thurston Moore @ First Unitarian
Church
Polar Express
If this movie doesn’t make you wish that
you were little again then I don’t know
what would. I bet I’m not the only one that
wishes I could have been lucky enough to
take a ride on the Polar Express. Despite
the creepy homeless man that shows up everywhere and rides on the top of the train.
Besides that, the Polar Express is any kid’s
ideal Christmas/Santa Claus experience—
and maybe even still is for those of you
that still hear the bell… I have a knack for
corny Christmas one-liners.
Elf
“Buddy the Elf, what’s your favorite color?” Ring a bell? I don’t think I’ve come
across a person who doesn’t like the movie
Elf. Will Ferrell alone is hysterical, but Will
Ferrell acting as an emotional, fully grown
man who thinks that he’s an elf is even funnier. Elf has become a holiday classic that
I’m sure has earned its way into everyone’s
Christmas movie marathon line-up.
1/21 Man Man @ Union Transfer
12/15 The Maine @ The First Unitarian
1/26 Lamb of God @ Trocadero
Church
12/17 Mantis Metal Fest @ Trocadero
Page 9
Edamame Hummus - It’s chill if you’re apprehensive about this one. I was as well,
until I looked past the greenish tint and realized you haven’t experienced edamame
or hummus until you’ve tried them both
together. After all, two positives make a
double positive.
How I Met Your Mother - I know I’m
jumping on this bandwagon a tad bit late...
Ogden Nash - Prepare to be captivated by
the Strath Haven Cantata as they perform
Eric Whitacre’s piece “Animal Crackers”
this winter, a soft and moving choral work
set to the poetry of Ogden Nash. “I don’t
mind eels. Except as meals. And the way
they feels.”
Jeremiah Wood - We miss you, bro.
Nawt:
Swirlfrutti - Rest in peace. I’ll always treasure what could have been.
Umbrellas - Stop being wusses and brave
the rain! You’ll find that letting yourself get
wet releases an endorphin rush you can’t
receive from wrestling with an uncooperative umbrella. And it feels like you’re in
The Notebook.
By Tom Mizsei, ‘12
Staff Writer
The following is True Dialogue:
Tom: Sup love!
Christie: Hi. What’d you want?
T: Blue Ribbon Spec…
C: -ial with eggs over easy, white toast,
coke, and a really small orange juice?
T: I love you
C: …
T: You know I’m reviewing this place for
my school paper right?
C: Sure.
T: Can I have my meal on the “for free”?
C: No
T: *flips table over*
Tom Jones family restaurant is the lifeblood
of Strath Haven High School me. The Tech
Crew is completely reliant on their literally
UNFAILING ability to produce mediocre
food at criminal prices in the wee hours of
the morn. You can even spot stray members of our marching band (who have lives
other than marching band HAHAHA just
kidding) there after games. I really can’t
explain how much I adore this place without uttering expletives that would make a
sailor blush. Some of the most choice waitresses in the land serve here, of special note
Christie (my favorite). They WILL remember you and definitely appreciate the hastily scrawled IOU cards you leave on the
cardboard like napkins. By this I mean for
the love of whatever god you serve do not
write the waitresses IOUs instead of tips…
you cheap !^@&$…
December 2011
Arts & Entertainment
Page 10
Sarah and James’ Pop Culture Smorgasbord
V-necks’ evil twin and some more Rihanna-hatin’.
By Sarah Shulbank-Smith, ‘12
Columnist
James Haxton, ‘12
Columnist
You, Me, and Deep U-Necks
What ever happened to old-fashioned
fashion? Jeggings, pajama-jeans, crop
How manly.
image courtesy bodysphere.de
tops… all are clothing that have obviously evolved out of a craving for comfort
(along with the evolution of leggings
into socially acceptable pants), but what
I cannot seem to fathom is the need for
the latest trend—the deep U-neck. Dum,
dum, DUMMMM. Now, we all know the
horrors of the deep V-neck, but this new
strain of hipster fashion is just too much
for the rest of society to handle. Even
worse, this style is predominantly worn
by men. I hate to break it to you guys, but
there is a reason girls wear yoga
pants and we don’t, and that same
reason applies to deep U-necks.
I have in fact had the misfortune
to see a deep U in person. Where,
you ask? Swarthmore College
campus, of course! I’m predicting the advent of a new campus
rule that will outlaw these heinous
shirts (and the unacceptable chest
hair they expose) from seeing the
light of day. I’m also predicting
that the Swarthmore students will
rebel in protest. Hipsters... what
can you do? Just know that if you
have seen a plunging neckline
without a point to it, you are not
alone, and it is appropriate to run
away whilst screaming hysterically. Personally, I believe that
there should be a special segment
of the morning announcements on
Fridays that identify every deep
U-neck offender and supporter,
and to have a watch-list for those rocking the deep V-necks to ensure they do
not cross over to the dark side of these
alphabet-associated fashion faux pas.
The Overlooked Art of
Glassblowing
By Tomer Stern, ‘13
Staff Writer
Dan Haddaway, ‘13
Staff Writer
hand tools, such as vices, tweezers, scissors, and miniature blow pipes. To color
the glass, the artist will dip the hot glass
into different chemical compounds to get
the desired color. For example, uranium
can be used to give glass a fluorescent
green color (the use of radioactive eleYou pass by it every day. You drink from
ments for this step is, of course, optional).
it every day. You look through it every
The practice of using uranium dates back
day. But do you ever stop to appreciate it
to around 79 AD in Rome.
at all?
Since glassblowing originated,
Robotics. Ceramics. Drawing. Painting.
there have been many different advances
Music. Metal
and new techWorking. Wood
niques. These inShop. All of
clude sandblasting
these arts are
and acid etching
offered and
to make the glass
endorsed by the
appear frosted, the
Wallingfordinternational studio
Swarthmore
glass movement,
school district.
and most recently,
But we feel
electroforming.
that there is
Electroforming
The art of glassblowing.
something missing
is the process of
image
courtesy
oldtowncalifornia.com
from these opporreplacing the outer
tunities offered in
layers of glass with
our school— the
copper. This results in a shinier, metalignored art of glassblowing.
lic looking glass piece. The inside is still
Glassblowing has been around
glass; however, without checking it looks
since 50 BC, and its basic mechanics
like a sculpted piece of metal. The cophave not changed since Roman times.
per shell also adds to the durability of a
The artist or team of artists usually start
normally very fragile piece of art.
off by dipping a metal hollow rod into a
We strongly believe that Strath
2000-degree furnace filled with molten
Haven High School needs to do a better
glass (possibly contributing to the art’s
job of including glassblowing in its art
current “ignored” status in public high
curriculum. It is no more dangerous than
schools). Then, the artist exhales into the
welding during metal class or operating
blow pipe, enlarging the circumference
huge saws during woodshop, and as an art
of the piece to match their designs. The
it is equally, if not more, important.
red hot glass is then shaped using various
part of a strange little intro and not part of
the actual lyrics? Don’t get me wrong, the
bit about “feel[ing] the heartbeat in [her]
When I’m driving I like to plug my iPod
mind” really gets me, but all in all the
into my car and listen to my own music.
lyrics are fairly ridiculous. Are diamonds
One tragic day, I forgot my iPod. “We
yellow nowadays? I guess I’m just behind
Found Love” by Rihanna (ft. Calvin Harthe times. Admittedly, though, I do kind of
ris) was on approximately every station
enjoy this
that I put on. I was
song, in
confused. Why was
a gettingthis song popular?
ready-toWhat was this
go-out-and“hopeless place”?
needingSince then, I’ve
to-dance
heard the song
kind of
many more times.
way. Also,
Firstly, I’d like to
I’d like to
mention that she
apologize
says “we found
to Rihanna
love in a hopeless
because
place” SIXTEEN
I’ve now
times. I counted.
made fun
This makes me
of both
think that that line
“What’s
must be super imMy Name”
portant. So I began
and “We
wondering…what
Found Love” in my
IS this hopeless
Rihanna finding love.
column. I actually
place? My current
image
courtesy planetill.com
love Rihanna usually;
ideas include a
she just tends to be a
rodeo, a dumpster,
bit repetitive (sixteen
or a midnight
times…). No biggie.
premiere showing of Breaking Dawn.
Secondly, I watched the music video, and
it was adorable. It features a one-minute
intro with someone talking in a British accent (Rihanna isn’t British…) about love
and how intense relationships can get. I
was touched, but why did this have to be
We Found Love
SHHS Reps at District
Chorus
By Phil Bergman, ‘12
Staff Writer
Fifteen Strath Haven High School
students qualified for the 2012 PMEA
District 12 Chorus.
Seniors Kyle Leigh Carney, Sarah Shulbank-Smith, James Haxton, and Jeremy
Everyone loves PMEA!
image courtesy district5.pmea.net
Marcus, juniors Caitlin Vanderwolf, Kylie
Teller, Kara McGee, Ciara Lucas, Soraya
Perry, June Lee, Andrew Perricone, Henry
Foggo, and Kalev Rudolph, sophomore
Dan Grossman, and freshman Luke Clements advanced after ranking in the top 20
for each of their voice parts. With 15 students qualifying, Haven has
the most kids going from a single school,
a testament to the hard work of choral
director John Shankweiler.
“The thing that excites me most about
districts is that it’s a reflection on the
student’s individual motivation,” Shankweiler said. “We sing these pieces in
Camerata, but
they take it one
step further to
really be able to
do so well in the
audition.”
Senior alto and
three-year District participant,
Sarah ShulbankSmith, was the
only Haven
choir member to
rank first in her
selected voice
part.
“I’m very glad
to be first chair.”
Shulbank-Smith
said. “I worked
very hard and put all of my heart into the
audition, but I feel that everybody has the
potential to do well as well, and advance
to a higher chair after re-auditions.”
2012 PMEA District 12 will take place
from January 26-28 at Radnor High
School in Radnor, Pa, with the concert being held on the 28th in the auditorium.
December 2011
Arts & Entertainment
Page 11
Alternative Advertence: 10 Top Albums of
2011
By Peter Gao, ‘13
Staff Writer
Christian Belanger, ‘13
Staff Writer
5. Jay Z and Kanye West- Watch the
10. Cults- Cults: At just a little over
half an hour, the New York band’s debut
album doesn’t last long, but the catchy
songs will stay in your head for much,
much longer. While the lyrics can at times
belie her light tone, Madeline Follin sings
melodically enough, and the music is
upbeat and simple. The songs are interspersed with brief audio clips of speeches
by actual cult leaders, lending an appealing air of menace to the entire thing.
Listen to: “Oh My God”
9. The Antlers – Burst Apart: Vocalist
Peter Silberman’s soaring falsetto guides
this album, blending eeriness with intimacy. Chockfull of agonized ballads, this
sophomore effort from the Brooklyn band
does not quite match up to the sheer emotion of Hospice, their stunning debut, but
it provides smiles and laughs all the same.
Listen to: “Putting the Dog to Sleep”
8. The Roots- Undun: Led by staunch
Bachmann supporter and lead drummer
?uestlove, this somber concept album
chronicles the life and death of Redford
Stephens. Rapper Black Thought lends his
philosophical musings to the album, but
the true strength of this album lies in the
vivid orchestration. Listen to: “Stomp”
7. Wilco- The Whole Love: While some
may classify Wilco as uninspired, dull,
boring dad-rock, it’s actually talented and
fascinating, well, dad-rock. At its heart,
The Whole Love is an intricate album
from seasoned indie-rock veterans who
have been around since 1994, the year I
was born, and its low-key yet extremely
enjoyable songs are both soothing and
challenging. Plus, maybe you can even
bond with your parents over this one.
Listen to: “Sunloathe”
6. The Black Keys- El Camino: After
last year’s Brothers, no one expected
another album from these Akron natives,
but we’re certainly glad they came out
with one anyways. As Gabe Kroch commented, “The riffs fly faster than ever!”
While the songs might not have the lyrical
or musical depth as those on Bon Iver,
the album’s certainly a fun ride. Listen to:
“Lonely Boy”
Throne: Kanye and Jay’s self-proclaimed
“luxury rap” is at once exceptionally
produced and obnoxiously extravagant.
On this album, Kanye and Jay go to such
great lengths as to preach to their unborn
sons on “New Day”. Still, few producers
today rival Kanye West in ability, so while
the verses might not stick in your mind,
the beats will. Listen to: “No Church in
the Wild”
4. St. Vincent- Strange Mercy: Annie
Clarke, the musician behind St. Vincent,
is by turns both mesmerizing and cutting
on Strange Mercy, her third album. She
used to be a member of Sufjan Stevens’
touring band, and it is evident here, as she
showcases her musical range with both
her guitar and her voice, quickly switching from a poppy lightness to something
much darker and more sinister. Listen to:
“Year of the Tiger”
3. Fleet Foxes- Helplessness Blues: It
seems as if half the bands on this list
feature tormented lead men with falsettos,
but, unlike the rest, Fleet Foxes also have
harmonies! There are plenty on Helplessness Blues, along with some truly heartfelt
and sincere music that made me (Peter)
want to move to the country, plant an orchard, and spend my days picking apples
and meditating on life. Listen to: “Helplessness Blues”, “Grown Ocean”
2. James Blake- James Blake: British pro-
ducer James Blake’s debut sets the scene
for a promising career in pseudo-dubstep.
Skillfully blending soulful samples with
scattered beats, James Blake may not have
created one of the most accessible albums
of the year, but he’s fashioned one of the
deepest. Listen to: “Measurements”
1. Bon Iver- Bon Iver: Wisconsin native Justin Vernon recorded his first album in a log
cabin, but after his star turn on Kanye West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, it appears that Bon Iver has finally begun to take the spotlight. Vernon’s falsetto is omnipresent throughout this concise self-titled album. With stunning orchestrations and soaring
synths, Bon Iver does away with the bare-bones acoustics of Bon Iver’s last album, For
Emma, Forever Ago. Highlights include “Perth” and “Calgary”. Listen to: “Holocene”
All images
courtesy
spin.com
December 2011
Opinions
Page 12
Ryder Scott: Dictator?
By Ian Anderson, ‘12
Staff Writer
Like many of you I live in constant fear of the leader of Strath Haven.
He is a totalerianistic ruler who oppresses
us working people, those who strive to
give their best. Yet he constantly seems to
keep us silent, our collective voices seem
to have no sway in this despotic society. Obviously I am talking about Ryder
Scott, the “president” of our school. We
all remember the election, well were the
results ever made public? NO. Why is
that you may ask? Well there is only one
explanation for this: he is a dictator. This
wouldn’t be a major problem if it weren’t
for the fact that he is president of literally
every other club he does. This creates a
situation in which no one can escape his
wrathful gaze.
I am sure I’m not the only one
who has had friends disappear. I actually
received a note written in blood from
one of these acquaintances, claiming that
he was actually sent to the Scott Family Gulag, where he was imprisoned for
crimes against the state, and the family
that runs this mockery of a free society. If
it were up to democracy then the people
would have overthrown this tyrant long
ago; however, due to the president’s
secret initiation camp, LINK, he is able
to keep power by training lackeys and
grunts in order to maintain an iron grip
on this school. Now you may ask what
makes LINK a training center for Ryder’s
political police. The more correct question is what isn’t so evil about it? First no
one is ever able to speak on what happens at this secretive training facility, it
is shrouded in mystery with the inductees
constantly speaking in verbal encrypted
commands the next day. Another point is
that an Anderson has yet to be invited to
one of these gatherings. First of all if Ian
Anderson, the muck racking journalist and
all-around American hero, isn’t invited
then it clearly isn’t something that is good
for our society. But more importantly,
Brynn Anderson, my super favorite sister,
wasn’t invited then so it clearly isn’t an
By Kirsten Wise ‘12
Staff Writer
Now, I’m not talking about those
goofy rituals your mother makes you do;
there aren’t no ugly sweaters here. I’m
talking about the old time-and-true tradition of eating your face off. Every year at
Thanksgiving and Christmas, my family buys a ton of cheese from the Italian
Market in South Philly to sit down and
try. If you’re looking for a new family
tradition, I definitely recommend this one
because 1) You’re eating cheese and 2) It
beats your twenty-some-year-old siblings
and you taking a picture with Santa at the
mall, especially if one of the elves is one
of your classmates and you say hi but then
a little kid suddenly realizes The Truth
and starts to freak out and the mother is
glaring you down like you’re Scrooge…
Anyways, this tradition is perfect
for older families, unless your younger
siblings can handle sitting around for
an hour and understand what “smoked”
and “sharp” means, but then again, not
every child was like me at age five (No
Big Deal). Keep in mind, however, that
endurance is a crucial part of this cheesy
ritual. Only those with the strongest will
organization that can be trusted.
How do I know about Ryder’s
despicable actions? In a student council meeting he personal told me that he
was ready to fight me any time and that
I was a weakling compared to him. He
made a contraption out of a rubber band
and marker cap and proceeded to sling
things at me; when he missed (due to his
poor motor skills) he told me to fetch the
Will the real Ryder Scott please stand up?
Images courtesy of Facebook
marker caps, treating me like a dog, creating a constant cycle of oppression. Well
Strath Haven, this is the day that we stand
up to the oppressor. This is the day that we
say enough is enough. This day we must
end this reign of madness; this day the
revolution begins.
By Pat Doyle ‘12
Staff Writer
Ryder Scott is an American
hero. For as long as I can remember I
have wanted nothing more than to be just
like Ryder when I grow up. I don’t know
whether it’s his classic good looks, or his
majestic air; the kid is doing something
right. I am proud to say we were close
friends. I have watched closely as our student council president has risen through
the ranks. Strath Haven was built on the
sweat and tears of Ryder Scott.
Some people in this school claim Ryder
has gotten too powerful. It’s been said
by self-proclaimed “muck raking journalist” Ian Anderson that Ryder is secretly
a “German imperialist.” Frankly these
claims are ridiculous. Have you ever seen
Ryder wearing one of those spiky hats? I
didn’t think so!
So as you are reading the opposing
article just think for a minute. What
possible motive could he have apart from
helping his school? I don’t think there
is a corrupt bone in Ryder’s body. “Ask
not what your alma mater can do for you.
Ask what you can do for your alma matter” Ryder said to me once. These words
have defined his presidency. Ryder takes
these words very seriously.
What makes a hero you may ask?
Some Swarthmorean hippies such as
Ian claim he is too bold. I say we stop
throwing around accusations and actually
make him dictator of the school. Admittedly there is a risk in any course we
follow including this, but every lesson in
history tells us that the greater risk lies
in appeasement, and this is the specter
our well-meaning liberal friends refuse to
face–thagt their policy of accommodation
is appeasement, and it gives no choice
between peace and war, only between
fight and surrender. If we continue to
accommodate, continue to back and
retreat, eventually we have to face the
final demand–the ultimatum. And what
then? When Nikita Khrushchev has told
his people he knows what our answer will
be? He has told them that we are retreating and someday when the time comes to
deliver the ultimatum, our surrender will
be voluntary because by that time we will
have weakened from within spiritually,
morally, and economically.
He believes this because from our side
he has heard voices pleading for “peace
at any price” or “better Red than dead,”
or as one commentator g put it, he would
rather “live on his knees than die on his
feet.” You and I know and do not believe
that life is so dear and peace so sweet as
to be purchased at the price of chains and
slavery. If nothing in life is worth dying
for, when did this begin–just in the face of
this enemy? Or should Moses have told
the khildren of Israel to live in slavery
under the pharaohs? Should Christ have
refused the cross? Should the patriots at
Concord Bridge have thrown down their
guns and refused to fire the shot heard
’round the world? The martyrs of history
were not fools, and our honored dead who
gave their lives to stop the advance of
the Nazis didn’t die in vain. Ryder looks
the part and is good and patriotic on the
inside and that is all that matters.
Cheesy Holiday Traditions
and the most stomach room will succeed.
Basically, be prepared: never eat as much
at dinner and stay away from bread.
As the years go on with this tra-
holidays.
Now, cheesers and cheesettes,
if you’ve been reading this article for
a while (or just browsed through it last
dition, we switch the line-up Image courtesy of K. month), you know I’ve talked
a little with some new ones Wise
about this wonderful slice of
here and there, but there
dairy called Prima Donna and
is one that will always be home for the
now is finally the time to go into more
detail. This is a rising dairy superstar – the
cheese brand has been spreading like Brie
over many food stores in the area, including the addictive 320 Market. A little
sweeter than and not as strong-tasting as
the sharp Provolone, it has the right balance that never fails any set of taste buds
and is a perfect first cheese of the night.
Basically, Prima Donna is your fun, easygoing cousin (“prima” is cousin in Spanish, comprende?) that you always want
to say hi first at the family party because
your cuz will be all smiles and a great
sidekick during the never-ending night of
family cheer.
So what makes bringing out ten
kinds of cheese at the dinner table a tradition? Is it the gaudy side dishes we add,
the olives, five kinds of crackers from Italy, grapes, fruit, nuts, and even seasoned
anchovies? The poinsettias-themed plates,
maybe? We might go all decked-out for
the night, but that’s not the heart of my
family’s tradition: it’s the conversations
we have with each other about cheese,
eating too much, family gossip… oh, and
love and caring and all that stuff, too.
Opinions
December 2011
Redistricting
Debacle
By Kit Wheeldon, ‘13 and Abby Lowe,
‘12
Staff Writers
How much vocabulary from 8th
grade social studies do you remember? If
the answer is nothing, congrats – way to
block out almost all of middle school as
a coping method. However, there is one
word you might want to remember: gerrymandering. Not ringing any bells? Simply
put, gerrymandering is a slang term used
in politics that refers to politicians redrawing districts’ legislative maps so that their
political party can rake in as many seats
in the state and federal legislature as possible. The history of the word comes from
crooked politics; created due to former
Massachusetts governor Elbridge Gerry’s
redistricting of the state in 1812, it combines Gerry’s own name with “salamander” (supposedly the shape of his district
after redistricting). This immoral practice
has been part of the U.S law system for
decades and at the moment looks like it
has no plans for stopping.
Gerrymandering can, and has, led
to distorted election results. Due to party
politics, it looks like certain lawmakers in
our very own state have used this unfair
practice to try and maximize the power
of their voters for the upcoming election
in 2012. As of December 15th, Delaware
County, most specifically Swarthmore, has
been chopped up by the Republican machine. According to the Delco Times, the
7th district that is held by Republican U.S.
Rep Pat Meehan “stretches from southern
Montgomery County through Delaware
County and across the center of Chester
County like a belt…[and] continues to
wander into eastern Lancaster County and
north to include about a quarter of Berks
County.” This districting change gives the
Republicans in our area, such as Meehan,
the most votes possible.
Unfair, wrong, and disgraceful
are all words that come to mind while
assessing this important issue. We are the
young people of an extremely important
area/state for politics. Don’t let apathy
rule -- share your opinions on gerrymandering with your representatives now.
The Panther
Press wants to
hear your voice!
Send articles to
shpantherpress@
gmail.com
Swarthmore really IS full
of Treehuggers
By Kit Wheeldon, ‘13
Staff Writer
This past fall, the Environmental
Protection Agency held a contest to determine which places in the United States
used the highest percentage of green
energy. I am pleased to report that Wallingford Swarthmore School District’s
very own Swarthmore has taken third in
this contest. In the last year over a quarter
–27.9%– of the energy Swarthmore uses
to power its homes buildings and schools
has come from renewable sources. In the
lead was Hillsboro, Oregon with 35.7%,
and
on their environmental protection quest
long before everyone else. For example
Swarthmore banned leaf burning long
before other towns in the nation. Swarthmore also made purchases in recent years
for wind energy. This new energy was
only used to power very minor things but
many Swarthmore residents believe it is
a start. Swarthmore is also taking part in
a broad initiative called aFewSteps.org.
Swarthmore is also working with a many
other surrounding municipalities including
Rose Valley, Rutledge and Nether Providence. This initiative pushes for towns and
municipalities to switch to other power
providers
other
than
Obese kids playing in
Brookeville, Maryland
PECO that can offer more
with 45.7%; this high
Crum creek, perhaps? energy choices that are
number most likely due to
Courtesy of NaturalPA. more green. It is clear that
the fact that Brookeville,
this entire area is helping
com
Md, has only 90 homes
lead the way in our counthey had to power compared to Swarthtry for the fight in energy conservation.
more’s hundreds.
Most involved in the contest
point to Swarthmore’s well-educated
and wealthy residents as to a reason for
this success. Swarthmore has also started
Page 13
Coldplay: Reviewed
By Tim Crouch, ‘15
Resident Fashionista
the dance hall of ETIAW is falling down.
“Princess of China” features Rihanna on
vocals alongside Martin, the first such
collaboration in Coldplay’s career to date,
and sounds entirely electronic, with plenty
of distortion. “Up in Flames” provides
balance and relaxes after the smashing
beats of “Princess”, with Martin’s beautiful piano dominating the song. It’s reminiscent of “Fix You”, perhaps Coldplay’s
finest achievement. The third and last
short instrumental, “A Hopeful Transmission”, harks back to the opening MX,
bringing the album full circle before going
straight into “Don’t Let It Break Your
Heart”, the most “classic Coldplay” song
Anyone who is a fan of Coldplay
has been tuned into the hype about the
fifth album, Mylo Xyloto (MX). Coldplay’s popularity is evident; MX went
up on iTunes for preorders on September
12, and has hardly left the top 10 albums
since, vying recently with Adele’s 21 for
the top spot. The album is something
new, something different, and something
better. In my opinion, MX is Coldplay’s
best work thus far, over 2002’s A Rush of
Blood to the Head and 2005’s X & Y. It
is very much a
concept album.
And unlike
many artists,
Coldplay clearly
pays attention to
organizing their
album as an album, instead of
just a collection
of similar-sounding songs - MX
is coherent and
flows beautifully. It is split into
two “sides”, or
halves. The first
half is a fantasy
of a revolution
powered by music. It is upbeat,
excited, and in
places danceable.
“Mylo
Coldplay’s MX cover
Xyloto”, the opening inCourtesy of Elestoque.org
strumental, immediately
establishes the happy mood and segues
on the record. It is big, loud, and happy,
into “Hurts Like Heaven”, a big, electhe sound of one of the best bands of this
tronic track propelled by guitarist Jonny
era enjoying making music together and
Buckland’s solos and lead singer Chris
doing what they do best and love to do. At
Martin’s torrent of words about graffiti
the fade out of the album , all the darkand rebellion through music. “Paradise”,
ness seemed to be redeemed. But wait!
the second single from the album, expands Don’t unplug your iPod yet! “Up With the
the mood and musical palette, dipping
Birds” comes out of nowhere and encapinto dubstep, string orchestras, and good
sulates all of Coldplay this far and what is
old rock guitar-ness within four and a half to come too. The lyrics of “Parachutes”,
minutes. “Charlie Brown”, by contrast, is
piano of Rush of Blood, organ and strings
all pop-rock, with a chiming guitar hook
of X & Y, and drive of Viva la Vida are
of epicness while Martin’s lyrics reference combined with the optimism and happiPeter Pan and other stories of escape. A
ness of Mylo Xyloto. And there’s a banjo
beautiful piano modulation moves into
in there too at the end! “I know, one day
“Us Against the World”, the first acoustic
good things are coming my way.”
track on the album and one of the most
That’s Mylo Xyloto, Coldplay’s
beautiful. “M.M.I.X.”, a brief transitional
finest achievement thus far. Best tracks:
instrumental with lots of high-register
Paradise, Charlie Brown, Princess of
organ and strings, and chirping birds, seg- China, Don’t Let It Break Your Heart.
ues directly into the first single from MX,
Rating: 9.0/10
“Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall”(ETIAW),
Recommendation: If you liked Rush
one of Coldplay’s more popular songs.
of Blood to the Head and X & Y, buy
The second half of the album is
this album - it’s for you. If you believe
much darker, compared to the euphoric
Parachutes was the best and Coldplay has
state of “Side A”, like waking up from a
steadily gotten worse since then, it may
dream and facing reality. “Major Minus”
not be for you - listen online before buykicks it off directly after ETIAW. Refering. If you are not yet a Coldplay listener
ences to the darker side of Peter Pan and
but enjoy soft pop-rock, give Mylo Xyloto
George Orwell’s novel 1984 set the tone:
a whirl.
dark and bleak. Dissonant chords on the
acoustic guitar, experimental-sounding
drumming, vocal effects, and distorted
electric guitar scream out. “U.F.O.”, a
beautiful piece with just Martin and his
acoustic guitar, offers a glimpse of hope “I swear, we’ll find somewhere the streets
are paved with gold” - but a brief electric
guitar figure brings us to “Princess of
China”, the darkest, weirdest, and most
angry track on the album. It sounds like
Sports
December 2011
Page 14
Obscure Sport: Rabbit Show Jumping
Rabbit show jumping, also known as rabbit dressing or rabbit hopping, began in the
late 1970s in Sweden. Simply put, it is a
When you see a bunny in your competition in which rabbits jump over apgarden, nibbling on your carrots, you shoo propriately sized obstacles. It is very simiit away. It’s a natural reaction. “Go on, get lar to equestrian show jumping. The sport
out of here! Stop eating my vegetables!” gained popularity in the United Kingdom
But you might want to think twice next after it was featured on the TV show That’s
time you go to do it. That rabbit might just Life!. Today, the sport is held at both local
be the next world champion rabbit high and national levels in Denmark, Sweden,
jumper, or perhaps it will win the crown Finland, Norway, and the United Kingfor the rabbit long jump. Give the bunny a dom, hosted by such companies as the U.S.
Rabbit Agility Association, Rabbithopbreak. It might just be worth your while.
ping-USA, the American Association of Sporting Events
for Rabbits, and 4-H Club
fairs, among others.
You may be intimidated
by such a daunting prospect. Breaking into the rabbit hunting world isn’t easy,
to be sure. But armed with
the proper information, you
could produce the next world
class rabbit hopper. The most
important thing to consider
when beginning this sport is
the type of rabbit. While all
breeds are allowed to compete, some breeds fare better
than others. There tend to be
more problems with small
rabbits (usually defined as
One of many rabbits competing for the World Record.
under 4.4 lbs.) and large
image courtesy digitalspy.com
rabbits (defined as over 11
lbs.). Small rabbits tend to
So now you have a rabbit. But have trouble jumping over the larger or
what to do with it? Easy enough. Just enter longer obstacles. Fear not, though, if your
your new pet into a rabbit jumping show. garden rabbit is tiny; hard work and perseBy Samantha Snyder, ‘14
Columnist
verance can overcome any size disadvantages. Conversely, larger rabbits will put a
lot of weight on their front legs jumping
over higher obstacles, and this can lead to
injuries.
easier for the rabbit to see over longer obstacles and correctly judge the height and
length necessary to clear the hurdle. As
with the methods of show dog breeding,
most top notch rabbits are crossbreeds, with
One of many rabbits competing for the World Record.
image courtesy digitalspy.com
So what type of rabbit is the best
for this sport? Well, the smaller Polish and
Dutch dwarf breeds can be too tiny. Likewise, the Flemish Giant and French Lop
are generally too large. Also, long-haired
Angora type breeds can be excluded from
competition if not clipped, as their long
coats can cause problems with vision and
agility. English Lops should not be entered,
as competition would risk injury to their
ears. Ideally, your rabbit should have long
legs and a long back, which will make it
parents that were both good jumpers.
Now, don’t forget what you’re up
against. The official world record in high
jump for rabbits is 39.17 inches, held by
the Hygoms of Denmark (the records are
attributed to the owners, not the rabbit itself). The world record for rabbits in long
jump is 118.11 inches (just under 10 ft.),
held by the Jensens of Denmark. But don’t
be intimidated! You and your rabbit too can
achieve this level of success, if only you’re
willing to work for it!
Holiday Wishlist for Philly Sports Fans
By Dylan Van Duyne, ‘14
Staff Writer
One of the best shortstops in
Phillies history, an MVP with
numerous gold gloves, silver
slugger awards and all-star appearances, and a generally great
guy to be around. Not to mention
he is the only player that consistently hits during the postseason.
Hopefully he’s already signed by
the time you read this.
As much I love listening
to Andy Reid’s postgame
press conferences where
not a single question gets
answered, he needs to go.
It’s been a good run for
Andy, but someone needs
to be held accountable for
the Eagles’ terrible season,
and the buck starts with
him.
It’s a joke that teams like
Boise State are denied a
BCS bowl game because
teams like West Virginia
get “automatic” births for
winning their divisions.
People would much rather
watch the two best teams
play in the national title
game instead of the two
SEC teams with the top
records.
Biggest stage in hockey
against the hated Rangers, a Flyers victory
would be fantastic.
Please?
1. Jimmy Rollins
2. A new Eagles offensive
coordinator
3. A new Eagles defensive
coordinator
4. A new Eagles head coach
5. A veteran Eagles linebacker
6. A new college football
playoff system
7. For the 76ers to break
.500
8. For a team other than
the Patriots or Packers to
win the Super Bowl
9. A Flyers “W” in the Winter
Classic
LeSean McCoy was
the NFL’s leading
rusher for a majority
of this season. That’s
with the few carries
that the coaches chose
to give him.
(Preferably not
an offensive
line coach.)
The only thing that
got trampled over
more than the Eagles’
linebacker crew this
year was a head
under Ndomukong
Suh’s foot.
Everyone loves an
underdog, and these
two teams have just
won too much over
the years.
Sports
December 2011
Athlete Spotlight: Jess Keller
By Ashley Hoyle, ‘14
Staff Writer
Anyone who has attended a Strath
Haven volleyball game has definitely heard
the student section shout the name “Jess
Keller” every time she goes up to make another amazing kill. “I love our fans,” says
Jess, “they’re amazing.”
This year as the team captain, we watched
as Jess led the team to another Central
League title. Then our hearts were broken
when the team performed admirably but
lost in the group stage of States. Nonetheless, the team made Top 8 in Pennsylvania,
going the furthest any Strath Haven volleyball team has ever gone. These outstanding
four years of volleyball, and this remarkable senior season, is not the end for Jess.
She has committed to Appalachian State
University and will assume the coveted
position of the right side hitter in their Division 1 volleyball program.
Something you may not know
about Jess is just how many awards she has
collected. From her fierce competition in
this season alone, Jess was awarded four
accolades: First Team All-Central (one of
the best players in the 12 school league),
First Team All-District (one of the best
players in the 70+ school district), AllTournament Team at States (one of the
best players in the Top 16 teams at States),
and All-State team (one of the best players
in all of Pennsylvania). Coaches from the
league, district, and state all voted Jess for
these incredibly impressive awards. As if
that wasn’t remarkable enough, Jess
was also named Delco Player of the
Year and Central league MVP, along
with Player of the Year by her teammates.
This all will be remembered
about Jess; a multitude of trophies,
banners and certificates will show
what Jess brought to Strath Haven.
But beyond that, what Jess has left
behind will change the legacy of volleyball here forever. By being part of
all the best teams in our school’s history, Jess has changed the attitude in
the gym from that of desperate underdogs
to that of proud champions. Jess’s leadership and fun energy on and off the court
has left lasting impressions on the teams
of the future. “Hard work and sacrifice pay
off with victory,” says Keller. “That’s what
we will all take away from and remember
for the rest of our lives. I’ll never forget
the Strath Haven volleyball family and all
that we have accomplished.” Everyone
who has played with Jess will deeply miss
her, and gained so much from looking up
to her (figuratively and literally, that girl is
TALL).
Jess Keller helped lead Haven volleyball to its best finish in school history.
image courtesy the delco times
Atheletes Rep Haven on All-Delco Teams
Girls’ Cross Country
Player of the Year
Honorable Mention
Hannah Grossman
Anna Harris
Phoebe Hollyer
Sara Peelman
Sam Snyder
Boys’ Cross Country
First Team
Second Team
Honorable Mention
Second Team
Honorable Mention
Jack Huemmler
Jeff Seelaus
Dylan Butera
Daniel Stewart
Field Hockey-
Boys’ Soccer
Player of the Year
Tom Shiiba
First Team
Second Team
Honorable Mention
Alex Murphy
Mark Shiiba
Christian Belanger
Preston Dennis
Jerry Oetzel
Ben Soffer
Player of the Year
First Team
Gina DiTaranto
Morgan Glassford
Lexi Mazur
Second Team
Alison Caulfield
Rebecca Lucci
Casey Oehler
Honorable Mention
First Team
Volleyball-
Second Team
Football-
P.J. Plummer
James Griffin
Tevon Howie
Honorable Mention
Andrew Crawford
Keith DeCindis
Taron Howie
Drew Platt
Kevin Sherry
Panther Press Staff
December 2011
-Staff Writers and ColumnistsPhil Bergman
Chad Maguire
Tamar Reisner
Hannah Herrara
Victoria Price
Jack Huemmler
Andrew Lombard
Nick Shields
Hannah Grossman
Margaret Murray
Anna Jaoudi
Nikitha Cherayil
Cassandra Kyriazis
Jill Troutman
Labonno Islam
Nicholas Diefenbach
Ian Everbach
Josh Kauffman
Peter Gao
Sam Boxer
Jessica Cherayil
Tyler Gallagher
Holly Buhler
Gabrielle Verzella
Soraya Perry
Tom Mizsei
Sarah Shulbank-Smith
James Haxton
Tomer Stern
Dan Haddaway
Christian Belanger
Pat Doyle
Ian Anderson
Kit Wheeldon
Kirsten Wise
Timothy Crouch
Samantha Snyder
Dylan Van Duyne
Ashley Hoyle
Sofie Belanger
Billy Ripley
Kyle Floyd
Girls’ Soccer-
Jessica Borbee
Page 15
Krissy Welsh
Hart Clements
Grace McGeehan
Kristen Miller
Kirsten Wilhelmsen
Player of the Year
Jess Keller
First Team
Honorable Mention
Sharay Barnes
Jeanna Kenney
Kelsey Leddy
Jamie Morris
Rachel Powers
Alice Roberts
Inside Look
at Haven
Crew
By Sofie Belanger, ‘13
Staff Writer
As most of you probably don’t
know, Strath Haven has a crew team. We
are a committed few, but we are always
looking for new members to join us, especially underclassmen. Freshman and
sophomore year is the time to try new
sports and activities, and rowing is something different and exciting to try. We row
out of a boathouse on Boathouse Row in
Philadelphia called Bachelors Barge Club,
where we practice with other schools who
have small teams. This is a great opportunity to meet new people and forge new
friendships. Plus, you get to experience
Philadelphia in a whole new way. Practices are after school during the week except
Mondays, and on Saturday mornings. Sundays are race days, where we race against
many different levels of competition and
always have fun. Rowing is a unique experience, fully worth the time commitment
and effort.
Sports
December 2011
Page 16
Strath Haven Winter Sports Preview
By Billy Ripley, ‘13
Staff Writer
Boys’ Indoor Track
Boys’ Basketball
After last year’s 14-8 season,
Strath Haven’s Varsity Boy’s Basketball
team is prepared to go farther than they
ever have in the past. Coach Dougherty
has high confidence in his players this year
as they enter the season with young talent. With the team led by senior captains
Kevin Crowley and Eddie Hyland, Coach
Dougherty is enthusiastic for a talented
2011-2012 Central League season. After an unfortunate loss in the first round
in the playoffs to Bensalem last season,
these boys have pushed themselves to the
limit with endless preseason training and
workouts. By participating in the Spring
League in Chichester and the team camps
of West Chester, St. Joseph’s University
and Desales University, it is not surprising
that Strath Haven’s Boy’s Basketball team
is full of so much talent. As their season
officially started on December 9th with
their game against Glen Mills, you better
hurry to the gym in order to watch these
boys climb to the top this year.
Strath Haven’s Boy’s Indoor
Track team this year is going to be the
best since 1994, according to Coach Jesson. With a team 50 runners strong this
winter, Coach Jesson is eager to end his
coach career with one of his team’s best
seasons of all time. After winning more
than 150 medals, and placing among the
top ten in the State Championship last
season, it’s hard not to hold high hopes
for what is to come; Coach Jesson will
be leading his sprinters to run faster than
light itself. With year-round preparation,
these flying phenomena are ready to finish
their coach’s last year with a “bang”. If
you think it’s cold walking to school, you
should imagine how Coach Ed’s distance
runners feel on the track every afternoon.
The only way these boys are able to stay
warm is by moving their legs. Having to
run in short-shorts in this weather seems
unbearable, but it is the unfortunate reality
for this boys: chest hurting, hands freezing,
breath wheezing, legs cramping. Needless
to say, Strath Haven’s Indoor Track Team
are eager to make Coach Jesson’s last year
one to remember.
Senior Hannah Grossman leads the pack.
image courtesy philly.com
High Hopes for Haven
Wrestling
Looking forward to the best season in school history
By Kyle Floyd, ‘13
Staff Writer
What does at team that has gone
from a record of 4-22 to 12-16 know about
success? It knows that success does not
come served on a silver platter, and that it
can only be reached by building the right
mindset. The mentality of Strath Haven
this year is to work hard, give 120 percent, and to start at a level of excellence,
rather than working up to that. The coach
of the Panthers, Eric Hollingsworth, tells
his wrestlers with a sense of confidence
that though they may not be the most talented team, they will be the most in shape,
and will win by taking their opponent to a
level of intensity that cannot be matched.
On Tuesday, December 6th, the team took
a trip to Glen Mills School for their annual “wake-up call”. This practice features
Strath Haven, Ridley, and Glen Mills piled
into one room, in which the wrestlers get
their first opportunity to butt heads and
drill intensely with guys not on their team.
Our coach respects Glen Mills’s level of
work, and he wants us to go in there each
year and step up to that level, if not push
ahead of it.
Back in the Strath Haven room,
the interest in the program seems to grow
with the team’s growing success. The sport
teaches discipline, work ethic, and, most
of all, commitment. These principles intrigue athletes, as they become useful in
other sports after the season, as well as in
the classroom. With more wrestlers comes
more competition. Backups at a few weight
classes challenge each wrestler to push the
other, and wrestle-offs occur each week to
determine varsity positions. This competition will only strengthen the 2011-2012
squad.
Two notable seniors, Tyler Clapp
and Eric Csop, look forward to stepping
up to leadrship positions and improving
on last year’s outcome. Other returning
wrestlers from last years Varsity lineup include Kyle Floyd (myself), Brandon McCullough, Xavier Morgan, Brandon Miller,
and Mike Pissano. The coaching staff is led
by Eric Hollingsworth and Ed Hall, with
dedicated weekly assistance from Greg
Mazmanian and Jim Van Metre. Students
are encouraged to come out and support
this year’s team, one which is young, optimistic, and pushing to make wrestling bigger at Strath Haven than it has ever been
before.
Boys’ Swimming
At 5’o clock in the morning, most
students could not be caught in any other
place besides the comfort of their bed, but
for the athletes of the Strath Haven Boy’s
Swimming team, the day has already started. Kicking off the morning with a practice before school, these boys are taught to
swim in their sleep. After a phenomenal
record of 11-2 last season, Coach Dormer
aims for a season that finishes the same, if
not better. By placing 3rd in the Central
League last year, and having individual
qualifiers for districts and States, it will be
a challenge for this year’s squad to compare to their achievements to those of last
winter. However, these boys are already
off to a fantastic start as they swept the
competition by claiming victory at their
first meet on December 9th. With two district qualifiers already claimed in the first
meet alone, senior captains Adam Ginzberg, Henry Nonack, and Peter Heinbockel
have already set their team members on a
road of success. As this team’s hard work
ethics are passed down from veteran swimmers to new recruits, the skill behind this
group only continues to grow. Among top
veteran swimmers we have seniors Adam
Ginzberg, Peter Heinbockel, and Henry
Nonack. Joining them will be juniors,
Robert Boorum, Drew Resweber, Ben
Wolters, and Ian Burns. Following them
are sophomores Clay Resweber and Tom
Platt. As a team that stands out due to intensity, resilience, hours of hard training,
and a “lay it on the line” approach, there
is nothing that will stop these boys from
maintaining yet another successful season
for Strath Haven Swimming.
Girls’ Indoor Track
Coming in with a record-breaking
total of eighty girls, Strath Haven’s Indoor
Track team has high expectations to live
up to in the current 2011-2012 season.
Coach Coren stands proud at the head of
his team, but it would be hard not to with
their accomplishments last year, earning
138 medals, 36 sweatshirts, 4 jackets, and
2 team trophies. By competing against
about one-hundred teams per meet (with
the exception of Delco’s) at places such
as Lehigh, Ursinus, Haverford, Swarthmore, New York City, and Penn State, it’s
amazing how these girls were able to take
second in States last year, the only scoring meet of the season. Coach Coren also
looks at this year in high hopes as many
quality runners are returning. With senior
Hannah Grossman taking third in the mile
at States last year, there is no telling what
she will continue to accomplish now. Senior Rachel Van Metre and junior Megan
O’Dell also showed their Panther power as
Rachel placed fourth in the long jump and
seventh in the 60 Meter Hurdles at States,
while Megan held a key spot among the
4x400 relay team that took sixth place at
the state meet last year. You may want to
take caution walking through the hallways
after fifth block, because these girls are
known for speeding through during their
interval workouts on the third floor. Leaving for their meets early in the morning and
not getting back until late at night, Coach
Coren enjoys his team’s hard work ethics
as well as their positive environment with
their “music and dance party bus rides.”
Better watch out Haven, these girls are in it
to win it.
Editor’s Note: Due to time constraints, we could not reach out to the coaches of all of
the winter sports teams in order to find out about their upcoming seasons. However, the
Panther Press editorial staff would also like to wish the best of luck to the Girls’ Basketball, Girls’ Swimming, and Boys’ and Girls’ Ice Hockey teams. Go Haven!
Haven Boys’ Home
Basketball Schedule
Tu
Fr
W
Fr
Tu
Tu
Jan 3
Jan 13
Jan 18
Jan 27
Jan 31
Feb 7
7:30 vs. Garnet Valley
7:30 vs. Radnor
7:30 vs. Conestoga
7:00 vs. Springfield
7:30 vs. Harriton
7:30 vs. Marple Newtown
Haven Girls’ Home
Basketball Schedule
Th
Tu
Fr
Sa
Tu
Fr
Jan 5
Jan 10
Jan 13
Jan 14
Jan 24
Jan 27
7:30 vs. Harriton
7:30 vs. Haverford
6:00 vs. Radnor
2:30 vs. Interboro
7:30 vs. Upper Darby
6:00 vs. Springfield