A year ago, my father, sisters, and I were making plans for my grandmother’s 90th birthday. The milestone was due in October of 2021, and we wanted to be sure we gave ourselves enough time to plan. We wanted to give ample notice to loved ones far and wide so that they could be in attendance. It felt like a foregone conclusion that my Nannie would celebrate her 90th birthday.
After months of meetings, consultations with experts, and feedback gathered from questionnaires sent to families, the Wallingford-Swarthmore School District decided all students would attend school virtually through at least the end of September. Now that October has arrived, some students will soon be returning to school buildings two days a week. What is all this like for the kids? What is their day-to-day experience of a school year unlike any other? We asked students in elementary, middle, and high school to let us know. We’ll be publishing their answers throughout the year. Here are the first three.
October 19 is the last day to register to vote in this year’s election. October 27 is the last day for the county election office to receive your application for a mail-in or absentee ballot for this year’s election.November 3 is election day. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
I imagine there are extreme situations where breaking down a door with no warning to gain entry to a home is justified. But as long as no-knock warrants are executed, mistakes will be made and people will get hurt. Occasionally, a bad guy will get caught. But the police could probably have caught them by just waiting for them to come out the house. Say Her Name!
At the Swarthmore Borough Council meeting on September 21, Swarthmore resident Samina Iqbal reported on efforts to improve accessibility in the borough. Also: council voted unanimously to prohibit overnight parking on several streets near Michigan Avenue and the Environment Committee moved that council approve the purchase of 12 trees through the Tree Tenders Program. Council also voted unanimously to keep parklets in the center of town through the end of 2020.
The Phillies ended their season losing eight of the final nine games and couldn’t even make an expanded version of the playoffs. The Eagles salvaged a tie against the lowly Bengals to start the season 0-2-1. Only the soccer-playing Union, with a strong start to their campaign, have provided hope to the local fans. And that success is reflected in the results of our survey.
One hundred and two swimmers completed at least 1,000 laps at the Swarthmore Swim Club this summer.
The Community Arts Center in Wallingford has won a $10,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Announcing the grant, CAC Executive Director Paul Downie said it is awarded to support “multidisciplinary community arts programs,” and will enable the organization to bring visiting artists to its Summer Spree camp sessions in 2021. Approximately 100 kids participate in each one-week session.
This October, the Delaware County Arts Consortium will present nearly 50 events as part of its second annual Delco Arts Week (October 3 - 10). Because the pandemic has made in-person activities less feasible, this year’s Delco Arts Week will celebrate the community’s arts and culture primarily through online events.
We’ve been hearing a lot of questions about how to vote in the November 3 election. The Swarthmorean has assembled some information that we hope will help you choose your voting method (in-person, by mail, using a drop box, or at a new Voter Service Center), and then vote efficiently.
Board member Jerry Ballas reported on the activities of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. Ballas noted several disturbing incidents at Strath Haven High School on the first day of school. “It’s important that we not only talk about but fundamentally demonstrate that behavior of that type is simply unacceptable and will not be tolerated in the school system,” he said. The public comments portion of the meeting included reading out the following letter, written by leaders of the group Wallingford-Swarthmore Schools Big IDEA.
The Foundation for Wallingford-Swarthmore Schools recently donated an initial $5,000 to provide financial help to families in the Wallingford-Swarthmore School District who, because of COVID-19, are facing a loss of income, health problems, or unplanned expenses. Mini-grants are available to help pay for a variety of family needs, particularly childcare, food, household items, and school supplies.
School buildings will open in October. And athletic competition will soon resume. Those were the main results of the three-and-a-half hour meeting of the Wallingford-Swarthmore School District board on Monday night. Votes on both questions were 7-1, with board member Marylin Huff voting against.
Rose Valley’s Hedgerow has an advantage during COVID-19 that most theaters don’t: the company lives together. “We can keep working actually next to each other,” Reed says. “As opposed to something on a Zoom call you’re going to splice together.” Reed and his company are taking advantage of that proximity to reinvent themselves — temporarily, anyway — as online storytellers.
On October 7, the Mad Poets Society’s “First Wednesday” reading series will feature Swarthmore resident Dilruba Ahmed and Swarthmore College alumna Keetje Kuipers. The program will be on Zoom from 7 to 9 p.m., and will conclude with an open mic session at which anyone may read a poem.
For over 40 years this local church fair—traditionally held the first Saturday in October—has been a gathering place for the community. This year the fair will adapt to the moment by being held outdoors, in the large parking lot behind the church. People will still be able to sample aromas and flavors — either via controlled in-person shopping or curbside pickup — and catch up with friends and neighbors.
I look forward to fall for the chance to watch the southbound migration of warblers leaving the boreal forests of Canada for Central and South America. Certain patterns are evident. The American redstarts and black-and-white warblers are generally the first to come through, often starting in mid-August, and yellow-rumped warblers close out the migration season in late fall.
A gardening friend said to me the other day, “I never met a fern I didn’t like.” I generally agree. While some ferns are too aggressive for my garden, almost all can find a niche in somebody’s landscape.
If my generation learns to transform our self-consciousness into self-awareness, I hope it’s a lesson we can carry out of the Zoom environment and into the real world — when we finally get back there.
Will school buildings reopen later this month? Maybe. The Wallingford-Swarthmore School Board discussed the possibility — and what a reopening could look like — at a three-plus-hour meeting on Monday night. Also: concerns about screen time, sports, and more.
