Spending lunchtime and recess once a week to sit in the Head of Lower School's office probably doesn't seem like an activity most fourth and fifth graders would be excited to do. But for the Lower School Student Council members, sacrificing their free time shows their commitment to and belief in making a difference in the Lower School and being a positive influence on their peers.
Each student council member earned his or her seat through an election process involving writing a one page statement outlining why he or she would be an asset to student council and delivering it to the class. Each fourth and fifth grade class elect two representatives, and Dr. Lightman selects two additional students from each grade level.
The Lower School Student Council Mission Statement reads:
As school leaders, Student Council representatives are expected to participate in activities and events designed to strengthen the Lower School community and to model how to be our best selves and do our best work.
"The student council and I talk about what they can do to help strengthen the Lower School community and the Shipley community as a whole," explains Dr. Tim Lightman, Head of Lower School. "That's the framework to get their ideas going about what they're interested in doing."
Most recently, the student council studied Shipley’s after-school programs, called Encore Clubs, to determine if the offerings were meeting the interests of the Lower School student body.
“Student council developed and conducted surveys in each classroom about what the favorite Encore Clubs were, what kind of clubs students like, what don't they like, what are the best days for Encore Clubs, what some ideas are for new Encore Clubs, and so on,” said Lightman.
After gathering and analyzing the data, the council delivered a formal presentation to Paula Farrell, who coordinates after-school programs. Shipley now offers an advanced cooking Encore Club and is developing new clubs as a direct result of the student council’s work.
Aside from seeing the sense of accomplishment and pride the students feel, Lightman also sees the importance of teaching leadership skills and building a strong foundation in students from an early age.
“They're really enthusiastic,” explains Lightman. “They love the field trips to various offices on campus to learn more about how the School operates. They love the opportunities to speak publicly during admissions events or at Middle and Upper school assemblies. They really like those kinds of leadership opportunities and, most importantly, they hold themselves accountable to the work.”
The Lower School Student Council experience inspires the confidence to explore in its members and allows them to create opportunities to better the Shipley community. The skills each student learns in this experience will benefit them as they move through school, college, and into adulthood.
The Shipley Sprouts, Shipley's Upper School horticulture club, won two second-place awards at the 2022 Philadelphia Flower Show for their Tablescape exhibit. In addition, students in the Upper School STEAM Department won third and second-place awards for their Garden Gate exhibit.
The Shipley School is proud to announce that Don Draper has been appointed as Director of Tennis. In his capacity as Director of Tennis, Don will oversee the growth, continuity, and strategic vision for tennis at Shipley.
Originally published in the May 2022 issue of the Upper School student newspaper, The Beacon, this article shares insights from All School President Griffin Chulik ’22 about his student government experience and some final thoughts as he departs from the Shipley community and prepares to head off to college in the fall.
Helping students identify their strengths and weaknesses is an essential goal for any educator guiding them on the path to success. This is especially important in sixth grade, as students make the transition from elementary to middle school. One cornerstone of the sixth grade SEED curriculum is having students explore their own learning styles and apply this knowledge to forming relationships.
On Thursday, May 26 the Upper School held its annual Closing Awards Ceremony. During this ceremony, Shipley recognized the outgoing and incoming student leadership officers and presented students with academic, athletic, and leadership awards.
Shipley's Middle School Latin students took the 2022 National Latin Examination with over 100,000 students from around the world. An impressive 26 students earned Latin Award prizes and recognition for excellence. Middle School Latin students also competed in The Philadelphia Classical Society's 83rd Annual Latin Week Competition - Traditional Artistry & Literary Projects on Classical themes. A total of 55 Middle School students won Latin Awards and recognition for excellence.
The Shipley School is proud to announce the appointment of Harry Green as the School’s new Director of Track and Field. This new position will oversee all running programs. Coach Green will be Head Coach of the Varsity Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field teams and the Cross Country team.
What do Coke and Pepsi have to do with statistics? The seniors in Matt Frankel’s interdisciplinary statistics class can tell you! After studying the statistical problem-solving process all year, students ran a large study with 300 subjects to see if they could differentiate between Coke and Pepsi with a greater accuracy than random guessing would provide.
Shipley Middle School science teacher Ace Schwarz has been selected to participate in its 2022 National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Landmarks of American History Workshop, The Space Age on the Space Coast. "I am hoping to bring back what I learn so we can really develop the space exploration aspect of our curriculum," commented Mx. Schwarz.
Shipley’s Middle School Science Olympiad team earned an overall ninth-place finish at the Pennsylvania Science Olympiad State Tournament held at Penn State Altoona on April 30.
The Shipley School is proud to announce that after an extensive search, Eva Winiarski has been named Head Varsity Girls' Lacrosse Coach. She brings a wealth of teaching, playing, and coaching experience to Shipley, most recently as the Assistant Lacrosse Coach and Defensive Coordinator at The McDonough School in Maryland. In the classroom, Eva will join Shipley’s exceptional English Department as an Upper School teacher.
On April 24, 2022, three groups of Shipley’s Upper School students presented research at a roundtable presentation of the Student Participatory Action Research Collaboration (SPARC). “Our students were passionate, thorough, confident, and genuinely enthusiastic about their research topics,” said student advisor and Shipley’s Interim Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Sheri Rider Jobe.
Shipley sixth-grader Jordyn Colbert '28 won first place in the 17th Annual Charlotte Miller Simon Poetry Contest, presented by the Ardmore Free Library.
Shipley’s Middle School and Upper School Science Olympiad teams participated in the Southeast Pennsylvania Science Olympiad Tournament. Combined, the teams earned 18 medals and qualified for the State tournament.
The Shipley School’s DEI Strategic Plan goal 3 is to ensure an equitable experience for all members of the community. One initiative of that goal is to create and support affinity spaces for students, colleagues, families, and alumni. Affinity spaces speak to the efforts of not just ensuring equitable experiences, but also creating experiences that foster belonging in our community. Learn more about our efforts to create these spaces.
The Shipley School is a private, coeducational day school for pre-kindergarten through 12th grade students, located in Bryn Mawr, PA. Through our commitment to educational excellence, we develop within each student a love of learning and a desire for compassionate participation in the world.