The Hourglass 2021-22 Issue I

2 | editorial the hourglass | OCTober/NOVember 2021
Design and graphics by Cathy Wang ‘23 • Photos courtesy of Grace Halak ‘22 and Lavender Huang ‘22
An Uncertain Future:
Reckoning with the
Lasting Effects of a
Post-Pandemic Society
What should Baldwin students learn from the pandemic to build a better future?
GRACE HALAK ‘22
LAVENDER HUANG ‘22
Editors-in-Chief
Last year was defined by unprecedented change.
Now, more than a year and half after the start of
the pandemic, things almost feel more unsure.
Where 2020 was defined by isolation and lockdown,
2021 seems to be defined by disquiet and uncertainty.
In the first few months of the pandemic, the phrases
“when this is all over...” and “when things go back to
normal...” were ever-present self assurances that COVID
was a temporary blip in the rhythm of our lives. But as
the months have passed, it’s becoming more apparent
that COVID will continue to affect our lives long after
its start.
Masks indoors, hand sanitizer stations, and
vaccination card checks are the more overt symbols of
a post-pandemic world. But there are other, more subtle
signs of the pandemic’s reverberating effects on how we
live and function.
Our relationship with technology has completely
changed, with digital connection becoming just as,
if not more, common and utilized than face-to-face
interactions. The amount of time we spend on social
media and screens has increased significantly, and the
lines between the digital world and the “real” world are
becoming blurred.
For many, the pandemic stole important milestones.
Graduations, proms, school traditions, and normal school
years were lost for a year, leaving us to reckon with the
fallout now.
For high school students, the disruption of formative
high school years, which are essential for adjusting to the
LAVENDER HUANG ‘22
Baldwin UNsolved: Part I
Grace Halak ‘22
increased responsibilities and workload of high school,
left many unprepared for the tempo of a “normal” school
year. Although the adjustment to the ultra-virtual school
of 2020 was difficult, the transition back to ordinary is
proving just as challenging.
Within Baldwin, the aftereffects of the pandemic
are evident in the structure of the school itself. The
Schoolhouse is now exclusively used by the Upper
School, while the Middle School has shifted to the
Residence. The cafeteria is no longer a hub of social
activity, a role which has been replaced by the Middle
and North Door Fields. Assemblies are no longer with
the entire Upper School, but on different days with two
grades at a time.
All of this change has profoundly affected our
outlook and psyche. The turmoil of the pandemic taught
us to adjust to living day-to-day, week-to-week, and
month-to-month, with the unspoken acceptance that
anything can change at a moment’s notice. We have
learned adaptability in the face of the most prolonged
uncertainty in most of our lives.
We can no longer look towards a return to the
pre-pandemic world we knew in its entirety; we can
no longer promise ourselves a definitive “end” to
COVID’s presence in our lives. Our world has changed
fundamentally and permanently, but so have we. If the
past year and a half has proved anything, it is that we can
get through anything. As we approach the end of 2021,
let’s look towards the future with hope and courage...and
whatever storms arrive in the future, let’s weather them
together.
CARLEY TAYLOR ‘23
Staff Writer
Our school has been around for over a century, so naturally, there are countless rumors of ghosts and other
supernatural phenomena in its halls. You may have heard about the Residence’s ghost, Priscilla: once a
handbells-loving student, now haunting the shadows. Or maybe you’ve experienced strange happenings
firsthand, such as a door mysteriously shutting during class. But are such minute occurrences enough to prove that
ghosts are real, or even active at Baldwin?
One of the most popular locations where ghosts are said to be active is the Residence, which is not much of a
surprise considering it is the oldest building in the school, built in the 19th century. The scariest area of the building is
the fifth floor, which—if you survive the impractical hike there—certainly lives up to its reputation. The dusty books
scattered on the floor of dark empty hallways makes the floor a perfect horror movie set.
But how telling is the fifth floor’s spooky appearance of the true nature of the Residence? Its notoriety suggests
that spirits roam the floor, haunting the building that once housed many students, and now some faculty. Of course,
rumor isn’t strong enough evidence to prove that ghosts really haunt our school, but many students claim to have
witnessed unexplainable sights during their adventures up there. [ CONTINUED on the WEBSITE ]
hourglass
the baldwin school
OCTOBER/NovEMBER 2021
Volume 60 Issue 1
701 Montgomery Avenue,
Bryn Mawr, PA 19010
Editors-in-Chief
Lavender Huang ‘22 · Grace Halak ‘22
creative Directors
Anna Wang ‘22 · Sophie Cai ‘22
Junior Creative Director
Emily Zhang ‘23
JUnior media director
Sophia Ran ‘23
Photography EditorS
Melody Hao ‘22 · Izzy Antanavicius ‘22
News Editor Izzy Thompson ‘23
Features Editor
Makenna Walko ‘23
Opinion Editor Anna Wetzel ‘22
Sports Editor Marin Horwitz ‘24
Arts Editor Camille Murray ‘22
Media Content Editor
Kaitlyn O’Malley ‘22
FACULTY ADVISORS
Dr. Daniel Benjamin · Ms. Janice Wilke
mission statement
The Hourglass is The Baldwin Upper
School’s newspaper dedicated to
publishing student articles. The
views expressed in The Hourglass
do not necessarily reflect those
of the school or the editors.
content
All content published in The Hourglass
(including but not limited to articles,
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illustrations) is created by Baldwin
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Hourglass unless otherwise indicated.
corrections
The Hourglass aspires for its content
to be fair and correct, and regrets
when it is not. If you have questions
or comments about our coverage,
contact the Editors-in-Chief at
lhuang@baldwinschool.org or
ghalak@baldwinschool.org.
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