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Audrey Hua '26 < Back Community Chorus: Mozart's Requiem Audrey Hua '26 Apr 18, 2025 ` On the weekend of April 12 and 13, The Mercersburg Area Community Chorus and Orchestra performed at the Irvine Memorial Chapel at Mercersburg Academy. The spirit—or perhaps, the departed soul—of the concert was Mozart's emotional masterpiece, “Requiem.” “We’ve done the ‘Requiem’ before,” Richard Rotz, former Chorale Director at the academy and current Director of the Community Chorus, said. “This is our third time.” The Requiem is split up into eight sections, including the “Introitus,” “Kyrie,” “Sequenz” (which includes several movements such as the powerful “Dies Irae” and the fan-favorite “Lacrymosa”), “Offertorium,” “Sanctus,” “Benedictus,” “Agnus Dei,” and “Communio.” Conductor Mark Hartman said, “My vision was to try to make the piece really come alive. I wanted this Mozart to really have the detail that comes from paying attention to phrasing, to the emphasis on different notes.” He further added, “I didn't want it to be just perfect; I wanted it to have some kind of emotional effect. The “Dies Irae” is often done slower than I wanted to do it; I like to just punch that one out.” The featured soloists were Kara Goodrich, a soprano with gentle trills; Allison Deady, a confident and resonant mezzo-soprano; Luke Norvell, a clear tenor; and Brandon Bell, whose baritone timbre mirrored rumbling thunder. Founding director Rotz explained the thrill he gets while conducting: “It's how I always feel when I'm doing music – I love it.” He described the concert in three words: “Beauty. Shape. Form.” “This is one of my favorite things, coming twice a year to play in the orchestra,” Elizabeth George, a flutist, said. “I've done it for 40 years now. It's something else to sit here among all this beautiful music and look at the chapel. It's some of the times that almost brought tears to my eyes.” During the offertory and intermission, Jim Brinson — Academy organist and carillonneur — performed J.S. Bach's “Cantata 29 Sinfonia” on the organ. Brinson said. “It is always a privilege to share music with others.” After the intermission, the Chorus performed Ola Gjeilo’s commissioned work, "No Coward Soul Is Mine." The concert ended with Alice Parker’s arrangement of "Hark, I Hear the Harp’s Eternal," Mack Wilberg’s arrangement of "Deep River," Aaron Copland’s "Simple Gifts" from Appalachian Spring Suite, and Glenn Rudolph’s "The Dream Isaiah Saw." Donna Metcalfe, an alto, said, “It's so hard not to cry during ‘The Dream Isaiah Saw’ and I'm not a pretty crier.” Marilyn Houck, another alto, said, “I hope we inspire them [the audience] in some way with the music that we sing and the words of the music, especially ‘No Coward Soul Is Mine’ and ‘The Dream Isaiah Saw’”. Previous Next

Lucas Chen '27 < Back New family (part 2) Lucas Chen '27 Sep 27, 2024 With the sad departure of many faculty members last year, the Mercersburg Academy community welcomed a number of new faculty members, each aiming to make the school a better place. Chelsea Begg, the new English teacher, joined the school from overseas. “ Before Mercersburg, I was living in Dublin, Ireland. I was studying and received my MPhil in Modern & Contemporary Literature at Trinity College Dublin.” She also holds two bachelor's degrees, English and Writing & Rhetoric, from Hobart and William Smith Colleges. “ I teach tenth grade English and AS Literature and Composition. I am most excited about being part of the Mercersburg community! Everyone is so friendly and welcoming. It's been such a wonderful experience so far!” Interestingly, Begg also ventured to Thailand and Cambodia to help develop school education programs before teaching in the States. Christopher Bright, a native of Philadelphia and a new science department faculty member, came from Virginia Episcopal School in Lynchburg, VA, where he also taught science. Bright currently teaches freshman biology and honors chemistry. “ What am I most excited about? Learning in a new community. Learning about the people, my colleagues, the surrounding areas, and finding ways to contribute to a great school, " said Bright. Bright not only holds a Master of Arts in Teaching degree from Brown University but is also an avid triathlete and trail runner who has represented Team USA for the Triathlon World Championships in Denmark in 2001 and New Zealand in 2012. Tara Collier, the new mathematics fellow, was a full-time swim coach prior to coming to Mercersburg. "I currently teach two sections of statistics, and I am one of the assistant swim coaches," Collier said. In addition, Collier is most excited about seeing students' growth inside and outside the classroom and continuing to live inside a strong community filled with welcoming people. Andrea Dumont, the Director of Student Activities and a language teacher, has brought her experiences teaching various subjects in the U.S., Guatemala, and Ecuador to the Academy. She received her bachelor's degree in Spanish from Elon University and her master's degree in National and Transitional Studies: Literature, Culture, and Language from the University of Münster in Germany. Dumont currently teaches Spanish II Honors, helps with student activity interns, serves dorm duty in Swank and an advisory group. "I am most excited about being a part of the community and after four years in Florida, I am excited for four different seasons again!" Previous Previous Next Next

The changes in school policies were an attempt made for the best interest of the students. Assistant dean of students Coleman Weibley said, “The idea [of the new policies] is working with students to find a common ground... < Back New school policies The changes in school policies were an attempt made for the best interest of the students. Assistant dean of students Coleman Weibley said, “The idea [of the new policies] is working with students to find a common ground of what’s expected and how we enforce it and try to make it fair for the students.” The dress code is a notable policy that was changed. The new dress code policy states covering from armpits to mid-thighs is only in semi-form and standard dress, and no longer pertains to casual. “The big thing that students felt was that the school shouldn't determine what they wear in their free time,” said Weibley. There was also another major update in the dorm visitation policy. Under this new policy, eleventh and twelfth-grade students are allowed to close their doors to brick-length after the fall term. It also outlined expectations for visitations from same-gendered dorms which is that students must have a host regardless of one’s gender, identity, or the gender assignment of the dorm. According to Weibley, the need for change was recognized by the student-faculty committee after learning from other schools. This new policy aims to have a clear understanding for both faculties and students while including key variables such as equity and gender-neutrality. However, Weibley, along with others in charge of rule changes, acknowledged that no policies will be perfect and satisfy everyone –– the discussion around the visitation policy is rather difficult as Mercersburg has a largely binary dorm system. The third and final change was the behavioral feedback system. The previous behavioral system was established two years ago, when there were only term-long classes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The policy allowed for points to be reset each term. Even though term classes were eventually eliminated, the point carry over policy stayed the same. Slight changes were made to meet the needs of the school and to hold students accountable. This year, class cuts and other behaviors do not reset every term, but the student count record resets every term. Weibley states his hoped outcome from the new policy:, “...hopefully [it] holds students to a higher standard of making sure they are where they need to be and also holds the students who try to gain the system a little more accountable in that sense.” The student's voices were heavily considered in changing school policies such as dress code. Student-faculty committee member Nora Smith ‘24 shared how proud she is of the new policy, “I’m really happy that our work paid off and I think the changes made such as crop tops during casual and the dress code being much clearer now are very positive.” Returning student Clare Ip ‘23 expressed her opinion on the new dress code and the old policy, she said, “The new dress code allows people to be more comfortable and actually wear the clothes they brought here. Last year, I wasn’t fully aware of the dress code policy so sometimes I wouldn’t know if what I’m wearing is allowed.” Main prefect Matt Wang ‘23 offered his perspective of the visitation policy as a student leader, “The previous policy was that if someone comes to your dorm to visit and then if he left and there was money loss, then the pri..me suspect is the person from the other dorm. But the new policy needs the visitors to stick and stay with their hosts, then this visitor will not be as suspected as much.” However, the new policies do not agree with everyone. Paloma Casariego ‘24, a Fowle Hall prefect, agreed with Wang but gave some insight on how she feels as a student and a friend, “I know that this rule was implemented to prevent theft but I don’t like it as a prefect because I have the disadvantage that I can’t go to my friend's dorm and that makes me feel more excluded since I live in Fowle.” Samuel Zhao ‘24 notes that the visitation policy is quite inconvenient, he said, “I live in Main and I want to visit my friends in Tippetts, but I always end up having to wait in front of the door standing awkwardly, waiting for my friend (host) to open the door which takes a lot of time and bothers me sometimes.” Previous Next

Adwoa Sankah ‘26 < Back A play at home plate Adwoa Sankah ‘26 Apr 11, 2024 Last Friday and Saturday, the Blue Storm’s baseball team took part in Mercersburg Academy’s Reisner-Gift Invitational Tournament in which four teams competed in a round-robin style event. This annual event honors long-time Mercersburg coaches Karl Reisner and Brent Gift. The team dropped its first and second; they were leading when the final game was cancelled due to inclement weather. In anticipation of the historic tournament, the team trained very hard. "To prepare for the tournament, the team did a lot of infield [and] outfield drills and some bunt coverage. With that, we have also done a lot of batting practice," said Tyson Brown ’26. Assistant coach Matt Jacobs added, “The team is preparing for [the game against] Blair by just competing in all the drills in practice, as well as trying to get each other better.” Entering the tournament, the team was filled with excitement. Thomas Marchesi ’24 stated, “We started slow but got back into the groove. We are really looking forward to this weekend’s double-header against Blair and the upcoming games we have.” Additionally, the team brought a strong team spirit. Samuel Menendez ‘24 said, “We have a good connection with each other, especially as we come [back] from Florida. I would say that as the season goes on, we will build a better chemistry and hopefully play better together.” Despite a third-place finish, Mercersburg saw many of its own athletes give outstanding performances. Noteworthy highlights include Marchesi's impressive pitching and Hayden Shirk's ’24 towering home run. Regardless of the challenges faced so far this season, the team has a shared dedication towards improvement. “The biggest thing we can improve on is [our] approaches to [the] plate. Coach [Josh] Edgin [’06] has been stressing that we need to improve our approaches to plate, and that will bring us more wins.” Looking ahead, the team expressed their collective aspiration to grow closer as a group and improve their performance for the remainder of the season and future seasons. “I think we’re starting to come around. We’re playing good defense, and pitches have been great. We just need more offense in the game,” mentioned Thomas Davenport ‘24. Edgin also commended the baseball team's diverse talent, "We have a great group of guys ranging from freshmen [and all] the way up to collegiate-level players. We are just beginning to mesh as a team." Despite the results of the tournament, Edgin believes that the main goal of the season is to strive for continual improvement. As the Blue Storm’s baseball team looks ahead to next week, where they will play in a double header against Blair Academy, their strong determination and unity will be key in facing a strong opponent. 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

Rhiannon Myhre ‘25 < Back A timeless shopping experience Rhiannon Myhre ‘25 Jan 26, 2024 Most students are familiar with the big names in town spots: McDonald's, Subway, and Rutters. However, Mercersburg is also home to many fantastic, community-fostering local businesses. Some have been around for generations, and others are just getting their start. These businesses are essential to the community, aid the local economy, and promote events like Town Fest and Springfest, and all play a vital role in the friendly and welcoming culture of the town. However, this is only possible with the efforts of people like Renee Kelly, Corbin Kelly's ‘24 mom. Kelly recently opened an antique shop in the heart of town featuring a unique, diverse catalog of pre-Civil War items. The store is called Hour and Glass, located at 19 North Main Street. Kelly stated, "Following our passions led us to open our business. Combined with our dreams, probably the most significant reason is we love Mercersburg and we wanted to make a contribution in hopes of boosting the downtown. I'm kind of a daydreamer and dreamt of eventually becoming a hip little spot to find vintage swag." Kelly doesn't run her business by herself; with the help and support of her husband, Will LaFond, it has been a team effort. "My husband would tell you he enjoys finding, fixing, and sharing interesting items. His background is rooted in early American history, antiques, and architecture. He absolutely loves teaching people something new any time you meet him." If you are interested in a shop marked by an eclectic aesthetic and charm, featuring collectibles from antique clocks to custom stained glass, this is your go-to store. Kelly has many hopes for the store and the items she hopes to sell shortly. "There's lots of people who are wanting to make downtown even more fun and inviting. It would be great to hear what's sought after. Like, would somebody please sell boba tea!?!" Next time you go out for a McDonald's or Rutters run, stop by Hour and Glass on your way and check out the amazing work that Kelly and her family are doing. Previous Previous Next Next

< Back AI takes the wheel January 17, 2025 at 5:00:00 PM Mingyu Lee '28 Have you ever seen a self-driving car? Would you trust one to drive you through a busy city? As AI rapidly advances, self-driving cars have improved in tandem. Whether you’ve been inside such a car or simply observed one at a distance, it is impressive to imagine that cars can drive themselves. Currently, self-driving systems are primarily used to assist drivers. However, in less than 30 years, I believe we will be able to take our hands off the steering wheel entirely. In the future, everyone may have their own personal car driver. Recently, new cars often include self-driving systems. Most of these are level-one vehicles and do not demonstrate the full self-driving capabilities we might imagine. A level-one autonomous driving system serves only as an assistant. However, level-two vehicles, such as Tesla’s Autopilot system and Ford’s BlueCruise, allow hands-free driving on highways while still requiring drivers to monitor the road. These systems include features like cruise control and self-parking, which provide convenience to drivers. Hands-free driving reduces stress and enables longer driving durations. While not yet fully autonomous, these systems offer significant benefits. In addition, Mercedes has introduced level-three vehicles. The key difference between level-three and level-two systems is that level-three vehicles are categorized as “eyes off, hands off.” Drivers are not required to monitor the road or keep their hands on the steering wheel. Although currently restricted to specific areas, level-three vehicles provide unparalleled freedom of movement while driving. Self-driving technology has advanced significantly in less than thirty years, and its development is progressing at an extraordinary pace. I believe the global adoption of level-three cars, as well as the creation of level-four and beyond is not far off. The widespread adoption of self-driving vehicles will take time, and public bias and distrust of AI could hinder further commercialization. Nonetheless, many governments have begun implementing self-driving public transportation. Companies are also leveraging self-driving technology for efficiency and cost savings, such as using autonomous drones for deliveries. The development of self-driving vehicles represents a major innovation in the automobile market, offering substantial benefits for drivers. While there are challenges, most disadvantages will diminish as technology continues to improve. With consistent advancements and investments, I believe we will soon witness fully autonomous cars becoming ubiquitously present. Previous Next

Gigi Devlin '24 < Back Colleges flock to the 'burg Gigi Devlin '24 Oct 14, 2022 Fall is the season of college visits. However, due to Mercersburg’s location, many colleges are faraway and difficult to travel to. While sometimes it is possible for students to visit schools during breaks and long weekends, it is not always a realistic option. For students looking outside of this region, it would be quite difficult to fly all the way to California over a long weekend just to see a school. Because of this, throughout the fall the college counseling department is organizing college admission officers’ visits to campus in order to make looking into colleges more accessible. Mike Conklin, Director of College Counseling, said, “In a boarding school environment where students have fewer opportunities to visit the colleges they are most interested in, these visits can be a valuable opportunity to gather important information.” The opportunity is not only useful to learn more about the colleges, but also for the colleges to learn more about Mercersburg. Conklin believes that such visits allow Mercersburg to “demonstrate an interest in the college and meet the individual who is likely to read applications submitted by students from Mercersburg Academy. We also hope the admission representative has an opportunity to learn about our distinct programs—like MAPS and Springboard—so they have the necessary context when reviewing our students' applications.” College admissions officers feel the same way about the opportunity. “What I love most about visiting is really getting to know where students are coming from. That’s why we visit - to be able to see your school, see your community, see your resources. We can imagine it from what you write but nothing will ever beat seeing the real thing,” says Paola Franco, Pomona college admissions officer. One of the college visits this year from Trinity University in Texas was specifically designed to help international students with their college process. Lewis Pieyre ‘23 from Switzerland said, “I gained a lot of insight concerning the thoughts of different colleges concerning international students. It really helped because I had the opportunity to ask some questions concerning the early decision process and its implications.” Jasmine Zhu ‘23 was grateful for the efforts of the college counseling office: “I do appreciate very much that our college counselors at Mercersburg are making all the efforts to make as many in-person college visits as possible for us!” The visits are intended specifically for the needs of the senior class, “Many of our students are well informed by the fall term of the senior year, so we hope the information provided will focus most of all on these students' academic, co-curricular, and extracurricular interests, rather than serve as an introduction to the college or university,” says Conklin. This is a wonderful, unique opportunity being granted to students. “My biggest advice is to ask the questions that matter to you, this is the time to ask where we encourage students to be a bit selfish. It is about you, it is about your goals, your education. There are no silly questions, if it’s important to you, it matters,” Conklin advises. Previous Previous Next Next

Simon Brennan ’26 < Back A living tradition: Family Weekend Simon Brennan ’26 Mercersburg Academy's campus welcomed families and alumni last weekend. They shared cherished traditions, attended classes, and celebrated the community that defines the school. From Step Songs echoing off the mountains to the glow of the bonfire on Tippetts Beach, the weekend offered students a chance to share their Mercersburg experience with those who matter most. Family and Alumni Weekend are deeply rooted in Mercersburg history, serving a vital purpose beyond simple visitation. "They are particularly important traditions at schools that are predominately boarding, as they create the opportunity to build more community among parents, allow families to experience a taste of their children's lives at school, and, along with our alumni, celebrate traditions and attend athletic or performing arts events to cheer on our students," explained Quentin McDowell. He noted that throughout the weekend, the school also offered programming for college counseling, student life, and other key areas. Because the weekend has been running smoothly in recent years, McDowell said there were no major changes this fall. For students, the weekend offered a break from routine and an opportunity to showcase their daily lives. "I definitely look forward to Family and Alumni Weekend. I like the break from our usual routine, and I love how the campus feels extra lively and connected as a community," said Kiran Innis '27. Revant Jear '28 echoed this sentiment, noting the excitement of having parents on campus and the chance for them to meet his friends and witness everyday student life. Jack Pollinger '26 described it as "one of the best events of the year," explaining that the weekend embodies Mercersburg's motto "Define yourself here." For Pollinger, the weekend held personal significance as the chance to share his experience with his younger brother, who is not at Mercersburg. "Whether it is going out to dinner with your parents and friends, competing on such a large stage in front of a large crowd, or losing your voice during step songs while they all watch, I think it is a weekend that shows what Mercersburg and its motto are all about," he said. The weekend's signature event, Step Songs, gathered the community in a display of school spirit and tradition. Band director Shami Beni explained the careful preparation that goes into the musical for the weekend. "At the first band practice of the year, we played through each Step Song to introduce them, then broke things down by individual pieces, starting with M-E-R, followed by Old Mercersburg, and finally the Alma Mater," Beni said. He worked separately with percussionists to fix the cadence, ensuring everyone felt confident with their parts, including veterans with new parts this year. Beni views Step Songs as more than just a musical performance. "Honestly, I see it as the public school's version of a pep rally, where students and faculty come together to build excitement for upcoming games and welcome families," he said. "It plays an important role in showcasing school spirit and identity, not only for the students but also for families and alumni." The bonfire on Friday night provided another memorable opportunity, though the logistics behind the tradition required a lot of preparation. Dean of Students Andy Brown explained that the grounds team saves materials throughout the summer and fall, building the fire structure on Wednesday or Thursday before the event. "On Friday, either students or myself will go out and start putting up newspaper and other stuff that will light easily to aid in lighting the fire," Brown said. When he is notified that students are on their way with torches, he's already at Tippetts Beach. The local fire department stood by during the event, if the fire was difficult to start, Director of Technology John Chepren would arrive with a blowtorch to help. For students, the bonfire photos became a chaotic but memorable part of the experience. Noah Park '29 noted the challenge of getting big group photos but said it "truly adds to the experience." While Park mentioned that closing campus entrances caused his DoorDash driver some trouble, he appreciated the opportunity to watch various sporting events throughout the weekend. Parents and alumni found a variety of ways to connect with the Mercersburg experience. Pollinger's father, Alex ‘89, attended classes to get a sense of the rigor his son had talked about, while also participating in college counseling meetings and attending the Blue/White swim meet, and, as Jack reported, "cheering on kids he didn't even know, but students and members of the community, nonetheless." Pollinger's final Family and Alumni Weekend as a student carried emotional weight for his parents. " In a bittersweet moment of this weekend coming to a close, I found joy in creating these memories with my family and best friends that will last a lifetime," he said. Alumni returned to campus for many different reasons, many driven by their lasting connection to the school. Tearl Bradley '91, a founding member of the Black Student Union, explained his motivation: "I came back because of my commitment to the Mercersburg community, specifically with one of those communities being the Black Student Union that I was a part of." He also wanted to see former teachers including Jim Malone, Dave Holzwarth, Allison Stephens, and Andy Schroer. "It's a love for this school. It's a love for what this institution meant to me as a student, what it means to me as an alum, and for future generations of Mercersburg Academy," Bradley said. Douglas Brennan '83 attended with his wife Anabela, parents of Simon ’26 and Matthew ’28, both happy to see their sons. "I enjoyed the classes at Mercersburg. They have certainly changed a lot over 40 years!" Brennan said. The couple attended a range of classes, particularly enjoying economics, math, and physics, the hands-on lab work in particular. The weekend demonstrated how Mercersburg's traditions serve to strengthen the bonds between students, families, alumni, and the institution itself. Whether through the voices raised in Step Songs, the warmth of the bonfire, or attending a class together, Family and Alumni Weekend creates moments that stay long after the visitors depart. As the campus returns to normal, the memories made during these few days become part of the ongoing story that connects generations of the long blue line. Previous Next