The Whimsical Isolation of Delanie Edwards ’24

May 12, 2020 by Cougar News

Earlier this month, Phil Lisi asked his students to write isolation-inspired poems. Delanie’s poem, “Isolation,” was particularly inspired, and has become part of an ongoing Arizona State chronicle of the pandemic: “A Journal Of The Plague Year: An Archive Of Covid19.”

Isolation
By Delanie Edwards

I’ve spent two weeks isolated
A major problem has been created
I used all of my hot sauce
This is such a loss
Food is a disgust
My mouth can’t adjust
Wait… I can order some online
The hot sauce will be all mine
I’ll order the largest size
In two day’s time it will be my greatest prize
It finally came
Now just to read the name
It’s chile-lime
This is such a crime
I must have ordered wrong
I just have to be strong
Until I can leave the house again
I don’t know when
Or until I can order correctly online
For now I’ll just have to dine
All alone in isolation
Without my hot sauce salvation

‘All Shook Up!’ — An Insider’s Review

March 20, 2020 by Cougar News

By Christopher Matthews ’20

In June of 2019, Ms. Wolanin announced to the LCDS Theater Company that the winter musical would be “All Shook Up!” We were excited to perform whatever she could throw at us, but nobody had heard of this musical before. Little did we know, “All Shook Up!” would change all of our lives for the better.

As auditions approached, our excitement was through the roof. We learned a grueling dance routine (which later became the dance break of “Jailhouse Rock!”) and had to memorize multiple songs, all in a few short days. The days before the cast list’s release are always some of the most stressful times in the company, and this show was no different. Tensions ran high until the 22 cast members accepted their roles with glee.

From the beginning, everyone in the company knew that “All Shook Up!” would be one of the biggest productions that the Steinman Theatre had ever seen, but after a few rehearsals, we truly realized the massive scale of the production.

Typically our shows take place on one set, but “All Shook Up!” requires many distinct locations that could not possibly be condensed into a single set. We needed to figure out how to use every single inch of space backstage to store different pieces of furniture while more than 20 actors scrambled to make their entrances on time.

The further we got in the process, the bigger the show seemed to become, but with a fighting spirit (and a lack of snow days), we charged into tech week.

It took us almost two full days to set up the lights, sound, and scene changes for the show, a process that normally takes only a few hours. While this was happening, the crew organized the backstage and the actors feverishly reviewed their lines and the musical numbers.

“All Shook Up!” features more than 25 different iconic Elvis songs, all of which have challenging harmonies and difficult high notes. Our vocal director, Mr. Woodbridge, masterfully taught the ensemble all of the music in less than two months while also teaching the principal characters their solos during office hours.

As opening night approached, our nerves were through the roof, following the same path our excitement had taken before auditions.

Because we didn’t have school on Friday, traditionally one of our busiest nights, many more students and faculty decided to come to the Thursday night production. The house was packed.

After our pre-show warmups, Ms. Wolanin delivered a heartwarming pep talk that reminded us to stay grounded and to have fun. The seniors looked to opening night with a bittersweet excitement. “All Shook Up!” was the swan song for many of the 17 seniors, so every single one of us wanted to give it 100 percent.

Opening night could not have gone better because of the tremendous amount of energy from the cast and audience. Thursday’s show led us into an extremely successful weekend of theater in which we sold out two of our four shows. As we struck the set on Sunday after everything was over, the exhaustion had begun to set in, but we could not have been more thrilled with the work we put in. We put on a grueling production, but we gained a whole new appreciation for one of the most iconic performers of all time in the process.

‘Bada Bing, It’s Spring!’

March 20, 2020 by Cougar News

The musical, “Bada Bing, It’s Spring!” debuted to acclaim in the Steinman Theatre March 5. Featuring numbers such as “What has happened to spring?” and “Weeds!,” the musical included students in K-2 playing the roles of various flowers, weeds, and birds, and included two intrepid kindergarten teachers as the Dandelion Queens.

Social Closeness-ing

March 20, 2020 by Cougar News

Check out this slideshow of some of the highlights of Balloon Day, the Ice Festival, preschoolers making inky hearts, and the spirited silliness of the US Winter Olympics.

Winter Sports Roundup 2020

March 20, 2020 by Cougar News

By Athletic Director Zac Kraft
with a Varsity Squash Recap by Trex Proffitt

The Girls’ Basketball team enjoyed the most successful season in school history, finishing the regular season with an overall record of 18-2, capturing the Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 5 Title with a 9-1 record, and qualifying for the L-L playoffs. The Cougars defeated Ephrata (Section 2 champ) in the Quarterfinals 49-40 in front of a packed Parents Fieldhouse before bowing to eventual L-L champion Lancaster Catholic 59-43 in the semifinals. Despite the lopsided score, Country Day had a strong showing on and off the court as alumni, former teachers, and parents filled the stands to show their support.

Lancaster Country Day School V Girls Squash1-23-20

Lancaster Country Day School V Girls Basketball

1-23-20

Ranked No. 1 in the District 3 Class A Power Ratings all season, the Cougars defeated Veritas Academy 59-43 and Lebanon Catholic 60-32 in the District 3 quarterfinals and semis, respectively, to reach the PIAA District 3 Championship Game for the second consecutive year. Just like last year, LCDS prevailed with a thrilling 44-42 victory over Greenwood to capture the PIAA District 3 Class A Championship.

In the PIAA State Class A Tournament, the Cougars defeated Northeast Bradford 45-30 in the first round before falling to Susquehanna Community School 35-25 in the second round to end the season with an overall record of 23-4, the most wins in school history.

L-L League Section 5 1st Team All-Star: Ashanti D. ’20, Annabelle C. ’20
L-L League Section 5 2nd Team All-Star: Kaela S. ’20
L-L League Section 5 Defensive All-Star: Kaela S. ’20
L-L League Section 5 Academic All-Star: Julia M. ’20
L-L League Section 5 Coach of the Year: Hilary Waltman
L-L League Coaches Senior All-Star Game Selections: Ashanti D. ’20, Annabelle C. ’20, Kaela S. ’20
1,000 Point Scorers: Ashanti D. ’20 (All-Time Leader), Annabelle C. ’20

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Having lost eight seniors to graduation — including 4 starters — the Boys’ Basketball team had many holes to fill in the lineup. The season started with great optimism as the Cougars won their first four games, capturing the LCDS Tip-Tournament Title with a 78-58 win over West Shore Christian. However, the Cougars would only manage to win three more games in an injury-riddled season to finish the regular season with an overall record of 7-15, 3-7 in L-L League Section 5. The overall record is misleading as the Cougars were competitive and in a position to win each night. In fact, LCDS lost the last three games by a combined total of just nine points. The Cougars finished the season ranked No. 11 in the District 3 Class A Power Ratings, missing qualifying for the District 3 playoffs by one spot.

L-L League Section 5 2nd Team All-Star: Lance L. ’21, Grant L. ’22
L-L League Section 5 Defensive All-Star: Lance L. ’21
L-L League Section 5 Academic All-Star: Waasae A. ’20
L-L League Coaches Senior All-Star Game Selections: Greg M. ’20

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The J.P. McCaskey Boys’ Swimming team finished the regular season with an overall record of 3-7, 0-5 in L-L League Section 1. With only seven swimmers on the roster, the theme of the season was quality versus quantity. Christian F. ’20 and Owen W. ’20 led the Red Tornado in every statistical category and enjoyed strong senior seasons. At the Lancaster-Lebanon League Swimming Championships, Christian placed fifth in the 50 freestyle (22.13) and eighth in the 100 freestyle (49.44). Owen placed third in the 50 butterfly (53.97) and seventh in the 100 backstroke (56.86). Both Christian and Owen were members of the 200 freestyle relay and 400 freestyle relay teams that finished sixth and fourth, respectively. At the PIAA District 3 Swimming Championships, Christian placed 17th in the 50 free (22.28) and 21st in the 100 free (49.64), while Owen placed 21st in the 100 butterfly (55.39) and 29th in the 100 backstroke (57.53).

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The JPM Girls’ Swimming & Diving team finished the season with an overall record of 1-9, 0-5 in Section 1. At the L-L League Swimming Championships, Alexa A. ’22 recorded personal bests in all four events, finishing 14th in the 100 free (57.58), 13th in the 100 back (1:04.30), and was a member of both the 200 medley and 200 freestyle relays that finished ninth, one place away from the medal stand. Riley K. ’22 also posted a career-best time in the 200 free relay.

After winning bronze as junior, Evie A. ’20 placed 2nd overall to earn a silver medal at the PIAA District 3 AAA Diving Championships with a total score of 392.80. Evie competed in the PIAA Class AAA Diving Championships, and advanced to the final round of diving before finishing 16th with a total score of 336.20.

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Competing as a member of the McCaskey Indoor Track & Field team, Arielle B. ’21 placed 15th in the mile run at the Pennsylvania Track & Field Coaches Association Indoor State Championships held at Penn State University March 1. During the winter season, Arielle set JPM program records in the indoor 3,000 meters (10:36.62) and 1,600 meters (5:11.85). Milana B. ’23 also set a program record in the 800 meters (2:27.57).
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Wesley G. ’20 (6 goals, 13 assists), Thomas K. ’22 (1 goal, 3 assists) and Shaan T. ’20 (1 assist) helped the Penn Manor Ice Hockey team finish the season with an overall record of 7-11 in the Central Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League.

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The 2019-2020 squash season was very successful from a player development viewpoint. So many students came out to play we had to turn a few away this year, for the first time ever. Those who stayed involved had opportunities to develop all aspects of their game on court, in the classroom, and in the fitness studio.

We appreciate the time of our full-time coaches, Solomon Klombers and Trex Proffitt, with part-time coaches Mark Doody, Diane Wilikofsky, Gary Monge, Steven Frick, and Bridget Umble; and, a special shout out to Chris Wilson for expert help with our fitness portion of our workouts! We had 56 players in Middle and Upper School, and sent a record number of teams to the national tournaments, two to high school and four to middle school competitions. We cheered for the two best players LCDS has ever had as they compiled winning records. And we built up the pipeline for future seasons.

2020 was the first year all of our regular season opponents were other varsity teams. In the past we sought matches against JV teams from other schools, but this year we were strong enough to compete at a higher level. In the top nine girls squad, veterans Whitney Finney, Grace Gardner, Delilah Taylor, and Amera Hemming welcomed first year Grace Rutter and junior Caroline Spire, and first-time senior squash players Lauren Wassell, Abigail Gardner, Haley Morphy.

During regular season play, our varsity girls finished 3-8 against other varsity teams. Many of the losses were close, with five-game contests common. Three players competed in every match. Whitney Finney (11-4) and Grace Rutter (9-5) put in consistent wins at the top of the roster and played in every match. Newcomer Lauren Wassell fought hard in every match as the No. 4 player. Everyone else won at least one match during the season. At the national team tournament at Trinity College and Loomis Chaffee School, the varsity girls finished 69th in the country and sixth in Division V with a tournament record of 2-2.

Our young varsity boys team finished 2-8 on the season. Veteran varsity sophomores Eddie Proffitt, George Warfel, Luca Fimiani, Look Zook, Andrew Sigmund, Andy Jaramillo, and Ben Armitage were joined by first years Winston Thai and Brayden Fantazzi. This enthusiastic squad has two more seasons together and earned accolades for their sportsmanship and composure on court from our opponents’ coaches and players. They were all fighters and many matches were won or lost in the maximum of five games. The varsity boys finished 84th in the country, and fourth in Division VI also with a record of 2-2.