The 2020-2021 cohort of the Swarthmore College President’s Sustainability Research Fellows will conduct their final presentations on Monday, May 10, from 1 to 3 p.m., via Zoom. Now in its fifth year, the President’s Sustainability Research Fellowship program matches motivated students with small teams of staff and faculty mentors to research, develop, and implement projects in a yearlong course and associated internship.
In the April 9 issue, Unscientific Survey asked readers to tell us how many Swarthmore homes they had lived in. Here are the results, including many reader comments.
Wallingford resident Thaddeus Adams reminisces about growing up on Bowdoin Avenue in the Historically Black Neighborhood of Swarthmore in the 1940s and 1950s.
An April 13 forum on accessibility in Swarthmore was organized by architect and Swarthmore resident Samina Iqbal, and hosted by Swarthmore Town Center. The event gave community members the opportunity to learn about the experiences of community members who are disabled, the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and options for complying with the law.
Michele Downie, a member of the Wallingford-Swarthmore School District’s board from Region 2, has resigned from her seat. Board president David Grande announced her resignation at Monday’s school board meeting. Downie had been a district school director since 2018.
The Swarthmore Public Library Book It 5K Walk and Run ends Sunday. Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the race, which is a major fundraiser for the library, is being held virtually this year. After registering online, participants can walk or run a 5K any time until May 2.
Swarthmore’s borough council voted to reopen borough hall and the Central Park amphitheater, and approved a three-year lease-purchase of a 2021 hybrid Ford Explorer for the police department.
Opinion writer Bob Foster highlights problems in the current recycling system and makes recommendations.
Annie Fox and Elizabeth Jenkins of Swarthmore’s Environmental Advisory Council share best practices when it comes to recycling.
Swarthmore resident Amy Sisson describes her project to create an annotated bibliography about race history in Swarthmore — both what it is, and how she came to assemble it.
Swarthmore Borough Police Chief Raymond Stufflet says that the borough’s new police vehicle — a 2021 Ford Explorer SUV — is the first hybrid he’s ever driven. Like his officers, he’s still getting used to the car, which went into service April 1. “When you turn it on, there’s no rumble,” he notes.
In the summer of 1930, “noisy birds” at the intersection of Harvard and Vassar avenues caused a flap among angry locals. A member of the community wrote “The Charge of the Bird Brigade” to parody the situation.
In collaboration with painter Robert Bohné and Gallery on Park, the Swarthmore Centennial Foundation is offering prints of a downtown Swarthmore scene for purchase.
Andrew Bunting sheds light on the origin of yellow magnolias and describes some of his favorites.
Nikki Giovanni’s book of poetry ‘A Good Cry’ is this week’s recommendation for something to read.
The Wallingford-Swarthmore school district voted to approve the selection of Wagner Marseille as the district’s new superintendent at their April 12 meeting. Also: students return to Strath Haven High School.
The Delaware County Youth Orchestra and the Young Musicians’ Orchestra will hold video auditions on May 14, 15, and 16 for the 2021-22 season. Students from all geographic areas, who play any orchestral instrument, are welcome to audition. We are hopeful that rehearsals, once they start, will be able to be held in person.
The Longwood Gardens Community Read program is in its eighth year. This year, two book selections explore how one finds a passion for nature, and how that spark can grow. Their featured book is “The Home Place: Memoirs of a Colored Man’s Love Affair With Nature,” by J. Drew Lanham. For younger readers, they selected “Ruby’s Birds,” by Mya Thompson.
Guggenheim Fellowships were awarded to two Swarthmore faculty members: Steven Hopkins for a study of lament and the ethics of mourning, and Ron Tarver for a photography project on Black cowboys.
