APRIL 2026

Democracy starts in high school

If students are to be prepared for our modern democracy, they must be trusted with a voice.

The Editorial Board

The unsigned editorial represents the consensus opinion of the Editorial Board, which consists of the student editorial staff in the masthead on this page.

Middle school is preparation for high school. High school should be preparation for the real world. Yet a survey conducted by Gallup found that only about half of Gen Z felt prepared for the future.

A crucial part of adulthood is participating in the democratic process. Unfortunately, according to The State of Youth Civic Engagement, in 2024, 44% of young nonvoters were “disinterested or disliked the candidates.” Only 47% of youth turned up to vote in the 2024 presidential election.

For teens, it’s vital that schools work with students to turn them into informed voters; to make that process happen, students must be open to learning more, and schools need to provide them with ways to do so. Currently, Haven does not have enough of those opportunities. High school is the last checkpoint before the real world, and the best way to involve students in decision-making is by trusting them with a voice.

Student Council has the

Take Five:

“[High school] shows you how to become a good person, builds character, and you need to be a good character if you want to be successful in life.”

“It prepares you by having lots of opportunities like electives and [clubs] and having a real handson experience. I also feel like DCTS really helps with real life, like how it’s offered to you and you have a chance to get to participate in it.”

potential to truly be the primary voice of the student body.

Every year, many students are passionate about making change, but are not sufficiently supported by the school to make that change — or even proper discussions about it — happen.

When renovations to the school are considered or a new cell phone policy is drafted, Student Council ought to have a say.

The Student School Board Representatives should be empowered to give the valid feedback they want and deserve to give, instead of being told to list events like a news ticker.

Right now, it doesn’t matter if Student Council is properly empowered because it is not a proper representation of the student body. In addition to giving Student Council more power, we need to refine our election process in two ways.

Firstly, candidate policy is not accessible to all students. Unless you have social media and can read the candidates’ bios, there is no reason to vote for one candidate over another based on policy rather than popularity.

Since 2023, The Panther Press has offered Student Council candidates a chance to share ideas and plans with the student body. But the burden should not fall on our newspaper alone to inform students of candidates’ platforms.

There needs to be a stronger effort to broadcast student campaigns outside of social media, like by providing leaflets

“You learn how to problem solve and work through issues that you have.”

“High school prepares us the best for communication skills and teamwork. Because we get together in groups and work together as one whole, it’s like how we’re going to be working in the future with our colleagues and as an employee.”

Stephen Averill ’28

with candidates’ proposals to students in class. The more accessible we make those campaigns, the more encouraged students will be to engage with them.

Our student government, recently identified in district policy as “the primary voice of the student body,” should reflect the will of the students.

Secondly, Student Council’s leaders are elected in a process split into thirds, with the student vote constituting only a one-third portion of the process. The rest comes from an interview with a Student Council adviser and leadership, along with teachers rating students on a 1-5 scale. This is an insufficient balance of student voice.

In the real world, elections are decided by a vote of the people. There is no interview by prior presidents to ensure presidential candidates are fit for office. There are no ratings submitted by candidates’ teachers.

Does this process ensure that student leaders are as schoolapproved as possible? Yes, it does.

But it is imperative that our student government, which was

Report Card

B+ FLIP FLOP PHENOMENON

« Cute summer trend

« Motivation for good podiatric hygiene

Don’t know how to feel about man-flops

Hallways filled with loud clacking sounds

A- GOING OUTSIDE DURING CLASS

« Makes class more fun

« Great way to enjoy the warm weather

Sometimes sweaty headed back to class

B- AP TESTS COMING UP

« Excited to get them over with We’re all cramming last minute

Sooo stressed out

B MUSIC & FRENCH EXCHANGE TRIPS

« Awesome opportunity for attendees

« We lived vicariously through Instagram Frontier Airlines delayed band flight

recently identified in district policy as “the primary voice of the student body,” actually reflects the will of the students. It’s not the voice of the student body if the student vote only constitutes one-third of the election process. Democracy is not perfect. It often does not deliver the best leaders, whether those leaders are planning Homecoming, collaborating with school administrators, or fighting wars abroad.

Yet that imperfection is one of our greatest strengths as a democracy. For better or worse, we will control our own destiny in the real world, and we should in high school as well. Giving more power to students may seem radical or ill-advised. And yet, for students who will imminently enter our democracy, it is a necessity.

As the Supreme Court recognized in Mahanoy v. B.L., “America’s public schools are the nurseries of democracy.”

So, let us hand power to the students. Give us a chance to learn from our mistakes. Help us prepare for the amount of problem-solving we have to do in this messy world.

Because if we can’t trust students to elect the president of Student Council, how can we trust them to elect the next president of the United States?*

12

C-

EXTRA DAY ADDED IN JUNE

« Only there because we got so many snow days

We want summer!

Finals schedules are pushed back

A- SPRING BREAK

« Much needed break, really long!

« Weather was amazing!

So many tests before Really hard to come back to school

D SEASONAL ALLERGIES

« At least we know summer is coming

Eyes are itchy

Sneezing in class is embarrassing

Classrooms keep running out of tissues

A- TACO BAR

« Large portions

« Good condiments, tasted great

Very long line

About

The Panther Press is the student-run publication of Strath Haven High School in Wallingford, PA. The Panther Press publishes 500 copies bimonthly in print and is distributed to classrooms and students at Strath Haven High School. The publication is also online at www. shpantherpress.com.

The goals of The Panther Press are to inform, educate, and entertain the student body, faculty and staff, and community readers.

We strive to report and analyze issues that concern students in a manner that is fair, objective, responsible, and accurate.

Through the use of journalism, technology, and workplace skills, the students who lead and create the newspaper develop as critical thinkers and communicators.

All content published in the newspaper and on the Panther Press website is created by Strath Haven students for a primary audience of students, with the understanding that our publication also reaches a broader audience that includes teachers and staff, families, and community members.

The views represented in The Panther Press, as well as the selection and curation of content by the editors, do not represent the views of the entire Panther Press staff, the adviser, the school, or the administration.

Submissions

All Strath Haven students are welcome to learn the basics of journalism and become contributors to The Panther Press. Interested students should speak to editors listed below to learn about upcoming meetings and training sessions.

Any reader may submit a letter to the editor via email to strathhavenpantherpress@gmail.com. Anonymous letters will not be published. Editors reserve the right to contact letter writers or edit submissions for reasons of space or clarity.

Our staff also welcomes feedback in the comments section of The Panther Press online or via our social media. Online commenters on our website must have a verified email address. Comments are reviewed for defamation, profanity, obscenity, libel, and invasion of privacy. Not all comments are published.

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The Panther Press maintains social media on Facebook (@shpantherpress) and Instagram (@shpantherpress). The editors-in-chief and

and comments are

and

It’s kind of like a place to find your voice.”*

Haven adapts to state requirements, explores half-credit classes

The incoming classes will now be responsible for completing financial literacy during their time at Haven.

Darcey

Strachan ’28

Haven Happenings Editor

Class requirements for Haven students are spelled out each year in the Silver Guide, usually consisting of the same specific English, math, science, social studies, and language courses.

However, in the 2026-2027 Silver guide, the district added one more requirement: financial literacy.

Back in 2023, the Pennsylvania Senate passed legislation that requires the Class of 2030 and beyond to take a personal finance course. As the next school year approaches and the Class of 2030 is set to begin high school, the district prepares for this new requirement.

Unlike most class requirements, financial literacy can be taken at any time between freshman and senior year. Although there are arguments for only allowing older students to take the course, the district ultimately decided to leave it open for all high schoolers.

“There's some debate on this that, when kids are older, maybe even if they've had a part-time job or they have a better sense of expenses, that it's more relevant to them,” principal Mr. Andrew

Benzing said. “But that said, we've got plenty of freshmen who’d taken [the class] have a good experience too.”

Financial literacy is an introductory course on personal finance, covering topics such as careers, interviews, taxes, budgeting, paychecks, savings accounts, credit cards, buying a house, and more. The class is taught by business teacher Ms. Gianna Harris, who wants her students to learn valuable financial and occupational skills that they can use in their future.

“I want everyone to learn, and I want everyone to feel comfortable as they enter the adult world, and even just after leaving high school,” Harris said. “Everyone knows their path when they graduate fifth grade, when they graduate eighth grade, but when you graduate high school, everyone's going somewhere different. So we want this class to make everyone feel comfortable, no matter what path they take after high school.”

Senior Maddie Posternack took the class in the spring semester of her junior year. She believes that the class is necessary due to its real-world applications.

“I would come home, and it was tax season, and we were learning about taxes. So when my parents would do something, I would know what they were talking about,” Posternack said.

The class utilizes realistic projects and assignments to replicate real scenarios.

In 2023, the Pennsylvania Senate passed legislation that requires the Class of 2030 and beyond to take a personal finance course.

As the next school year approaches and the Class of 2030 is set to begin high school, the district prepares for this new requirement.

“We did a huge budgeting project that really helped everyone learn how to save their money and learn where to put their money towards, and how to be responsible,” junior Georgia Graham, a past financial literacy student, said.

Even if you are not in the Class of 2030 and beyond, Harris believes that you should still consider taking the course or any other business course.

“I always encourage anyone to take financial literacy and any other business courses at all,” Harris said. “They're all a lot of fun, and you learn a lot.”

The official state requirement says that students must complete a half-credit course in personal finance at a minimum. Currently, the course is being

offered at one credit, which is typical for Haven's one-semester classes.

However, there is discussion among administration, teachers, and department chairs about potentially offering this class and other courses at half-credit.

“Teachers were charged to start thinking about either, A, courses they currently offer that might be better fit as a half credit option, or B, courses they always wanted to offer that didn't fit in the full semester or wouldn't have enough interest that we could couple with personal financial literacy, so a student doesn't have to give up a whole elective,” Benzing said. “They take personal financial aid and pair it with something else that would be of interest to them.”

The district wants students to still have the option to choose

Principal’s clean lunch table count continues

To achieve the challenge, Haven students need to work together to keep the cafeteria and eating spaces clean for everyone.

Cayla Gaffney ’29 Reporter

Have you heard about ‘Tommy the Tinfoil’ or ‘Bobby the Boba Tea’? What about streak savers and principal’s updates? What you’ve been seeing is all a part of principal Mr. Andrew Benzing’s clean lunch table count.

At the beginning of the year, students received a form asking about which community areas of the school should be most improved for students. After seeing the results, Benzing decided to introduce the clean table count incentive at the new semester kickoff assemblies.

“The response we got from students was just in general, that, especially for…B and C

lunches, which is two-thirds of the school, that when they come down, [tables are] in disarray,” Benzing said. “You know, the place is a mess, and no one likes to eat with that surface.”

With the clean lunch table count, students receive a point for each day that all of the tables are left clean in the cafeteria. If one piece of trash is found on a table, the streak is reset.

The goal is to reach 30 days in a row of clean tables. Benzing introduced ‘Tommy the Tinfoil’ and ‘Bobby the Boba’ as mascots for the challenge because they have been left behind at lunch tables, causing the count to return to zero.

“We're all in on this. It's a community thing. That's the emphasis of this, really, that even though one person might leave a piece of trash behind, we all can pick it up if we need to,” Benzing said.

To encourage cafeteria cleanliness, math teacher Mrs. Beth Benzing has been handing out wipes for students to use

“

Even though one person might leave a piece of trash behind, we all can pick it up if we need to.

Mr. Andrew Benzing Principal

before they leave their tables.

“I thought I would try to support this continued initiative and help our students if they needed a little handy wipe to continue to support this mentality of keeping your little space clean while having lunch,” Mrs. Benzing said.

As the weather warms up, lunches start to shift outside. Even with fewer tables, students will still need to be dedicated to cleaning

up the area where they eat.

“I think, honestly, if everyone just throws away their own stuff, and if they spill something, they clean it up. It's really not that hard just to grab your own stuff, I feel like people should just do that more often,” freshman

the elective they want. Benzing hopes that more half-credit courses will continue Haven's elective choices while satisfying the state requirement for financial literacy.

New half-credit courses will not be offered next school year, but potentially might be available to students in the 2027-2028 school year. The half-credit courses would still be the same 80-minute length as a normal class, but would only occupy part of the semester instead of the whole semester.

There is also some discussion of allowing students to take the course online so that their elective space is not being limited by the requirement, according to Benzing.

“We want to try to give the kids as much flexibility as possible,” he said.*

Emma Clouse said.

If the students are able to accomplish a streak of 30 days in a row without any trash found, the Nutrition Group will provide a free special treat for all Haven students. Students can follow the example of ‘streak savers,’ who are students who pick up left behind trash that isn’t theirs.

Picking up trash will boost the cleanliness of the cafeteria and shared school facilities, and will also allow Haven students to work together for a common goal.

“Be a streak saver. Encourage your friends to pick up the trash. It's just part of being our community here. And I think the more you can think about others, the better the community is going to be, in general,”

Mr. Benzing said.*

Swarthmore elects Haven alumnus Conlen Booth as new mayor

The longtime volunteer and fire chief leaps into his new role with an emphasis on community stewardship, engagement, and support.

Morgan Matthews ’28

Detours Editor

Although Mayor Conlen Booth never imagined himself in his current role, the transition has been smooth.

Taking office in early 2026, Booth was driven to become the mayor by positive encouragement from the community.

The idea to run for such a position wasn’t even on his radar — in fact, Booth doesn’t consider himself a political guy.

“It’s not something that I initially sought out,” Booth said. “It was never on my horizon. I was actually asked by friends and other members of the community to do it.”

The decision emerged gradually, after those around him told him how well-suited the role was to him.

“I often feel like you shouldn’t do something unless you’re going to help to benefit people in some way,” Booth said. “I felt that I could contribute in a positive way.”

Booth may be new to his role, but he certainly isn’t to the community; he was a part of the Strath Haven graduating class of 2001. During his time as a student, he was deeply involved in school events.

“When I was a student, I was president of the activities council my senior year, and I was on the principal’s advisory board,” Booth said.

He also notes that he helped to organize a student blood drive program.

His streak of community engagement can be traced back

to these years, when Booth found his way to the local firehouse, an experience that would shape his life for years to come. What began as a test to gauge his interest in a potential future in emergency medicine quickly became something special.

“I joined the firehouse when I was still in school at Strath Haven,” Booth said. “I had never experienced true emergencies, so I joined as a student. Back then, it was a little bit more lax.

We would leave the school for 911 calls, and we would do that for both the fire department and the fire truck, and also sometimes the ambulance.”

His time at the fire station would prove to be a formative experience, influencing his career path.

“I went to school and became a paramedic, got a bachelor’s in the management of emergency services, and I think it really all stemmed from joining the fire department in high school,” Booth said.

Booth has maintained a deep connection with the firehouse, still serving as fire chief today alongside his role as mayor. Juggling the two roles has required attention to detail.

“I do my best to keep them separate,” Booth said. There is, however, some overlap.

“There’s a lot of bleed over, as the department is, really broadly speaking, a department of the borough,” Booth said.

In recent months, his involvement with the fire station has been inhibited by a personal injury. Despite this, he has remained involved from an administrative standpoint, a role he credits to the support of those around him.

“I’ve not been actively responding to calls for eight months now, because I broke my neck this past July,” Booth said.

“I’m really fortunate that I have

a strong team that steps up in a big way.”

As mayor, Booth views his role as a sort of civic stewardship. His priorities have been focused on maintaining stability in the borough’s administrative leadership. Specifically, Booth is looking for a replacement Borough Manager, a position currently vacant after the removal of Sean Halborn and David Unkovic, serving as interim manager.

“We’re really focused heavily on, ‘How do we get the right person to get this moving as an organization?’ I think this takes precedence,” Booth said.

In addition to this, he is excited to find ways to broaden engagement across the community. His goals include strengthening ties between Swarthmore College and outlets for local students.

“We’ve been talking about how to engage young people in local politics more,” Booth said. “If there are students who are interested in getting involved, they should raise their hands. They should absolutely come and attend meetings [and] listen.”

Booth says his goals focus on innovation and expansion while simultaneously maintaining the

How are students preparing for AP Tests?

“We live in a town where everybody wants to pitch in, and everybody is engaged, so we’re really fortunate.

To me, it’s such a positive environment for people to grow up in and experience.

Conlen Booth Mayor of Swarthmore

fabric of the community.

“How do we draw people into the borough? ... We make sure people know what is here and bring them to town to enjoy it, so that the businesses are doing well, and we don’t have a bunch of empty storefronts,” Booth said.

Fond memories of community collaboration cement Swarthmore as a town built on collaboration in Booth’s mind.

“I have this nostalgic memory of when the fire horn would go off, and you’d see like 20 or 30 college students and townspeople running as fast as they could to the firehouse. That memory fills me with such a good feeling of community involvement,” Booth said.

He hopes that similarly inspiring teamwork will continue to shape the community.

“We still have so many people that are doing so much stuff to make it such a great place,” Booth said. “All the volunteers around the farmers market and all of the businesses are coming together, not to fight each other, but to work together. To me, it’s such a positive environment for people to be in and grow up in and experience.”

Outside of his official roles, Booth enjoys spending time with family, friends, and his most loyal four-legged companion, Huckleberry, who accompanies him all around town.

“He’s very good at listening, and so he’s a very good boy, but he’s a little overweight,” Booth said of the eight-year-old Australian cattle dog rescue.

A focus on local vibrance and community support has shaped Booth’s road to becoming mayor, a role that aligns closely with his own personal morale.

“We live in a town where everybody wants to pitch in, and everybody is engaged, so we’re really fortunate,” Booth said.*

While Advanced Placement exams are right around the corner for many students, study routines and preparation look different for each person.

Charlie Grueser ’28

“I’m

going to some review sessions for my fall classes, and reviewing the chapters that we’ve done in my spring classes.”

“We do a lot of practice AP tests to know what is going to be on the test, and I practice dictation when I’m at home and ask my teacher lots of questions to understand the material more.”

“I’m checking all my Quizlets. I’m also checking AP Classroom at least every other day to make sure I’m kept up with material for the AP test.”

’27

“I am going through each unit every night. I have a whiteboard in my bedroom, and I write this stuff down, and I say it fast to myself, and then, if I know it, then I’m good. I do that every single night.”

““I’m kind of just paying attention in class and hoping.*

$99 million renovations project set to remove Green Mile with anticipated board approval

A contract outlining a rough sketch of plans, budget, and schedule is set to be considered at the next board meeting.

Darcey Strachan ’28

Michael Conallen ’27, Clark Kerkstra ’27

Haven Happenings Editor, Reporter, Managing Editor of Web

On an average day at Haven, students bustle through the Wall of Honor and Green Mile, hustling to get from class in the academic wing to the far-flung trailers in the brief time between blocks.

After $99 million and four years, the daily odyssey of many underclassmen to read the Odyssey in their English classes in the trailers may be no more, according to renovation plans shared at the April 21 Facilities Committee meeting.

The project is led by the architectural firm Kelly Clough Baker and Associates (KCBA).

The firm has drafted conceptual designs for the school over the past few months. The architects unveiled their preliminary design plans for Haven at a community forum on March 5, and shared more plans at the April 21 meeting.

These plans focus on updating building infrastructure and educational spaces. This includes removing the trailers, upgrading performing arts spaces, adding and improving athletic facilities, creating a new “Learning Commons” in the academic wing, renovating the library, and creating new and improved science labs and special education spaces.

The presented plans also maintain a focus on creating new lunch seating to accommodate administrative plans announced

at the February 4 renovations forum to cut down to two lunches and create a fifth-blockesque period in the middle of the day.

Out of the renovation plans, the architects believe that the most critical is updating the school’s infrastructure, including replacing the roof, electrical systems, boilers, chillers, and the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system.

Architects emphasized the need for a “warm, safe, and dry” school.

“It’s a very fine school, but it’s old,” KCBA architect Mike Kelly said. “When buildings get old, it’s like the engine of a car: the outside of the car might be fine, but the engine needs to be replaced or re-tuned. And that’s kind of what we’re looking at with the building.”

The need for updating these systems is also noted by students.

“It’s so annoying to go from one room, and it’s really hot, then [the next room is] really cold,” sophomore Adeline Barton said. “That’s the worst.”

The plans include changes to the Providence Road entrance to the school that would add additional science labs.

“Walking in off the Providence road side here, you would come into a new vestibule for the building that would include the maker space and the STEM classrooms that would be really right on display,” Superintendent Dr. Russell Johnston said. “The heart of the building [is right there], instead of sort of off to the side the way that it is now.”

The design plans also include the addition of “Learning Commons” — enclosed learning spaces in the hallways filled with furniture and desks for students to utilize.

“I often see students sitting

in the hallway, working in the hallway at a table,” Johnston said. “A lot of what we do right now could continue to happen, but just in a more educationally enlivening type of space, as opposed to just, you know, sitting on the floor in the hallway,” Johnston said.

At the April 21 meeting, the KCBA team introduced new designs and changes to the Providence Road entryway. The proposed changes include the removal of the gazebo, the expansion of seating and natural light, and the addition of a hallway leading down to the second floor in a total transformation of the Wall of Honor.

The Green Mile would get removed in the changes in a complete renovation of the library and media center that would add seating and add stairs up to the Wall of Honor Hallway, and add small group instruction spaces.

In order to minimize disruption to school activities during construction, the plans are set to be carried out in stages, focusing on only a few parts at a time and attempting to do as much as possible during summers.

“There will just be a lot of staging and a lot of signage that will have to be in place, a lot of communication with students, families, and faculty about what to expect as each part of the building is renovated,” Johnston said.

Another change proposed at the meeting is that the library could accommodate temporary classrooms as construction proceeds and new classrooms are under construction.

The current timeline includes a year of setting up permits and designing, followed by around three years of construction.

Despite the new plans, the

district is still open to input from students and faculty.

“It’s so critical to continue to get student input, and to hear student voice along the way as we continue to develop this project,” Johnston said.

Although the architects do lead the process, community feedback is vital to help guide them.

“[The architects’] influence is large in the fact that we’re leading the process,” Kelly said.

“But the school district and their members have a much greater influence on the project because they’re telling us what they want, what they like, what the needs of the building are, and what the needs of the students are.”

While some students are aware of these plans, others feel that the school should make a better effort at announcing them to the community.

“I think that they need to put posters up [describing the plans] or maybe surveys on what we want,” sophomore Sienna Ferraiolo said.

The plan will come before the board for a vote at the April 27 board meeting.

Johnston emphasized the need for investment into the school.

“Making sure that the building will be sustainable into the future is what’s at the core of this [project],” Johnston said.*

Reading Olympics team claims third consecutive blue ribbon

Team members share their experiences with overcoming challenges and experiencing a variety of books.

Roland Rennick-Zuefle ’27 Reporter

Haven’s Reading Olympics team won its third blue ribbon in a row at the annual competition held at Springton Lake Middle School on March 23, testing the team’s knowledge of books they were assigned to read over the year.

The team is tasked with reading 45 books and has to answer questions on them, competing against other teams from nearby schools, from whom they can steal questions from. To get the blue ribbon, the team must

reach a threshold of 50 points.

For three years in a row, the team has succeeded at getting blue ribbons.

“We’re competing against a bunch of different high schools, but it’s not really competitive,”

senior Liliana Fletcher said.

“It’s more competing against yourself to get a high score to get a ribbon.”

With fewer students participating this year, the team relied on a core of experienced members.

“It was just really hectic,”

Reading Olympics President and junior Joy Yang said. “But the fact that we persevered through, figured everything out, and still managed to get a blue ribbon [makes me] really proud of the team.”

While reading 45 books may feel like a monumental task, the

team divides up the workload.

“Everyone really pulled through,” Yang said. “Everyone took more books on.”

With a smaller team size, which includes two graduating seniors, Reading Olympics is looking to expand. Its members believe it can offer a lot to Haven students.

“If you like reading and a little bit of competition, you should join, and it’s really fun,” vice president and senior Kathleen Kelly said.

The team has allowed its members to grow as readers, with books such as “The Reader” by Bernhard Schlink and “The Serpent King” by Jeff Zentner cited as highlights.

“I love to read a little bit more than I used to,” Kelly said.

Although several seniors will depart this year, Yang believes

the skills of the remaining members and a new rule being passed for the competition make a fourth blue ribbon in a row a real possibility.

“They’re cutting the number of books we need to read from 45 to 30, and that’s a lot more manageable,” Yang said. “We’ve been doing really well, and I think the current juniors on the team, for instance, will always be strong enough to still carry the strength over even as the seniors leave.”*

House bill poses bell-to-bell phone ban if passed

The bill, still in Committee in the State House of Representatives, would change Haven’s phone policy and ban phones for the entire day.

Izzy Boland ’29, Josselyn Dixon ’29

Reporters

Walking through the hallways of Haven, there are phones everywhere. They’re used for taking pictures, looking things up, communicating with friends about meeting up for lunch, or texting parents for rides home.

Senate Bill 1014, a state bill that passed 46-1 on Feb. 3, propses that phones should be banned for the entire school day in Pennsylvania schools. Harrisburg, stands to change all that. The bill is now under consideration in the House of Representatives.

“The intent of [the bill] is to have a bell-to-bell ban for schools in the state of Pennsylvania,” principal Mr. Andrew Benzing said.

The current phone policy at Haven, WSSD Policy 237, only bans phones during class. But if the statewide legislation passes, that ban would extend to during lunch and in the time between classes.

However, the proposed bill leaves it up to school districts to decide how to enforce this, which could pose problems for Haven.

“One of the things we kicked

around was that phones would get deposited in your first block class, stay there, and then you come back, and we’ll have a return period, an advisory period, or some reason to bring them back to their first block where they would go,” Benzing said. “But there are a lot of challenges even with that.”

The bill isn’t guaranteed to pass, and if it does, it would go into effect for the 2027-28 school year. This means it would likely only affect the current freshman and sophomore classes.

“It has a lot of energy,” Benzing said. “It’s gotten further than I thought… I think when it gets to this stage, usually with these types of things, they slow down quite a bit, because the real questions come up about, who are we going to pay for this? How’s this going to impact [us]? But [that] hasn’t slowed it before.”

This potential change comes after only one year of our current phone policy, which students are still adjusting to.

“I don’t think it’s 100% effective,” sophomore Sophia Weinstock Coulson said. “People will still try to take their phones, or won’t put them up.”

Others have shared the sentiment that the phone policy doesn’t fully solve the problem of phones in school, and that there might not be a good solution.

“[The current phone policy] works to a point, and I feel like it’s better than what a lot of other schools do, with the pouches that they had, but I don’t think

there’s much that the school can do as a whole,” freshman Giuliana Brigandi said.

Benzing agrees that the current phone policy can be improved and thinks that the school can fix the issues.

“There’s still work to be done outside of the classroom,” Benzing said. “For example, when we see students going from class to the bathroom, they bring their phones with them, and that’s really wrong for a lot of reasons, including that it’s disgusting, but that’s something we’re working on.”

With the bill, students would not have any access to their phones throughout the day, and thus not be able to take their phones with them to the bathroom. While the bill

could fix that problem, Benzing believes that it could cause issues for students.

“I think if I were 17 [or] 18 years old and had a job, or had sports practices, or needed to make sure I was in the right place for band, I think the phone gives me some of that information that I need, as long as I’m using it responsibly,” Benzing said. “[If the bill is passed, it is] going to be, from those students’ eyes, a setback, a limitation on what they can use the phone for.”

Assistant principal Mr. Thomas McLaughlin believes the bill could garner support from members of the school community.

“Just from what I understand as a parent myself, I think it would be supported by the

Students attend ‘Senator for a Day’ program, learn about government, legislation

Nine students attended the program on March 12 to learn about how legislation is drafted and passed through the senate.

Evie Fernandez ’27

Managing Editor of Print

On March 12, nine students in their junior and senior years boarded a bus to Widener University, where they met 71 other students interested in politics and government. These students included juniors Clark Kerkstra, Lindsay Micklin, Noah White, Lyla Kelly, Josh Lund, Gemma Hicks, Henry Hewitt, and Dylan Kelly, as well as senior Ted Dudley. The participants were nominated to participate in the program by their history teachers.

Students watched a lecture in the morning that showed

what it means to be a Senator, with State Senator John Kane speaking about his life and how he got into politics. Kane was elected in 2020, and has served since then. He represents both Delaware and Chester counties, the two counties from where he pulled the selected students.

Students then watched a presentation from Kane’s policy director, Matthew Franchak, who spoke about how legislation is passed.

“The thing that interested me most was the presentation on what it means to be a policy director in Pennsylvania,” Lyla Kelly said. “As a Senator, you have to do all the speeches, but as policy director, you’re just writing the bills and meeting with the constituents, and that was really interesting [as a potential career].”

After the morning presentation, participants took a break for a brief lunch before reconvening

for the interactive part of the day. Students were split into four groups, each of which was assigned a piece of legislation to debate. Students got to choose whether they were pro or con. Some of the legislature included the bill on bell-to-bell phone bans that passed in February 2026.

“[The debate room] was very energetic,” Dylan Kelly said. “There was a lot of passion in the room, and I thought that was really cool. It’s sort of like you’re stepping into the shoes of what a senator would do. I also thought it was cool how the senator allowed high school students to come and speak on the topics that would impact them.”

Students took away more bigpicture ideas about how the state government works.

“My biggest takeaway was that the youth is in good hands, because I think everyone had the same opinions that there

community,” McLaughlin said. “Obviously, the kids would have a problem with it, but anytime you put more restrictions on something, people have an issue with it.”

Sophomore Isabel Dourte does not believe that a bell-to-bell ban would be effective.

“I think kids are just going to do what they want and [at] that point, if you tell them not to do something, like don’t bring your phone, it’s just going to happen anyway,” Dourte said.

In order for the bill to become a reality, it would need to first move out of Committee, where it currently is, and be scheduled for a vote on the House floor.

“It’s been a slow burner, from what I understand, but it’s made its way through,” Benzing said.

While no one can say for sure if the bill will pass or even get voted on, State Rep. Jennifer O’Mara (PA-165), whose district includes parts of Media and Swarthmore, said she would vote in favor of the Bill passing. She remembers being a student herself and valued the prephone learning environment.

“I do appreciate that our phones have created a beautiful ability to connect with one another and build community across the globe, but schools are one of the more precious places where you get to exist within a community,” O’Mara stated in an email. “You should focus on what is going on around you and learn and enjoy it in a way that can only occur without a phone in your hand.”*

needs to be action, but they were also standing up for their decisions,” Dylan Kelly said. “I know some people in my group actually took the opposite side, just to show that they can do that, which I thought was really brave, but it also showed that people are ready to take action.”

The experience also left some students looking to their futures, thinking about becoming more civically engaged.

“The policy director told us: we meet with constituents, we hear what they want, and we hear their problems and we try to solve them,” Lyla Kelly said.

“Hearing that made me realize, ‘Oh, I could be a constituent who tells people what to do. I could be helping people write the bills. I could be informing them.’”*

Featured Class: Global Foods lets students explore cultural diversity through cuisine

From burrito bowls to Belgian waffles, students learn about cooking and culture in the elective Global Foods.

Jane Yau ’29 Reporter

Global Foods teacher Ms. Jennifer Zanoni has always had a love for cooking, which shows through her passionate teaching.

“[Being a chef] is all I’ve ever wanted to do since I was three,” Zanoni said. “I absolutely love it.” Global Foods is a semester-long course that is open for anyone to take, with no prerequisites. However, Zanoni recommends that students take a prior culinary course.

“I will say that [global foods] is the most challenging culinary course,” Zanoni said. “If you have taken [a prior culinary course], you will be more successful, and that is simply because we jump in pretty quickly.”

Like other culinary courses, Global Foods involves handson cooking. However, it offers students much more freedom, especially with recipe selection, the cooking process, and the results.

“One skill that [students] learn more in this class than in other culinary classes is improvisation,” Zanoni said.

“In other culinary classes, every little, tiny detail is given to them. They even annotate recipes before they do it, so everything

should look identical to the kitchen next to them. In Global Foods, you have to think a little bit more on the fly, and I love that [the students] get to taste, explore, and change as they go.”

Students enjoy the interactive and rewarding environment that the class brings.

“I think Global Foods is different [from other electives]

mostly because it’s really handson,” junior Tilly Gebhardt said.

“And I would say it’s really satisfying, because, a lot of times, in electives, you’re not going to exactly see the impact of the stuff you’re learning, but in Global Foods, you learn how to make something, you learn about a culture, and you immediately can use it and

“

I think learning how to cook is a useful skill, and also a great way to learn about the different cultures of cuisine.

Nadia Blum ’29

apply it in the class.”

Starting with fruits and vegetables, students go through a variety of culinary units.

“We’ll do a poultry unit, a soups and stocks unit, a meats unit, a pasta unit, etc., and within every unit, the high school students are selecting recipes from around the world that fit that unit,” Zanoni said.

Throughout the class, there are different challenges set for students.

“After we learn about fruits from around the world, we will have a fruit competition where students cook different types of food from different countries that have fruit or vegetables in them,” Zanoni said.

There is a competition for every unit, and at the end of each competition, three judges come in and grade students based on taste, execution, knowledge of the region, and their presentation skills.

French exchange brings language to life for students

Students immerse themselves in French culture through homestays, travel, and real-world language exchange.

Gigi Detweiler ’28, Mia Taub ’28

Reporters

For most students, learning French happens inside the classroom. But over spring break, a group of students stepped beyond their desks and leaped into bustling city streets, host homes, and full conversations in a foreign language.

During Haven’s biennial French exchange trip, students lived with host families, attended school, and explored cities such as Vannes and Paris. Instead of practicing vocabulary from a textbook, they were expected to challenge themselves by using French constantly.

“I think you have to be uncomfortable,” French teacher Madame Traci Dubs said. “That’s how you grow.”

The discomfort was intentional. Students were pushed to build not only language skills but also confidence and independence.

“Our goals are to provide a unique experience for students, one that they couldn’t replicate themselves,” French teacher

Madame Stadnicki said.

From the moment they arrived, students were surrounded by the language. They were placed alone with host families, forcing them to rely on their French in everyday conversations.

According to senior French Club President Mia Fagone, that was intimidating.

“I was really worried about talking in French,” Fagone said.

“But it was a lot more comfortable than I thought.”

Over time, that fear faded. Students found themselves speaking more naturally, even holding full conversations by the end of the trip.

“I started to feel myself getting more confident with my French,” sophomore Jocelyn Kurchan said. “I was able to go full days without speaking English.”

Living with host families also

“

I was really worried about talking in French. But it was a lot more comfortable than I thought.

Mia Fagone ’26 French Club President

exposed students to major cultural differences, especially around daily routines and meals.

“In restaurants, it’s not fast; it’s very slow,” Kurchan said. “If you want your check, you have to ask for it.”

Meals in France are more communal and shared than in the U.S., often lasting over an hour and focused on conversation.

“The biggest thing was they ate really late, so most dinners were 9:30 at night,” junior Josh Lund

“With every competition that students win, they get an incentive for their food truck final, which is when they have to create a food truck with a menu and a business,” Zanoni said.

Students not only learn about cuisine, but they also learn about business.

Zanoni’s Global Foods class works with Ms. Gianna Harris’s marketing classes to create a collaborative food truck plan, which allows the students to learn all aspects of culinary arts, from the business side to the culinary side.

“[The most challenging] part of the class was probably the budgets for the recipes when you’d have to make your own dish,” freshman Maggie McDermott said.

Freshman Nadia Blum hopes to take the class in the future.

“A lot of my friends [take this course], it sounds really fun,” Blum said. “I think learning how to cook is a useful skill, and also a great way to learn about the different cultures of cuisine.”

For Zanoni, culinary arts go beyond the kitchen.

“I think it’s so important to embrace culture, and [Global Foods] is a really good opportunity for students to see it hands-on and get that first experience,” Zanoni said. “ And I love that you guys all learn from textbooks and everything, but to be able to do it yourself and then try food is, to me, the number one way to learn about other people.”*

said. “Dinners take a long time. It’s about an hour to an hour and a half around a table with the family.”

While the experience was exciting, it was also exhausting for some. Between long travel days, packed schedules, and constant language use, many students felt fatigued. Still, they agreed that the challenges were worth it.

“I think the most challenging part was that everyone was really tired,” Fagone said. “Towards the end of the trip, everyone was dragging their feet a little bit, but I don’t think that got in the way of everyone having fun.”

They also gained insight into how French students view American culture. Conversations often turned to topics like education and social trends.

“They talked a lot about cultural trends, like the whole sixseven thing that was big here,” Stadnicki said. “The French kids were saying how the U.S. was a couple of months ahead on cultural trends like that. But when it comes to fashion or art, the French are ahead of us.”

Lund explains that many conversations also turned to

American politics.

“There are a lot of questions about politics,” Lund said. “They have some obvious concerns about what’s been going on in the United States.”

For Madame Dubs and Stadnicki, one of the most rewarding parts was watching students grow in confidence.

“The biggest takeaway is the confidence that students have,” Stadnicki said.

By the end of the trip, it was clear that the students had experienced immense growth, whether it be through language ability, the relationships they formed, or the independence they developed.

For many, the trip extends beyond academics.

“I think it’s really important for students to have that chance to go visit different places, especially internationally,” Fagone said. “It can really provide a new perspective on how the world works beyond what we see in everyday life.”*

The Wall: Author, professor, and Brown graduate discusses South African background, writing career

Have you ever stopped to catch a glimpse at the Wall of Honor? We continue a series of interviews of noted alumni with the author of “What We Lose” and a creative writing professor at the University of California, Davis.

Mark Ball ’26 Reporter

When Zinzi Clemmons, a 2003 graduate of Strath Haven High School, first took a fiction writing class when she arrived at Brown University, she immediately fell in love with it.

“From that time on, I was writing short stories and novels, and it was my dream to write a novel,” Clemmons said.

Since then, after majoring in critical theory, media studies, and creative writing, Clemmons went on to write the novel “What We Lose” in 2017. It was named “Debut Novel of the Year” by Vogue and was a finalist for the Aspen Words Literary Prize, the California Book Award, a

Hurston/Wright Legacy Award, and the National Book Critics Circle Leonard Prize.

“What We Lose” is set in a fictional town much like Swarthmore and describes both the positive and difficult aspects of growing up in a place like that as a non-white person.

In high school, Clemmons played softball, basketball, and threw the javelin in track.

She was also part of Hi-Q and the art club, crediting her extracurricular activities for developing her timemanagement skills.

“Self-discipline is very important to a career as a writer, because you don’t go into an office,” Clemmons said. “You have to do everything on your own. I had to balance all of these different activities and my schoolwork, and that was where I first learned those things.”

Clemmons is currently a professor at the University of California, Davis, where she is the director of the program in creative writing and oversees admissions as the leader of the graduate program.

“In the earlier part of my time here, I was mostly teaching and mentoring students. Now I have

this administrative leadership role, which has given me a new sort of relationship to the institution,” Clemmons said. Clemmons’ mother was born in South Africa. From the time that she was six months old, Clemmons and her family would go back to South Africa, usually on summer vacations.

During these trips, South Africa was going through a racial justice movement against formal apartheid, which it

“Self-discipline is very important to a career as a writer, because you don’t go into an office. You have to do everything on your own. I had to balance all of these different activities and my schoolwork, and that was where I first learned those things.

Zinzi

Clemmons ’03

eliminated in 1994.

“I grew up very attuned to observing how political changes and politics in general manifest in individual people. And I was always interested in writing about it, so I’ve pretty much always done so since the time that I started writing,” Clemmons said.

According to Mrs. Jennifer Rodgers, an art teacher at Strath Haven High School who taught Clemmons in various 2D art classes, Clemmons completed a project called a concentration, which was based on her identity and self-awareness. Her project was unusually large compared to her peers’ and used unconventional materials.

“As a high school art student, she was ahead of her time and had a maturity that is rare in a typical teenager,” Rodgers said. Clemmons’ second book, “Freedom” is coming out in June, which includes personal essays that have to do with current events, politics, and feminism According to Clemmons, one of these essays tackles racial inequality in Swarthmore specifically. *

Featured Club: Cat Rescue Club mobilizes service, aids feline friends

This volunteer and fundraising club immerses members in a world of catbased community service.

Claire Salera ’27

Haven Happenings Editor

Not many Haven clubs involve one-on-one cat time.

Cat Rescue Club is a studentled effort to rescue stray or wild cats in the community, foster them through student homes, and increase their chances for adoption. The club-for-a-cause involves dedicated hours by the club’s leaders to ensure the cats are funded and well cared for.

The club’s president, senior Ted Dudley, founded the club in fall 2024. He was inspired by his six years of experience in cat rescuing and a desire to bring the service to other high schoolers.

The club follows a systematic approach involving the division of club duties to different leaders, club members, and outside organizations. Dudley serves as the main cat rescuer and the coordinator of fostering.

“What I do is organize different rescues and coordinate different fosters and run different partnerships with different cat rescue organizations,” Dudley said. “We partner with different shelters, such as Forgotten Cats, and we partnered with the SPCA Nether Providence.”

“

Instead of [the cats] staying in shelters, they’re able to stay with individual students from our school, which is really awesome because it’s a nicer home.

Ted Dudley ’26

After the cats are rescued, club leaders help notify students of the new cat arrivals and coordinate matches, which typically happen through social media.

“Every time there’s a new kitten or a cat, we send a message on the group that if anyone is interested in fostering, we notify [about] the traits and how the cat is, how old,” fundraising coordinator Kavya Bhola said.

Dudley finds that opening up fostering to high school students has been a huge bonus for the adoption process.

“Instead of [the cats] staying in shelters, they’re able to stay with individual students from our school, which is really awesome because it’s a nicer home,” Dudley said. “Oftentimes, those students end up adopting the cats themselves.”

When club leaders are not out rescuing cats or coordinating fostering for club members, they follow a different meeting format than most Haven clubs.

“It’s more outside of school,” Bhola said. “We browse our plans in the group chat, and then if we feel like we need to have a meeting fifth block, we do that. We prefer being online more than in person.”

Community Outreach Manager and freshman Elizabeth Gebhardt asserts that this aspect makes the club even more enjoyable.

“We have our little group chat, and everybody’s always coming up with new ideas to fundraise,”

Gebhardt said. “We have a lot of fun planning new things and seeing everybody’s cats in our group chat.”

Another aspect of the club is raising money for the cats. This fundraising goes towards rescuing, paying for adoptions, and other club-related responsibilities, and typically involves a monthly bake sale.

With leaders monitoring rescues and the adoption process, club members are mostly just responsible for helping fundraise and completing other volunteer tasks. Members can gain community service hours for both fostering the cats and helping make cat-related necessities.

“Anybody can join, and I mean, other than coming to bake sales, it’s not that high of commitment,” club vice president Tilly Gebhardt said.

Although Dudley is graduating this year, he plans to maintain his connections with the club to ensure a smooth transition for the 2026-2027 school year.

He is proud of how far the club has come during his time at Haven, and looks forward to passing the torch to the next group of Cat Rescue Club leaders.

“They’re really the best people you could really want for any kind of club, specifically this one that’s so much about care and compassion and helping other animals,” Dudley said. *

The ‘Art of WSSD’ returns

The biennial art show creates opportunities for AP Art Students to show off their work in a professional environment.

Kay Liberi ’27, Anabella Larin ’27 Reporters

On Sunday, March 22, the walls of the Community Arts Center became vibrant as student artwork from kindergarten to 12th grade filled the gallery. From colorful elementary paintings to intricate AP 3D Art sculptures, the exhibit highlighted not only artistic talent and creativity, but also the dedication of students and teachers across the school district.

The biennial Art of WSSD event is in its 26th year, with the current space in the Community Arts Center being about 18 years old.

In this year’s event, 10 art teachers from SRS, NPE, WES, SHMS, and SHHS selected 10 pieces from their students’ portfolios to display in the gallery which best represented their curriculum for the year.

The event continues to act as a bridge between the schools and the community by showcasing

student work in a professional setting.

“Personally, this means a lot to me,” senior AP 3D art student

Amelia Badura said. “I actually did a lot here at the Community Arts Center as a kid. I was pretty much here every summer, all summer. I did the camps here, I did classes here. So it’s kind of like a full circle type thing because I used to hang out in this gallery all the time and eat lunch with my friends and see all the art up on the walls. And so it’s really awesome that now I have my pieces in it.”

In addition to creating the artwork, AP Art students worked together to create the exhibit by carefully placing all of the student artwork around the center with help from advisors.

“Within an hour, everything was placed where we thought we wanted it, and then another hour later, everything was done. We didn’t even need to come back the next day,” art teacher

Scott Rodgers said.

The art students faced some difficulties while helping to set up the exhibit, such as having to get extremely heavy art pedestals onto the main floor and lift them into place.

“We had three elevators full of them, floor to ceiling, the entire span, where only like two

people could stand in there, very cramped. So it was a whole process, but it was fun. It was like a little community building experience,” Badura said.

Some students also found difficulty in trying to hang artwork up on the walls.

“I was trying to use a hammer and it was embarrassing,” senior AP 2D art student Fletcher Noto said. “But we got it down pretty quick and it was fun.”

Even for AP art students, who are greatly experienced and have taken their interests in art to extreme places of dedication, they still appreciated the art and creativity of younger students.

“I really liked looking at the elementary art. A lot of them were speaking to me. This one kid drew Yoshi and I loved it,” Noto said.

In all, this event helps students gain confidence in their artwork and themselves. It creates a place where their pieces can be appreciated by the public in a formal setting, which can foster a sense of accomplishment.

“It’s an amazing [exhibit] to show the community what’s happening in our groups and the art education that they’re getting,” Rodgers said. “It’s just spectacular for the kids to see their artwork displayed in such a professional environment.”*

Teacher Creations: Mr. Rene Duffault finds freedom through photography

Through his photography journey, Mr. Rene Duffault has learned to break into his individual style.

Josie Wieland ’26

Arts Editor

Through a creative lens, photography has enabled health and physical education teacher Mr. Rene Duffault to connect with himself and his interests on a deeper level.

From being handed a camera at a high school football game to photographing weddings in his free time, Duffault’s work has evolved greatly since his first steps in the world of sports photography.

“There were too many coaches, and I didn’t get a chance to coach, so they asked me if I’d take pictures,” Duffault said. “At first, I was kind of hesitant, because I had no idea what I was doing. But then they gave me a crash course on it, and I was able to figure it out.”

Photography served as a way for Duffault to continue expressing his passion for sports, even when he couldn’t be on the field.

“My grandma told me to find something that I’m interested in outside of sports, so I don’t bother myself about being

injured,” Duffault said. “I bought a camera with my grandma, and then I started going to sporting events and taking pictures, and I really enjoyed it.”

Duffault began getting booked for events by friends and family, but found that he valued the skills he developed over the money he earned.

“For a while, I was telling people not to pay me. I just wanted to do it, to do it and then grow into the space,” Duffault said.

After testing out different niches, Duffault found a love for what is now his primary subject: weddings.

“Typically, when you get married, it’s the best day of your life,” Duffault said. “It’s really

cool to be a part of that and to help people relive that on a constant basis.”

Duffault finds meaning in the long-lasting human connections that take shape after he captures and shares photos of special wedding memories.

“All the time, I get clients that will send me a picture I took of them at their wedding,” Duffault said. “That’s the coolest part, knowing I got to be a part of that core memory for them.”

Through the perspective of a fellow photographer, senior Matthew Ramirez admires Duffault’s approachability, as it goes hand in hand with his craft.

“There’s a people trait behind being a photographer,” Ramirez

said. “Yes, you have to know the technical skills, but it’s also approaching and getting to know people. Because he has that photo hobby, he also has that people skill.”

Duffault prioritizes creating a balance between photography gigs and his busy schedule as a full time teacher.

“I think every weekend last fall, once I was done with school, I would go from being a teacher to a traveling wedding photographer,” Duffault said.

As a now experienced photographer, Duffault discovered growth in breaking the rules for the sake of creativity.

“Realizing that it’s art and all art is different, and that’s how it stands out. Not by being the same, but being a little bit different,” Duffault said.

Practicing photography opened Duffault up to the fact that he

didn’t have to just stick to a single identity, that he could be both an athlete and a photographer.

“My whole life I’ve been an athlete, and I had this identity that I was carrying around that I could only be an athlete,” Duffault said. “And I realized, for me, that photography was a bit of an escape and a rebranding of myself.”

As Duffault embraces this freedom, he recognizes the importance of getting out of your comfort zone and trying new things.

“That was the best thing for me, especially at that age where sports was everything to me,” Duffault said.

Duffault emphasizes that many skills can be translated to other parts of life, and that in order to make these connections, it is important to keep looking for interests in unassuming places.

“For kids in high school, especially, you’re not destined to do only one thing. There are so many talents you don’t know you have just yet, because you haven’t even explored it,” Duffault said. “Explore avenues while you’re young and you have the time and the energy to do so, because you never know what you might end up loving.”

Music department introduces new fifth block attendance policy

Music students already have packed schedules, so the new assignment aims to help them keep up with class and have time for other fifth block activities.

Elizabeth Gebhardt ’29

Reporter

Since August, music students who missed fifth block classes had to fill out several forms and take make-up lessons at lunch. Around a month ago, a new assignment was introduced called “Missed a Beat.”

Known as a “MAB,” the new assignment requires students to send in videos of themselves playing or singing whatever was taught in the lesson that they missed. Unlike the attendance forms, which just have students provide an explanation and teacher confirmation for their absence, MAB makes sure the students actually learn what they missed.

In the past, attendance has been recorded by administrative assistant Ms. Lynn Chadwick. Next school year, that will no

longer be happening because of staffing changes in the district, meaning the music department had to come up with a new way to keep track of attendance.

“Mr. [Nicholas Pignataro] and I [are thinking], ‘How can we innovate this in a way that A) helps with the attendance workflow, but B) actually is better educating the children,’”

choral director Ms. Lindsey Reinhard-Silva said.

Many students miss fifth block rehearsals because of other music commitments, as well as clubs, and getting help from teachers. Freshman Eleanor Roberts has done several MAB assignments already.

“It is a little more work, but I think that it’s helpful in that you don’t have to do all the emails and confirmation of the emails and stuff,” Roberts said.

MAB’s purpose is to help kids feel confident in their music without making them miss other commitments they care about.

“Our goal is that because it’s a class and it’s a community, you will want to be here, and I think most people do, but because fifth block has so many demands on kids’ time, it’s supposed to

kind of help people prioritize,” Reinhard-Silva said.

If students have missed the class for another music ensemble, they are exempt from MAB. While students understand the idea behind the new practice, it can cause more stress on top of an already packed schedule.

“The fact that you have to do an assignment within two days [is] kind of inconvenient, because you have to go and get your folder and actually sing and record yourself,” freshman Stella Rich said.

MAB also requires students to fill out a form after the work is completed, which makes it easier to forget since the students feel like they’ve already completed their attendance make-up.

“Some people don’t have the time to spend thinking about an MAB assignment,” Rich said.

Freshman Sinaan Maqbool agrees with Rich and prefers the old forms and make-up lessons.

“You could at least do [make-up lessons] with another teacher, and you could actually learn and get better,” Maqbool said. “When you’re doing it by yourself, I feel like it’s pretty useless. You can’t learn from yourself.”

Even with the new policy,

“I think it’s been hugely effective... my grading feels so much more fair, because it’s just based on student work, and it’s a lot more streamlined for people to follow.

Ms. Lindsay Reinhard-Silva Choral Director

students will still have make-up lessons if they miss two classes. Make-up lessons not only teach the students music, but they also help form connections between administrators and kids. They will now also be helpful if students have issues with their MAB work.

“I can confidently say that I have a great connection with every single kid in the choral program, mostly because of

Artist Spotlight: Shannon Yue inspires with digital art

From her work in graphic design to independent projects, the sophomore’s work embodies creativity.

Mat Mataac ’28 Reporter

As you walk into the Honors Hallway in the morning, past the display cases and plastered on the left wall are various pieces by graphic design students. One of which is a picture of a girl playing frisbee against a green background, with words associated with her interests.

Colorful digital illustrations in the gazebo and the graphics room are also hung, all credited to the same person: sophomore artist Shannon Yue.

Yue was constantly seen doodling at a young age, and was eventually encouraged by her father to join art classes.

“It was like sketching. It was all about form and how to copy things, and then it got more complicated,” Yue said.

Yue started to do oil painting as a result of her studies, but she took interest in digital art, her main art form.

“I really like how versatile it is,” Yue said. “You can kind of choose to do any type of medium you want, and you can replicate it digitally, even if it’s not the same as the real thing.”

As for her ideas, Yue draws inspiration from a lot of fantasy

media. Art teacher Ms. Regina Iannello, who has taught Yue for two years, expresses Yue’s innovative mindset.

“She doesn’t need a whole lot of guidance in terms of prompting for ideas. She’s very creative and comes up with her own subject matter, but applies it to whatever project we’re doing in class,” Iannello said. “In terms of creativity, she definitely comes up with unique and different ideas which are really interesting.”

Yue is also the Head Art Editor for Jabberwocky. Jabberwocky Editor-in-Chief Cali Fries explains her willingness to take on extra responsibilities.

“Some people dropped graphic spreads, and she was very quick to sign up for them and take their place very diligently,” Fries said.

As for Yue’s impact, Iannello expresses how the artist’s work

“I really like how versatile [digital art] is. You can kind of choose to do any type of medium you want, and you can replicate it digitally, even if it’s not the same as the real thing.

Shannon Yue ’28

has inspired her because of the various programs she uses. She even posts her art on Instagram, @magpiemoth.

“I think she does a lot of Procreate on her own, so it’s kind of kept me on my toes in terms of realizing there’s other technology that I can still continually adapt to as well,” Iannello said.

Yue describes art as a healthy creative outlet in order to relieve stress.

“I’ve been doing it from such an early age, and it’s kind of like my comfort hobby that I turn to,” Yue said. “So, it really calms me down.”*

make-up lessons,” ReinhardSilva said. “It really gets down to the nitty-gritty of their musicmaking capacity, so make-up lessons are still here to stay, and can help you with any further questions that might happen.”

Though MAB was only introduced in March, the music department staff have already noticed the impact it’s making.

“I think it’s been hugely effective. Number one, my grading feels so much more fair, because it’s just based on student work, and it’s a lot more streamlined for people to follow. It’s just, ‘I missed, I do MAB,’” Reinhard-Silva said.

Although the staff and students have mixed reviews on MAB, the assignments have only existed for a little over a month, so opinions may change with time.

“It’s something that both Mr. P and I are excited about bringing to the music department, because it really streamlines the process for us and the students,” Reinhard-Silva said. “It also increases their actual learning capacity, which is kind of the biggest deal.”*

Students performed in historic venues, experiencing new culture on a school excursion. Visit shpantherpress.com or scan the QR code below.

Eli Graves ’26, Gigi Detweiler ’28 Reporters

Lavanya Dixit ’27

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is highly regarded as the technology of the future. AI systems are being used to revolutionize automation and health care, but AI has weaved itself into daily life now, too.

Today, AI systems are integrated into social media algorithms, photography applications, and search engine platforms. Whether you realize it or not, AI is being used to power your daily routine.

Google officially launched their Google AI Overview feature, a tool that summarizes search results, on May 14, 2024. Since then, the tool has been modified and expanded to be made available to a larger number of users.

AI Overviews are powered by Google’s LLM (Large Language Model), Gemini, in hopes of streamlining the process of searching for information on Google. By comprehensively summarizing and outlining information, the feature can reduce the time it takes to gather information.

“I’d say, on net, [Google’s AI Overviews] probably make research more efficient,” senior Yuhang Li said. “If you don’t know much about the topic, it at least provides some sort of ground for you to research further into the topic.”

Li finds that, on the school computers, these overviews can bypass a number of obstacles that may come up when looking for information.

“I feel like I do rely on the AI overview probably more than I should, but at the same time, I feel like that’s not necessarily an issue with the AI overview, but maybe more so other websites,” Li said. “The school Chromebook sometimes has other websites blocked, and sometimes the other websites are ad-infested.”

For these reasons, along with others, often skimming the overview is more convenient than searching for and clicking on links to official websites and articles. This habit, however, is dangerous for publishers, content creators, and digital marketers, who rely on users to click onto their websites and platforms.

“If you use the AI overview to search something, Google’s bots scrape websites for the content,” Li said. “The bots can’t watch ads, so I think it definitely affects website traffic.”

This idea has been proven true. In fact, Medianama reports that such overview features decreased link click-through rates by around 58%. Press Gazette finds that a drop of 20-40% in revenue for some publishers is attributed to this decreased click-through rate.

Another concern of the overview feature is its ability to make errors. While some errors are humorous, for example its suggestion to consume one small rock per day and add glue to pizza, other errors can

As Google incorporates Gemini-powered summaries in their search engine, students may experience increased efficiency at the cost of creativity.

“I feel like I do rely on the AI overview probably more than I should, but at the same time, I feel like that’s not necessarily an issue with the AI overview, but maybe more so

other websites.”

Yuhang Li ’26

be more difficult to distinguish and, thus, misguide research.

“If you don’t know anything about the topic, and if the AI overview gets it wrong, then that’s a little problematic,” Li said. “But at the same time, if the AI overview is getting information wrong, you can typically figure out that it’s spewing something weird, if you’re doing some research.”

The problem arises when students do not bother to research further, and merely rely on Google AI Overview’s summary.

English teacher Mr. Robert Zakrzewski assigns creative projects for students in his class.

One such project asks students to compile music that aligns with the theme of works of literature, like “The Great Gatsby.” He finds that some students skip critical

steps during the process of researching for the project due to the availability of AI’s ideas.

“I’ve seen [students] go directly to Google to find what they’re looking for instead of searching through the text or brainstorming more on their own,” Zakrzewski said. “Usually this is one of my favorite projects to receive from the students… But, it was obvious, they’re picking the songs off what they had seen on Google and that defeats the purpose, and really is a waste of time for everybody.”

Zakrzewski notes that the most concerning part of this reliance is its impact on creativity.

“[AI overviews] are harmful if they start to take away from a student’s ability to create on their own,” Zakrzewski said. “What worries me is if we’re just going to blindly accept the first thing we see without having the critical thinking skill of asking, ‘Well, where is this coming from? Is this correct?’ I think that’s an essential part of education.”

However, Zakrzewski finds that students are capable of asking these questions and determining whether or not the AI overview is reliable.

“I’m glad to see students are not just blindly accepting everything that the computer says,” Zakrzewski said. “I think a lot of older people have that fear, but kids aren’t dumb.”

Many students are also aware of what the pros and cons of AI usage are. AI use is not always glorified or encouraged by peers.

“It’s become slang and kids might make fun of each other,

“I’m

glad to see students are not just blindly accepting everything that the computer says. I think a lot of older people have that fear, but kids aren’t dumb.”

Mr. Robert Zakrzewski English Teacher

saying, ‘Oh, that’s AI’ or saying it’s ‘AI slop,’” Zakrzewski said.

“So there is a stigma against it within young people that I think is healthy.”

By understanding and properly evaluating the AI tools that are being integrated into daily life, one can utilize these tools to make the research process more efficient.

“Anything that can help [students] brainstorm or see potential ideas before they go down a road that’s not going to work out can absolutely make [researching] easier,” Zakrzewski said. “In some cases, I think it’s great because it helps them get their ideas together quicker, or maybe better.”

Some teachers, like Zakrzewski, are also employing different methods to help students avoid full dependence on AI generated content, encouraging students

to continue to think critically. “I have been trying to change my assignments to have more personal elements in them than before,” Zakrzewski said. “A lot of our academic writing is very objective…think about the five paragraph essay, for example. That’s exactly what AI does really well, so I’m trying, even if it is an analysis essay, to ask students to tie in a personal element to it, so that students have to still draw upon themselves.”

AI tools are new to everyone, and their spread warrants adaptation. It is important to understand the tools available to use them correctly and safely.

The district introduced a first draft of a new AI Administration Regulation (AR) within policy 815: Acceptable Use Of Technology. It was first read at a policy committee meeting on Feb 3. The policy outlines that the “use of generative AI by students is only allowed to the extent stated by the teacher for an assignment.”

The policy aims to provide language for teachers and students about the usage of AI in the classroom.

“Teachers and students alike are both in the wild west for this,” Zakrzewski said. “I feel like we’re all on the same page, and that’s a really interesting time to be in. I think it can be exciting, but scary. We’re all in it together.”*

OF THE STUDENT BODY

Student Council is slated to become the ‘primary voice of the student body.’ Here’s how Student Council works, from the elections to the school board reports to the dances.

Editor of Web, Editor-in-Chief, Opinions Editor

Beginning on April 27, posters will adorn the halls of Strath Haven High School as candidates for Student Council — the primary voice of the student body, according to a newly approved policy — court that critical student vote.

Policy 228, which was approved at the March 23 school board meeting, lays out guidance for student governments across the district and establishes the Student Council as “the primary voice of the student body.”

But what does the Student Council actually do? The policy states that “The purposes and activities of Student Council shall pertain to the general welfare, concerns, spirit, and social activities of the student body.”

At Haven, this includes many of the social activities and spirit days that occur throughout the year.

the council agenda throughout the school year while also prompting the council to think outside the scheduled calendar.

“We’re always brainstorming,” Saito said. “We’re trying to come up with new, fun events to do.

This year’s homecoming featured a new addition — a student DJ. After hearing feedback requesting a student

President and senior Casper Stockman described how the Student Council is more than just planning homecoming.

“I thought it was just a party planning committee, but it’s a lot more than that,” Stockman said.

This school year, the Student Council began a series of ‘freshman mentoring.’

Members visit ninth-grade English classrooms to share important dates of upcoming events, the finalization of firstquarter grades, and encourage student involvement in clubs and sports.

Student Council is the mastermind behind many of Haven’s major events, including Homecoming, the blood drive, Spring Fling, the freshman barbecue, as well as food and toy drives.

Student Council President and senior Minori Saito leads

“I wish the student vote had a larger say because the teacher vote and the student vote are both Council is not about the teachers. It’s about the students.”

Casper Stockman ’26

performer, the council brought in junior Logan Mitchell for the fall homecoming dance.

“We came up with the initial push for a student DJ,” Saito said. “We had contracts written, and it was this big, grand thing.”

Student Council Vice

“That’s something that I don’t think people know a lot about that we do on the inside,” senior vice-president Lila Martell said.

The council also seeks to exemplify Haven’s values of being kind, responsible, respectful, and safe across academics, athletics, and clubs. Junior officer Noah White echoed that sense of responsibility.

“It’s just being a leader and someone approachable at school, like being the school’s buddy,” White said. “From day one, it’s kind of an expectation where you are one of the representatives of the school, so you have to uphold that responsibility. You can’t do anything stupid or irrational. People look up to us — it sounds corny, but it’s kind of true.”

election process

The election process is split into three equal parts, though the specifics are not explicitly communicated to student voters.

According to advisers Mrs. Maria Neeson and Herr Alex Paul, the first component is the popular vote from the students, which candidates gather during campaign week.

The second is the teacher recommendation, in which teachers rank candidates they have experience with across categories such as leadership and ability on a scale from 1-5 in a Google form.

The third is a 10-15-minute interview conducted by advisers with the help of senior council members, after which each candidate receives a numerical score based on a rubric.

“It’s important that we look at all three different areas where a teacher’s point of view gives the same weight as the student’s point of view,” Neeson said. “We don’t want it to be a ‘Well, you’re popular, so you’re in.’”

The final decision is a quantitative decision. A candidate’s rank in each part is averaged across all of the categories to determine who received the highest ranking. Each candidate is considered for the role they are applying for. If they are at the top of the ranking for that role, they are elected.

The one-third system gives even weight to all sections of the process, but different portions can have a drastic impact on results.

“That first place in the student vote still is a heavy number that has a lot of weight,” Herr Paul said.

“It definitely has made the difference in some years between vice president and president, as well as whether students are on council or not.”

The vibrant campaign week, where students are persuaded by creative slogans and treats, is largely the only window student voters have into who is running.

Neeson argues that it’s up to the student body to seek out additional information through candidate bios posted on Instagram or in the hallways, though guaranteeing student engagement with these materials is a challenge.

Student Council.

“I make it a point every year, whoever wins the election, I usually introduce myself to them,” McLaughlin said. “I tell them where my office is, and I say, ‘[Student Council] has an open door policy to come into my office at any time with anything they want.’”

“Not everybody has [social media]. We try to post [candidates’ bios], but kids don’t always read them –kids just walk right by it,” Neeson said. “We do rely on the kids to kind of look into it themselves, as opposed to providing it to them at an assembly or something along those lines.”

Some student council members believe the system is necessary to ensure quality leaders.

“You know how the electoral college is there, so the people of the United States don’t elect some crazy person?” Stockman said. “I feel like the amount of transparency allows Ms. Neeson and Herr Paul to act like the Electoral College and make sure that [the decision] is reasonable.”

Limitations

According to Assistant Principal Mr. Thomas McLaughlin, the administration has always sought feedback from the

“From day one, it’s kind of an expectation where you are one of the representatives of the school, so you have to uphold that responsibility.”

Noah White ’27

McLaughlin’s open-door policy reflects the stated board policy that the building principal “develop a structure that enables representatives of the school’s student government to meet with them on an as-needed basis to discuss school issues and concerns.”

But for some issues, like the impending high school renovations or even the new student government policy, Student Council has not been approached for its input, according to Herr Paul. Instead, district administration has sought feedback from a different group of students: the Student Advisory Council established by Superintendent Dr. Russell Johnston. Johnston created the council with the intention of having them advise him on issues like the cell phone policy and the renovations.

According to Policy 228, the superintendent does have the authority to establish other

forums outside of Student Council “to meet on a regular basis to discuss issues and concerns.” In the case of the Student Advisory Council, the group is selected, not elected. The policy requires that these forums “be structured, to the extent practicable and appropriate, to reflect diverse student voices and capture perspectives from a broad and representative cross-section of the student population.”

“I’d like to think that the more that we’re involving students, the better we are at making decisions [and] the better informed we are, both as an administration and as a board,” Johnston said.

But on some issues, students from Student Council have not been able to be involved. Student School Board Representative Joy Yang tried to assemble student input on the cell phone policy to no avail.

“This year, we did ask [the school board] ‘Do you want us to make a form asking students what their thoughts are about the phone policy and get feedback?’ I’ve asked them, and they’ve never got back to me on that,” Yang said.

According to Yang, the school board told her that the IT department would reach out to her about her request. But Yang never heard back from them.

Because of that experience, Yang has grown cautious of gathering additional student feedback for the board or raising complaints in the reports she offers at each school board meeting, which she says the board told her should primarily consist of events from around the district.

about the phone policies, [it’s] a little more difficult, because you have to get approved through the board. And that doesn’t always work out.”

However, Student Council leaders maintained the importance of gathering student input on things like spirit days.

“I’ve heard that there isn’t a lot of interaction between students and the Student Council,” Martell said. “But at meetings, we definitely do take into account a lot of what people say. This year, we tried to get votes on spirit days, and people definitely come in and say, ‘I’ve been hearing people in the hallways say they don’t like this, and I think that we should change this.’”

PRIMARY VOICE

Some council members believe that students should have more than a one-third share in what the new policy calls “the primary voice of the student body.”

a one-third election system predates when Herr Paul and Neeson began advising the Student Council in 2022, according to Paul.

“When they just did a student vote, it wasn’t always the best leaders, and then things weren’t getting done,” Paul said. “And one of our goals is to get things done, especially when it comes to Homecoming.”

Some suggest that the student vote might be more effective if students could be better informed about candidates through speeches at an assembly.

“It’s kind of sad we don’t do a speech like the elementary schools,” Yang said. “[In] my elementary school, when we did elections, we had speeches. Why doesn’t the high school have one? Because it really lays out what everyone’s doing.”

Yang also believes that students should have more input in other areas.

“If it’s happenings or achievements of certain groups that could probably be easily done,” Yang said. “If it’s, for example, complaints

“I would really like it if the school board representatives could actually have some more say on things outside of just happenings and achievements.”

Joy Yang ’27

“I wish the student vote had a larger say because the teacher vote and the student vote are both one-third, but the Student Council is not about the teachers,” Stockman said.

“It’s about the students.”

In the past, the Student Council was decided on a popular vote. The change to

“I would really like it if the school board representatives could actually have some more say on things outside of just happenings and achievements,” Yang said. “It’d be nice if they could make school board representatives’ role include complaints.”

Saito believes that while the council is always changing, it upholds its main goal of answering to the students.

“We really do try our best to hear everyone’s opinions and try to push for new things and better things for the students,” Saito said.

“Whatever opinions and ideas the students have, we always want to hear that — that is literally our job.”.

HEALTH & SCIENCES

Students in Science: Senior pursues love of science through medicine

Since her sophomore year, senior Daksha Nair has explored her love for medicine through summer programs and work experience at CHOP.

Joya Nath ’28

Reporter

Biology: the study of life.

For some students, the class stimulates nothing more than elaborate daydreams while waiting for the bell to ring. But, for others, it creates a sense of great inspiration at the intricate world of science.

Senior Daksha Nair would fall into the second category, having found her passion for science, and later medicine, in the sophomore year class.

“When I started high school, I definitely didn’t think of science as a big thing,” Nair said. “I probably thought I was gonna go more into English, or something in the humanities. And then in sophomore year, I took biology, and I really loved it.”

The summer after her sophomore year, Nair explored her interest in biology through the Medical Academy at Georgetown University, a summer program that allows for a week of medical experience for high schoolers.

“We got to talk to a bunch of doctors and medical students, and do hands-on stuff too,” Nair said. “I just was like, ‘This is what I want to do.’”

After recognizing her passion, Nair needed to get creative in finding ways to break herself into the world of the work she was interested in.

“I don’t have a lot of nepotism in the medical field,” Nair said.

“No one in my family is a doctor, but the thing is, I know a lot of doctors living in Swarthmore.”

Thanks to a referral from her next-door neighbor Caitlyn Elgrarten, an attending physician with the Cancer Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), Nair was able to go through the interview process for a position at CHOP this past summer.

Since then, Nair has worked as Student Research Assistant in the Bone Marrow Department, both in-person and remotely.

With a new bone marrow treatment undergoing testing through trials, Nair was able to gain experience analyzing and organizing data for the hospital.

“One thing that CHOP really needs in order to do [the trials] is to be able to access the bone marrow plasma bank,” Nair said.

“In order to do that, they have to take all their patient statistics and report those things. That

was one of the main things I started off doing.”

More recently, Nair transitioned to working on a research project about viral Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes, specialized cells that can be used in immunotherapy.

Throughout her time at CHOP, Nair has found patient interaction to be an aspect of the job that is most rewarding.

“Through this job, I have been able to do a lot of shadowing with the physicians that I’ve met,” Nair said. “I think for me, that’s what sticks with me the most: putting a face to the names that I see and the data I’m working with.”

While the position brings great opportunity, it is not free of its challenges. Nair has had to learn the importance of speaking up, particularly as a young person.

“I think it was kind of hard to advocate for myself, because they don’t have a set course,” Nair said. “You kind of have to stand up for yourself and say, ‘Okay, I’m finished with this work, is there anything else I can do that’s more involved?”

Now looking towards graduation, Nair has decided to continue her studies at the University of Virginia (UVA). Nair hopes to get a taste of many aspects of the medical world.

“UVA is definitely competitive

for [pre-med], so I’m nervous, but I think it’s also really important to be well rounded as a pre-med and not singularly focused on one thing,” Nair said.

Additionally, she will continue her work with CHOP remotely from campus. In terms of specialization, much remains undetermined, but Nair has a small inkling about what the future might hold.

“I’m open to anything, but I have done shadowing in a lot of different departments, and right

now what stands out to me the most is pediatrics,” Nair said. “I do love working with kids.” In the past year, Nair’s love for the work has grown through the support of the CHOP community.

“I’ve met so many amazing physicians, students, and fellows who work there, and everyone is just super supportive,” Nair said. “It’s just been a great opportunity all around.” *

HOSA attends state conference, networks, takes healthcare tests

The club participated in the annual conference for the first time after their founding in the ’24-’25 school year.

Evie Fernandez ’27, Kay Liberi ’27

Managing Editor of Print, Reporter

From March 11-13, three Haven students traveled to Hershey, Pa. to attend the annual HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America) State Leadership Conference (SLC). Haven’s chapter of HOSA is very new, having only been founded last year.

“We started the club last year because me and Rheya are really interested in healthcare, and we noticed that our school doesn't have that many healthcarerelated clubs, so we wanted to have some sort of initiative at our school that is healthcarerelated,” HOSA co-president and conference attendee Lavanya Dixit said. Junior Laney Suh, an active member of the club, assisted with fundraising for the trip. Though she didn’t attend the

SLC, she helped with the club’s fundraising of over $600 this year.

“Fundraising really was just us posting bake sales once a month, collecting the money, getting all the help we could go find.

GoFundMe, Venmo, anything,”

Suh said.

The conference had over 2,400 attendees from schools all over Pennsylvania. Junior and HOSA co-president Rheya Singh worked with Dixit to register

Haven’s chapter to compete and take advantage of the available opportunities.

“[My goal in coming to the conference was] just to learn more about healthcare experiences, and get exposure,” Singh said.

The conference centers around students taking part in healthcare-related tests or participating in healthcare and leadership activities. Junior Amelie Gregory took the

HOSA is a global studentled organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services and several federal and state agencies. HOSA actively promotes career opportunities in the health industry and to enhance the delivery of quality health care to all people.

SOURCE: hosa.org

biomedical technician test.

“I thought that was really fun, because I even got to see real lungs inflated and deflated. I thought that experience overall was really cool,” Gregory said.

While at the conference, students had the opportunity to connect their interest in health studies with real world experiences and opportunities. The conference also gave time for students to talk to colleges about healthcare and STEM programs.

“After your event, you got to go around to a bunch of different tables and see a bunch of different colleges and see what they had to offer, or different programs and what they had to offer,” Gregory said.

The conference was also an opportunity for HOSA members to connect with other students interested in careers in healthcare.

“I thought it was a really good way to network and socialize with other people that share the same interests as you,” Gregory said.

In the end, getting to interact with other future healthcare workers alongside professionals led to students expanding what they thought was possible about the healthcare field.

“I think we learned just how diverse the healthcare field is because a lot of times healthcare can feel like it's just one thing — you're wearing a lab coat, or you're a doctor,” Dixit said.

“But they had a lot of vendors there who were showing us different colleges, and we also had some networking time, and we got to see so many different intersections of healthcare.” *

Allergy season impacts students

Allergy season is ramping up, and its cause is no scientific secret.

Claire Salera ’27 Haven Happenings Editor

Itchy eyes. Nose ablaze. Cerebral construction site. Is it a nightmare, or is it allergy season?

Spring allergy season, which Premier Allergy, Asthma, and Sinus Care cites as running from late February to June, has a tremendous effect on the everyday lives of affected students. With tree pollen typically at the highest levels during these months, students can face symptoms akin to that of common cold or viruses. But why does this happen, and how is it affecting how students perform on a given day?

To understand why allergy season affects people the way it does, it is important to understand what pollen is. Pollen is the main cause of springtime allergies, and the CDC defines pollen as “an airborne allergen.” The site classifies pollen grains as, “tiny ‘seeds’ dispersed from flowering plants, trees, grass, and weeds.”

Though the pollen seeds are small in size, they are known to cause allergic symptoms due to the body’s wrongful classification of the seeds as a danger.

“In some people, antibodies in the immune system see

“

It’s a fine sacrifice for this beautiful weather we’ve been having, so I’m happy.

Minori Saito ’26

pollen as a danger and trigger the activation of immune cells called mast cells. Histamines are then released, causing allergy symptoms to begin,” professor at Indiana University School of Medicine Dr. Mark Kaplan stated in an Indiana Health article.

The CDC describes this in a similar way, stating “If you have allergic rhinitis, your body then responds to the allergen by releasing chemicals that can cause symptoms in the nose.”

Senior Minori Saito is affected by allergies, and expresses shock that she only experiences them during this time of year.

“In the winter, I’m perfectly fine. And then towards the beginning of spring, I remember there was one school day, I just

came into school and I sneezed at least twenty times in every single class,” Saito said.

This, according to Indiana Health, has to do with the process of pollination that mainly occurs in the spring.

“People develop allergies to specific pollens, grasses and trees and those allergens only appear when plants pollinate (spread their seeds). In the winter, allergens in grass, trees, and pollens are not released,” Kaplan said. “But in spring, when everything starts growing again, and those allergens are released, people that are sensitized to allergens begin to react.”

School nurse Ms. Sarah Fleming sees an increase in allergy patients during these months.

“I think because the spring is the time when all of your flowers are blooming, your grass is growing back from being dead all winter. There’s just more things in the air that can irritate you, because it’s a period of regrowth,” Fleming said.

With CHOP describing common allergy symptoms as “stuffy or runny nose, sneezing, itchy eyes and nose, sore throat, cough, and dark circles under the eyes,” there are numerous ways for students to be affected during the school day.

“My eyes are always closed because I’m sneezing,” Saito said. “On the days that it’s really bad, I just take allergy medicine and that usually fixes it, and then

Mythbusters: Does sugar make you hyper?

Sugar is thought to make kids “jump off the walls” and become hyperactive, but what is sugar actually doing, if anything at all?

Izzy Boland ’29 Reporter

It’s Halloween. It’s dark and quiet on a small neighborhood street, and all the empty candy bowls have been taken inside the houses. In one house, two tired parents are trying to corral two kids into bed. The kids are running around, jumping up and down, chocolate covering their faces.

Just by looking at the picture, one probably would conclude that the kids ate a bit too much candy and got hyper. But is there any truth to this assumption?

The short answer is no. No, the sugar did not make them hyper. It could be the excitement over Halloween though. According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, kids can be hyperactive because of the situation they are in, like an exciting birthday party.

Family & Consumer Science teacher Ms. Markell Reid agrees with this.

“Kids are typically excited already at parties. So people typically think having sugar makes them even more hyper than they already are when it can give us, like, a little burst of energy,” Reid said.

Various studies have all shown the same thing: there is no known link between sugar and hyperactiveness. According to the Urgent Care of Fair Hope, the myth that sugar makes people hyper originates from a study conducted in the 1970s.

The study showed that removing sugar from a child’s diet created behavioral changes, but since then, no scientific work has been done to back up the claim that the sugar causes hyperactivity. However, that does not mean sugar has no effect on the body. In fact, sugars are a type of carbohydrates which the body uses for energy.

“Your body and your brain mainly run on carbohydrates, and so we want to make sure carbohydrates break down into sugars, so your body essentially does need them at the end of the day to do some functions going on internally,” Reid said.

According to Harvard Medical School, glucose, which is a simple sugar, is fundamental to memory, learning, and other

“

Moderation, moderation, moderation. Yes, you’re allowed to have the good sugars that you like, but also try to have the natural sugars as well.

Ms. Jenna Butler Health & Physical Education Teacher

important brain functions. However, having too much sugar can lead to negative consequences, such as aged cells and high blood pressure. Overconsuming sugar can lead to type 2 diabetes and dangerous heart issues.

To maintain a healthy level of sugar intake, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that people gain less than 10% of their total daily calories from added sugars. Health teacher Ms. Jenna

I just feel groggy and stuffy.”

CHOP also cites other allergy consequences found in children, including tiredness, poor concentration due to fatigue, ear and sinus infections, and asthma exacerbations.

The most common solution to allergies is to take allergy medications, which when taken on a proper schedule can induce significant results.

“The number one thing you can do if you know you have allergies is start taking allergy medicine before they start bothering you,” Fleming said. “This prevents the runny nose, the watery eyes, the headaches and other things that might hinder [student] performance.”

Sophomore Daisy Sanchez Mejia is allergic to pollen and agrees that when she feels these symptoms while at school, medicine can help.

“Overall, I don’t really think it has a huge effect on my work that I do in school. Sometimes, I don’t feel my best and I do feel a little sick,” Sanchez said. While struggling with her allergies, Saito is enthusiastic that they signify a change in the year.

“It’s a fine sacrifice for this beautiful weather we’ve been having, so I’m happy,” Saito said.*

Butler agrees with this thinking, and recommends having a balance between different sugars.

“Moderation, moderation, moderation. Yes, you’re allowed to have the good sugars that you like, but also try to have the natural sugars as well,” Butler said.

Reid takes a similar approach, but suggests keeping a healthy and mindful relationship between different types of food, and not putting too much

emphasis on whether something is “good” or “bad” for you.

“I think that we should eat everything in moderation, but have a good relationship with food. I don’t think we should hold things that are higher in sugar content on a pedestal,” Reid said.*

Rethink leaders, followers in high school culture

If everyone wants to be a leader, who’s going to do all the work?

Fiona Seale ’28 Opinions Editor

Why do people want to lead? Plato’s “The Republic” states that “the punishment which the wise suffer who refuse to take part in the government is to live under the government of worse men,” suggesting that the best people for the job usually aren’t interested in power. But nowadays, does that still hold true?

Leadership, leadership, leadership. It’s the buzzword featured in every college application advice video, job description, and under the requirement section for National Honor Society (NHS) and the student council application. For stressed high school students, that word haunts our nightmares.

For an example, look no further than Haven’s very own club ecosystem. Overseen by activities co-directors Mme. Susan Stadnicki and Ms. Lawson, Haven boasts more than 60 different clubs. These organizations vary in size and specialty as well as productivity and participation.

Stadnicki explains the motivation for students who want to create and lead these clubs.

“On the idealistic side, we would say their motivation is that they have a passion about something and they want to work with like minded people on it,” Stadnicki said. “On the

cynical side of it, people are looking for resume building. To say, ‘I founded a club,’ or ‘I’m a leader of a club, that they can fill out for applications.’”

I’m not saying leaders aren’t necessary. Everybody knows that without strong leadership an organization will fail. But it seems that students are almost allergic to participating in something without the benefits of a leadership role.

“With the class cabinet, there’s probably 50 people that are in the Schoology, but not even half of them go, maybe 15 people per meeting,” sophomore class cabinet and Interact Club Jane Allsman said. “Same for Interact. It’s usually the same group, and not so much a newcomer who just decided one day ‘I’m going to go to the Access Center after school and spend my afternoon helping people.’”

Allsman describes the disconnect between the credit students take for being a part of a club and their actual commitment to it.

“Even though a lot of people might say, ‘Oh, I’m in this or that club,’ the actual amount of work and effort that people are willing to put in for a certain amount of clubs is a small portion,” she said.

In our idealization of leaders and leadership we often forget the so-called “followers” who are just as responsible for an organization’s success. For example, the wildly impactful #MeToo movement thrived because of excellent leadership from its creator Tarana Burke, but it gained traction because of the countless women who shared their stories, attended protests and did the work to promote it.

Though the word “follower” might not be so buzzy on a brag sheet, I would encourage more high school students to embrace it.

Being a follower can be just as rewarding as being a leader. Especially for service-based organizations, being able to see your work come to life, even if it’s just a small part of a larger goal, is gratifying. It might sound cliche, but many hands do make light work.

Service based clubs like Interact or Haven Helps often provide collaborative service opportunities for their members, making them some of the more successful and substantial clubs at Haven.

Interact co-president Lexi Benzing cites successful events like frequent trips to the Access Center, Wish Night, and the “Tat Your Teacher” fundraiser. She describes how Interact keeps their members engaged.

“I think that if you can show what this is bringing to their lives, and they can see how this is impacting others through their own personal work, I think that’s really important,” Benzing said.

Being an active and participating member of a club rather than a leader suggests a lot about a person’s character. Usually, they genuinely care about the cause they’re rallying around, as they’re willing to do a lot of the actual work without taking away much to slap on a college application.

“My grandma had cancer and my uncle had breast cancer,” sophomore Addie ChichesterConstable, a member of Unite for Her club, said. “So an organization that helps women with breast and ovarian cancer is

Maybe the world doesn’t need new “stuff.” Maybe it just needs more people to be working on and improving the things we already have.

very important to me, but I don’t necessarily need leadership, I love just being able to help do bake sales.”

We somehow harbour this obsession with creating things, even if it’s not out of genuine concern for an issue. Oftentimes, it’s just for the sake of saying you made something new.

Stadnicki mentions the amount of club requests she receives that are essentially copies of clubs that already exist.

“We’ve all had a lot of like environmental groups, we’ve had a lot of service groups, we’ve had a lot of different science ones,” Stadnicki said. “So we

Keep connections by reaching out first

Life will be sweeter when you do.

Kaitlyn Ho ’26

Editor-in-Chief

In elementary school, we would give candy valentines to everyone for Valentine’s Day. The night before, I remember an assembly line of me, my mom, and my sister, packing treats and toys into pretty bags with name personalization.

I loved walking around the classroom, not because I got to give other people candy, but — selfishly — because I could see my own bag filling up slowly.

Now that we’re in high school, everyone is still waiting for

their bag to be filled. It might not be with candy, but offerings to catch a movie or get lunch together or even just a ‘hi’ in the hallway. But in waiting for our bag to be filled, we’ve forgotten to fill up other people’s bags — so now no one gets candy. Instead of expecting everyone to know what we want without asking, we should share first. Without that tiny bit of courage, it’s almost impossible to maintain any long-distance relationship with friends and family. Any adult can tell you how important it is to sustain connections. It’s essential for jobs and different opportunities, but more importantly, it’s essential for keeping friendships alive.

I’ve been lucky enough to have the chance to go a lot of places and meet a lot of people.

I knew that reaching out first

The worst thing I can imagine is falling out of touch with a person I care about because I let imaginary, irrational fears stop me from reaching out.

is important in theory, but I didn’t always practice it. There’s always the initial excitement for the first week after the event that brought us together, where we talked every single day to reminisce about our time together, and slowly it tapers off until one day I check my phone to find out I haven’t spoken to

them since I wished them a happy birthday six months ago. Now, it feels too late to reach out, so I wait for them to text first. I was waiting for the candy, and I would feel frustrated that I wasn’t getting it.

I told a friend who lives in a different state recently that I was nervous to reach out first because I didn’t want to bother them if they were busy. Surprisingly, they said they had felt the same, which meant that we had gone a very long time without talking at all because of a misunderstanding. We wouldn’t have even had this conversation in the first place if I hadn’t texted first.

The worst thing I can imagine is falling out of touch with a person I care about because I let imaginary, irrational fears stop me from reaching out.

check in with them and see ‘how do you differentiate from this other one? Can you two work together?’” Stadnicki said.

High school students are encouraged to create some sort of passion project if they want to attract attention from colleges, but who is going to actually be working for your non-profit if every other high schooler is too busy starting their own?

Maybe the world doesn’t need new “stuff.” Maybe it just needs more people to be working on and improving the things we already have.

Look, if you’re destined for leadership, if you’re called to higher action, that’s great. We need people like you.

But let me convince you that being a lowly follower wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. The beauty of being a follower is the absence of pressure. When you’re working on something just because you’re passionate about it with no outside motivation other than pure curiosity, that is the most valuable thing you can have, no matter what college admission officers think.*

After all, every time someone reaches out to me first, it makes me feel really happy. Other people want to know someone is thinking of them, too. We can’t just receive messages and not give them as well. Get over the awkwardness of “What if it’s been too long?” or “What if they don’t remember who I am?” It is never too late to reach out to someone. Now that I’m a senior, I’m more aware now than I have ever been of the people I want to keep in touch with after we graduate. Most of them will be hundreds or even thousands of miles away. Without the skill to stay connected, I’ll lose them. Reach out and drop candy into other bags first, because you never know if someone else has been waiting for that sweetness on the other end.*

Mental health matters in sports

Mental health, along with physical health, has been found to affect athletes’ performances.

Cayla Gaffney ’29 Reporter

As you listen to the coach talk at practice, you can’t stop thinking about the one shot you missed yesterday, the defender that dodged you in the last game, or the runner that passed you in the last 100 meters at the track meet a week ago. While these thoughts aren’t always bad, they can play a huge role in your athletic performance. With new scientific research, more light is being shed on mental health in schools, careers, and family life. But how often do you consider mental health out on the playing field, in the pool, or on the track?

When an athlete’s mental health is in a poor state, their reaction times and concentration may be off. This anxiety can transfer over to academic and social aspects of life, and can also lead to injuries.

“I think that it has a big role in your performance,” track runner and freshman Zaya Peki said. “And even if you have all of the physical capabilities, your state of mind when you’re doing the sport, or if you’re distracted, can really have an impact on your gameplay.”

Being anxious before a big athletic competition is normal, but can cause your cortisol (the

stress hormone) to increase, making muscles tense up. This, along with focus loss, can pose a risk for injury. When an athlete becomes injured, this further can decrease their mental health and it could be difficult to regain confidence after the situation.

“When an athlete has a significant injury and they’re out of the sport for a considerable amount of time, it’s a breeding ground for depression and anxiety,” Dr. Cirán Dalton said.

Dalton has a doctorate in clinical psychology and runs his own clinical and sports psychology business in Media. “They go from doing this thing that they really like, being on public display, performing in front of other people, now they’re not doing that at all. It hurts their self esteem.”

For high school athletes, college recruiting can add to the stress they are already handling from school sports, high school, and even club team athletic competitions.

“I think a lot of them tie their identity to the sport, so if they don’t make it to the team they want or the school they want, then it can affect their self worth,” behavioral health counselor Ms. Kate Sargent said.

“So I think just remembering why you love the sport and the basics of it can be really helpful during the recruiting process.”

To manage this stress, athletes can use mindfulness and meditation. This is any activity, such as listening to music, that can direct your brain away from negative thoughts and offer a

“When an athlete has a significant injury and they’re out of the sport for a considerable amount of time, it’s a breeding ground for depression and anxiety.

Dr. Cirán Dalton Clinical & Sports Psychologist

time for self-affirmations.

Cognitive behavior therapy is another method to assist mental health during a stressful time. This strategy involves understanding how to prevent continuous negative thoughts from affecting your upcoming performance.

Journaling, visualizing, deep breathing, positive self-talk, and working with a trusted adult or friend are also all beneficial ways to calm yourself before a competition and to improve your mental health in general.

“They can learn to guard themselves against those negative thoughts and catch them sooner, not let them spiral out of control.Then they’re not going to be as anxious, and they’re going to maintain their confidence,” Dalton said.

It is extremely important

for athletes to protect their mental health. While at times an athlete’s state of mind can decline as a result of an athletic performance, exercise can also boost dopamine and serotonin at certain points.

“I really encourage everyone to play sports because it can build up their own confidence, and

you can see tangible progress… the more you play,” school psychologist Mr. Christopher Bennett said. “Sometimes with other areas it’s harder to see those results, but with sports, I think you can definitely see those and it can be very rewarding and help encourage other areas of your life.”*

Students discover weight room, make use of school equipment

Students’ fitness and mental health intersect.

Jonah Livingstone ’28

Contributor

At Strath Haven, many students are often looking for ways to stay in shape. Many students spend monthly fees attending local gyms like Planet Fitness or the YMCA.

Students are also invited to use the school’s own weight and cardio rooms. However, while these facilities are available, not all students may know how accessible they actually are.

The weight room is used regularly for gym classes and team lifts, but the weight room offers benefits that go beyond physical strength. Health and physical education teacher Mr. Rene Duffault explains how consistent use and exercise helps students improve how their bodies function.

“It allows you to move more functionally… stronger, better,

more fluid,” Duffault said.

Exercise can also play an important role in students’ mental health. Ninth grade counselor Mr. Gavin Stewart emphasized that physical activity plays an important role in overall well-being.

“Our bodies are meant to be used and meant to move,”

Stewart said. “[Movement] helps with your sleep… and it’s helpful for both your brain and your body.”

Stewart also said he has seen noticeable differences in students who are more active.

“I can see a difference… their behaviors in classes are better,” he said, especially for the students that are heavily involved in sports or regular physical activity.

Freshman Luke Bronchetti uses the weight room during basketball team lifts and sometimes on his own. He said working out has helped him both physically and mentally.

“It does make me a little bit more proud of myself and happy,” Bronchetti said.

“

Our bodies are meant to be used and meant to move.

Mr. Gavin Stewart Ninth Grade Counselor

Despite all of these benefits, awareness remains a crucial issue at Haven. Bronchetti admitted that while he is familiar with the weight room he didn’t know how easy it was for students to get into it. He also only recently became aware that students are allowed to use the weight room during fifth block and lunch. In addition to awareness, the environment can also be a point of concern for some students. Gym culture can be scary for beginners. Stewart noted that weight rooms can feel

intimidating for some students, especially those who are not familiar with lifting and need to learn how to use the equipment properly.

The space in the weight room is also a concern. Duffault explained that in his classes it can get crowded with more than just 10 students, limiting how many people can utilize the space.

Haven’s cardio and weight

rooms can offer both physical and mental health benefits. However limited space, lack of awareness, and gym culture may prevent students from fully taking advantage of the spaces. The opportunity to use the weight room and benefit from it is there, but not every student knows how to use it.*

Members reflect on first year of sports media club

Sports Media at Strath Haven (SMASH) began in January 2025 and ran their first broadcast in November 2025.

Giana Gliko ’26 Reporter

Student athletes run across the gym floor while SMASH members adjust headphones, type on computers, and speak into microphones to the entire audience.

SMASH tackles broadcasting games, sports statistics, social media, and bi-weekly highlights.

“A lot of SMASH is planning and working with coaches and the athletic director. It’s a lot of organizing, working as a team with everyone, and trying to make the best product and promote ourselves in the best way possible,” sophomore Blake Karabin said.

Karabin, who joined the club in its beginning stages and looks forward to being associate broadcasting director next year, has a lot to tackle in the time leading up to a broadcast, including meeting with the team, reviewing his script, and checking name pronunciations.

“It’s all student-led. The students set everything up, they broadcast, they break everything down for the different games that we have going on that week,” faculty advisor Mr. Patrick Keaveney said.

The entire club meets about

once a month, leaving it to the student leaders to communicate, organize a schedule, delegate jobs, and fill in where needed.

“The big stuff is overcoming the difficulties of a lot of moving parts in the club, a lot of different people on different schedules,”

senior and production director Eddie Gebhardt said.

According to Karabin, SMASH is manageable alongside schoolwork and sports.

“It’s a very collaborative club, and that’s why it’s the broad field of sports media, not just broadcast,” Karabin said.

Karabin has learned the importance of professional conversation and asking good questions, and cites the club’s field trip to the Temple University sports media studio last year as a highlight and a motivation.

“I want to carry broadcasting out as a career. So it’s given me confidence that it’s something I can do and experience in working with a team to put together a production for a game,” Karabin said.

Gebhardt is one of many students who has discovered his passion for sports media through SMASH.

“The really rewarding part has been seeing students grow in their broadcasting and leadership, and those types of things where you have someone who’s quiet at first, and by the end of a broadcast, they’re talking like it’s just having a conversation with the audience,”

Keaveney said.

Keaveney, Karabin, and Gebhardt all see SMASH continuing to grow in the future, eventually broadcasting every Haven sports game, instead of a select few.

“We do a recap show every other week, which wasn’t in the original plans. But students were interested in doing it, and took off and did that. So I think that’s where I see us in the future, continuing to grow and adapt to what the students want and the students’ strengths and the students’ interests,”

Keaveney said. SMASH also serves to motivate athletes in niche sports, provide a creative outlet for sports lovers, and allow families to watch YouTube broadcasts of student sports, some of which, according to Gebhardt, have been viewed outside of the U.S.

“There wasn’t really a place before where sports were highlighted. Football took priority. But now every sport can get a little highlight and a little focus,” Gebhardt said.*

Haven welcomes new boys lacrosse head coach Drew Goff

As a Haven alum, Goff prioritizes commitment and persistence from his lacrosse players to build a strong team atmosphere.

Cayla Gaffney ’29 Reporter

This is Drew Goff’s first year as the head coach with the Haven boys lacrosse team, but his expertise in the sport and his familiarity with Haven is paying off.

Goff was a 2011 graduate from Haven, where he was the captain of the boys lacrosse team. He then played lacrosse at Franklin and Marshall in Lancaster. After graduating, he came back to the area and started coaching at Haven Youth Lacrosse.

“So after college, I was just looking for something to do, and I texted a family friend that I knew had kids that were still in the district, and told him I was looking to do something and volunteer, so he got me reconnected with the program,” Goff said.

Although this is Goff’s first year as the head coach, he has been involved in Haven’s high school lacrosse program for eight years as the offensive assistant and later defensive coordinator. This year, Goff has been working to improve the commitment level on the team.

“That’s kind of been our driving goal, trying to get people back committed to the team,” Goff said. “We had a spring break trip where we took everybody to the Jersey Shore…doing off-season stuff. Just making it a year round team even if it’s not a year round commitment.”

The players notice a change in commitment level with Goff as head coach. Senior captain Robbie Valcich explains that the players’ accountability has increased this year. At the same time, Goff provides different incentives to boost team spirit.

“One thing fun we do is every once in a while, we have a celebration practice where we compete in drills and you get bonus points if you celebrate after, which kind of just brings up good vibes in practice and

makes it more enjoyable and more light hearted,” Valcich said.

On the field, the team motto is “EAT,” standing for energy, attitude, and toughness. Every day, Goff encourages the players to improve the things they can control.

“I don’t care if you drop a pass, but as long as you drop it and then you’re going 100 miles an hour trying to pick up the ground ball,” Goff said.

The practice agenda usually changes each day. The team starts with a lap around the field, stretching, and stick work. This is followed by offense versus defense scrimmaging and other competitive drills. Goff appreciates that high school sports offer many opportunities both in practices and games for the team to bond and grow off each other.

“I feel like we really get to teach the kids when we are part of a high [school team] versus if you’re doing one of those club teams,” Goff said. “[With the club teams] you’re kind of coaching through stuff, hoping it

all works out. So, that’s probably my favorite part, getting to be around the guys every day, working every day.”

Senior captain Quentin Fromal is among the players who recognize Goff’s effort to strengthen the team unity, and the benefits that result from it as their season continues.

“One thing I do love about him is how he’s kind of bringing our lacrosse community closer together,” Fromal said.*

New PIAA ruling allows religious school students to join public school teams

Following a lawsuit brought against the State College Area School District and the PIAA, students from faithbased schools now have more athletic and academic opportunities.

Cayla Gaffney

’29

Reporter

Oftentimes, court cases can go unnoticed by the general public. But a recent court case, Religious Rights Foundation of Pennsylvania v. State College Area School District, completely changed the game for student athletes from religious schools.

In Jan. 2026, an order from the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) stated that students attending religious schools can now participate in both sports and activities that their school does not provide by participating at the public school in their district.

In the past, cyber, charter, and homeschooled students could join sports teams or clubs at the public school in their home district, including at Haven.

This long-standing rule was challenged when a group of parents with children attending Catholic schools near State College, Pa. brought up the issue of students from religious schools not being allowed to do the same. Thomas E. Breth, a partner at the law firm Dillon, McCandless, King, Coulter, and Graham LLP who handled

the case, filed a lawsuit against the State College Area School District.

The lawsuit claimed that the school district violated both the First Amendment and the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. In the First Amendment’s Free Exercise Clause, the constitution protects the rights of all US citizens to pursue their religious beliefs.

The Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause requires that the government treats every citizen equally.

The State College school district district stated that they were excluding all private schools, and that faith-based schools are private schools.

But as the district was making secular exceptions for cyber, charter, and homeschooled students, they were violating the Constitution, according to Breth.

“It’s not who you’re prohibiting, it’s who you’re permitting. So once you permit students that aren’t enrolled in the State College School District…you have to open up to all students that aren’t participating,” Breth said.

The PIAA approval now clarifies that cyber, charter, homeschooled, and faith-based school students can participate in any sport or club with the public school in the district they live in all across Pennsylvania.

According to the ruling, religious school students cannot be denied the privileges given to secular private school students.

“So let’s say you are a track runner,” Haven athletic director

“It’s not who you’re prohibiting, it’s who you’re permitting.

Thomas E. Breth Partner at McCandless, King, Coulter, and Graham LLP

Ms. Lynelle Mosley said. “If [your school doesn’t] have track, you are able to go to whatever district that you live in, [and] you are able to participate in that sport in that district.”

The number of students from faith-based schools joining the public school teams is small, as they would be participating in sports and clubs that do not exist at their faith-based school. At the same time, the change may be enough to affect some aspects of competition, especially at a local level.

“If this were to happen, there could be a student who is here who gets bumped out of a roster spot for a student that’s in a faith-based school,” Mosley said. “That could be a problem. Obviously, a lot of people [would] be like, well, ‘they don’t go to the school, so how are they allowed to participate?’”

On the contrary, freshman Eva Cielo thinks that this will heighten the competition in a beneficial way.

“I think there will definitely

from PIAA will increase the number of students eligible to particpate on public school teams to include students from religious schools. PHOTO: MATTHEW RAMIREZ

be a lot more competition and it’s going to be very exciting to see. I think the people who are going to go to different schools to play sports are probably going to be really good because they’re willing to go that extra step to play,” Cielo said.

Breth agrees, believing that the new PIAA approval offers dedicated students the chance to pursue their interests in school sports that they wouldn’t have been able to do at their faithbased school.

”I think that it’s going to increase the number of students that are eligible to participate, which is a positive thing, it’s more opportunities for students to participate in activities that they’re interested in and that

they enjoy,” Breth said.

As the new ruling takes effect with the spring athletics season and continues to make an impact in future seasons to come, one thing will remain constant: Faith-based students can now attend the school of their choice for their religion, while having the same athletic and extracurricular activity options as any student at a public school.

“I think everyone should be given the chance to play their sport or do whatever athletic activity that they want, and I think it’s really great that they’re still able to do that regardless of their school,” Cielo said.*

Students become certified lifeguards, gain summer jobs

During the spring months, Haven students have the valuable opportunity to participate in IM Pools’ lifeguard certification class.

Charlie Grueser ’28 Reporter

From March through June each year, Haven students can be found “drowning” in the high school pool. Thankfully, they’re in no actual danger — the students are participating in rescue drills as a part of IM Pools’ lifeguard certification class.

Mr. Steve Woolery, a health and physical education teacher at Haven and an American Red Cross lifeguard instructor for IM Pools, facilitates the class in Haven’s own swimming pool.

“I’ve been certified since 1999,” Woolery said. “I’ve been teaching lifeguard classes every year since then.”

Many students looking to earn

some money and job experience over the summer reference lifeguarding as an ideal post for teenagers. Tess Berger, a sophomore who completed the class during her freshman year, now works as a guard at the Swarthmore Swim Club.

“It’s just a really good summer job for whoever wants some extra work and can swim, and is up for the task,” Berger said.

The prospect of spending several grueling days completing the course and the tests required to pass it can often seem intimidating to interested students.

“When they come in on day one, and I explain to them what the final big rescue is, they honestly think there’s no chance that they can do it,” Woolery said.

As a final test, students are split into groups, and timed as they complete a rescue at the deep end of the pool. They must dive in, pull someone off of the bottom, remove them from the pool using a spinal board, and then demonstrate proper CPR

and other lifesaving medical steps on a mannequin.

“At the end, I have them raise their hands, and then I say, ‘Okay, you can clap for yourself,’” Woolery said. “And then they all go crazy, and they’re so excited for each other. That’s my favorite part of the course.”

Like many of the students Woolery has guided through the process of earning their certifications, Berger reflects that the pay-off of completing the course is much greater than the effort it requires.

“It’s kind of more just mentally being up for it,” Berger said.

“But once you’re done with the weekend, it’s definitely worth it.”

Abbey Minton, a sophomore who participated in the April 1012 session of the class, found that the lengthy certification process was much more enjoyable than she expected.

“I was very much dreading it,” Minton said. “But it felt like summer camp, that’s the best way I can describe it.”

Minton appreciated the

episodes of the show “Baywatch” that the students watched together at the beginning of each class, and during their lunch breaks.

“That was a nice moment to chill out and just bring some fun into the experience,” Minton said.

Kenzie MacCallum, another sophomore who participated in

the April session of the class, referenced the prerequisite swim test as the most difficult part of the course.

“We swam six laps, and then we had to tread water for two minutes, without really using our arms. And then we had to swim another two laps,” MacCallum said. “I don’t know why it sounds easy, it’s so hard.”

Although Woolery agrees that this test is usually the hardest for students to complete, he believes that any student capable of checking that box has the ability to be successful in the course.

“If they can get through that, typically they get through the class,” Woolery said.

Woolery and his students agree that the class is a tiring but rewarding way to spend a weekend, and that each student leaves with valuable new skills.

“It was not nearly as bad as I could have imagined,” Minton said.*

Athlete of the Issue: Junior overcomes adversity in hockey

Balancing teamwork and skill, Reina Ohtani is an asset to Haven’s hockey team.

Elizabeth Gebhardt ’29, Jane Yau ’29

Reporters

Junior Reina Ohtani never planned to play ice hockey. Now, as the only girl on the Haven hockey team, she faces unique challenges.

Ohtani has played for the Philadelphia Junior Flyers for the past four years, and began playing for Haven hockey this year.

“It’s a great community. Since hockey is such a close team sport, you really have to rely on all of the other players on the team, and it’s really fun to get to know everyone,” Ohtani said.

On her club team, Ohtani has connections with all of her teammates and enjoys competing at tournaments with them. On the Haven team, it’s a different situation.

“They don’t respect me as much, and I don’t feel like nearly the same part of the team. Not that I hate my teammates,” Ohtani said. “I’m not really friends with them, and that’s a hard thing.”

Former hockey coach John Gavin also noticed the obstacles that Ohtani faces, but was surprised by the treatment

she sometimes gets from her teammates. He also coached Ohtani’s brother, Sol, so Gavin thought it would help that she knew the team already.

“Unfortunately, I think that even sometimes opposing players can treat her a little differently,” Gavin said. “So there can be kind of a distinction.”

As right wing, an offensive position, Ohtani’s skill on the ice has drawn the appreciation of teammates like freshman Finn Coe.

“[Reina’s] pretty good, probably better than half the team,” freshman Finn Coe said.

“[She] works hard.”

In addition to four years of Junior Flyers, Ohtani played for the Haven girls varsity team in seventh grade after participating in a Learn to Play program where she began learning hockey. That experience has crafted her to be a strong player, according to Gavin.

“You can tell she understands the game,” Gavin said. “She’s always in position, and the puck seems to find her because she knows where to be.”

Playing on an all-boys team means that Ohtani has to work harder to earn the respect that her teammates have for her.

“I sometimes feel pressure to play better every single day, like I can’t have an off day,” Ohtani said. “I’m living up to this expectation.”

Even through the pressure,

“I sometimes feel pressure to play better every single day, like I can’t have an off day. I’m living up to this expectation.

Reina Ohtani ’27

Ohtani plays well in the eyes of her teammates.

“She’s a great player, great teammate, and she skates hard and passes the puck around,” freshman Dylan Henzel said.

“She usually keeps to herself, but she’s really nice when she opens up.”

In addition to the relationship difficulties, Ohtani faces inequality in the facilities available for her to use. Since there’s no girls’ locker room at many ice rinks, she has to find somewhere else to go.

“I have to change in this really bad locker room,” Ohtani said. “It’s literally a handicapped toilet that they slap the girls locker room label on. It’s really nasty.”

Haven used to have a separate girls team, but recently there hasn’t been enough interest to have two teams.

“It’s more of a high school thing than it is the hockey thing, because the girls’ numbers have grown [in club hockey],” Gavin said.

Through the challenges with the Haven team, Ohtani’s passion for the sport and her club season make her want to

Statistics are valuable numbers in sports world

Athletes and coaches can use statistics in a variety of ways to improve, compare, and adjust a player or team’s performance and training, all while providing insights to fans.

Izzy Boland ’29, Cayla Gaffney ’29

Reporters

“On your mark, get set…” BOOM! The trigger on the starting pistol is pulled, and the runners take off, flying away from the starting line. Each runner is trying to beat the person next to them, but their biggest opponent is their time.

One of the biggest components of track is times, which is one of the many forms of statistics seen in sports. Statistics are used in every sport imaginable, from baseball to gymnastics to bowling. How the statistics are applied in each sport varies, but they all share a common purpose: to help the athletes improve and make the best

decisions for the team.

Girls track team head coach

Ron Porter uses statistics to create the best training plans for each individual athlete.

“Everybody has different paces across the board. Not everybody gets the same workout,” Porter said. “[We] go in and try to run the numbers on who’s where currently based off of their short time, like 100 [meter], 200 [meter], 400 [meter]. [Then we] see if they’re needing more speed work, or do they need more endurance work.”

Porter recognizes the difficulties of tracking data for each athlete on the team.

Athletic Director Ms. Lynelle Mosley agrees that handling all of that data can be tricky, and acknowledges that much of that data is managed using technology.

“When you’re doing competition points and things of that nature, when you’re trying to figure out who’s going to go to districts, who’s going to go to states, and does this team have enough points and the power ranking, a lot of that’s done all through an app,” Mosley said. Statistics are more thoroughly

broken down in professional sports. Groups of sports analysts are needed on professional sports teams to handle all the information playing out in a game.

“[Sports analysts are] using [statistics] in the draft lottery that’s going to happen in football. They’re using it with the plays that they’re picking,” AP Statistics and math teacher Mrs. Beth Benzing said. “[In] basketball, they’re looking at the data coming in and seeing where shots are taken [and] the most high percentage shooting.”

Statistics are not only valuable for athletes and their teams, but also for spectators so that they can understand what’s happening in a competition and what that means for each team and athlete.

“Statistics in general is a huge part of sports in the media because people love sports, but now they love it even more because the commentators. The people want to see the data that supports it,” Benzing said.

For high school athletes interested in playing at a collegiate level, statistics allow coaches looking to recruit

keep going.

“What keeps me playing is just love of the game,” Ohtani said.

“It’s a great community. Since hockey is such a close team sport, you have to really rely on all of the other players on the team.”*

to understand the athlete’s strengths and struggles, also while being able to analyze the possibilities of their future career.

Statistics can provide data for high school and college coaches, but does not always represent the person entirely.

“Stats plays a big part, especially with recruiting, because it does

give college recruiters data about how you are as a player,” Mosley said. “They don’t include everything else about you. [They do include] what you do on the court or the field or the track, but [they don’t include] what you do when you come off of it. I think sometimes that’s [much bigger].”*

Harry Styles lets the light in

“Kiss All the Time, Disco Occasionally” is the perfect spring album to cry on the dance floor to.

Fiona Seale

Opinions Editor

’28

If you’re anything like me, the March 26 release of Harry Styles’s “Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally” was not just any other album release, but a historical moment equivalent to the moon landing.

Finally through his 137th marathon, Styles blessed us with a 12-track record and 30-night residency at Madison Square Garden.

His lead single “Aperture,” combined with the album’s name seemed to promise fans a dancey, club-ready record filled with more laser sound effects.

“I was expecting the album to just kind of all sound like that, but I think the album went above my expectations. There was a lot more diversity between the songs which I really liked,” sophomore Abbey Minton said. What we received might have missed the mark, but offers surprising gifts hidden within the folds of introspective synth combinations and a groovy baseline.

The majority of the album is

less disco and more indie pop, reminiscent of the 1975 or LCD Soundsystem. Upbeat standouts are “Pop,” “Taste Back,” and “Ready Steady Go!” which boasts an infectious baseline and fun vocal distortions that Styles executed with a megaphone during his One Night In Manchester Netflix special.

“[My favorite song was] ‘Ready, Steady, Go!’ because I really like the bridge part where there’s a beat drop, which I feel like isn’t a normal thing in a lot of his songs,” sophomore Abbey Minton said. “It just felt more like a party song, which was very fun. I can just listen to it when I’m doing my homework in the morning, and feel just a little bit better about the day.”

The severely underrated “Season Two Weight Loss” is a hidden gem. It’s carried by its experimental drumbeat, rhythmic synths, and chant-like chorus where Styles is, “Holding out. Hoping love will come around.”

“American Girls” and “Waiting Game” contain fairly surface level lyrics and a catchy but forgettable melody reminiscent of One Direction’s sound.

The two novel “slow songs” on the album, “Paint By Numbers” and Coming Up Roses” follow the painfully cliché rule that you need to sacrifice instrumental interest for

emotional value.

Despite strong lines such as “what a gift it is to be noticed but it’s nothing to do with me,” there is not much that is innovative or interesting about either of these tracks, save for the gorgeous string section in “Coming Up Roses.”

I find myself wishing that if Styles was going to make a “disco” record he would fully commit to it and cut out the obligatory sad songs in favor of thematic cohesion.

“I think they are kind of randomly thrown in there. I just wish he had made the order of songs a little bit better, with not having a really upbeat song go into ‘Coming Up Roses,’” Whitehead said.

“Dance No More” assumes the role of the sole real disco track in the project, making its presence necessary and refreshing in the realm of moody pop.

Sonically, it’s nothing revolutionary but it nails that infectious baseline and memorable chorus, filled with cheeky lines like “Be a good girl, go get ‘em fox,” that I will be screaming at Madison Square Garden.

The album’s closer, “Carla’s Song” is only what I can describe as the most quintessentially ‘Harry Styles’ Harry Styles song out there. Even though it isn’t the most complex song on the album, it’s surely the most emotional.

The repetition of “I know what you really like” makes it feel introspective, important, and thus it becomes impactful.

The simple but wonderfully delivered words “it’s all waiting there for you” finish the album off perfectly, with hope.

Drawing a connection all the way back to the first song “Aperture”, this track truly feels like letting the light in.

“It was just a really nice closer. There’s something so special about an album all coming together, you feel like it’s kind of like the end of a movie or a story,” Minton said.

Maybe the record doesn’t contain the same instant hits “Harry’s House” does, but maybe it doesn’t need to. Styles’s ability to change his artistry only suggests his positive outlook on creative evolution, and makes the album feel deeply loved by its creator.

“The results are an album that feels liberated and full of light, even in its more melancholy moments,” NME magazine said.

“Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally” offers us subtlety in its musical composition, with impressively consistent softness throughout. While to some dissenters, the first listen is unmagical, after a few late night drives, the album becomes the backing track we all want in our lives.

“I used to listen to only ‘Taste Back,’ Waiting Game,’ ‘Aperture,’ and ‘American Girls,’ but now I put that whole album on whenever I’m in the gym, [or] when I’m studying,” Whitehead said. Maybe it isn’t the actual night out in the club, so what? Instead, it encapsulates the quieter moments. This album feels like waiting outside the bathroom and having a little cry, or when you step out from the darkness that morning after and feel the light hit your face.*

Cafesphere delivers cozy atmosphere, standout flavors

Local Media cafe offers balanced bites and creative drinks worth the visit.

Gigi Detweiler ’28, Mia Taub ’28, Jonah Livingstone ’28

Reporters

In the heart of Media, Cafesphere offers a cozy atmosphere that makes it easy to slow down and enjoy the moment. With comforting, wellbalanced food and thoughtfully crafted drinks, it’s tempting to sit down and stay a while — especially when they have rooftop access!

Starting off strong, the Baguette with Whipped Ricotta and Honey ($9.50) impressed us. The bread was crisp on the outside with a light, airy interior that made it fresh, while the ricotta added a smooth, creamy (and rather sweet) richness. The honey tied it together with just the right amount of sweetness. The combination was simple, but worked really well. Each bite had a balance of texture and flavor.

To pair with it, we tried the Iced Caramel Chai Latte ($6.75). The warm spice of the chai blended smoothly with the caramel, making it flavorful without

being overtly sweet. It worked especially well alongside the more savory items on the menu.

We took a chance on the lemonade after the barista kindly recommended it, but with the addition of raspberry ($4.75). We will admit — we were skeptical at first, but we ended up absolutely loving it.

The lemon-raspberry mix was unexpectedly balanced, making it our new favorite. To all Starbucks lovers, we found the dupe for the Strawberry Acai Lemonade Refresher — it may be better!

On the sweeter side, the Flourless Chocolate Torte ($9.00) was a great addition to the menu. The cake had a dense, smooth texture with a rich, chocolate flavor that kept it from being overly heavy. Safe to say, we finished the entire plate.

The Iced Honey Lavender Latte ($8.25), advertised as a returning favorite, was another highlight. While lavender can sometimes be overpowering, it was softened by the honey. However, we did find it too sweet for our liking.

We also tried the plain croissant ($3.25), which was light, flaky, and buttery. Simple, yet satisfying, making it a great option for those looking

to complement their sweeter items.

Overall, Cafesphere offers a well-balanced menu with plentiful options. The quality ingredients, friendly staff, welcoming atmosphere, and overall great food definitely make this our favorite find so far. For those looking for a cozy spot with classic staples and creative drinks, Cafesphere is the place for you.*

Reading Review: Students offer April book recommendations

Four students share what books they’ve loved recently.

Izzy Boland ’29 Reporter

Senior Morgan Dejarnette recommends “We Were Liars” by E. Lockhart (Delacorte Press).

“This book basically revolves around this family. They have a private island in the [Martha’s Vineyard] area,” DeJarnette said. “Basically, the main character, Katie, she knows that something happened to her two summers ago, so she hadn’t been at the beach… Two years later she comes back, and it’s basically her trying to retrace what happened to her, because she lost her memory.”

Sophmore Luca Nuschke recommends “Red Rising” by Pierce Brown (Del Ray).

“It’s really interesting. Think, Hunger Games, but sort of fantasy [and] sci fi. It’s really interesting,” Nuschke said. “It’s set in a future world on Mars There’s a whole cast system going on with different colors… There’s a lot of Hunger Gameslike elements. If you like that, you might like this. But also the later books are a lot more political… I really love it, because they have such a range.”

Sophmore Adeline Barton recommends “Throne of Glass” by Sarah J. Maas (Bloomsbury Publishing).

“It’s about this girl named Celaena Sardothien, and she’s in these salt mines in Endovier. [She] gets called to be an assassin for the prince, and it’s basically about [her] winning these tournaments to become [an] assassin,” Barton said. “But then, [it] continues on in the series, and it’s the best series ever. [I would] recommend it for anyone who likes fantasy.”

Car Talk: Senior values character over modernity in 1997 Toyota Camry

Despite the smoke, senior Theo Berkman-Lamm has built trust in his old-model “Tesla.”

Mia Fagone ’26

Reporter

Sputtering and hissing, in comes a teal-green sedan to Haven’s senior lot.

Senior Theo Berkman-Lamm’s 1997 Toyota Camry isn’t in the best of shape. However, that doesn’t stop him from appreciating the effects of the old machinery.

“She’s old, but she’s still my baby. You have to think of the kind of headache-inducing cacophony that comes out of it as endearing,” he said.

For a first-time passenger, the car’s rattling can be frightening and alarmingly loud. For senior Fletcher Noto, who hitches a ride to and from school in the Camry, it’s “a beautiful song.”

“I like to call it a purr, but someone with less trained ears maybe would call it a screech. It makes the loudest noise I think a car can make,” Berkman-Lamm said. “That’s a big part of why I love the car.”

He bought the teal-green car for around $4,000 from King’s Automobile in Swarthmore, where it had been sitting in the lot for a few weeks on the side of 320.

“Quite frankly, it was love at first sight,” Berkman-Lamm said. “It’s the color I always wanted, and I always wanted an older car, because I just think

they look cooler.”

One addition to the Camry is a bummer sticker that reads “Anti Elon Tesla Club,” taken from the bumper of a friend’s Tesla. Due to both its older appearance and the Toyota logo — similar to the electric car’s iconic “T” logo — Berkman-Lamm jokingly calls it an “archive Tesla.”

Another effect of the old model is the machinery’s reaction to water. Noto recalls one time when the car started to smoke after running over a puddle. “It looked like the car was

actually going to explode,” Noto said. “Both of us got a little bit scared.”

In the future, barring any explosions, Berkman-Lamm hopes to take the Camry with him to college. However, he has concerns about its ability to make the drive to the University of Vermont, where he’ll be attending in the fall.

“There’s a solid chance it will die, but I’m hoping it has a little bit left in the tank,” he said. “To infinity and beyond.”*

I recommend “Life on the Refrigerator Door” by Alice Kuipers (HarperCollins).

“From the first page I was captivated by the unique style of the writing—it’s all written in notes between two people, a mother and Claire, her 15-yearold daughter. Claire is busy with boys with schoolwork while her mother is busy with her job. They rarely see each other, and most of their conversations happen on notes they leave for each other on their fridge. During the book, a catastrophe disrupts their normal routines and they learn to work and grow together. I read it in less than a day and was caught up in its beautiful story. I think it’s a great book for anyone looking for a sweet story or a quick read.”*

Recipe of the Issue: Banana chocolate chip muffins are comforting, perfect breakfast treat

This easy yet delicious recipe offers amateurs an opportunity to elevate their baking skills.

Charlie Grueser ’28 Reporter

Staffers walking into the Panther Press newsroom during newspaper design

Saturdays are hit by the familiar smell of two dozen warm banana chocolate chip muffins.

The muffins were a welcome surprise for the students showing up to work, and the recipe just had to make it into the issue.

The traditional banana bread is delicious and comforting, but this recipe elevates it just a little bit by converting it into bite-sized servings and adding the rich taste of semisweet chocolate chips.

In the March 1999 Bon Appétit magazine, Evelyn’s Coffee Bar published their recipe for Banana-Chocolate Chip Muffins. The well-loved Canadian café republished their renowned recipe in Epicurious magazine in 2024. It is no surprise that people are still enjoying these muffins, even after 20 years.

The recipe begins by preheating the oven to 350 degrees. After your oven is set, line a muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners for a single batch to prevent sticking. Then, you can start the batter! Mix ½ cup of flour, ⅔ cup

sugar, 1 ½ tsp baking powder, and ¼ tsp of salt in a large bowl. Then, in a separate bowl, mix 1 cup of mashed ripe bananas — or about two bananas — one large egg, ½ cup of melted unsalted butter, and ¼ cup milk. Slowly stir the banana mixture into the dry ingredients until the batter is just blended. If you overmix, your muffins will turn out dense and tough instead of light and fluffy, so be careful! Then, stir in ¾ cup of semisweet chocolate chips and pop in the oven for 32 minutes, or until the tops are pale golden brown. Push a toothpick into the center of the muffin, and if it’s only marked with melted chocolate your muffins are done. Let them cool a little bit, and enjoy them warm and delicious!*

Visit shpantherpress.com for blueberry muffin suggestions from Nathalie Basilevsky ’28.

April Crossword

Morgan Matthews ’28

Detours Editor

Across

2. World religion focused on inner peace/karma

5. Squirrels stock up on them

6. Bend it like

9. She is releasing a new album on June 12, 2026

10. Smelly, striped

11. Avoid one of these when you’re driving

Down

1. BLANK only happens when it’s rainin’

3. Sally sold these by the seashore

4. Irish singer BLANK O’Connor

7. Largest US state (by land)

8. Major April music event

11. Sneakers in the UK

Answers at shpantherpress.com

Cheese

Corner:

The best Swiss cheese not from Switzerland

This is the cheesiest column you’ll see in this issue!

Roland Rennick-Zuefle ’27

Reporter

Welcome back to the cheese corner. While the rest of Haven is warming up for spring, we’ll be turning our attention someplace colder with Norway’s Jarlsberg cheese.

Jarlsberg is similar to Swiss cheese and is categorized as a Swiss type, even having the famous holes across its yellow sides. Emmental, the cheese most associated with the Swiss cheese name, is the type it is most often compared to. While I can’t say Swiss is my favorite type of cheese, Jarlsberg is certainly among its best. With a distinct nutty taste and subtle sweetness, it’s great served alongside bread or crackers. Jarlsberg is quite versatile and can also go on sandwiches or even pizza.

Jarlsberg has a fairly recent history, originating in 1800s Norway from a farmer named Anders Larsen Bakke. The name Jarlsberg comes from the Norwegian Count Wendel Jarlsberg, whose land and manor was located where the cheese was developed in its early years. Initially inspired by Swiss cheesemakers, Bakke’s cheese would gain and then lose popularity, before being revived almost a century later in 1956

by dairy leader Professor Ole Martin Ytsgaard. With his research team at the Agricultural University of Norway, Ytsgaard would develop the modern version of the cheese by blending traditional elements with contemporary dairy research. Jarlsberg is produced from pasteurized cow milk in Norway, as well as in Ireland and Ohio. While the exact details of how official Jarlsberg is made are kept secret by its trademark owner, Norwegian dairy company Tine, the recipe for Norwegian Jarlsberg style is mostly replicable. First, heat milk. Then, add cultures. After that, add rennet to coagulate the curds. Once they have coagulated, cut the curds. Next, heat them with warm water and separate them from under the whey. With

the kurds now separated, you should press them into a mold. After that, salt them in brine and let them dry from the salt. Finally you can begin the aging process.

Jarlsberg is aged for 8-10 weeks, but the aging can be extended to over three months for a riper flavor.

The main secret in the recipe is the specific culture and formula. We do know that a mysterious bacteria called propionibacterium shermanii gives the cheese its flavor.

What isn’t mysterious about Jarlsberg is that it is a fantastic cheese for anyone who enjoys the Swiss style with some variation.*

Critter Corner: Truman bonds with family

Junior shares her bond with labrador golden retriever mix.

Anabella Larin ’27 Reporter

Junior Maggie Peterson talks about her dog in this edition of Critter Corner.

What is your pet’s name? Truman.

When did you get Truman?

I got him in October of 4th grade, so 2018. We think [he’s] 9.5 to 10 years old.

How did you get Truman?

We went to Providence Animal Shelter. We had to battle to get him — there was a couple who wanted him. We got there after school one day, and there was Mr. Benzing with Truman. The Benzings fostered him.

What is your favorite thing to do with your dog?

I really do enjoy taking him on walks. Sometimes I’ll take him down to my grandparents house. He adores my grandpa.

How would you describe your bond with Truman?

Very strong. He comes to me when he’s scared. He’s terrified of loud noises in general so he’ll come into my room and hide under my bed. As he’s gotten older, he’s gotten more scared of weather, poor baby.

Do you have a favorite story about your dog?

This was late elementary school. We had just gotten Truman. My aunt and uncle were on their way out, so my dad went to go get some food. Truman had a history of being a little escape artist at the time. And that’s why the original family gave him up. So he bolted out the door. Truman is a labgolden retriever mix, and they are very fast. He ran all the way from Rutledge to the Morton train tracks. He had bolted out when my dad got back. So my dad dropped the food off on our front porch and sprinted after him. My mom sprints after my dad, and I’m left there as a little fifth grader with my sister who had just started kindergarten. We got him though.*

1: Scarlett Rein (10) and Kathryn Kudrick (11) dance along to the groovy beat spewing from the DJ’s speakers at the annual Frosh dance. The dance, held on March 20, included student guest appearances at the DJ booth. PHOTO: MATTHEW RAMIREZ

2: Matthew Ramirez (12), Co-Editor-in-Chief of The Panther Press, shows off his various journalism awards from the Pennsylvania News Media Association Student Keystone Press Awards on Tuesday, April 14. Staffers traveled to Harrisburg to attend a networking luncheon and accept their awards. In total, Haven’s newspaper brought home 25 Keystone Awards, including the Sweepstakes Award for the highest scoring student publication in Pennsylvania.

3: Ella Gwinn (9) smiles as a tiny visitor squirms in her arms. Counselor Ms. Jennifer Salvage organized for the puppies from To Love a Canine Rescue organization to visit on March 11 to boost Haven’s spirits after a long, cold, winter. PHOTO: KATHRYN BARRETT

4: Leo Dolle (10) looks at the opponent’s movement on defense to get the disk back. Boys ultimate frisbee played in their first tournament of the season on March 21-22 in Virginia in hopes to clinch a spot at High School Frisbee Nationals. PHOTO: ETHAN LIN

5: Magnolia Brown (12) and Daksha Nair (12) sample classic Belgian snacks, dipped in a rich, chocolate fondue. French Club and German club collaborated to organize Belgian Day on Thursday, April 16 as a tasteful opportunity for Haven students to learn more about the culture of a Francophone and Germanophone country. PHOTO: ETHAN LIN *

With an additional day added to the school calendar, Tuesday, June 9 will be now be a full day of school. The final exam schedule has been adjusted.

Monday, June 8 - Regular School Day

Tuesday, June 9 - Regular School Day

Wednesday, June 10 - Blocks 1 & 2 Finals, 11 a.m. dismissal (Transportation provided)

Thursday, June 11 - Finals for Blocks 3 & 4, 11 a.m. dismissal (Transportation provided)

Friday, June 12 - Final Exam make up day only for those who miss a

exam (No transportation provided)

Manny Pickup ’26, Jasper Hals

Eli Graves ’26, Pearl Tweedy