Friendly, humble, down-to-earth, dependable, chill—all these descriptions are only a few of the many admirable qualities of Sixth Former Phineas Manogue. Anybody unfamiliar with him would likely assume from his confident and composed demeanor that he had been attending Haverford since Pre-K; however, Manogue’s journey through Haverford began when he entered the upper school as a Third Former.
Manogue’s first year at Haverford was a period of exploration and discovery, as he spent time trying his hand at a number of different activities, whether they were new sports or clubs.
“I did math club and I was going to do entrepreneurship club but then I decided a couple months in to start Certamen.”
Phineas Manogue ’25
“Freshman year, I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do, so I went to a couple of clubs,” Manogue said. “I did math club and I was going to do entrepreneurship club but then I decided a couple months in to start Certamen.”
Manogue said, “I knew I wanted to do tennis all four years but I needed to find another activity for my second sports credit, so I just did crew to condition [myself].”
The following year, rather than doing crew, Manogue pursued speech and debate. Then the year after that, Manogue joined the robotics team.
“I really liked Mr. Leech, I liked all the guys there, and I wanted to do it freshman year, but I was afraid that I wasn’t as experienced as everybody else,” Manogue said. “I kind of deprived myself of the first two years and I wanted to try something different.”
Now, as a Sixth Former, Manogue has found his place at Haverford as a pillar of its community as a member of the Signet Society.
“We’re [The Signet Society] the voice of the students, but we’re also carrying out the desires of the faculty and letting students know expectations. I think it’s really important, and I’m so glad I’m a part of it.”
Phineas Manogue ’25
“I think it’s one of the coolest things that Haverford offers, and I think that Signet is sort of like the bridge between the faculty and the students,” he said. “We’re the voice of the students, but we’re also carrying out the desires of the faculty and letting students know expectations. I think it’s really important, and I’m so glad I’m a part of it.”
Another part of Manogue’s integral contribution to the Haverford community is his presence at sporting events.
“My favorite memories from Haverford come from this year: all the games I went to, which I didn’t go to in my first two years,” he said. “I really regret and wish I had gone to more games because they’re so fun. It’s really cool to see all the different people from Haverford all there and all supporting the same thing.”
Reflecting on his time at Haverford, Manogue said, “Haverford’s awesome. So many things I would never have done if I didn’t go to Haverford.”
Manogue said, “The sports credits [requirement] made me do speech and debate. I’m terrified of public speaking—it’s probably my least favorite thing. I can barely talk in front of my own extended family if all the attention is on me, so the fact that I did [speech and debate] is one of the most insane things I’ve ever done.”
Summing up his upper school experience, Manogue advised, “High school is not supposed to be a time where things are set in stone. [Everyone] should try as many new activities and go to as many different events as they can.”
Outside of Haverford, Manogue is an extremely capable sailor, having won the club championship for the club he sails at. His attitude of consistently trying things is exemplary, and he will continue to explore and discover at the prestigious University of Chicago, where he plans to major in mathematics and chemistry.
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