By Tristan Paulette ‘27 and Michael Zhang ‘26 FRONT Page Co-Editors < Back Rooted in belonging By Tristan Paulette ‘27 and Michael Zhang ‘26 FRONT Page Co-Editors On September 1, 2025, Mercersburg Academy held its 132nd Convocation, in which Student Body President Thomas Zhu ’26 and Emily Schoenberger ’15, the Director of Civic Engagement and Head of the History Department, addressed the Academy’s community. Head of School Quentin McDowell, P’25, ’27, followed with his opening of term talk four days later. A common thread united their words: the theme of community. Each speaker focused on personal stories of past experiences to convey a larger message about a vision for the future of school culture. Zhu spoke first, offering a clear message. “I always believe that sometimes we worry too much about what others think about us. And sometimes those doubts limit what we do. Sometimes the things that we know we should do bring fear of judgment from other people. That was always the message that I wanted to talk about.” He continued, “But it connects to a bigger theme of not being afraid to do what you want to do. In the case of this speech, I talked about leaving a legacy. And not being afraid to leave a legacy for Mercersburg. The story of Katie [Lee ‘26] is a really lighthearted example to, you know, draw people in first because the story is very relatable.” Lee responded to Zhu’s words, saying, “I thought it was fun. I think it's a nice story. It's a story he's mentioned a couple of times since freshman year, and I always think it's funny. I think definitely the most memorable part was the part about me. I think it's definitely important to think about how any little mistakes you make don’t necessarily reflect who you are.” Convocation speaker Schoenberger spoke next, echoing the themes of community and legacy. Her speech included anecdotes about the Mercersburg magazine, tying her past at Mercersburg to the present community. “It’s impossible for me to think about my relationship to this place without thinking about community,” she said. “A community can’t exist by itself. It has to be an active participation by the members to make it what it is.” She reflected on the process of composing the address. “I always knew that it was going to be something about the value of giving yourself over to [the] community. I wrote it over the course of two days—one day where I just brain dumped everything, then, after a sleepless night, I went for a walk, and it all kind of came to me.” She also offered her goals for the school year ahead, adding, “I hope the message resonates throughout the year—when things get difficult in the winter and everyone’s ready to leave in the spring, we remember the specialness of this place.” Several days later, McDowell echoed that theme. “Community is central to society; community is [society’s] membership. There is no community without men. And so the message is often lost when you start using words like community [without intent],” said McDowell. “Schoenberger actually spoke about it: talking about the critical elements of a community, and [for] all members to feel a sense of longing and feel like they matter, they're valued, and that we all treat each other with kindness and respect, and [do so] without judgment. And those to me are for the core elements of a strong, healthy community.” In a moment of reflection after delivering his speech, McDowell said, “This time, I think that people are appreciative of those core values of kindness and lack of judgment. I do think that there are some kids in our community and others who have, at times, felt like they didn't belong. And it's good to hear your Head of School say these things. And it's also good to hear your Head of School say that I, at times, had felt like I haven't belonged, and that it's a human experience.” Previous Next

Chris Carbone ’26 < Back Bribed for breakfast Chris Carbone ’26 On November 4, 2025, Andy Brown, Dean of Students for Community Life, announced a raffle at breakfast each morning in the dining hall, aiming to increase attendance at the first meal of the day in the run-up to exam week. Associate Head of School Jennifer Craig had anticipated a variety of difficulties for the community during the dining hall renovation. “We had already planned for the impact of using the Hale Field House on our athletics program, but students not attending breakfast was probably the next largest concern.” Craig added, “A number of people were noticing that there were fewer numbers of students at breakfast, and a few students had begun to anecdotally report that they were ‘hitting a wall’ late morning in class,” referencing students’ perceived energy levels in the classroom before lunch. It became evident that the location of the new dining hall served to discourage student attendance. Craig said that students needed an incentive, and it was settled that a breakfast initiative, in the form of a raffle, would be the best course of action. The goal of the initiative was to promote healthier habits among students. Chief Advancement Officer John Richardson, who led the initiative, explained, “I started [the initiative] more to try to break some habits” and to “[get] people in the habit of eating.” Quentin McDowell ’25, ’27 expanded on Richardson’s idea: “We want students to realize the added value and benefits of having breakfast each day and that all starts with showing up. Once there we hope people will find that eating a good breakfast really does make for a better, more energy filled day. The raffle is scheduled for the three-week period prior to Thanksgiving vacation. Richardson explained, “In order to break a habit, you need to do something consistently for three weeks,” and the breakfast raffle’s timing was strategic for this reason. Brown also wanted to offer students a respite before exams. “The fall term is always long, and so then also to be able to do something kind of fun at the end, is also hopefully beneficial for students as well,” he said. Many students have favorably responded to the raffle initiative. Eric Wang ’27 noted, “I feel like it's important that the school has taken awareness of the situation that a lot of us aren’t eating breakfast.” Thomas Zhu ’26 echoed Wang, commenting, “I think it's a very fun activity that the school is doing, and I like how they are using some of their funds to promote better student health.” While the raffle may not continue into Winter Term, the school still plans an initiative to advance student attendance. In the future, Mercersburg Academy will continue to offer grab-and-go breakfast options in various locations around campus, something that Wang mentioned as “really convenient considering the [current] circumstances.” Brown continued to describe the school’s goals. “Any time that we can help reinforce healthy habits, you know, eating multiple meals, getting up early, [the message is] always beneficial.” Previous Next

Lisa Wei  '26 < Back Mentoring the future through BSU Lisa Wei '26 Over Family and Alumni Weekend, Black Student Union (BSU) members met with black graduates through the newly formed BSU Alumni Mentorship program. Bradley ‘91, Mercersburg’s Black Alumni Association Board Treasurer and Mentor/Mentee Program Director, said, “This is a great opportunity for students to connect with a Mercersburg graduate who can offer insight, advice, opportunity and help navigate the next stages of their academic career,” said Bradley. “The kids will be contacting mentors by texting and setting up a Zoom call with them,” Malone said. Ideally, students will have access to mentors in order to ask them questions, navigate tough situations and network for life after high school. “The emphasis of the program is putting the ownership on both the individual mentee and the mentor to form that relationship. Typically, the relationships which work out really well meet anywhere from once a week or more to once a couple of months; it depends on the student’s needs,” said Jamar Galbreath ‘03, Assistant Director of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion. While the BSU Alumni group has been in place for a few years now, its role is expanding to include extended work with students, including the mentorship program. “It was a collaborative idea. There were student voices which expressed that they wanted to have more engagement and a better idea of how to navigate Mercersburg and beyond. Alumni also reached back, wanting to connect more with the students on campus,” said Mr. Galbreath. Alumni Tonya Rutherford ‘92, Jamil Myrie ‘93, and Bradley were key players in the creation of the BSU Alumni Mentorship program. “I was a founding member and the founding president of what was then known as the African American Student Union at Mercersburg. Until 2019, when my classmates and I organized the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the BSU, there hadn't been a formal way of connecting Black students with Black alumni,” said Rutherford. Students have demonstrated their appreciation for this opportunity to connect. “I learned a lot about other people, black alumni in their own professions, and I actually got some help in the college process,” said Kaori Graham-Myrie ‘24. “Hearing a lot of different things from different perspectives was very helpful. To me, the mentorship program is mostly for having someone to talk to for help in college and planning at school,” Cyn Carter ‘25 said. Keri-Ann Dennis ‘25, co-president of BSU connected with alumni to get feedback on how to better support BSU efforts. “I went to the meeting at Family and Alumni weekend and met some of the alumni there. They were really helpful in helping us plan for the school year, especially as president of the BSU, since my role is to plan things. They also gave me a perspective on how to make school more inclusive,” she said. Overall, this mentorship program is an opportunity for BSU members to create connections with people who’ve already experienced the challenges of being black at Mercersburg. “We are very excited about this project & strongly encourage you to sign-up & participate in Mercersburg’s Black Alumni Association mentoring program,” said Bradley. Previous Next

Alex Cho '23 < Back Cast the ballot! Alex Cho '23 Mercersburg has long maintained a community engagement program that fulfills the PGA requirement. Recently, however, a small group of students and faculty members came together to establish the Community Engagement Council (CEC) designed to provide service opportunities for students outside of the PGA. Their focus is currently set on expanding voting awareness at Mercersburg. When asked why the CEC started this campaign, CEC member Talia Cutler ‘23 said, “Many people do not know where or how this process starts. We hope we can provide as much guidance as we can to get people to vote. If we get students involved now, they will hopefully be involved for a long time to come.” She also provided the details of their campaign. The CEC has placed posters around campus with voting information and a QR code to a website called Rock the Vote. Founded in 1990 and directed toward young voters, Rock the Vote is an organization that provides resources to answer specific questions, like how people can register to vote and how to vote by mail-in ballot, knowledge crucial for Mercersburg students. The CEC’s goal is to clear any uncertainties toward voting and instill a sense of excitement and responsibility among the students. CEC member Andrew Leibowitz ‘24 said, “We hope to see a higher voter turnout from Mercersburg students and get involved in government and social change.” Previous Next

Jolie Zhu '26 < Back Reviving an old tradition Jolie Zhu '26 At a recent school meeting, Andy Brown, the Dean of Students for Community Life, made an exciting announcement to the Mercersburg community: Founder’s Day, previously known as Field Day, will make a comeback. This tradition, originally centered around athleticism and competitive spirit, will be revived with some changes. Head of School Quentin McDowell, who proposed reinvigorating this tradition, explained that his inspiration came from his passion for Mercersburg's history. “There's a part of me that really enjoys our history and understanding our history,” McDowell remarked. He said he learned about other schools celebrating Founder’s Days and saw value in people sharing their Mercersburg stories through this tradition. McDowell added, “I realized that Dr. [William Mann] Irvine had a Field Day in the fall, and I thought how cool it would be to have a Founder’s Day similar to Field Day that would honor him and what he used to do, as well as have this really important message about how our community has been built over a century-plus.” School Archivist Doug Smith explained, “The original Field Day was an athletic competition in the morning. But at another point, it became an interschool track meet, and the whole school would come down and watch this track meet.” Ultimately, the Williams Cup Champion, awarded to the top performer in a series of athletic competitions, emerged as a highlight of each school year. However, the tradition's legacy is complex. “The idea and effect of Field Day, historically, was to bring the community together and make everybody feel like part of Mercersburg. Unfortunately, it led to some unsavory community building practices that the school did not promote,” Smith noted. Such practices eventually led to the discontinuation of the tradition. In reviving the event, this year's Founder’s Day celebration will feature a school meeting with Mercersburg benefactor and former Board of Regents Chair Deborah Simon ’74, who will share her Mercersburg story and contributions to the school. Many minds have been working to plan the fun lineup of activities for the afternoon. Madeline Chu ’27 noted, “In the Student Council meetings, we discussed Founder’s Day and voted on the events that will be held.” Jessica Dang ’26 added, “We're going to have events around the track such as holding a spoon with an egg. It's not just sports activities; everyone will be included.” The complete list of events was kept secret and sent out on October 1, 2024. Adding to the excitement, the winning grade will receive a miniature Heads Holiday and something truly special – a unique token of achievement designed by Head of School Quentin McDowell. “It’s very ridiculous,” he teased, hinting, “Everybody wants to do a silver bowl or a little trophy, and I'm like, no, I think we can get weirder than that.” He kept the specifics under wraps but promised it will be something memorable. The response to the prospect of Founder’s Day has been overwhelmingly positive. Paxton Diana ’26 said, “I think it should be really fun.” Shubhlean Kaur ’27 added, “I think it's interesting that the school wants to spread awareness about it, and I appreciate the school trying to inform people about the history of Mercersburg.” Smith captured the essence of this “new tradition,” saying, “As a school archivist and a coach, I like any events we can do that build pride in our school and link us to the past and hopefully to the future. I think this event is something that we can build upon, that will grow in our community, and that the kids will like.” Previous Next

Cole Piraino ’26 < Back Devin wants your vote! Cole Piraino ’26 In the Tuscarora school district, more than 2,000 students are represented by a school board made up entirely of adults who are far removed from the classroom. For his Capstone project, Devin Rotz ’25 dedicated himself to challenging the local status quo by running for office. Located in Franklin County, PA, the Tuscarora School District provides summer programs, tutoring initiatives, technology integration, and the management of general education across the district. The responsibility of these projects falls into the hands of the school board members. But there’s one significant difference between these members and the students they represent: their age. Rotz’s election would bring a youthful perspective to school board discussions. “I am running for the school board because we need a student voice. In an ever-changing education system, it’s more important now than ever to have a student voice representing the current issues facing us,” he said. Highlighting the need for new perspectives, Rotz added, “Some people in the community are exhausted with the same rhetoric [used repeatedly] from our school board members.” Rotz has clear goals for the board. He noted: “transparency, common-sense spending, better support for faculty and staff, and ensuring our facilities are future-ready.” These are the core principles by which Rotz is guiding his campaign. To maximize his chances at making it through the primaries, Rotz chose to cross-file, putting his name on both the Democratic and Republican primary ballots. This means he has already won a spot on the Democratic ballot for the November election. However, in an area that leans heavily conservative, Rotz’s chances of overall victory are limited if his name is affiliated with the Democratic Party, which is why he is still fighting for votes among Republicans. On the Republican primary ballot, Rotz has four opponents, three who currently serve on the board. Though it may appear ambitious, Rotz’s goal is within reach. The election has four spots up for grabs. With only five candidates, Rotz has a good chance. Considering that Rotz is the only youth candidate (besides Mr. Hawbaker), he is a standout. “I am optimistic that I have a good chance of winning. I hope that voters will want a fresh and young perspective on the school board.” Rotz said. “In o ur local elections, people don’t have to put themselves out there because no one runs for office. I am having as many conversations and interactions as I can utilize social media.” Rotz believes this may very well push him into a much-needed victory for Franklin County. Rotz has had this vision for quite some time, agreed both Director of Capstones John David Bennett and Director of Experiential Programs Emily Parsons. “ Devin has been talking to me about running for office for the past few years,” said Parsons. “I knew that he was interested in pursuing a local elected position last year, but his decision to run for school board was an awesome surprise this fall!” “I love it when students do work in any capstone class that they’ll carry with them well beyond the classroom,” said Bennett. Devin’s campaign embodies the opportunities that students are given through Capstone and is an example of making the most out of their senior project. A Rotz victory in the polls could be revolutionary for the school board and the community it serves. If the purpose of a school board is to represent and serve student interests, then meaningful representation must include the voices of young people. Previous Next

< Back Rebellion and sparks Deetya Tandon ’29 Oct 9, 2026 Walk into the art studio on any given day and you might catch Sydney Caretti introducing a concept that sounds surprisingly radical for a high school art classroom: rebellion. But here rebellion isn’t about causing trouble. Rather, it’s about diving into art conventions and questioning them. “Art is a way of expressing yourself. It's also a way of rebellion, right?” she explained. “You can be rebellious with art. Art has been rebellious over the years—like just thumbing your nose at whatever is going on in your current cultural climate.” For Caretti, viewing creative work as a bold statement of identity comes from a lifelong journey. Growing up near Boston, her mother, a nuclear engineer, first exposed her to Manhattan art galleries. Her own interest in art started at age nine during a trip to an art supply store, where she noticed a trio of strikingly unique, eclectic individuals. “One had a trench coat on and one had a briefcase,” Caretti remembered. “I leaned over to my mom and I said, ‘What do those people do?’ She said, ‘Those are artists.’ And I said, ‘I want to be [one].’ My mom bought me my first sketchbook and I still have it to this day, and I drew those three people. I wanted to be like those three people." That early spark ignited a passion, though her understanding of creation evolved over time. Early on, she thought talent was accuracy in representative drawings. This mindset nearly directed her toward medical illustration. However, as she matured, she realized that true creation extends far beyond replication. “I thought that art was supposed to look like what you were drawing,” she said. “As I got older, I realized instead of looking at a piece of abstract art and saying, ‘That sucks,’ I understood why and how we make art. I learned the rules about how to express yourself—composition, contrast, all of the elements and principles of art and design that make artwork strong.” Before stepping into education, Caretti tested her skills in the commercial art world. While selling original pieces provided a living, the commercial gallery market felt cold and transactional. “I made money selling artwork to people and I didn’t necessarily believe in the artwork,” she reflected. “It was a way to make money, so if I saw someone come in, I’d look them up and down like, ‘I can charge them this much for the painting.’” Leaving commercial sales behind to become an educator transformed her relationship with art. In the classroom, her main goal is ensuring every student realizes their potential without fear of judgment. “I want to connect with students and hopefully help," Ms. Caretti shared. ‘“ always want to be of use, and I want students to see themselves as artists. I never want to be the teacher someone looks back on and says, ‘I had an art teacher who told me I was awful at art.’ Nobody is awful at art. We just have to learn the baseline rules of making it, and once you have that foundation, the sky is the limit.” Today, Caretti continues to pass on the spark she found as a nine-year-old girl, driven by the belief that every student holds a voice worth sharing. As those individual sparks gather together in her classroom, they ignite into a creative fire that propels students far beyond their initial limits. “We all are artists because we all have something inside of us that we'd like to share, but some of us share who we are differently,” she says. “Art is a way of expressing yourself.” Previous Next

< Back Glazing Gunk Michelle Pan '30 Oct 9, 2026 Returning ceramics students might notice the new test tiles on the glazing shelf in the ceramics studio. Behind the tiles, carefully ordered commercial glaze bottles are lined up, reaching as far as the hand-labeled jars. This is one of ceramics teacher Pete Gunkleman’s ongoing projects– making and formulating glazes in the studio. Compared to other artistic projects, it may seem less lofty, but it is indeed a transformative process for both Gunkleman and the ceramics program. Glazes are made up of three main chemicals: silica, fluxes, and a stabilizer –usually the clay. Each provides the glassy texture, the hue, and the shape produced by the glaze application. Gunkleman described the process, saying, “There's a lot of work and testing that goes into making glazes. Lithium carbonate, copper oxide, manganese carbonate, strontium carb— all of this stuff goes into our glazes. And then I can use these components to mix them all together in a specific ratio, so that it has all the right amount of flux to make it melt at the right temperature.” He continued with an analogy between glazes and a favorite cookie recipe: “You either think it is ideal, or you think it would be good if the cookies spread out a little bit more, or baking with no oatmeal.” Gunkelman also spoke to some of the difficulties he’s faced: “ I think one of the challenges is that some of the recipes that you find that you want to try, they don't make those ingredients anymore.” The studio contains multiple art books specifically about glazes, including formulas for glazes that Gunkleman attempts to replicate. He points out, “They don't make Custer Feldspar anymore. It's 62% of that glaze, and so since the recipe is gone you’ll have to find out how much of each element is in Custer Feldspar and make some sort of replacement. You'd have to reformulate it.” Gunkleman truly believes in the experimental and creative meaning of this project, and stated, “I spent a lot of time getting really good at the form and making beautiful shapes, and now I'm at a place where I'm thinking a little bit more about what goes on in these shapes. So I'm developing glazes that I think would work really well on the forms that I'm making, and specifically ones that work in our electric kilns.” By experimenting with different shapes and glazing compositions, Gunkelman strives to replace expensive commercial glazes with “homemade” glazes at a lower cost and with greater availability. He concluded, “Yeah, a lot of chemistry. And yet we're in art class.” Previous Next

Caroline Hobbs ‘26 < Back “We get to decide what we tolerate” Caroline Hobbs ‘26 In recognition of the recent Martin Luther King Jr. Day, The Mercersburg News sat down to interview Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Dr. Renata Williams, who reflected on the recent progress of Mercersburg’s DEI program and shared her ambitions for the future. Mercersburg News: What is the mission of the DEI office? Renata Williams : We intend to create an atmosphere where all community members feel a sense of belonging and inclusion. Our hope is that Mercersburg Academy is a place where everyone can show up authentically and unapologetically. We strive to protect the dignity of all of our community members. MN: What do you make of the community’s progress in advancing its DEI goals? RW : Mercersburg Academy is a great place to live, work, learn and grow. We have such a diverse student body population that offers the opportunity to see the world and engage in the learning experience from a multitude of perspectives. That is a distinct benefit for our students who experience the Mercersburg Academy learning environment. We have had difficult conversations and we've grappled with many things that will help us continue to grow and evolve as a community. We will continue to strive to be the best version of Mercersburg Academy day after day, and year after year. I was once talking with a colleague who was working through DEI efforts with a few researchers. My colleague asked the researchers the question, "When is your research actually done?" The response was, "Well, never. There is always something more we can learn or a different variation of the research." He likened that to the work around DEI. We can always learn something new and look at things from a different perspective. MN: What challenges do your office and the school community still face? RN : Rather than look at the areas of "challenge," I prefer to think of them as opportunities: opportunities to grow, opportunities to learn more about who we are as an institution, opportunities to better serve our current students and adults as well as the students and adults who will choose Mercersburg Academy in the future. Surveys tend to give us good information. Over the past three years, we have begun to implement the inclusivity survey. This anonymous survey has given us great information including opportunities for growth as well as the ability to enhance things that are working well. MN: How can the Mercersburg community live up to the ideals of the office? RW : I think it's important to note, that it's not about living up to the ideals of the office of DEI. As Mr. McDowell often says (paraphrasing), we get to decide what we tolerate in our community. It's up to all of us to set the norms in our community. It's about holding ourselves accountable as a community. Engaging in the work necessary to better educate ourselves to have a broader perspective. It's about personal accountability that enables our collective growth. MN: What does the future hold for DEI at Mercersburg? RW : This is the most exciting question for me. I am excited to see the continued growth that the office will experience. We will actualize the student extension of the office, the Mosaic Ambassadors. We also hope to have more regular, formalized programming hosted and facilitated by the office of DEI in collaboration with various campus partners. We really want to infuse the idea of celebrating beyond "heroes and holidays" and celebrate the diversity of our community year-round and 365. Previous Next

William Shen ’27 < Back Is this headline ChatGPTed? William Shen ’27 On October 1, Mercersburg Academy hosted a special day of artificial intelligence (AI) training, in which teachers and students completed specific and individualized training on the practical and ethical use of artificial intelligence. Students in each grade joined one session, which included class-related activities, AI training, asynchronous work, and emergency Informacast updates. For many students, the AI training session led by Greg Kulowiec exposed the myths and truths of generative artificial intelligence and its best use for students in an academic and communal setting. “[The session] taught us to be more conscious about how we are using AI and gave us insight into how the information we are being given by A.I. can be false. It was done with the intent of making sure that we approach AI with caution and not immediately trust everything it outputs,” Chris Carbone ’26 reflected. “I think that teachers just want to make sure that students are using AI properly and that they aren't being misinformed, and the presentation helps teachers to take a step forward and ensure that students are properly using AI.” Listening to Kulowiec, students acknowledged the tendency of AI to regurgitate material from the database. Eric Wang ’27, likewise, observed that generative AIs often yields ideas of limited to the input: “[The session] told us how the models are trained to be convenient to us instead of being critical, as well as how we can both take advantage and be wary of the limits they have set, because it is usually people giving them the limitations.” Some students recognized AI’s practical use as a tool in education. Tuana Özdemir ’26 noted, “We learned how AI changed over time, and I think [the teachers] tried to show us the good ways of AI use, how we can use it to help us learn and understand better.” Roy Seligman ’28 stated, “I was definitely not aware of the detrimental effects that using AI too much has on our brains, and I was really surprised that it atrophies brain cells that much. As a frequent ChatGPT user myself, I am definitely going to begin using AI as solely a helper rather than replacing my actual efforts. I think teaching us how to use AI as a good companion can be really helpful and can actually benefit our schoolwork a lot more than some people might think.” Head of School Quentin McDowell explained that, from an educator’s perspective, the AI Training Day was part of a broader effort to prepare teachers and students for the future. The Academy partnered with the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education to deliver what will be a year-long AI course for all teaching faculty. “One of the primary drivers for having an AI day was to help our educators imagine ways to practically apply artificial intelligence and generative AI to the work in school. A big part of it is to demystify [AI] and to make it more accessible, so that we work with it, not against it.” Associate Head of School for Student Life Julia Maurer hopes that the training will increase the community’s familiarity with AI as a whole. “We have a wide variety of comfort with technology—both our students and our faculty—and knowledge about what AI is and the tools that are available. So I thought [AI] is an unavoidable part of our lives; we’re at a point … where it’s really hard to go through the day without engaging [with] AI in some way.” Others found the training necessary to adapt to the ever-rising trend of AI use. “In terms of AI, it is very important for us to embrace it because we are not going to get anywhere without it. The speaker said none of us chose for our lives to be changed, but inevitably it is going to get changed, and it has already been changed. It’s meaningful for the school to put us through the lesson,” remarked Bruce Zhang ’28. Not only was the training important for students, the teaching faculty also had much to gain. “People come [to] technology from a lot of different places, so our effort is to make sure that we are meeting all of our teachers where they are. At the end of the day, you have to know how AI works, how to use it, and all of the different applications and tools, because all of our students know about it,” said McDowell. “There are a lot of benefits that come with it: common language, common understanding, helping people overcome their fears, helping people understand the many ways that [AI] can be used as a positive tool, not just as a negative tool. I think when we hear AI, we think of ChatGPT, cheating, [or] plagiarism. But it can be a really great tool for teachers and for students to be able to be more efficient in their work, to gain deeper and faster understanding of subject matters, and there [are] so many other things that we can create using AI tools now, and it’s just the beginning.” Previous Next

Jelly Nguyen '24 < Back Interview with the new student body president! Jelly Nguyen '24 With the recent election of Jordan Yuan ’24 as student body president, The Mercersburg News chose to conduct an interview with Yuan and current student body president Peter Rice ’23. The two reflected on the past school year and shared their thoughts about current school issues. Mercersburg News: What are your ambitions for next year? Jordan Yuan ’24: My ambitions for next year are to improve student life by changing many aspects, say, the food in the dining hall and the True Blue Cafe. Academically, I want to have a proper schedule that satisfies more people and makes more use of our current facilities like the VR studio. Also, improved dorm life. I remember Peter talking about the possibility of sleepovers last year; I'm really interested in that. I want to continue pursuing the students’ best interests. MN: What are some reflections as this year's president? Peter Rice ’23: I learned a lot this year. I learned how nuanced and how hard the process is to get something changed. [There are] a lot of people involved, getting approval from many different groups. The main takeaway was that to get a policy change, it takes a lot of work and meetings and such. MN: What are your opinions on the current visitation policy? JY: I think there is space to improve in terms of visitation policies. I hear people complaining about more flexible visitation times during weekdays. So we will keep collecting opinions from people and work for their best interests. PR: Oh, I think there's definitely room to improve. This year we worked on making steps towards better policies, like having the time during weekdays for seniors to go into common rooms. But I think there's space for that to be improved, maybe extending that to more grades, extending the hours. MN: What are your opinions on the current behavior point system? JY: I believe the behavior points system is definitely a better way for students to keep themselves from getting into more trouble. It has even stopped me from skipping classes because I have to consider the hit on my [point total]. I feel like it's a necessary system. PR: I think there are pros and cons to it. With the behavior point system, your punishment isn't as directly related to what you did. In the past, if you missed a class, you just went to study hall that night. With the point system, you have some wiggle room before you get to the punishments. MN: What are some ambitions for student activities that you have next year? JY: Oh, as I mentioned earlier…, I think people really liked boba in the True Blue Cafe. That is one of the main things I'm working on because most complaints are food-related. And next thing is dorm policies. Those are the two main issues I'm going to work on. But taking into account that Trini is leaving, I will work with whoever's in charge next year to keep the frequency and fun of activities up. Previous Next

Tristan Paulette ’27 < Back ’26 victorious at Founder’s Day Tristan Paulette ’27 On October 10, 2025, Mercersburg Academy held its second annual Founder’s Day, created as a way to commemorate the school’s founding as well as a time for students to enjoy a variety of activities, such as lip sync, tug of war, and water balloon toss. Andy Brown, Dean of Students for Community Life, stated, “Founder's Day has two parts: the morning meeting about the school’s history and the afternoon class competitions. The student government and class councils did a lot more of the planning this year, which made it feel more student-driven. We added trivia and smaller relays to make the day more inclusive and spontaneous so that everyone could participate in some way. I think it was a big success, more students got involved, and it was great seeing so much class pride and school spirit.” Brodie Dann ‘28 said, “I liked Founder's Day a lot this year. It was way better because we were on the turf, and it felt like more people could participate in the games. The relay race was probably the best part. Everyone was cheering, and it had great energy. I think the songs were all good too, and I was happy our grade got a fun one.” Dann also added that “there were a lot more games, and a lot more people could participate.” Similarly, Ben Pham ‘27 enjoyed the event: “I thought Founder's Day was fun, especially the tug of war — that was definitely the highlight for me. The shaved ice was also really good. Karin Sugiyama ‘27, Director of Student Activities for the Class of 2027, added her reflections. “I think Founder's Day was fun overall, but maybe we organized it too much — it lost a bit of the fondness and spontaneity. The water balloon activity wasn’t as engaging as the relays, which are fun to cheer for. We tried to make it inclusive by adding trivia for people who aren’t as athletic, but it still felt less hype compared to last year,” she said. Sophie Oh ‘26 agreed, “Honestly, the weather kind of ruined the vibe — it was cold, and I felt like a lot of people skipped or weren’t as into it. There just wasn’t as much school spirit this year, and it felt really short compared to before. Still, it was fun to watch and see the freshman class being so into it — that gave me hope that things might get more lively again. I just wish people got to pick their own songs for lip sync because then everyone would be more excited to participate.” Picking up on a larger pattern, Oh added, “There just wasn’t a lot of spirit, but maybe that’s been a trend in a lot of activities lately.” However, other students from her class found the event exciting. Anouk Wandeler ‘26 said, “I’m really happy we won — our class has been waiting for this since we came in second last year, so it felt great to finally do it.” She also considered her experience in the Class of 2026 lip sync group: “We weren’t feeling confident at first because of the song we got, but we pushed through and ended up having so much fun. It was cool to see everyone come together and actually enjoy performing. I liked that the songs were chosen randomly, but I do wish the selection had been more even. Ours felt a bit out of place compared to the others.” Many students disagreed with the Office of Student Life’s decision to randomize the song choices, which differed from the previous year, in which students had the opportunity to choose their own songs. Brown explained the reasoning for the change: “We did that to keep things spontaneous and fair, and so one class couldn’t spend all summer practicing a routine ahead of time. It pushed students to be more creative in the moment and to have fun with what they were given. The goal was to make Founder's Day less about competition and more about school spirit and collaboration.” The Class of 2026, in particular, was disappointed in its assigned song choice: Dance Monkey by Tones and I. Oh spoke for many of her classmates when she said, “Honestly, when I first heard the song our class got for lip sync, I was flabbergasted. I remember thinking, who even came up with this? Who listens to this song, and how is this supposed to get people excited? It sounded like something they’d play at Macy’s. But even though the choice was random and kind of weird, I think our class actually pulled it off really well. Still, I think it would’ve been way more fun if we got to choose our own songs — that way people could pick something they actually liked and be more creative and excited to perform.” Meanwhile, Wandeler offered a more nuanced take: “I actually liked that the songs were chosen randomly because it made things fair and more of a surprise. But I do think the song selection could’ve been more balanced — the other classes got really upbeat 2010s throwbacks, while ours was a slower 2022 song, so it didn’t feel totally even.” Members of other classes weighed in. Dann added, “I think they were all good songs, but I’m happy our grade got a good one.” School Archivist Doug Smith explained the importance of the event. “Founder's Day is a way to rekindle the spirit of what used to be called Field Day: an old tradition where the whole school competed together. It’s meant to bring back that school spirit and sense of community, just in a modernized form. When I presented, I wanted to show that our community is what truly builds us, not just one founder or one event. Understanding our history helps students see how the school has grown and evolved, not to stay stuck in the past but to appreciate the roots that shaped who we are,” he said. Previous Next