By Sophie Han '27 < Back Craving crêpes? By Sophie Han '27 May 9, 2025 In an effort to bring students together and offer a break from spring-term stress, the 2027 Class Council hosted a crêpe night open to the entire Mercersburg Academy student body. What began as a small idea in a dormitory common room turned into a widely attended event, potentially establishing a new tradition for the community. The Class Council worked to make sure the event would go smoothly. “We were planning for the entire spring term,” said Susanna Huang ’27, Class President. “We looked at dates and chose a weekday because weekends are packed, and we thought people would enjoy a gathering before Long Spring Weekend.” Class Council members met to brainstorm ideas, weighing options like ice cream before landing on crêpes. “We sat in the common room of the Three North Wing in Fowle Hall and talked about what we wanted our event to be,” said Ellie Yang ’27, Class Historian. “Our motive behind creating this event was not only to think about what we wanted to have as students ourselves and implement it,” said Madeline Chu ’27, Class Vice President, and Paris Zhang ’27, Class Director of Student Activities. “We also had a larger purpose. Our decision to open this event up to the whole student body was for a signature activity for our class to continue in the future.” With this objective in mind, faculty and student volunteers supported the event. “Big shoutout to Electa Willander, Admission Officer and Assistant Dorm Dean of Fowle hall, and Carrie Yang ’27, who both stayed the whole time and wiped down tables with us. Our event’s success was achieved because of their patience with a bit of our inexperience,” said Huang. Zhang admitted that execution was a learning curve. “None of us knew how to make crêpes at first, but we learned it in less than ten minutes. Carrie and I ended up becoming pros at it, and we had so much fun!” Tim Kerr, history teacher and Class Adviser, said, “I was impressed by how self-directed and collaborative they were. The whole thing was student-run — from the formation of the idea, the email correspondences, the trips to Food Lion, and the organization of the event — they handled it with notable care and creativity.” The turnout surprised even the organizers. “We didn’t expect that many people,” said Yang. “We ran out of strawberries so fast, and people kept coming back for seconds and thirds.” Chloe Quaye ’28 said, “I don’t think the Class Council expected a big crowd. There was a long line of people who went back for more, but there were only two or three people behind the table to make crêpes.” Previous Previous Next Next

Catherine Orders '23 and Greta Lawler '23 < Back On this episode of law and order Catherine Orders '23 and Greta Lawler '23 Dec 9, 2022 To learn more about the Conduct Review Committee (CRC), the Mercersburg News sat down with the committee’s chair, Justine O’Connell, director of global initiatives and Spanish teacher. Mercersburg News: What does a typical CRC look like? What are the proceedings and who is involved? Justine O’Connell: The student in question sits down with Ms. Wrzesinsky and Mr. Weibley to talk about what happened and be informed that they will be going in front of the CRC. Ms. Wrzesinsky tells me what happened, and I choose three students and three adults from our committee to hear the case. The student can bring their adviser and an extra person for support, usually a captain, prefect, or close friend. To open proceedings, I ask the student: Do you understand that the CRC can recommend warning, final warning, and required withdrawal, and do you understand what those mean? Then, Ms. Wrzesinsky reads the narrative, which is what happened and why the student is at the CRC. She'll also read behavior points to see if there are patterns in the student’s behavior. Next, members of the committee ask questions: talk to me about what was going through your head at that moment. What has been the hardest part about this for you? Do you feel there are any relationships that have been damaged because of this incident? If you could go back, what would you do differently? These questions help the student process what happened and also allow us to see that sometimes students have committed infractions because there was a lot going on in their lives. We are not meant to be a committee that punishes a student. We fully believe the purpose of the committee is to help a student understand their mistake and move on from it. There’s going to be a consequence, sure, but we don’t want them to feel that one mistake will define them as a human being. They can move on from it, learn from it, and grow from it. After the questions, the adviser and support person can say something on behalf of the student. The student is the last person to talk. Finally, the committee discusses what we heard and makes an appropriate recommendation. If we recommend warning, it is because we think the infraction affected only the student. If we recommend final warning, it’s because a student did something that also affected, in a negative way, other members of our community, for example, harassment. Required withdrawal is a really serious recommendation that is not often put forth. MN: What are the different types of CRCs and how are they determined for each case? JO: Cases that are egregious in nature, like sexual harassment, are dealt with by Mr. McDowell, Ms. Wrzesinsky, the student, and the adviser. A CRC may not be held in front of students if an infraction happens in the last week before the end of a term. In that case, there would be an administrative CRC conducted by Ms. Wrzesinsky, Ms. Craig, Dr. Maurer, Mr. McDowell, and me. In regular cases, a student chooses whether or not they want their case to be heard in front of a full committee or just adults. MN: How are student and faculty representatives chosen for each case? Can representatives be disqualified from hearing a case? JO: My role as the chair is to choose three faculty members and two students to hear each case. Our student chair participates in every case. I try to give everyone an even number of cases and make sure that someone doesn't always see the same type of case. I also try to balance the students by grade level. Faculty and students can recuse themselves from a case. For example, if someone cheats in my Spanish class, I would recuse myself because I was the one that turned them in. Sometimes people automatically abdicate because they feel too close to the person to be able to deliberate without bias. MN: How does the whole committee stay up-to-date and consistent with recent cases and consequences? JO: On weeks when we don't have a case, we still meet, usually to debrief a case from the week before, allowing members who weren’t there to ask questions about the case and its outcomes. All members of the committee, both students and faculty, are held to strict confidentiality. The purpose of confidentiality is to maintain the dignity of the students, knowing that this is not part of the highlight reel of their time at Mercersburg. We also hold mock CRCs to train new members. We’re hoping to meet with each grade this year to talk about the differences between warning and final warning and do a mock case so that more students understand what happens. MN: What are the benefits of having a discussion-based disciplinary system over a more objective set of consequences? JO: I believe it's important that students know they can make mistakes. We've all made mistakes in our lives and sometimes you are in a situation where you break a big rule and you need to own up to it and process it. Students need to know that there are consequences that come with breaking rules, but it doesn't define who you are as a person or make or break you and the rest of your life. MN: Is there anything you would like to see changed or improved about the CRC process? JO: We’ve had a record number of cases this term and I've been thinking about what in our community is causing more students to be breaking major school rules. I don’t have an answer to that. I think what could make the CRC process better is figuring out if it’s our systems in our institution or if there’s something deeper going on. I think that getting to a place with fewer cases starts with our community and our culture. As Mr. McDowell was talking about at our school meeting, the culture of our community is what we are willing to tolerate. I think that there is some conversation and reflection that we need to do as a whole community. Previous Previous Next Next

Carrie Yang < Back MRSU Takeover Carrie Yang Jan 20, 2026 The Multi-Racial Student Union (MSU) hosted a “takeover” in the Simon Student Center last Friday, offering Mercersburg students an opportunity to share and hear different experiences. The event marked the group’s first major event since its founding earlier this year. Inspired by other unions on campus, the MSU was founded to provide a welcoming community for individuals from diverse backgrounds and cultures. President Jazlyn Garnett ‘27 said, “ I went to the Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC) last year, and they had an affinity space for multiracial people, and I thought it was such a great and welcoming community. People understood what it was like to not fit into one specific identity, and I thought it would be perfect to start at Mercersburg.” Vice-president Alex Ferrari ‘28 added, “Jaz and I started it together, to make sure that we, identifying as multiracial, have an affinity space for other people who identify with us.” The union aims to support racial and cultural diversity on campus. Garnett said, “Our mission is to provide a space for people who fit into multiple identities, and have a voice in our community as a whole, especially the younger people who don’t know many people at Mercersburg yet. Because so many people at Mercersburg come from so many different places, even if you don’t identify as multiracial, this student union is a great opportunity to start a network of people who are becoming more comfortable with all forms of themselves.” Garnett continued, “I identify as Black and white. I don’t see the Black half of my family, so it's really hard for me to connect with the Black half of me. Just being able to accept that and just be my own person is the hardest part of trying to figure out what multiracial means.” The Multi-Racial Student Union takeover introduced the group to the community. Featured activities included bracelet-making, coloring, snacks, trivia, and music. The student response centered on community and connection. William Luo ‘27 said, “Being able to attend this multiracial event is fun, and I can interact with my friends who also share this diverse culture with me.” Ani Spitzer ‘27 added, “ I think [this event] brings everyone together. We played trivia, got some free snacks, and had some fun times with friends. It was great!” As the Multi-Racial Student Union continues to grow, the leaders hope it will foster connections among students, giving them a space to explore and ensuring that the union’s mission will continue. Previous Previous Next Next

Jelly Nguyen '24 < Back MENtal health matters Jelly Nguyen '24 May 5, 2023 In the last few weeks, the counseling department of the Rutherford Health and Wellness Center began hosting a series of lunches for students and faculty who identify as male to discuss men’s wellness. The topic of men’s health and well-being is often neglected, so the creation of these lunches allows students to talk about any topics they want, such as masculinity or mental health, in a safe space. The lunches will span four weeks which started on April 19, with one lunch each week. Social-emotional learning counselor Amy Shaffer Post hopes that these lunches will help students to be open to their own feelings and others. “ Students that participate will hopefully recognize that they are not alone in wanting to discuss wellness and improve circumstances around wellness for male-identifying individuals,” said Shaffer Post About the launch of these special lunches, Shaffer Post said, “The counseling team decided to offer several men's wellness lunches after we noticed that our typical Wellness Wednesday lunches are nearly entirely students who identify as females. We wanted to create a space that was specific for students who identify as male to talk with each other and with male-identifying faculty. It is important that we think about wellness for everyone on our campus and try to meet specific needs.” Science teacher Brendan Daly, one of the faculty members present at last week’s lunch, believes, “It is important to provide an opportunity for young men to talk about their experiences; I worry too many young men think sharing their thoughts with others is read as a weakness.” Mike Conklin, Director of College Counseling, who was also in attendance at the lunch, thinks that the lunches are an excellent opportunity to give students the spotlight to express their opinions and thoughts. “ I've come of age at a time when it is increasingly socially acceptable to identify and address issues of toxic masculinity, and I hope by being in dialogue with others in a shared space, I can offer a perspective that moves the conversation forward.” Students were able to give their thoughts about issues and struggle they face as men that are often overlooked. Samuel Zhao ’24 attended one of the lunches and was grateful for the opportunity to share his feelings. “We got to talk about things that I’ve never thought about before. Since I was young I was told that I needed to be brave and never to show my weaknesses to others because I was a boy. This opportunity gave me the chance to speak up my mind as well as to listen to what others have to say about their experiences,” Zhao said. According to Zhao, many general topics arose during the discussion. “General topics I observed were the stereotypical view about men such as strength and independence and how boys are often pressured to live up to their masculine image, but personally we still have moments of emotions and vulnerability that we rarely have the chance to express.” Dean Tae ’24 agrees with this common theme of being able to express his personal experiences: “I think the best part of it was that we were able to share our experiences and thoughts in a safe space. It could be challenging for some students to talk about certain sensitive issues openly. However, the discussion allowed us to exchange thoughts without worrying about being judged by other people had we had this conversation elsewhere.” Previous Previous Next Next

Maddie Mamoudis '27 < Back Arigatō! Maddie Mamoudis '27 May 3, 2024 On Saturday, April 13, Mercersburg’s Japanese students held an event to raise money for the Red Feather Central Chest of Japan. The evening involved selling food in the Simon Student Center. All proceeds went to the organization, raising money for families impacted by the most recent earthquake which occurred on January 1, 2024. Fundraiser organizer, Cocona Yamamoto ‘25, spoke passionately about the planning. “It was a long process, we had to write a proposal and the proposal had to be approved by several committees so that took a while.” Efforts to create the fundraiser began at the beginning of the winter term, but it was difficult to proceed due to scheduling. Director of Community Engagement Emily Parsons said, “It took a while to get done, so I was proud of her for sticking with it.” According to Karin Sugiyama ‘27, “Cocona made everything possible.” The earthquake struck the Noto Peninsula with a magnitude of 7.6 on the Richter scale, causing hundreds of people to pass away and leaving thousands in shelters. “Cocona did a great job; she saw a need in her home and decided to do something about it,” said Parsons. “She came to me wanting to do a fundraiser to help with the earthquake victims in January.” Sugiyama commented further, “The fundraiser was also to raise awareness about the natural disasters that happen in Japan because Japan’s a place where natural disasters occur a lot.” The Central Chest of Japan aids in disaster and social relief and is currently helping those harmed by the Noto Peninsula Earthquake. They provided immense support for the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake, contributing a significant amount of money. That earthquake had a magnitude of 9.1 on the Richter scale, caused a deadly tsunami, and damaged a nuclear reactor. The Central Chest of Japan has been operational for 77 years, and donations have totaled JPY 950 billion (which is approximately USD 6 billion). Elie Shimaoka ‘26 said, “I personally experienced the 2011 earthquake; it affected me quite a lot. I had to leave Japan for a while due to radiation, so I really wanted to help others going through similar experiences.” The proceeds from the event came from snack and crepe sales, each purchase representing a small gesture of solidarity with those impacted by the earthquake. Yamamoto said, “I told everyone [involved with the fundraiser] to buy snacks from Japan, and those were the snacks we sold during the fundraiser.” Overall, Yamamoto’s event showcased compassion and altruism, earning a total of USD 880 for the organization. Previous Previous Next Next

Kate Sui ’29 < Back David Stephenson Kate Sui ’29 Oct 3, 2025 David Stephenson brings a broad international background to Mercersburg. Though he is from the United States, he has worked abroad, most recently serving as a college counselor at an international school in Mexico. One factor in his decision to come to Mercersburg was “feeling the kindness of the community and the faculty while interviewing online.” Since arriving at school, he’s been amazed by the welcoming atmosphere and the natural beauty of the school: “The chapel especially stood out to me. There’s a real sense of peace here.” At Mercersburg, he is excited about collaborating with a team of experts to provide students with broad support. Stephenson greatly values working as part of a strong college counseling team, stating: “There’s a real focus and depth of expertise here and it’s exciting to be part of something that’s working so well.” His primary goal is to get to know students personally and help them discover the best-fit college for their individual strengths and ambitions. In addition, he is excited to grow into the role and learn more about how he can best support students. “Right now, I’m just enjoying being here and getting to know people. I’m looking forward to gaining more experience and becoming even more effective in the role.” Outside of work, Stephenson enjoys traveling, reading, and going to concerts. Previous Previous Next Next

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Alice Yoo '27 < Back Showing up & handing off Alice Yoo '27 May 3, 2024 Last week, the Blue Storm girls and boys relay teams traveled to Franklin Field at the University of Pennsylvania to compete in the 4x400m event at the historic Penn Relay Carnival, which dates back to 1895 and in which Mercersburg Academy athletes have participated for over a century. The girls team, consisting of Madison Goodhart ’24, Nia Henley ’24, Erika Sowah ’24, and Anne Sehon ’25, finished third in the independent school division with a time of 4:11.88, and the boys team, including Winston Watkins ’25, Arnav Rao ’26, Konrad Spory ’26, and Iman Zhakan ’26 finished 14th in 3:42.10. The team did not have to prepare in any special way for the race. Outdoor track & field head coach Nikki Walker stated, “These relays are just part of our season and not something that we train specifically for.” The team ran regular workouts and tried to get enough rest. Watkins added, “Nothing changed too much out of the ordinary. We’re still running workouts with the rest of the team.” As the team prepared for the Penn Relays, a mix of emotions filled the air. “I was extremely excited because the 4x400m is an event that I always look forward to every meet,” said Goodhart, “Once I got there, I was immediately blown away by the amount of people…. My nerves were through the roof, but as the race got closer and closer, there was no time to be nervous.” Spory added, “We all felt excited to run in such a big meet and to have the opportunity to run as a team on such a big stage.” The teams were satisfied with their performances. “We all did a great job; that was the first time that the four of us ran a 4x400m together, and overall, we were really happy with the result. It was pretty tough running with 18 other teams in our heat,” said Watkins, “At the beginning, all teams slowed down a lot since it was so crowded. Coach Walker also mentioned that our team this year is the youngest team she'd ever brought from Mercersburg to [the competition].” Henley said, “While I was moving onto the track to run the last leg of the race when I saw Erika came around the curve moving towards me, I knew in my head we were doing a great job and had a chance to place and run one of our fastest times as a team together.” She added, “Once I saw my team, they were so excited, clapping and cheering. That made me feel really accomplished and proud. Given everyone’s health status, we performed well and were running as a more cohesive team than ever.” The strategic order of the runners also contributed to the successful results. Watkins explained, “I ran first, then Arnav, then Konrad, and Iman last. The idea was to have our most experienced runners go first and second to get out of the mess of people, and that way, Konrad and Iman had more space to focus on running.” Regarding the order for the girls, Henley said, “Sehon knew the gist of the waterfall start. She knew how to be physical when she ran to make it to the front. Next was Maddie Goodhart because she was a very strong runner and could extend our lead, which she did, moving us up four places. The third leg was Erika because she is a powerful runner, and we knew she could maintain our work and place. And I ran the anchor leg to finish the race, and the strategy there was to be a complete competitor—to compete as hard as I could to get us to that finish line.” The Blue Storm relay teams agreed that the Penn Relays was a memorable few days. Walker said, “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I appreciate being at an institution with a history as rich as ours in these relays.” Previous Next

Elise Gao ‘26 < Back Freshmen earn All-American Elise Gao ‘26 Apr 19, 2024 Last weekend, three Blue Storm wrestlers, Gavin Boyd ‘27, Ethan Shirk ‘27, and Brayden Pearson ‘27, participated in the High School Nationals, a prestigious invitational tournament comprised of top wrestlers from all over the United States. Despite being freshmen, Mercersburg’s trio ended with two sixth-place finishes and took home two All-American titles—the most in the school’s history. About the tournament, head wrestling coach Matt Shirk explained, “This was the largest tournament in the nation; it is also the biggest tournament in the nation [for] the year. This is the premiere tournament, and it’s also [classified by] age group. Shirk was around 128 [pounds]. Boyd had fifty guys in his weight class, and Ethan had a hundred and twenty.” Pearson added, “This is my first time going to this tournament, and I knew that it was going to be a tough tournament, so I went in there, thinking, ‘Hey, it might not go the way we want, but just keep pushing.’” Preparing for the tournament was a challenge since the tournament itself took place weeks after the high school wrestling season had ended. Coach Shirk commented, “We get some of our athletes for two seasons, and we have access to them kinda during that. But during that third season, it gets kinda tricky, like practices and squeezing in [training sessions] after lifting. Gavin [Boyd] is in Strength and Conditioning, and BB [Pearson] is in lacrosse. So when Boyd finishes his gym session, he waits until BB and Ethan [Shirk] get off their respective practices. It’s like getting them where we can fit them, putting the training in after their obligations.” Boyd stated, “In-season, everyone’s doing that one-a-day practice at school, but preparing and knowing before [the] season ends that you’re going to have to stay after a little bit, and you’re going to have to do some extra work. Because those two, three, or four weeks before that tournament and after normal practice has ended, it’s not really preparing during them; the season really begins during the winter and continues later in the year even when the [normal] season ends.” Pearson quipped, “I just found myself doing a lot of meditation–that’s something that’s really helped me out this year.” He went on to say, “It was a fun experience, especially with the group we had. But, at the tournament, I think we got a little bit better as a team.” Boyd added, “Well, I’ve known everyone, pretty much the top eight wrestlers in [my] bracket for years now, and I really think all eight of us could have been interchangeable at times. Whereas in the consolation semi[finals], where I ended up losing 7-6 to the kid who ended up being third, it really is interchangeable. The placements: they’re okay. I mean, being All-American is okay, but I think it really comes down to, at the end of the day, just putting in that extra effort and putting in that extra time.” Shirk ended by saying, “These are the top kids in the nation. As Gavin and I were just talking, we’re putting plans together and getting the takeaways from the tournament. We’re going to build on it along with the other strategies and practice routine and what we need to work on and just continue to grind. Just work on it to get better. You know, just to be the better version of yourself. That’s always the goal.” Previous Next

Lisa Wei '26 < Back Able to do it all Lisa Wei '26 Feb 3, 2023 Grace Abel, Mercersburg’s Chinese teacher of eleven years, smiled as she recounted the path that led her to Mercersburg Academy. She came to the United States from Taiwan with her husband, Andy Abel, after his acceptance into a Doctoral program in Amherst, Massachusetts. “There wasn’t a big difference between living in Taiwan and in America because, in both places, we lived in rural locations with diverse communities,” Abel said. She moved to Mercersburg in 2012 after receiving the opportunity to teach Chinese and enroll her son in Mercersburg Academy. In Taiwan, Abel taught Chinese to university students. After she earned her education degree, she prioritized teaching in secondary school education. She was influenced by her advisor in graduate school, who thought that middle school and high school education was a more formative time in a person’s life than the university years. She taught Chinese at several schools in Taiwan and the US before coming to Mercersburg Academy. “I was a teacher in Nebraska, Massachusetts, and other states,” Abel said. “However, I found out that the public school system in America where I lived was very unorganized. There were specific systems that I needed to use to teach, which I didn’t like because I wanted to apply my ideas and knowledge from graduate school into my teaching.” Abel’s desire for more freedom in her classroom led her to teach at an independent high school in Seattle, Lakeside School. Eventually, she and her family moved back to Massachusetts because they wanted to live closer to her husband’s parents. There, they taught at Northfield Mount Hermon School. The couple spent time in central America where Andy Abel held a teaching position at a college. Abel said, “We wanted to move back to New England, so we searched for schools in the area. Originally, we didn’t even consider coming to Pennsylvania; however, there was an opportunity to teach Chinese here, so we came over.” Abel and her husband planned to stay at Mercersburg Academy until their son graduated from high school. “We thought that we would only stay for a while, but almost eleven years have passed,” she said. Abel’s favorite Mercersburg memories surround its many traditions. “In other schools where I taught, sports day was only one or two days. Here, at Mercersburg, Irving and Marshall Week is a whole week of activities, which gives students a break from school work and brings our community closer together. I like all school activities, which is why Step Songs is another tradition that stood out to me. I really love how the community gathers together to celebrate and cheer each other on, ” she said. Previous Previous Next Next

Derrick Park ‘25 < Back Swimmer? I hardly know ‘er! Derrick Park ‘25 Jan 26, 2024 This past weekend, Blue Storm’s boys and girls swimming teams traveled to Malvern Prep to compete in a dual meet. Girls swimming defeated Notre Dame 112-73 and boys swimming defeated Malvern Prep 100-86. To prepare for the meet, the teams didn’t do anything special or unusual. They were confident with their usual practice routines and continued to implement them. Rhiannon Myhre ’25 said, “Training styles have remained consistent, focusing on hard, varied practices tailored to each swimmer’s specialty. We are all individually putting in an insane amount of effort so that we can get the best results both individually and collectively as a team. So, we don’t really do anything [different] to specifically focus on dual meets except for working on my relay starts and turns.” Compared to last year, the teams are younger with fewer upperclassmen and PGs. Myhre said, “There is definitely a different vibe than last year but I feel like that is to be expected. Last year we had a lot more seniors and post-graduates than this year. So that alone sort of shifts our dynamic a bit. However, our seniors and post-graduates are doing an amazing job with leading our team and empowering us to be the best that we can.” Head coach Glenn Neufeld elaborated, “Last year, we had a large senior class. But this year, we have a smaller senior class with more new players. There is definitely a shift in the team’s dynamic.” This meant that the teams welcomed many talented young swimmers who feature prominently in the teams’ future. Yule Kwon ’26 said, “We have a lot of potential among freshmen this year. Not only do they help the team feel lively again like it did last year, but sometimes they awe us in how fast they can go.” However, swimmers’ dedication to reaching a higher level through rigorous practices has a downside. Many swimmers are physically and mentally exhausted due to the high demands. Sisi Guo ’25 said, “A lot of swimmers are mentally tired because of hard training every day. Some swimmers go to morning sessions to train, which can be overwhelming. This time of the season is especially tiring for us because of the cold weather.” Despite physical and mental fatigue, the swimmers are committed to achieving their season’s ultimate goal—winning the Eastern Interscholastic Swimmin and Divign Championships. This ambition had been a driving force from the first day of practice and will continue to be until the last day of the season. Xiomara Del Rosario ’26 said, “As swimmers, we strive to prepare well for our biggest swim meet, Easterns, which includes things like good hydration, diet, and sleep which can be hard for a lot of us. We know that if we keep motivating each other in and outside of the water, we will become a well-fortified team.” Neufeld added, “The team’s goal is to rank high in the Easterns—hopefully coming out in the top three. This goal has always resonated with the swimmers since the beginning of the season.” As the teams taper their training for upcoming meets, the sense of unity and purpose is stronger than ever. The teams, with its blend of strong leadership and youthful energy, are looking forward to making this season a successful one—as it always is. Previous Next

Simon Brennan '26 < Back New squash courts in play Simon Brennan '26 Sep 12, 2025 Mercersburg Academy has completed a major renovation of its squash facilities, investing close to $600K in upgrades that administrators say will transform the program's training and match days. The 20-year-old courts were in need of some updates, prompting the school's advancement office to seek donor support for the project. Chief Advancement Officer John Richardson explained: “Once a facility is identified as a priority, we identify the donors, the alumni, the parents, the friends of the school who might be interested in supporting the project." The fundraising effort proved remarkably successful, thanks to the generosity of one family. “They were excited to take this on,” Richardson explained. “For this particular project it was completely covered by their support, and they wanted to make sure our students had the best possible facility.” The upgrades go far beyond design improvements. “The renovations don't change how I coach; they simply elevate practice quality,” coach Dom Benacquista said. “The work eliminated annoying front-wall dead spots and gaps, producing a truer bounce and more consistent rhythm, especially on the courts that were previously most affected." Perhaps the biggest improvement is the installation of new flooring. "The sprung flooring is more supportive on the joints, especially knees, ankles, and hips," Benacquista noted. “Large sections of front walls were completely rebuilt and side walls reset to proper positions, creating improvements across all ten courts.” Students are already anticipating the benefits. Senior captain Sidharth Shah '26, who has received two college offers during his time in the program, sees the renovations as transformative for future players. "The generous gift for the new courts will allow my peers to surpass me in terms of squash success, truly helping them change their lives by giving them a strong foundation college-wise and as a person," Shah said. Fellow captain Dior Mitchell '26 added, "I play smoother on the courts. I hit cleaner shots because the corners are fixed. It will make us wanna practice and boost the team spirit." Mitchell also pointed to how the new facilities lift the squad’s confidence. "When you walk into a space that looks and feels this good, it makes you believe you’re part of something serious. It motivates us to hold ourselves to a higher standard." Coach Benacquista believes the investment positions Mercersburg for elite competition. "The Flanagan is projected to be the strongest in its history, with two top-10 national programs, led by No. 2 Hotchkiss and two additional top-20 teams," he explained. The benefits extend beyond athletics. The facilities serve the broader school community through programs like Squash 57, led by squash coach and math teacher Mike Sweeney, which Richardson describes as "a great community building space." Sunday morning sessions regularly attract 45 to 50 participants from across the school’s adult community. The investment shows a commitment to the program's future. "With that commitment comes responsibility," Benacquista explained. "Our squash program must deliver results that justify the investment and serve the broader community on and off the court." With the winter season on the horizon, the upgraded facilities have positioned Mercersburg's squash program for what many expect will be its strongest showing in years. Previous Next