Name: Saakshi Currently Attending: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Years at Shipley:13 Activities & Positions Held: Student Government (Arts Head), Orchestra, Shipley Singers, Glee Club, Positive Paws.
Reflections on Shipley Shipley gave me all the academic skills I need to be prepared for college. Shipley also taught me about service-learning, about leadership, and about the arts. As someone who was never really interested in athletics, arts was my main focus. Shipley encouraged me when I wanted to try new things. I was always known as that girl who played the violin, but Mr. Casilla encouraged me to audition for Shipley Singers, and senior year I participated in both Singers and Orchestra.
Shipley was always supportive of being a part of multiple groups and clubs. They find a way to make it fit on your schedule. It was really amazing to have teachers that supported me in both clubs because it made me realize, you don’t have to be just the violin girl; you can be a girl who sings and plays the violin.
Who was your most influential teacher and why? Dr. Balamore, formerly the Assistant Head of Lower School who retired, was definitely my most influential teacher. Although she never taught me an actual subject, she taught what it means to give back to the community, to be selfless, and to be happy. She truly embodied the School’s motto: Courage for the Deed, Grace for the Doing.
What was your most memorable experience at Shipley? I would say my most memorable experience at Shipley was participating in the School’s winter musical my senior year. We performed Little Shop of Horrors. I was able to do what I love: sing, dance, act, and perform. From doing the musical, I became closer with so many more people who I now consider my best friends. The kids in the theater department are truly a family. I used to be scared to perform, but my friends brought me out of my shell and made this one of the most fun experiences I have ever had. Being able to learn while still having fun is really, I think, what creates passion.
What are your plans for the fall of 2019? I plan to attend the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill to double major in clinical psychology and violin performance.
Are you going to college to nurture a talent that you honed during your time at Shipley? I would say that all the skills Shipley taught me will be brought with me to college: writing skills, how to analyze and think critically, and in-depth research. Academically, Shipley really prepared for the next steps of my life. As for music, I think branching out and joining the Shipley Singers and participating in musicals taught me to try new things and not have fear.
What is your future ambition and what led you to this ambition? I would say ultimately my future ambition is music because I have been playing since I was three and a half. All the music classes, practicing, and concerts have really created this fiery passion that I want to continue for the rest of my life.
What does Courage for the Deed; Grace for the Doing mean to you? The School motto for me is all about doing something your passionate about. My passion is music, but if I can use my passion to help other communities then I really think that embodies the School’s motto. I recently held a fundraiser concert for the Andrew Jackson School and rose over $1,600. I was doing something I love, playing the violin, while helping kids who live under the poverty line receive a better education.
What impact or contributions do you think you have made at Shipley and in the larger community? I think I have made a big impact on the music department at Shipley. I represented Shipley at the Nationals Conference this past year. The honor is a very rare occurrence for any high school musician, so being able to do that with Shipley was an amazing experience.
Complete this sentence: Shipley has prepared me to… be fearless when exploring new things.
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.
In 2021, the Shipley Black Alumni Association (BAA) set the goal of raising $100,000 to establish an endowed fund at Shipley to support experiences aimed at educating students about American history and culture through the lens of African-American contributions. By the end of Black History Month 2022, the results are impressive: $55,170 given by 116 donors.
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.