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Lisa Wei ‘26 < Back Day student ambassadors Lisa Wei ‘26 At Mercersburg Academy, Day Student Ambassadors play an important role in helping new and returning day students experience adjust and find opportunities for their interests on campus. “They really make an impact in our community in whatever way they can, whether it’s more inclusion, more spaces, or more opportunities and just to make sure that all the day students’ needs are met as well,” said Andy Brown, Assistant Dean of Students. “The Day Student Ambassadors are always present when I come in, even on weekends I see them, and they are always here for anyone who needs it,” Dormitory Dean of Tippetts Hall, Matt Jacobs said. Unlike the former Day Student Prefects, Day Student Ambassadors work more with student events and daytime activities to ensure that day students connect with the boarding elements of the community. “Day Student Ambassadors have the opportunity to host day student events and partner with the SAC. We are more focused on a smooth transition from Mercersburg to home life every day instead of making sure our ‘children’ follow rules and keep their spaces clean,” said Eliana Sandy ‘24. “Day Student Prefect was an effort to give day students the same opportunities as boarding prefects, but it didn’t work super well because it often required them to stay on campus later than usual. Ambassadors do most of their work during the day and have little to no responsibility in the dorm,” Ava Guzic ‘25 said. From now on, at the start of every school year Day Student Ambassadors will be on hand to help new students adjust to campus life: finding buildings, reading the schedule, learning Mercersburg terminology. “They were really helpful at the start of the year in getting everything ready, prepping the common areas and welcoming in the new day students,” said Sarah O’Leary, Dormitory Dean of Fowle Hall. The Day Student Ambassadors work hard to let day students know that they are an integral part of campus life, not a side thought. “As Day Student Ambassadors, we help by representing day students better and giving them access to more resources. Day students are often overlooked in scheduling as well, so we work to fix that,” Sarah Ali ‘25 said. “The Day Student Ambassador program gives day students a voice and provides an equivalent role to any day students who want to be Prefects,” added Guzic. “They help us keep our common room clean and give us helpful advice,” Madeline Stonebraker ‘27 said. So far, the Day Student Ambassador program has suggested numerous improvements to the day student experience. “We have been working on expanding virtual help sessions for day students who have to leave before help sessions start,” said Brown. “ We often struggle with things like schedules and resources, so making necessary changes in those areas helped improve our time at Mercersburg, ” Ali said. In the future, Mercersburg Academy hopes to add to the Day Student Ambassador program. “ I am excited about making a more comfortable environment for myself and other day students,” said Ali. “I hope they just keep building that foundation of leadership for the day students in our community,” added Brown. Previous Next

William Luo ’27 < Back Swim team makes a splash William Luo ’27 Nov 14, 2025 The Mercersburg Academy swim team impressed at its home invitational last weekend, logging strong results across multiple events and showing steady improvement early in the season. Head coach Matt Hurst said, “The team performed really well. They showed enthusiasm in training, and the coaches knew that they were going to show up in this meet.” Assistant coach Steve Fowler added, “We had some surprisingly good swims, which were uncommon this early in the year. And the events that we were comparatively off were executed really well.” The meet featured individual standouts as well as close training-partner battles that added to the excitement. “Matt Krause ’26 performed really well on the backstroke and did really well on the 200 breaststroke,” said Coach Fowler. “Teagan Mewett ’27 in her breaststroke events, too, especially at an early-November meet. Those two really stand out early in the year.” The day’s highlights came in the final event. “Jayden Kwon ’27 and Josh Lopez ’26 basically swam in sync for the entirety of the race in the 500 freestyle, which was the last event of the meet,” said Coach Matt. “They both achieved really good times, and it showed just how strong a team we are.” For many swimmers, the invitational was a chance to measure progress and build momentum heading into the heart of the season. “I think this meet shows how much we are improving throughout the season and how we can do in different events,” Kwon recalled. Lopez commented that the team’s success was the product of months of demanding work. “There are definitely hard training, hard lifts, and tough days,” he said. “But it is definitely rewarding overall because when tiredness strikes, you always have your teammates around you, so it makes up for the pain.” “There was fatigue, but the team also pushed on and finished the meet with amazing performances,” Coach Hurst noted. “This demonstrates that tiredness doesn’t always dictate the outcome of the practice or the meet, so I believe we are in a pretty good place.” Senior Tuana Özdemir ’26 added, “I was always afraid of any events that are 200 meters or above,” she said. “I got to conquer that over the season and was more confident in the meet as I achieved great times on those events.” The Mercersburg swim team graduated a large senior class last year, but the coaches see this season as an opportunity to rebuild depth and develop the next wave of contributors. As Hurst said, “It weakened some of our top-end events. But what we have is a building block and a good foundation. We have great depth this year, especially the younger swimmers, who have shown up for practices and had really good performances this past weekend.” Looking forward, the coaching staff emphasized building a lasting, athlete-driven team culture. “It’s really about creating an environment where everybody is a leader of themselves,” Fowler said. “It’s not just about the seniors. We want even the younger swimmers to be part of that. That kind of culture is what we want to build upon.” Previous Next

Sheily Ramirez ’28 < Back Heartfelt finish for the storm Sheily Ramirez ’28 Nov 14, 2025 Last Thursday, the varsity girls soccer team poured sweat, tears, collaboration, and hard work into their final Commonwealth Cup game against the Hill School under the lights. The girls were ready to leave it all on the field in their final game of the season. The game ended in a close 1–0 loss for Storm players. Alice Morgan ’26 said, “There was a lot of pressure because we had already lost against Hill this season, and we had worked hard to get to play them again, having to beat other teams to get there.” The matchup was intense from the start, but despite Hill’s early pressure, the Storm stayed strong, goalkeeper Annie Mohr ’26 keeping the team in the match with several key saves. “It felt good, even though the outcome wasn’t what we wanted,” Mohr said. Head coach Kristen Pixler added, “We played well against a very evenly matched team. We had an unfortunate bobble and miscommunication that led to Hill getting on the board.” Assistant coach Nabil Alami added, “I felt the girls gave everything on the pitch. They really went the extra mile. It was very close in the score; it could’ve gone either way.” Throughout the game, the team’s unity and effort stood out. “The team put a lot of heart and effort into this game; we never gave up or turned on each other,” said Lilly Killinger ’26. Even when they fell behind, the energy on the field and in the stands remained high. “The crowd was really energetic, which definitely gave us a lot of energy,” Mohr added. The team’s improvement shone in this performance. “At the beginning of the season, there was a lot more selfish play, but over time we’ve gotten a lot stronger,” said Grace Himes ’28. Pixler stated, “This group really understands the game. Their tactical skill and communication are the areas of biggest growth.” Still, the season did not remain free from challenges. “There were a lot of injuries this season, especially for our attacking players, but I think we did a good job compensating for that,” explained Emily Wallace ’29. Mohr said, “We were an underdog team for a lot of the season, so that was a challenge, but we’ve made a good record this year.” Despite the setbacks, the team’s chemistry only strengthened. Killinger said, “Favorite memory from this season was when last year we beat Lawrenceville 1–0. They said it was a fluke, and then this year we drove out to Lawrenceville and beat them again, two to one. It was really exciting to show that it wasn’t a fluke, that we really are a great team.” Coach Alami reflected on the team’s progress, saying, “From week one to last week, they’ve been tremendous. They’ve improved their transitions, passes, shots, corners, and free kicks.” Pixler credited the senior class for shaping the team. “They remember that we play the game of soccer and that no matter how badly you want to win, your integrity and quality of character come first,” she said. Although the game ended in a tight loss, it was a night to remember. As Morgan put it, “Everyone was in tears, even people I hadn’t seen cry. It was really emotional.” This game marked the end of a meaningful chapter for the team. Previous Next

Michael Zhang ’26 & Tristan Paulette ’27 < Back The hike to get your food Michael Zhang ’26 & Tristan Paulette ’27 Last week, Mercersburg Academy announced that all food deliveries must now be made to a centralized location outside the Edwards Room. The location was selected to limit traffic on campus and so that the address, “2 Rutledge Road,” will be impossible for incoming delivery drivers to miss. An additional Campus Safety Officer will be stationed on site to monitor the area. The move followed a series of events that raised safety concerns for the school community. Chief Financial and Operating Officer Rochelle Hargraves said, “[Several] incidents occurred. [In one of them,] a delivery driver insisted that a student get into his car to give directions. Additionally, we’ve had multiple instances in which food or grocery delivery drivers have entered the dormitories.” Associate Head of School Jen Craig said, “There was way more access and much less safety around different deliveries; [drivers] were driving too fast around dorms.” The location change will centralize deliveries and make enforcement of campus rules simpler and more effective. “[Those incidents] pose a safety risk to all students, and our primary goal is to ensure the safety of our community,” stated Hargraves. “By moving the food delivery location to the Edwards Room entrance, we are ensuring that delivery drivers do not enter our campus and aiming to reduce in-person interaction between the delivery driver and the student placing the order.” School leaders attributed the surge in delivery frequency to the limited on-campus dining options. “The fact that we don’t have a True Blue Café [most likely leads] to an [increase] in food deliveries at this moment,” said Craig. Naturally, students’ responses vary depending on their dorm’s distance from the delivery location. Main Hall prefect Eric Cittadine ’26 commented, “It’s really annoying having to walk that far, especially when it’s so cold. But I guess it isn’t too far, especially compared to some of the other dorms.” Swank Hall resident Paris Zhang ’27 said, “Honesty, it’s not a big hustle for me. I do see why they want to protect our safety, but I feel like there are better ways [to do so] than making people walk all the way to Keil.” “I think it’s inconvenient for people who live far away, like people in Tippetts. I know it’s temporary; hopefully it will change soon,” Matthew Orders ’27, a Tippetts Hall resident, noted. Swank Hall resident Renny Rana ’26 added, “My thing is that it’s kind of inconvenient when you’re just quickly studying, and then you have to go all the way to Keil [Hall], so I have to walk all the way outside my dorm just to go to the Edwards Room.” Rana continued, expanding on an experience in which she received a behavior notification for sending her food delivery to the wrong location: “I ordered Panera, and I forgot to switch my address. And then, [Campus Security] took a photo of me getting my food. Later, [Kristin] Ahlgren talked to me, and I got a behavior notice.” Although this solution is intended to be temporary, the school administration has yet to reach a consensus on a permanent solution. Craig discussed the long-term plan for food delivery: “We’ve begun to talk about it, but no, there are not any specific plans as of this moment.” Previous Next

Front Page News Nov 14, 2025 Bribed for breakfast Chris Carbone ’26 Read More Nov 14, 2025 The hike to get your food Michael Zhang ’26 & Tristan Paulette ’27 Read More Nov 7, 2025 Dorm, Sweet Dorm! Mingyu Lee ’28 Read More Oct 31, 2025 Living between the lines Bauhinia Chen ’26 & Tristan Paulette ’27 Read More Oct 17, 2025 ’26 victorious at Founder’s Day Tristan Paulette ’27 Read More Oct 10, 2025 Is this headline ChatGPTed? William Shen ’27 Read More Oct 3, 2025 A living tradition: Family Weekend Simon Brennan ’26 Read More Sep 26, 2025 Painting ’26 Simon Brennan ’26 Read More Sep 26, 2025 Mounds, Vegans, and Hancock Maddie Stonebreaker ’27 Read More Sep 19, 2025 A change in the system: Help Centers Tristen Paulette '27 and Michael Zhang '26 Read More Sep 12, 2025 Rooted in belonging By Tristan Paulette ‘27 and Michael Zhang ‘26 FRONT Page Co-Editors Read More Sep 12, 2025 Different hall, same food Ben Pham ‘27 Read More May 16, 2025 Devin wants your vote! Cole Piraino ’26 Read More May 16, 2025 VISAble tension Bauhinia Chen ’26 Editor-in-Chief Read More May 9, 2025 Seniors showcase passion and purpose Riley Choi '25 Read More Apr 25, 2025 Ex-Ed Day: learning through connection Maddie Mamoudis '27 Read More Apr 18, 2025 Frazier: a master of artistic justice Lusas Chen '27 Read More Apr 18, 2025 Buzzing with excitement: Del Toro returns Ben Pham '27 Read More Apr 4, 2025 7/11? More like 24/7 Audrey Hua '26 and Bauhinia Chen '26 Read More Apr 4, 2025 Our Students are (O)h (S)o (L)oyal Elizabeth Orders '25 Read More

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

Michael Zhang ‘26 < Back Golfers look ahead to the spring Michael Zhang ‘26 Nov 1, 2024 The Blue Storm golf team wrapped up its season earlier this week, one of the toughest in a while after “having lost so many key contributors from last year's squad,” according to Head Coach Doug Smith. Cam Geirasch ’26 and Jackson McLear ‘27 concurred. “Last year, we had two Division 1 commits. This year, we're kind of in a rebuilding stage,” said Geirasch. McLear added, “One of the main challenges we’ve faced this year is that our team is so young. A lot of the really good players from last year graduated.” Smith continued, “The season for the boys has been good but we haven't reached the goals we set out for ourselves as individuals yet.” Gierasch offered his perspective. “The season has been [filled with] lots of ups and downs. Golf is a really difficult game; it’s really important when you fall down to just get back up. We've had days where we've played pretty well, but there's also days when we're not playing very well,” he said, adding, “Also, the mental aspect of golf is really difficult… [but] we’ve always gone into matches with positive attitudes.” Stewart Allan '27 shared his teammates’ optimism: “The season has been fairly good. We’ve had some pretty good days of practice and some good tournaments, too.” One aspect of the team that everyone agreed upon was the positive vibes. Smith smiled, “The culture is very strong…. We have a solid team chemistry.” Again, Gierasch and McLean were in accordance. “We’ve gotten to build a lot of team chemistry. And overall, it’s been a fun season,” said Geirasch . McLear added, “Most importantly, each team member really got to know the others better.” On Monday, the Blue Storm boys golf team traveled to Radley Run Golf Course for the Pennsylvania independent schools championship tournament. Gierasch explained his practice regimen leading up to the tourney: “The PAISAA tournament is a season-long process. For me, I've been preparing since the beginning of summer for this; I focused on range work and taking different lessons with coaches.” “Most of our training for the state tournament was very personalized and individualized. We all worked on the shots that needed the most work on, especially on Sunday. For example, the [players] who needed the most work on putting focused on their putting,” elaborated Allan. While the results weren’t as the team had hoped, the team feels they can build on their performance. McLear said, “Golf is a tough sport. Even though we didn’t perform our best on Monday, we gave it our all and tried our best.” Looking ahead to the spring season and to next fall, Smith said, “Our goals for the season are to simply improve and grow our games. We are very young and are in the process of laying our foundation for the [future]. We know what we can do and we are all committed to achieving the best we can.” Smith elaborated on the challenges that face Blue Storm golfers: “This is simply the reality of the sport of golf, unless you have a course on campus you have to drive there. In fact it gives us time to talk and come closer as a team,” adding, “We run a very healthy program. Once we get our simulators into a permanent and accessible home we will be all set.” Senior Ryan Kothari ’26 summed things up: “Obviously as a new team, being in those building phases, we're figuring things out, but it's definitely been an uphill battle. We're doing a good job of making sure everybody's being consistent in our games. But it's been good. I'm excited to see spring term golf.” Previous Next

Shubhlean Kaur '27 < Back Arts Showcase: diversity in creativity Shubhlean Kaur '27 Oct 4, 2024 This past Saturday, Mercersburg Academy’s Fall Arts Showcase served as the year’s artistic kickoff during Family And Alumni Weekend. The night began with a preview of Stony Batter’s production of Puffs , an entertaining twist on the plot of Harry Potter from the perspective of the Hufflepuff house. The scene introduced many new student actors as well as veterans. Ary Small ‘27, the narrator of the show, said, “I enjoyed being able to perform for the parents because some might not be able to come to other performances.” The full production of Puffs will go up on October 25 and 26 at 7:30 p.m. in the Simon Theatre. Following the thespians, Chorale showcased their voices and talent with two pieces. New director, Ben Demerath said, “It was a great experience, the kids did great. It’s really amazing to see how much they can do in just a few weeks.” The first piece was “Siyahamb,” a South African folk song, and the second song, “No Shortcuts” by Heather Maloney, involved the audience laying down the rhythm for the singers. Members of Advanced Students Musical Theater then took the stage to perform an act from the musical Mamma Mia , involving acting, singing, and dancing. The audience received the number “Voulez-Vous” energetically. Next came the dance pieces. Caroline Hobbs ‘26 and Elizabeth Orders ‘25 presented their duet, which they choreographed to “Your Needs, My Needs” by Noah Kahan. Members of the dance PGA danced to “Bette Davis Eyes” by BOY. The Fall Dance Concert will feature these pieces and the entire show on November 9 at 7:30 pm in the Simon Theatre. To close off the night, the Jazz Band performed “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” Soloists Zara Kimotho ‘28 and Ethan Stiffler ‘25, displayed their skills along with those of the entire band. Tristan Paulette ‘27 noted, “There was definitely energy from the audience and the players, which I think really brought out the best of the players, especially in their dynamics and how they worked together. I just thought it was really good.” The galleries of the Burgin Center for the Arts featured works from a range of visual art mediums: painting, ceramics, photography, and drawing. Art teacher Kristen Pixler said, “It’s really early in this work, and I’m always so incredibly amazed at what they can pull off in less than a month.” The entire Fall Arts Showcase was an important way for parents to see their children's artistic abilities on the stage and around the Burgin. With the Fall Arts Showcase completed, the performing arts groups are now preparing for their next performances. Paulette explained, “I’m really looking forward to performing on and off campus this year and I think it’s awesome what the arts groups have been able to make and do this year.” Previous Next

Lisa Wei '26 < Back Geekin' at speakin' Lisa Wei '26 May 5, 2023 On Saturday, April 29, the Mercersburg community gathered in the Edwards Room for the Spring Spoken Word event, a Mercersburg tradition where students, faculty, and even alumni come together to hear performances of poetry, song, and verse. Michele Poacelli, English Department Head, Writing Center Director, and one of the organizers of the evening, said, “Spoken Word is a great opportunity for members of our community to come out and express themselves through storytelling, poetry, and music.” She really enjoys how the Mercersburg community provides opportunities for these acts of expression, whether they be through rehearsed performances, such as the Spring Band Concert or a relaxed show like Spoken Word. “Seeing students coming out to showcase their raw talent is such an amazing act …especially since Spoken Word is an unrehearsed show, we get to see more of the authentic side of the performance,” Poacelli said. Poacelli described the considerations of the planning. “The weather wasn’t really great this Saturday, so we planned to have Spoken Word take place indoors. However, the atmosphere and the vibe was still great. It’s also really exciting because Luther Kissam, a Mercersburg alumnus, came to host and read some of his own poems for Spoken Word,” she said. Luther Kissam V, a poet and writer, graduated from Mercersburg Academy in 2018. “I thought that there were so many unbelievable performances, and it was really rewarding seeing all the talent at Mercersburg this Spoken Word,” said Kissam. Along with hosting the event, Kissam performed two original poems, one of which came from his book, Have I Told You About My Superpowers , and the other one he wrote in his senior year about his high school girlfriend. “When Ms. Poacelli asked me if I’d read, I agreed right away. I also wanted to make people feel comfortable up here, seeing ‘Oh, he’s doing it, so I’ll do it too.’” Kissam said. There were many performances that night, ranging from exciting poems to heartfelt songs. “I wanted other people to see what I create,” said Avallina Orfield ‘25, who sang her original song, “Untitled.” Fynn Poulsen ‘26, shared his poetry. “I really enjoy sharing the poetry that I write, and Spoken Word is a great opportunity to do that,” he said. The crowd was thrilled when Mikahel Martínez-Archo ‘25 performed an original song. “I was really nervous because it was the first time I sang to a microphone. However, I felt more confident when all my friends shouted my name and reassured me in the beginning,” he says. Adam Mardini ‘24 dedicated his guitar piece to his friend who was unable to join him that night due. “I have wanted to play the song ‘Comfortably Numb’ by Pink Floyd for a really long time. This was the perfect opportunity for me to share my music,” he says. English teacher Ryan Tyree and Coco Zhai ‘24 sang a duet on “I’m with You” by Avril Lavigne. “It was a great opportunity to collaborate with students and continue playing music,” said Tyree. The audience really enjoyed the Spoken Word program. “It’s probably one of my favorite events that Mercersburg does. I just love seeing my classmates showcase their talents in writing, singing, and playing instruments,” says Greta Lawler ‘23. “I came over because I love to support my amazing friends, who are all super talented,” said William Tutt ‘25. Previous Next

The Blue Storm football team is off to a great start. So far they are 3-1 on the season, their only loss coming against Maryland School for the Deaf in an away game. Two weeks ago, during Family < Back MacInnis Haris Yahaya '24 Mar 20, 2023 The Blue Storm football team is off to a great start. So far they are 3-1 on the season, their only loss coming against Maryland School for the Deaf in an away game. Two weeks ago, during Family and Alumni Weekend, the Storm played their eight-man rival Perkiomen School, winning 38-18. A stand out from that game was senior running back Ryan Maclnnis ’23, who rushed for five touchdowns and four two-point conversions scoring a career high 36 points and setting a school record. Head Coach Andy Brown commented on Maclnnis’ game, saying, “One of the reasons someone can have such a standout or record-breaking game like Ryan is because everyone else shows up and does their job. The linemen do their job, the quarterback makes the right reads, the defense stops the other team and gets the ball back to the offense. While one may get the accolades of a touchdown and stuff, it’s definitely a team effort.” The Mercersburg News sat down with MacInnis to ask him about the team and his football career. When did you start playing football? I started playing my sixth grade year going into middle school. I started out playing the safety and running back positions. What enabled you to play so well in the game against Perk? Honestly I don’t really know. My line just played really well. I had blocks and got to see the whole field. All I had to do was run. They opened everything up for me. What was your mindset going into that game? Honestly I was thinking about all the time I missed last year due to injury. I felt like I had a little bit of something to prove, and I felt like I kinda knew the team needed me to play my role to the best of my ability. So I came in with a lot of confidence, so honestly while playing the game, I wasn’t really thinking; I was just having fun. What's your favorite part of football? I think the bus rides back from a win, as well as the bus rides to a game, are so much fun. Everyone kinda just messing around, loud music, especially on the long road trips when it’s dark and everyone’s awake. Just good energy. Where does your passion for the game come from? I always grew up loving sports, always watched football and baseball with my dad, and as I got older, my love only grew. The teammates and coaches I've met have helped me to keep pushing that passion, kept inspiring me and motivating me to keep playing and always do better. Who is your role model? I would say my dad. Me and him are very alike. He kinda tries to push me to do the right thing and tries to make me think things through before I do them. He inspires me to be more like him, and not be as stubborn and as stupid as I can be sometimes. What are some areas of your game that you can improve on? For me a big thing I need to work on is, while playing a good team, just kind of hold back and not try to take over the game and trust that everyone will do their job. I missed making some short plays by jumping the gun when trusting my blocks, that just comes with some film study. Are you looking foward to anything coming up in the season?: I enjoy every practice, I enjoy every game. Kind of don’t want the season to end but I look forward to every day, the coaches and players we have. It’s the highlight of my day every day. The Blue Storm is currently in a bye week and plays its next game away at Delaware County Christian School and ends its regular season at home against Valley Forge Military Academy. The Storm is looking to keep its momentum going into the Keystone Football League playoffs starting on November 5. Previous Next

Avery Liu '25 < Back Addie's album: finding her fire Avery Liu '25 Oct 4, 2024 Addie Heldman ‘25 recently dropped her long-anticipated EP (extended play). The drop included 4 original songs with full lyrics. Heldman’s style of music blends pop and folk to create a unique sound. She counts among her influences Lorde and Billie Eilish as well as music from her childhood. She said, “I draw a lot of inspiration from the music I listened to growing up, like Fleetwood Mac, The Grateful Dead, Rolling Stones. A lot of Bluegrass, because my dad is super into that. So that sort of Bluegrass feel with my teenage girl pop self.” Heldman described her creative process. “Sometimes I write songs about a feeling. Sometimes I write songs about an experience. Other times it's more like a vision I have, like an image that I can see in my head,” she said, “or it’s dreams, like I’ll wake up in the middle of the night all the time with a song lyric in my head.” Only recently has she moved to make her music public. “I decided I wanted to take it to the next level because my songs were getting more serious.” Heldman’s musical family members helped her take her compositions to a more professional place. “I’m really lucky to have such great support, like my sisters,” she said. “So luckily, I have a pretty creative family so my sister, who’s a director, helped me figure out how to find a producer, and we went from there.” She also described how they assisted her during her endeavor. “Both my sisters are really talented musicians, my sister Lillith really helped me with the harmonies. She didn’t sing in any of the songs with me but she would stand in the booth pointing up or down for how high or low I should go which was super helpful.” The grueling process of recording the songs involved dedication and hard work. “It was tough,” Heldman said, “It was a four-day recording process, at least 10 hours a day in the studio, singing, and singing, and singing, and playing guitar until my fingers were almost bleeding.” The physical process wasn’t the only hurdle Heldman encountered. “I mean being vulnerable with people is tough.” She said, “I don’t want people to be, you know, worried about me if they perceive a song in a way that makes me seem a certain way. But I think being vulnerable is good and bad for me.” To those listening to her songs, Heldman has a message. “I want my listeners to know that it's for them,” Heldman said. “It’s for people to feel seen because we're living in sort of a tough time right now where the world is feeling pretty complicated. I want to express my unique experiences and then have people feel seen and validated and that's my goal for my songs.” Emphasizing the support system around her, Heldman said, “My parents have always been big inspirations for me, and given me such good [a] good taste in music, and my friends for streaming the songs over and over again. So that’s great and I’m lucky to have them all.” Heldman’s full songs are currently released on Bandcamp and she plans to release the songs in the near future once a week on other streaming platforms including Spotify. Previous Next

Ben Pham ‘27 < Back “Thirds” time’s the charm Ben Pham ‘27 Oct 11, 2024 Last Saturday, the Blue Storm girls varsity tennis team played against The Lawrenceville School, finishing the day with a 0-7 loss. Despite the defeat, head coach Mike Sweeney remained optimistic, noting, “Our team is doing pretty well. In terms of wins and losses, we’re now 4-3; we’ve picked up two wins in MAPL, which is really good. We’ve beaten Pennington and Hun with a close loss to Blair. In terms of Lawrenceville, their tennis team is really good, so we didn’t have much of a shot yesterday since they’re battling for the MAPL Championships.” This season, the team has expanded to 47 players, a number that can be challenging to manage, but, as Sweeney said, “Our captains, Hisano Enomoto ’25, Mogere Nyakoe ’25, and Cate Doughterty ’25, are doing a good job of leading the kids and practice has been really productive.” He added, “Also, we have five boys that are helping us as managers this season and those guys really do fill a lot of needs. If we need to have someone work with somebody, we can have the boys come and help, or they’ll help us run drills. Having something like that works really well.” Beyond the varsity squad, the tennis program has added a thirds team and two new assistant coaches. The JV team is now headed by Coach Ken Craig, whose creativity and enthusiasm keep practices upbeat. Reese Alter ’26 remarked, “He’s introduced a lot of fun games for us, which I think is fun, and he focuses a lot on doubles and teaching us how to play and teaching us how to communicate with each other.” In an interesting anecdote, Shelly Shen ’26 said, “Since Mr. Craig had a free block before practice, he came [to practice] with a lot of ideas that he wanted to experiment with. This shows us that he loves running the practice with us, and even in our games, Mr. Craig cares a lot about our overall performance. He often goes around making sure everyone gets feedback and encouragement; in general, he’s contributed a lot to the unity of the team.” The introduction of the thirds team offers a more accessible entry point for beginners. Coach Kathleen Su, who has coached boys JV tennis for three years, now leads the team. Like the other coaches, Su also believes splitting the team has strengthened the program. Su explained, “When you pit beginners up against varsity players, there's a certain factor of intimidation from the varsity players. Having three teams allows you to play against someone at your skill level, which allows more opportunities for growth as well as having fun.” Tiana Lee ’25 agreed, noting, “I think she definitely tried to make it more recreational so that players can fully enjoy the process and the sport in general.” The new thirds team allows inexperienced players more opportunities for growth at a slower pace in a more personalized program. Ellie Yang ’27 said, “Coach Su was really kind, she didn’t judge a lot of us beginners. I wasn’t really good when I started so she gave me a personalized training plan, which included drills that I should work on and how to adapt to tennis based on my previous experiences with other sports. I feel like I improved a lot in just a month!” Looking ahead, Coach Su’s goals are simple but impactful. She said, “Ultimately, the goal is to have fun and improve. I want these girls to keep playing and maybe even make it to the varsity team someday.” Next week, the varsity team faces Georgetown Day on Wednesday, followed by a critical match against MAPL-rival Hill. Coach Sweeney is focused on the weekend’s challenge, and he has high hopes for the team. "We have Hill on Saturday, which I feel is another opportunity to pick up a third MAPL victory that we’re really aiming for this weekend,” Sweeney said. Previous Next