Burg's Eye View

Historian, author, and speaker Professor Louis Moore from Grand Valley State University spoke at Mercersburg Academy about the significant impact of race and sports in America.

To round out National Poetry Month in April, poet and author Luther Kissam '18 visited Mercersburg to share his poems during a school meeting. Following the event, he sat down with Mel Cort '23 to discuss poetry, his inspirations, his time at Mercersburg, advice for young writers, and more. Learn more about Luther and his poetry: lutherkissamv.com

Dacher Keltner, a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, gave the Ammerman Family Lecture at Mercersburg Academy on April 24. Read more: https://www.mercersburg.edu/news-article/~board/general-school-news/post/dacher-keltner-to-deliver-ammerman-family-lecture

G. Dean Patterson Jr. ’71, retired Case Western Reserve University administrator, delivered the Cum Laude Convocation address March 24, 2023, in the Irvine Memorial Chapel as Mercersburg inducted 25 members of the Class of 2023 into the school's chapter of the society.

Head of School Quentin McDowell P '25 delivers the opening of term talk in the Irvine Memorial Chapel to start the spring term.

Mercersburg's traditional Irving-Marshall Week is February 26-March 2, and to get the inside scoop on what to expect, join Declamation adviser Matt Maurer as he chats with the experts: Isabel Su '23 (Marshall president), Caroline Wilkinson '23 (Irving president), Amy Shaffer Post '02 (Irving adviser), and Bethany Galey '02 (Marshall adviser). Go Marshall! Go Irving!

Yuval Levin, director of social, cultural, and constitutional studies at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), visited Mercersburg Academy on January 30 to deliver this year's Schaff Lecture on Ethics and Morals.

Senior Class President Minh Tran '23 addressed the entire school at a school meeting in January to talk about how his perception of graduation has changed, what it was like to travel home to Vietnam and learn virtually during the pandemic, and the memories he holds close to him.

Many of our seniors are now receiving decisions from the colleges where they applied. Jamie Vulakh '24, communications intern, sat down with Michael Conklin, director of college counseling, and Amy Shaffer Post '02, social emotional learning counselor, to talk about what this time of year can mean for both parents and students.

Head of School Quentin McDowell P '25 delivers the opening of term talk in the Burgin Center for the Arts' Simon Theatre to kick off the winter term.

Toward the end of the fall term, Coco Zhai '24 shared her Mercersburg story with the community during a school meeting. Zhai, of Beijing China, is a talented musician and performed her original song "Running in a Circle" at the end of the presentation. Bryan Morgan '07, director of music, introduces Coco at the beginning and accompanies her performance on the keyboard.

Communications intern Norah Copenhaver '24 sits down with Dianna Lora '00 to talk about her experience in the gaming industry. Podcast edited by communications intern Ivy Chan '24.

Making space food? Exploring with Mercersburg's telescope? These are just some of the workshops planned for Community Reading Day this Friday afternoon (9-23-22) as students explore different facets of the all-school read "Project Hail Mary" by Andy Weir. Communications intern Norah Copenhaver '24 recently sat down with Alexandra Patterson and Michele Poacelli P '24, '26, chairs of the Community R...

Head of School Quentin McDowell P '25 gives the opening of term talk in the Irving Memorial Chapel for the 2022-2023 fall term.

Communications intern Finn SIpes '22 takes our podcast mic on the move to find out what students think about being able to go into the borough of Mercersburg this spring as COVID-19 restrictions ease.

Head of School Quentin McDowell P '25 gave the Baccalaureate address Friday, May 27, in the Irving Memorial Chapel.

Longtime faculty member Tom Thorne P '06, '07, who is retiring at the end of the 2021-2022 academic year after 29 years at Mercersburg, was the featured speaker at the school's 129th Commencement exercises. Thorne is head of Mercersburg's classical and modern languages department and has held the David F. Chapman Chair since 2001.

During the school meeting on Friday April 8, students celebrated the start of National Poetry Month by hearing from four poets. Jasmine Zhu '23, Mercersburg's representative at Poetry Out Loud, recited "A Noiseless Patient Spider" by Walt Whitman and "Candles" by Carl Dennis. Carina Cole '22 recited her original poem, "Our World is a Field of Flowers," which was published in the 2021 edition of "B...

James Snyder '69 delivered the address at the annual Cum Laude Convocation where 28 members of the Class of 2022 were inducted into the Mercersburg Chapter of the Cum Laude Society.

Communications intern Wynne Elser '22 took our podcast mic on the move to capture Irving-Marshall Week 2022 from the student perspective.

Making a Difference: Megan Kearley '12 and Leah Selznick '12 discuss how their Mercersburg experiences inspired their career paths and the work they do in the areas of health and wellness.

A number of Mercersburg employees are alums of the school. What's it like to return to your alma mater and experience life on the other side of the desk? In the second installment of the Full Circle podcast, communications intern Wynne Elser '22 talks with Sarah Firestone '13, fitness and performance coordinator, about returning to the 'Burg as an employee.

This week Rev. Will Whitmore shares a homily from a most unusual place: a restaurant as he awaits the birth of his son. Robert William Whitmore arrived several hours after the recording of this homily, and the family is healthy and doing well. In addition to the homily, Carillonneur James Brinson performs "We Three Kings."

Mercersburg Faculty Member Jim Malone talks about how he supports local charities and works to involve others in the campus community.

A number of Mercersburg employees are alums of the school. What's it like to return to your alma mater to work alongside your former teachers? How does your perspective change when you become a faculty or staff member? Communications intern Melody Howe '22 went in search of answers to these questions when she sat down with Jenn Flanagan Bradley '99, director of alumni and parent relations, and Lea...