Voting — like so much else — is different this year. The Swarthmorean has assembled some information about the upcoming primary, originally scheduled for April 28.
Recommended Virtual Offerings
Penelope Reed has helped us assemble a list of real (mostly local) virtual events we hope might entertain, inspire, and enlighten you.
Remembering Ny’Ques
Several years ago, I dipped my toe into reporting youth sports by covering Chester Panther youth football. Back then, there was one 8-year-old on the Chester Panthers peewee team who stood out. Every game this kid played, he was the highlight reel. As he grew up and moved into the upper divisions of the football program, he continued to dominate. He kept growing, and he kept getting better. I was looking forward to seeing him play this fall as a 13-year-old. And then I got the text that this 13-year-old boy was shot in the head. He died the next day.
Student-to-Student Initiatives Fill Gaps as College Goes Virtual
When COVID-19 prematurely ended the residential semester at Swarthmore College in March, some students were left without clear alternatives. Since the crisis began, the college has raised more than $150,000 in emergency funds, using the money to help students with immediate needs caused by the pandemic. Dean of Students Jim Terhune is proud of the college’s response to this crisis, “particularly with respect to our commitment to low-income/high-need students,” he wrote in an email. However, some students still found their needs unmet.
Board Hears Grim Budget Projections
Martha Kew, business administrator of the Wallingford-Swarthmore School District, presented a sobering budget report to the school board at its meeting on Monday. “We have never seen anything like this situation,” she said, citing the large number of unknown factors caused by the COVID-19 pandemic that could worsen district finances. Superintendent Lisa Palmer echoed Kew’s concern. “I believe there is more uncertainty surrounding this budget than I have ever seen,” she said.
The Ups and Downs of the SHHS Shutdown
Looking back on the last weeks of normalcy before the coronavirus pandemic took hold is surreal, to say the least. The shift was sudden: a day off from school, then a full-blown lockdown. At the time, no one could fully grasp the magnitude of what was coming. But people had to adjust and accept it — quickly. When I look back on the 2019-2020 school year, as any bored but reflective teenager would, I recall conversations where a friend would say something like, “I would do anything for a break.” Or, “I wish everything would just pause.” In a sense, we got that, but it shouldn’t take a global pandemic for students to feel like they can take a break or prioritize their mental health.
A Walk Around the Borough
When I talk to friends, family members, and colleagues, we often try to find silver linings to the COVID-19 pandemic. For me, one is my now ritual weekly walk through the borough, up to Swarthmore College and Scott Arboretum, then back home. I have lived in Swarthmore off and on for 34 years, and I continue to be amazed by the incredible diversity of gardens and plants grown by local residents.
Unscientific Survey: How We’re Doing
We, collectively, are very lucky. The majority of Swarthmorean readers live in a beautiful town with plenty of space, and do not want for material things. And that’s reflected in the results of our latest survey, in which you were asked how you are doing, on a scale of 1 (worst) to 10 (best).
COVID-19 Response Fund Supports Financial Counseling
The Foundation for Delaware County recently made grants of $10,000 each to three local nonprofits: the Chester Community Improvement Project, Clarifi, and Media Fellowship House. The grants support emergency financial counseling for Delaware County families.
Teachers and Students Struggle to Adjust to Online School, New Grading Policies Adopted
Adjusting to remote learning was the focus of the Wallingford-Swarthmore School Board meeting on Monday, April 27. Also, proposal to lease 1,300 Google Chromebooks — one for every student at Strath Haven Middle School (SHMS) — was unanimously approved by the board. The board also voted unanimously to appoint Gregory Hilden principal of SHHS, starting July 1.
COVID While Black
We are all in this together, but we’re all not going through it the same way. Visit BlackCovid19.com and learn something new every day.
Locals on the Front Lines
Nearly two months into a lockdown ordered by Pennsylvania governor Tom Wolf to help slow the spread of coronavirus, many of us are experiencing profound fatigue. Housebound parents of younger children pinball crazily between conference calls and childcare, while some elderly people and those living alone endure long bouts of boredom and loneliness. But for some, staying safe at home is not an option. Instead, they go each day into the thick of the fight to care for those gravely ill from the virus, often putting themselves and their own families at risk. They are also our friends and neighbors.
Borough Approves Sewer Repairs at Uneventful Zoom Meeting
At its May work session on Zoom on Monday night, Swarthmore Borough Council unanimously voted to award a contract to repair two sections of sewer line from the center of town along Lafayette Avenue. Also, revenues from parking and real estate transfer fees have been down because of the pandemic. Mayor Marty Spiegel reported that he recently conducted his first two weddings as mayor.
Love in the Time of Corona
You get lonely during a pandemic. I guess that’s why I struck up a relationship with Suzy, a chicken who lives in a group house on Harvard Avenue with several other lady chickens.
One Book, One Swarthmore
One Book, One Swarthmore promotes literacy and community dialogue by encouraging Swarthmoreans to come together through reading and discussing a single book. We are living in unusual times and need to connect with our community now more than ever.
Capital ‘T,’ Rhymes With ‘Z,’ Stands for Zoom: YPTW Rehearses ‘The Music Man’ Online
Sixty kids, from first through 12th grade, had been slated to perform Meredith Wilson’s classic musical at the Player’s Club of Swarthmore this spring, as participants in the Young People’s Theater Workshop (YPTW). Claudia Carlsson, who has directed YPTW since 2001, knew it was unlikely the show would ever reach the stage.
Tree Survey to Begin
After several unsuccessful attempts at starting, including a delay caused by COVID-19-related restrictions, the Swarthmore Street Tree Survey is about to get under way. A small team of certified arborists will travel throughout town, pinpointing the exact location of each street tree, along with the species, size, and general condition of approximately 4,000 trees. The physical survey should take about two weeks.
Trees to Avoid
I have a new ritual of inhabiting our backyard at night. The solitude and darkness hold me. I look at our dark house and silently bless those within. I bless the houses of my neighbors. Then I look up at the trees.
Plantings at the Epicenter of Quarantines Past
Although the award ceremony is put off until September, the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia recently announced its Preservation Achievement Award winners, which include the renovation of the “Lazaretto” in nearby Tinicum. Bill and Carol Menke, of Ogden Avenue, were landscape architects for the project. Bill notes that this was one of the last projects they undertook before closing their business, Menke & Menke, LLC, after a nearly 35-year run.
Swarthmore College President Elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Swarthmore College President Valerie Smith has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, joining the illustrious ranks of one of the nation’s oldest scholarly societies.