December saw a dearth of submissions, but in the past fortnight, a plethora of reports poured in. Anthony Addison saw this full-coated red fox in its winter colors in his yard on Cornell Avenue in Swarthmore.
Borough Council Hears About Intersection (Again) and the State of the Borough
Concern about the intersection of Yale and Cornell avenues was raised again at Swarthmore Borough Council’s first legislative session of the year. Michael Carey reported on behalf of the Finance Committee that borough revenues were higher than budgeted in 2019, and expenditures were lower. And giving the annual State of the Borough address, Mayor Marty Spiegel compared Swarthmore to what people want in a place to live, according to surveys. “We fit almost a perfect profile,” he said.
Gaieski Brings a Blend of Talents to Borough Council
Jill Gaieski was recently sworn in as the borough’s newest council member, and with her partner Lori Knauer she is working hard to open Swarthmore’s first wine bar. She also had a couple of other interesting careers in her past.
Pamela Boyce Simms: Building Resilience in Delaware County
Pamela Boyce Simms, an environmentalist, activist, herbalist, leadership coach, and neurolinguist who recently moved to Swarthmore, envisions Community Supported Enlightenment (CSE) as preparing people for the problems that will inevitably come with climate change. And she sees plant medicine as a portal to a larger mission of self-transformation.
WSSD Preliminary 2020-21 Budget, Diversity Training and More
The first Wallingford-Swarthmore School Board meeting of 2020 began with a report from the board’s student representative, who reported that the high school’s Diversity Trainers went to Strath Haven Middle School to educate students about diversity and inclusion. Afterwards, the focus topic was the presentation of the proposed preliminary 2020-21 budget.
Unscientific Survey: The R’s Have It
The pronunciation of “Swarthmore” — both the borough and the college — has long been a subject of disagreement and sometimes contention. There are those who pronounce both r’s in the word, and those, like SEPTA conductors, who drop the first one and say it “Swathmore.” We now have the survey results, and the R’s have it.
Aubrey Plaza and ‘12 Angry Pigs’ at the Actors Co-op
The Actors Co-op has only been open since October, but already they’ve had their first celebrity visit. Aubrey Plaza, who is probably best known for her role as April Ludgate in the TV show “Parks and Recreation,” stopped by to talk with members and guests in a hastily organized gathering on a Sunday afternoon in late December. The Actors Co-op offers classes in film and television acting for adults and children.
Caving Expeditions at Scott Arboretum with Thomas Hawkins
Cave explorer Thomas Hawkins will recount some of his adventures from Guatemala to Borneo, Hawaii, Mexico, and Kyrgyzstan, offering glimpses into deep time, both geological and biological.
MLK Day of Service
Monday, January 20, 2020, marks the 25th anniversary of this federal holiday celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Here is a partial listing of local events and volunteer opportunities.
Michelle Frumento’s School for Mannerly Dogs
It’s Thursday evening at the Swarthmore Community Center, and Michelle Frumento is getting ready to teach “drop it” to a room full of humans holding the leashes of excited dogs. This is beginner manners, one of several dog-training classes Frumento has been offering out of the community center for the past five years. Manners, not obedience.
Why Dave Augustine Creates His Holiday Magic
Now that the holiday season is well and truly over, the Swarthmorean is remembering Dave Augustine’s holiday courtyard garden and the light it brought during dark December nights. We asked Dave what got him started and what keeps him going, and this is what he told us.
Wildlife Observations: January 10, 2020
Marc Williamson submitted a photograph of a previously unreported species: a group of black vultures, not the usual garden-variety turkey vultures, dining on a road-killed squirrel.
Helen Kate Says Goodbye to Popular Director
One thing is clear: the patrons and volunteers of the Helen Kate Furness Library will miss their outgoing director. Jen Stock, who led the Wallingford library since 2013, left in late December for a new job overseeing the Upper Darby Township and Sellers Memorial Free Public Library. The despondency in the building on Providence Road shortly before her departure was palpable.
Volunteer at Chester High School
Junior Achievement of Southeastern Pennsylvania is seeking individuals to inspire and prepare young people at Chester High School for long-term success. This program helps kids explore careers and learn the skills required to get and keep good jobs. No teaching experience is necessary, just a commitment of 45 minutes per week for six weeks.
The Poetry of Local Government
On Monday, Swarthmore Borough Council met in its first work session of the year, which was also its yearly organizational meeting. Thus, the main business of the evening was swearing people in and appointing folks to various positions and committees. Not much happened that I would call news, but I felt as though I made some progress in my ongoing quest to understand how our borough government works.
Here are some things I learned.
2019: An Inventory
How to inventory a whole year? What to remind you of, and what to skip? What would you rather forget, but maybe shouldn’t? What have you already forgotten that might interest you to recall? Collecting (recollecting) these happenings and lives and milestones is a way to consider what we have accomplished and aspired to and worried about as a community, as we take the first steps into 2020. To think about where we have succeeded, where we have more work to do, and where we might want to start all over again.
Incoming Delco Council Engages Community as Resource
Delaware County Transition is a recently constituted not-for-profit aiming to help the newly elected Delaware County Council set priorities for the upcoming term and recommend approaches to making change. The council, which will be installed on January 6, is the first ever to include a majority of Democrats.
Are You Partisan, Bipartisan, or Dual-Partisan?
Politics encourages party allegiances. Like most people, I’m registered to a particular party. But I’m far from partisan. As an individual, I can’t be bipartisan. So I’m adopting the term “dual-partisan” to describe my willingness to take the best of either major party and throw my support behind it.
The Swarthmorean: A Year of Change
The Swarthmorean has finished its first full year under new leadership. Todd Strine, Rob Borgstrom, and Greg Hoy have done a remarkable job renewing a much-loved institution. Subscriptions are up, finances are healthy, and a new beautiful website has been launched. We want to thank everyone who contributed this year to the idiosyncratic but buoyant ship that is the Swarthmorean.
A New Voice for a New Year: Stefan Roots Essentials
Stefan Roots has joined the Swarthmorean team as a regular contributor. We found him writing a community paper and blog in Chester and invited him to share his talents with us.