Penn Charter’s soccer athletes partnered with Unity Sports for inclusive sports program for children with special needs

"Our kids look at these athletes like they’re LeBron James," said Dolan Fund executive director Danielle Griffith.

When India Knight’s twin nephews, Major and Mason Lewis, came into her life on Dec. 1, 2022, she put her own on hold to “give the boys a chance in life,” her sister Jhalia Thomas said.

Both boys have autism and were nonverbal at 1½ years old when Knight and her mother got custody of them. Her nephews needed stability, support and opportunities to learn, she said.

Knight, who worked in case management for Philadelphia County probationers and state parolees, left the field in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but planned to return to work. However, she dedicated hours to speech, behavioral and cognitive therapy and early intervention at Easterseals for her nephews, as well as taking them to all the events in the city, including swim lessons and Halloween events.

“The more they’re exposed, the more they’ll learn,” Knight said.

On Saturday, she brought them to the Unity Sports recreational soccer program, where children with intellectual, emotional and physical disabilities play alongside student-athletes from Penn Charter’s boys and girls soccer teams.

The program, run by the Kelly Anne Dolan Memorial Fund in partnership with Penn Charter, began in September 2025 with the intention of building a community where children and families of varying abilities could run around a soccer field, kick the ball, and spend time with peers.

“I wanted to create a community within the fund for parents and siblings and caregivers to be together and not separate and to be in a safe space with no judgments,” executive director Danielle Griffith said. “It also gives the parents time to talk to each other because the best resources are other parents.”

The fund was established 50 years ago by Joe and Peggy Dolan to provide financial assistance to families experiencing difficulties related to their children’s diagnosis, illness or injury. The Dolans noticed during their daughter’s battle with leukemia in 1976 that parents with children in the hospital were losing their jobs, homes, cars and more because of the financial and time-related costs of caring for a seriously ill child.

Over the past 50 years, the fund has helped more than 50,000 families and paid over $10 million in bills.

“While we’re small, we are mighty,” Griffith said. “I just think it’s really important that our families get time together to just have fun because they don’t get that often.”

Griffith wanted to expand the organization’s work beyond financial assistance by creating opportunities for children to experience the benefits of athletics. She says her son, Rowan, who plays baseball at Catholic University and graduated from Penn Charter, learned resilience, teamwork and the ability to overcome adversity through sports, and she wanted the Dolan fund children to learn those same lessons.

Katrina Burgess found Unity Sports on a Facebook support group page, at a time when she said her son Toby was anti-social and did not want to play in group sports.

“Batman works alone,” she remembers him saying, so he did too.

Toby, 15, was born typical, Burgess said, but he started having seizures at 2½ years old. He was later diagnosed with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, a rare and severe form of uncontrolled epilepsy, and intellectual disabilities followed. Finding activities where Toby felt comfortable was not always easy, Burgess said, until Unity Sports.

“We started finding programs like Unity where it takes the older high school and college kids and they work with them and really got Toby into it,” Burgess said. “Now he feels like the cool guy on campus.”

Toby’s 11-year-old twin brothers also came on Saturday, making it a family event where they all could play.

“With my kids having such a wide range of abilities, it is really hard to just do family things,” Burgess said. “I can’t describe the happiness you have when all your kids are satisfied in an event like this.”

Knight said she has seen firsthand how difficult it can be to find inclusive opportunities for her nephews. Many soccer teams in the area are not open to the idea of children with special needs playing on their teams, she said. Knight said the Eagles use their platform to create unity within the city and in the future, she hopes they could expand sports for children with special needs.

“I really would love for them to play club soccer, so if Unity Sports and the Eagles could push that forward in some way, that would be great,” Knight said.

The Penn Charter student-athletes served as “buddies” to the Dolan fund children on Saturday and kicked the ball together, ran around the field and ate snacks with them.

“Our [The Dolan Fund] kids look at these athletes like they’re LeBron James,” Griffith said. “It’s such an opportunity for our families to bond with these athletes, to see what’s possible in life, to be on these beautiful fields for parents to be able to just relax and watch and you know really just enjoy all the togetherness, the inclusion.”

—by Lauren Jones
Published Oct. 6, 2026, 5:01 a.m. ET on www.inquirer.com

Over 50 miles of trails, lush canopy, and creeks sit near Penn Charter's campus, and for Lower School teacher Joel Eckel, the Wissahickon Valley Park offered the perfect landscape for an inspiring sabbatical.

While based in the Lower School, Joel Eckel spent his sabbatical looking at the entire Penn Charter journey, exploring how deep engagement with nature can serve as a powerful antidote to modern screen fatigue, anxiety and social media pressure. From collaborating with local environmental organizations to imagining cross-divisional field trips, his research outlines a vision for the Wissahickon as a true extension of the Penn Charter classroom. (Bonus, he even designed a trail guide!)

We caught up with Joel to discuss his findings and what it means to build a lifelong relationship with the natural world.

Q&A with Joel Eckel

Q: You explored more than 50 miles of trails during your sabbatical. What inspired this project, and how does it apply to the schoolhouse?

A: My main goal was to address the growing trends of anxiety and depression brought on by excessive screen time and social media. While I teach in the Lower School, this work isn't just for the Lower School; it’s designed for all three divisions.

In the Lower School, the focus is on spending time outside, building community, taking calculated risks, and providing them with opportunities to display different aspects of their personality that are not as evident during classroom tasks. Working with organizations like the Wissahickon Restoration Volunteers and Friends of the Wissahickon really reinforced how vital hands-on, experiential learning and service experiences are for our students.
 

Q: How do you see your experience reshaping environmental education and outdoor learning at Penn Charter?

A: We are so fortunate to have a campus in such close proximity to the Wissahickon. I see a tremendous opportunity to build a structured, PK–12 pathway for students to engage with our natural environment. With some planning, the Wissahickon can become an extension of our classrooms and a place where students engage in outdoor learning.

Having real experiences in the environment is not only good physically and mentally for students of all ages, but it also fosters a genuine love of nature and allows students to connect more deeply with the Quaker testimony of stewardship.
 

Q: Is there a specific spot or lesson concept you are particularly excited to bring to life?

A: There's a little spot near where West Mount Airy Avenue dead-ends into the Wissahickon, and just down the trail is a place lovingly known as "frog pond.”  I'd love to see a class of lower school students out there on a fine spring day with rain boots and nets, accompanied by an upper school science class collecting tadpoles. This would be a great example of hands-on, cross-divisional learning.
 

Q: You mentioned student mental health earlier. How can the park serve as a space for personal wellness and mindfulness?

A: This is really at the heart of what I wanted to accomplish. I see a direct parallel between my goals in the Wissahickon and how we approach Meeting for Worship at Penn Charter.

The practice of Meeting for Worship gives students a gift they carry for life—the knowledge that when the world feels busy, hectic, or frantic, they can pull back, sit in silence and reflect. It’s a deeply centering practice. The exact same thing happens when we give students time in nature. My hope is that by giving them regular opportunities to step into the woods, they learn that nature is a special, restorative place they can return to anytime throughout their lives.
 

Q: Looking ahead, what does long-term success look like for Penn Charter's relationship with the Wissahickon?

A: Penn Charter already does fantastic work, but there are endless opportunities to expand our outdoor education program. Ultimately, we owe it to our students to provide direct, meaningful experiences in nature. Success would mean the Wissahickon becomes a continuous thread running through every student's Penn Charter experience, from their earliest years in pre-K through graduation.

Celebrating 33 participants, this was our largest Faculty & Staff Art Show to date! About a third of our featured artists participated for the very first time, sharing everything from paintings and photography to fabric art, crochet and stained glass. Thank you to everyone who contributed—may this show continue to inspire the artist in each of us.

There’s a lot to celebrate about AJ Bouie as he heads into his final year at Penn Charter. A senior defensive tackle and team captain, AJ has committed to Columbia University, where he’ll continue his football career as a Lion. 

On the football field, AJ has been a force. During the 2025 season, he recorded 61 total tackles, 20 tackles for loss, an interception, a fumble recovery and a blocked field goal. After earning all-league honors on defense, AJ has continued to challenge himself, expanding his role to include opportunities on the offensive side of the ball. 

“AJ’s impact on our football program cannot be overstated,” said football coach CJ Yespelkis. “He has fully embraced a highly visible leadership role this season as a team captain, and what stands out most is how intentionally he works with our younger players. After an all-league defensive season, AJ has actively pushed himself to expand his role on the offensive side of the ball. It’s exactly the kind of unselfish, driven mindset you want to see from a senior as he prepares to play Ivy League football at Columbia next fall.” 

Football has been a big part of AJ’s Penn Charter experience, but it’s certainly not the whole story. He’s made the most of his time here by getting involved in the community and taking part in opportunities well beyond the athletic field. He is a member of Quakers Dozen, Penn Charter’s a cappella group, and has embraced opportunities to explore his interests in music, academics and athletics. 

As AJ puts it, “Instead of limiting me to just one activity, Penn Charter allows me to explore my love for music on the stage while I compete on the field, track or court. The unique and rigorous academics also allow me to learn more about my interests, whether it’s physics or philosophy. Overall, Penn Charter has shaped me into a well-rounded individual who is not defined by just one passion, but by all the interests and experiences that make up who I am.” 

That sense of curiosity and willingness to try new things has been a defining part of AJ’s time at Penn Charter. It’s been fun to see him take the field on gamedays and then share the stage with his classmates, showing just how many different ways a student can make an impact in our community. 

AJ’s commitment to Columbia is a wonderful accomplishment and a reflection of the hard work, curiosity and dedication he’s shown both on and off the field. We’re excited to see where this next chapter takes him and know he’ll bring the same energy and enthusiasm to Columbia that he has brought to Penn Charter.

When national attention turned to ICE immigration activity last winter, a group of PC seventh and eighth graders didn't want to just watch from the sidelines. Inspired by an Upper School walkout protesting the raids, the students decided to take action of their own — becoming, in their words, "change cultivators."

Their eighth-grade civics class, taught by Jim Pilkington, had spent the year exploring the Bill of Rights, the Civil Rights Movement and civic engagement — themes that connected directly to what students were seeing in the news. "Learning about the Bill of Rights and connecting that to rights that are being threatened right now was really important," said eighth grader Leela Vedanthan.

With support from Middle School leaders Kathleen Clinchy and Erin Howard, and guidance from Alyson Goodner OPC '96 of the Center for Public Purpose, the group designed a two-part campaign: fundraising and education.

They created buttons spreading messages of peace and equality — including a nod to Philly's iconic LOVE sign — and sold them at a lunchtime bake sale to raise money for Puentes de Salud and the Nationalities Service Center, two organizations serving immigrants and refugees. "It's a subtle way of spreading awareness," said eighth grader Andie Shaginaw.

The students also led a fact-based "Know Your Rights" teach-in for their peers, breaking down terms like undocumented, green card and birthright citizenship for an audience spanning fifth graders through faculty.

For Clinchy, the project pushed back on a common assumption. "I so wholeheartedly disagree with the idea that students are too young to lead," she said. "Any age can be a leader — and we're seeing that here in the Middle School."

Pilkington agreed the experience reflected something bigger than a class assignment. "Civic engagement isn't something to learn for a class or a grade," he said. "It's a vital skill for our democracy to succeed."

Felix Robinson, a junior, grew up listening to Phillies games on the radio with his family. "We never had cable TV," he said. "So we would sit around the dinner table every evening of the summer listening to Phillies games." Without instant replays or graphics, he noticed, announcers "have to be the center of focus—have to be entertaining."

Inspired by Phillies broadcaster Scott Franzke, Felix reached out to PC's Athletics Department last fall to ask about broadcasting basketball games. Director of Athletics Daniel DiBerardinis, who came to Penn Charter from a school with its own broadcasting program, loved the idea and helped provide equipment and training. The team also brought in Bob Long, a broadcasting expert from La Salle College High School, to show students how to set up streaming.

"There was a ton of support for helping me set it up," Felix recalled. After basketball season, DiBerardinis and the athletics team encouraged him to turn the effort into an official club.

Sports broadcasting involves researching teams and players, tracking stats, live commentary, and player interviews. Felix hopes to build a dedicated group of students to consistently cover PC sports going forward. Feedback so far has been overwhelmingly positive. "It's been really cool to see that it's reaching the Penn Charter community, past and present," he said.

Watch live broadcasts on PC Athletics' YouTube channel, and follow @pc.sports.broadcasting on Instagram for interviews, live updates, and more.

Each spring, Penn Charter's Art Show transforms the Kurtz Center lobby into a gallery showcasing student work from every division—pre-K through 12th grade—spanning painting, sculpture, fabric work, graphic design, photography, ceramics and more.

The Visual Arts and Design Department faculty chooses the show's theme together each year. "We start with a brainstorming session, discuss our ideas and share what resonates with each of us," said department chair Joy Lai. This year's theme, "Make Your Mark," highlighted how art leaves a lasting impression on both viewer and artist.

Lower School students contributed weavings, clay work, wood sculptures, paintings, prints and drawings. "They beam with pride seeing their work in this more formal setting," said Lower School art teacher Karen Riedlmeier. Middle schoolers explored painting, clay work, collage and perspective drawing, embracing what Middle School art teacher Jennifer Chernak called the freedom of "learning through process"—including both setbacks and creative surprises.

In the Upper School, preparing for the show is part of the curriculum: students select their pieces, write artist statements, and help mat, frame and hang their work. In Eva Kay Noone's Advanced Costume Design class, students research a historical era and design a mask and full costume for a character—this year drawing on Italian Commedia Dell'Arte.

The show also featured work from eight OPC photographers spanning multiple decades, including Griffin Lipson OPC '12, who has photographed celebrities like Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep, and Keith Helmetag OPC '71, whose award-winning installations appear at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum and Yankee Stadium.

"The show is an extension of what it means to be in an artistic community," Lai said. "Our hope is that our viewers will be impressed by the breadth of our program, awed by the creativity of our students and inspired to make their own art."

Inspired by Brandon Stanton's Humans of New York, Joy Lai, chair of the Visual Arts and Design Department, had long wanted her photography students to create a similar project celebrating the Penn Charter community. This March, that vision became People of PC.

Studying works by photographers like Dawoud Bey, Carrie Mae Weems and Irving Penn, students learned about pose, angle and background before each chose a PC teacher or staff member to photograph and interview. "The goal was to celebrate the people who make up the school while highlighting meaningful personal connections," Lai said. Students created black-and-white portraits layered with colorful artistic designs of their own.

Freshman Sophie Wilmerding photographed Shelby Tucker, a Middle School teacher and her former lacrosse coach. Tucker told her that watching students grow over the years—rather than losing touch after Middle School—was her favorite part of teaching at PC. Sophie set the portrait against the "Joy in Community" banner with purple accents, "because it feels like her vibe."

Sophomore Bridget Elliott photographed frequent substitute teacher Yola Nakchbandi, learning about her past teaching at a military school in the UAE. "She really loves being a part of Penn Charter, and the community loves her," Bridget said, choosing warm accent colors to match Nakchbandi's personality.

Students found the project offered a new way to connect with teachers—and a deeper understanding of the people behind the PC community.

Girls Lacrosse

The Quakers enjoyed their strongest season in decades in 2026, riding a wave of magic to multiple program milestones. A 7-6 loss to Inter-Ac rival Episcopal Academy on March 19 dropped PC to 2-2 overall, and it was the last time the team tasted defeat for the rest of the year.

Penn Charter responded to the EA setback by embarking on a staggering 24-game win streak, collecting the program’s first Inter-Ac championship since 1999 along the way. PC finished 9-1 against league opponents, a game ahead of Episcopal in the standings, and earned a hard-fought 9-8 win in the regular season rematch against EA on May 1. The two teams met again in the Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association (PAISAA) championship game three weeks later, with the Quakers claiming a 7-4 victory and the program’s first state title since 2022. Louisville recruit Claire Cho led the way with a team-best four goals. 

Penn Charter ended its season as the No. 4 ranked team in the nation by USALacrosse.com. The Quakers had a plethora of selections on the all-league team, with senior goalie and Boston College recruit Maeve Magarity leading the First Team by being awarded the Inter-Ac Most Valuable Player honor. Magarity, also named to the New Balance All-America Lacrosse Senior Game in July, capped off her PC career with 10 saves in the PAISAA title game. 

Joining Magarity on the First Team were Ana Buckley (Dartmouth), Harbor Campbell (Loyola), Molly Dougherty (Michigan) and Makenna Myers, while Mia DiBenedetto and Lila Marciniak (Northwestern) earned Second Team honors. 

 

Boys Lacrosse

Following a winless season in 2025, Penn Charter enjoyed immense improvements on the field this past spring. The Quakers finished with an 11-12 overall record, their highest win total in four years, and swept last-place Germantown Academy during the regular season. The program also qualified for the PAISAA Tournament, winning its first round game against Academy of the New Church on May 13 before ultimately bowing out to eventual champ Malvern Prep the next day.

 

 

 

 

Girls Track & Field

The PC girls followed up their highly-successful winter indoor track season with more accolades in the spring. The Quakers first secured an Inter-Ac championship on May 9 at Episcopal Academy, then followed that up with a PAISAA championship one week later at Malvern Prep. 

Mackenzie Skelly broke the school record in the 1600m by running a 4:45.18 at the Haverford Distance Classic in mid-April. Two weeks later, Skelly and 4x800 relay teammates Abby Downin, Marlie Klein and Gwen Hamilton set a Pennsylvania record by running an 8:49.73 at the historic Penn Relays while earning a second-place finish in the process. 

Senior Michaela Poland was named as the league’s Most Valuable Athlete for the second time in her PC career, headlining the Inter-Ac all-league First Team. Also named to the First Team were Skelly, Hamilton, Taliyah Davis, Tisa Edwards, Logan Lloyd, Zsuzsi Pollock and Keagan Seth. Klein and Downin both were named to the Second Team. 

 

Boys Track & Field

On the boys’ end, Penn Charter’s season included a fourth-place finish at the Inter-Ac Championships, followed by a seventh-place showing at PAISAAs to conclude the season. At the league championship meet, the PC foursome of Nate Keller, Matthew Furda, Ethan Leggett and Christian Downs broke a school and meet record by completing the 4x100 relay in 42.55 seconds. That same quartet earned First Team all-league honors along with Matthew Dunn, while Lamir Calloway, Jak Kraemer and Andrew Marrone made for the Second Team.

 

 

Girls and Boys Track & Field
Then, in late June, as a capstone to such successful seasons, Poland, Lloyd, Leggett and Dunn finished in sixth place in the mixed 4x400 relay at the New Balance Nationals Outdoor, which features alternating legs of two boys and two girls. The PC foursome finished the race, which took place at UPenn’s Franklin Field, in 3:33.76. By virtue of finishing in the top six, the quartet earned high school All-American honors, further strengthening the reputation of both PC track programs. 

 

Baseball

The Quakers posted an 11-15 overall record, reaching double-digit wins for the first time since 2023. The team was 4-6 against Inter-Ac opponents, good for a fourth-place finish in the league standings. PC also secured a 10-0 first-round victory over Friends’ Central in the PAISAA Tournament on May 15 before sustaining a season-ending loss to Inter-Ac and PAISAA champ Malvern Prep a couple of days later.

Pitcher/shortstop Brice Staples was the team’s lone selection to the Inter-Ac’s all-league First Team, while outfielder Ryan Musial earned a spot on the Second Team. Freddie Master, Augie Turner and Braden Hall were head coach Justin Hanley’s picks for the team’s Coaches Award winners. 

 

Softball

PC ended its 2026 season in fourth place in the Inter-Ac, with one of the major highlights of the campaign being shortstop Madelyn Bergmann picking up her 100th career hit. Bergmann and catcher Maddie Wray were selected to the Inter-Ac all-league First Team, while Ellie McKernan, who rotated between playing second and third base, and first baseman Elaina Nicolucci secured spots on the Second Team. Wray, senior DP/outfielder Jordan Simon and freshman second base/pitcher Logan Goodheart were the program’s Coaches Award winners. 

 

 

 

 

Boys Tennis

PC finished 5-7 overall and 2-3 against Inter-Ac opponents during the 2026 boys tennis season, finishing in fourth place in the league standings. The Quakers earned a 6-1 postseason victory against Perkiomen School in the first round of the PAISAA Tournament before falling to eventual champion Haverford School in the next round in a season-ending defeat. 

Simon Zoldan was named First Team all-league, while teammates Nico Addimando, Jonah Serotta and Ramzi Wilkins all nabbed Second Team honors.

 

 

 

 

Crew

The Quakers secured a pair of top four finishes at the historic 99th Stotesbury Cup Regatta, the world’s largest scholastic rowing regatta that is held annually on the Schuylkill River in mid-May. Vivienne Riley, Sophia Toncich-Mandel, Parker Grimes and Grace Choate captured third place in the Junior Quad event, marking the first time a quad team had medaled in PC program history. Additionally, the senior double team of Hannah Aldinger and Lili DeMartinis brought home a fourth place finish in their race.

Aldinger and DeMartinis were far from finished, as the very next week the duo placed second at the SRAA National Team Regatta in the varsity 2x race. 
 

With three performances in February, Penn Charter Upper School students brought "Once on This Island" to life with vibrant music and dance, powerful storytelling and a stage transformed into a Caribbean island. The musical celebrated love, resilience and the power of community. Set against the backdrop of a divided island, "Once on This Island" weaves together folklore, music and dance to tell the story of Ti Moune, a young girl guided by the gods as she navigates love and sacrifice.

The production challenged students to explore complex cultural themes, which they embraced fully. For director Eva Kay Noone, the production was a standout experience. “From the amazing cast, who brought life to the music and dance, to the production crew who created a Caribbean island for them to inhabit, this was a dream production,” she said. “The challenging story did not dissuade our students, and they leaned in to understand the nuances of this show.”

For many cast members, the production's strength came from the connections they formed along the way. Junior Chelsea Gadsden reflected on the sense of belonging within the group. “Every person was included and had a friend, and that made putting on such a difficult production fun,” she said. “I always felt supported and celebrated, which translated so well to chemistry and trust on stage.”

“The show’s cast is like a team where everyone needs to play their part,” freshman Luke Wakefield said, “and seeing this show come together really helped me realize that.”

“This musical helped me grow in so many ways,” junior AJ Bouie added. “I learned to work with different personalities and became good friends with people I might not have met otherwise. It was great being a teammate in an activity other than sports.”

Students also found themselves pushed artistically in new ways. Sophomore Norhi Goodman, who played he lead character, Ti Moune, described how the role helped her grow. “Being Ti Moune really pushed me out of my comfort zone and allowed me to be more expressive than I usually am,” she said, crediting the guidance of Noone and the choreographer for helping her bring emotion and depth to the character.