The student voice since 1888.
The Index is a student-run publication of The Haverford School that does more than bring news: it provides the diverse perspectives of the Haverford student body. It is an outlet for student writers to take stands on issues they deem important. It chronicles the daily struggles and accomplishments of the Haverford community.
The Index also provides a forum for discussion of pertinent issues, such as student culture, academic policy, and Haverford’s place in world affairs.
The Index presents new ideas and aspires to influence constructive change. All opinions and viewpoints expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of The Index or the school.
The Index is designed and produced digitally. Photographs may be retouched. Submissions and letters to the editors regarding any and all articles are welcomed at index@haverford.org.
The Index, a member of the Columbia Scholastic Press Association and the Pennsylvania School Press Association, is composed on applications in the Google Suite and Adobe Creative Cloud. School Paper Express of Wappingers Falls, N.Y., prints 200-500 copies of each issue, and its editorial staff distributes them in the upper school on the day of release.
The Index serves the needs of a total school population of 1152 community members, consisting of 952 students and 200 faculty and staff members.
awards and honors
Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA)
2020 Gold Medal
2019 Silver Medal
2018 Silver Medal
2017 Silver Medal
2016 Bronze Medal
2013 Gold Medal
2012 Gold Medal
2011 Silver Medal
2010 Silver Medal
CSPA Gold Circle Awards
2019 Intel Chen ’19, Photography Portfolio of Work, Second Place
Quill & Scroll Honor Society
2022 International First Place
2020 International First Place
2019 International First Place
2018 International Second Place
Pennsylvania School Press Association (PSPA)
Annual critique:
2022 Silver Rating
2020 Gold Rating
2019 Gold Rating
2018 Gold Rating
Philadelphia-area Student Journalism Competition (SJC)
2019-20 Quinn Luong ’22 – Best newspaper news story writing
2019-20 Mitav Nayak ’22 – Best newspaper sports story writing
The New York Times student editorial contest
2021 Natchikethan Srinivasan ’21 – Runner-up – “According to some, critical race theory is ‘Anti-American.’ Here’s the truth.”
Scholastic Art and Writing Awards: Philadelphia Writing Region
2023 Gold Key
Adiyan Nayak ’24, “Students and faculty debate Musk’s Twitter acquisition“
2023 Silver Key
Christopher Schwarting, ’24, “Queen Elizabeth leaves a lasting legacy, but Gen Z must be sure to see it all“
Connor Simpkins ’24, “James Webb Space Telescope poised to change our understanding of space“
Connor Simpkins ’24, “Students reflect on the two-year anniversary of COVID“
2023 Honorable Mention
Ethan Chan ’23, “Donda: A spiritual awakening“
Ian Rosenzweig ’25, “Department chairs weigh perceived STEM-humanities divide“
Ian Rosenzweig ’25, “Oxford High School shooting unnerves a nation“
Ian Rosenzweig ’25, “The 2022 World Cup in Qatar is an opportunity to unite around human rights“
Casey Williams ’24, “Community reacts to Kanye West’s antisemitic remarks“
NFPW High School Communications Contest
2023 Joey Kauffman ’23, “Controversy swirls around fan section nickname,” Second Place, Feature story
2019 Nelson Liu ’19, “Common sense gun regulation,” Third Place, Opinion
Pennsylvania Press Club Annual High School Journalism Contest
First Place
2023 Feature Story – Joey Kauffman ’23, “Controversy swirls around fan section nickname“
2023 Columns or blogs – Arsh Aggarwal ’24, “SAT going digital in 2024“
Second Place
2023 Opinion – Connor Simpkins ’25, “The fresh start effect“
Third Place
2023 Opinion – Ian Rosenzweig ’25, “The 2022 World Cup in Qatar is an opportunity to unite around human rights“
Honorable Mention
2023 News story – Casey Williams ’24, “Community reacts to Kanye West’s antisemitic remarks“
2023 News story – Adiyan Nayak, ’24, “Students and faculty debate Musk’s Twitter acquisition“
2023 Feature story – Connor Simpkins ’25, “Students reflect on two-year anniversary of COVID“
A brief history of The Index
BY Jacob White ’11
The Index was founded in November 1888 at The Haverford School. At that point, the school was still called The Haverford College Grammar School and was led by the dean of Haverford College. For fifty years, The Index was primarily a literary publication where students submitted short stories, poetry, travel adventures, and almost anything that could be considered literature. After the literary section, there was a brief section on sports results, and then after that, there was often a section called “The Exchange.” Haverford exchanged The Index with other school publications, and The Index would be rated by other schools. Conversely, the editors rated and gave comments to the editors of the other publications.
During these fifty years, the content of The Index was taken very seriously as there was no other way for alumni and members of the community to see what was happening at Haverford. It was considered a representation of the school. Finally, there was a humor section, which like the current Outdex, was filled with humor that is difficult to understand for those unfamiliar with the teachers and students lampooned.
These publications were issued monthly, but unlike today, appeared in magazine rather than newspaper form. The Index contained advertisements, and for a brief period in the late 1920s and early 1930s students were required to subscribe to The Index and pay if they wanted to receive a copy. In the late 1930s, the paper seemed to dwindle in popularity, and there was a brief period (about five years) where the paper was possibly not produced at all. It reappeared as a bi-monthly in September of 1943 in the form of a newspaper. These issues were typically about four pages; however, publishing every other week proved unfeasible and it reverted to monthly publication. From 1943 to 1980, The Index only reported on local news. Many issues involved faculty, sports accomplishments, or articles about students and their academic lives. For these forty years, the publication was centralized on Haverford and its doings.
In 1980, world news made its way to the front page of The Index. This marked a change in the style of the writing as well. The content of The Index shifted from reporting to opinion. This may be a student giving their opinions on world events, local events, people, or actions. The publication meddled in politics and blurred the line between what was known only by the faculty and not by the students. During the twenty years between 1980 and 2000, students actively debated over the content featured in that month’s Index.
After 2000, The Index morphed into its current form. The monthly publication attempts to combine a healthy mixture of opinion and news, both local and international. We feature student artwork, faculty profiles, sports commentary, and discussion of Haverford’s place in world affairs. The staff encourages new writers from all different academic backgrounds to write for The Index, as well as attempting to delve into every aspect of life at Haverford. This website is a digital extension of the publication. Perhaps one day it will be the hub of a Haverford student’s school-related information online.
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