Haverford School’s Conor McDonald is Main Line Student of the Week (Dec. 30 – Jan. 5)

By Bruce Adams

A senior at The Haverford School, Conor McDonald is president of the VEX Robotics Club, which captured the 2024 Eastern PA state championship. He is also a member of the Signet Society and Model UN, as well as the Math Club President and the President and founder of the Quiz Bowl Club. A Commended National Merit Scholar, McDonald participates in the Academic Mentorship Program, mentoring 6th graders at Haverford School. He also plays varsity soccer for Haverford School (is the starting midfielder), and is an Eagle Scout and Senior Patrol Leader (the highest leadership position) of his Boy Scout troop.

Main Line Media News: Tell us a little about how the VEX Robotics Club recently won the 2024 Eastern Pennsylvania state championship, and your most memorable experience at the competition.

Conor McDonald: This success was due to the consistent and durable robot we were able to build. In the elimination rounds, we partnered with a team with which we had previously won a local tournament. That prior experience with them gave us an edge in high-pressure matches and the finals. The most memorable part of the competition wasn’t during the event but in the days leading up to it. Our team stayed up late into the night, fine-tuning our autonomous programming with some last-minute design changes.

Main Line Media News: What was your inspiration in founding the Quiz Bowl Club? Tell us a little about the main activities of the club, and your goals for the club as its president.

Conor McDonald: I founded the Quiz Bowl Club because I enjoyed participating in it at Haverford Middle School. When I started at the Haverford School in 9th grade, I was surprised to find that the school didn’t have a club like it. Last year, I finally decided to establish it myself. The club is essentially a trivia group that focuses on a mix of school subjects like history, science, and literature, as well as some pop culture. We currently have about 15 members. One of our main goals this year is to make the finals at one of the competitions we enter. Last year, we missed the finals at our first-ever competition by just one question. We’ve grown a lot since then, and I’m excited to see how much we can accomplish this year.

Main Line Media News: What in your opinion has been the most rewarding activity organized by the school’s Signet Society?

Conor McDonald: One of the most important roles each Signet member has includes participation in the Reflection Series. A Reflection is a 10-minute presentation to the high school on a topic or value that resonates with the speaker. My reflection was on being afraid to fail and how I have faced that fear. It was a very meaningful experience and I am so glad to have had the opportunity to share my story with the whole Upper School.

Main Line Media News: Tell us a little about the main activities of the Math Club, and your goals for the club as its president.

Conor McDonald: The 20 members of the Math Club have participated in the Philly Math League, Math Olympiad, the AMC, Purple Comet, math modeling competitions, and many more. As leader of this club, it is my goal to get everyone to do as much math as possible, which means finding new competitions and making sure members are available to participate. The club is open to all high school students and my favorite part of the club is how everyone, from the freshman in geometry to the seniors in calculus, come together and compete.

Main Line Media News: What has been the most important thing you have learned as a participant in the Academic Mentorship Program? What has been your most memorable experience as a mentor?

Conor McDonald: As a member of the Academic Mentorship Program, I’ve learned to become a better communicator and teacher. I’ve even picked up some good habits while teaching them to middle school students. My favorite memory is when I walked into the middle school one day and locked eyes with one of the students in my advisory class. He turned around and started sprinting to his locker to clean it out, something that we had been working on for weeks. In this moment I realized my persistence in working with them was starting to pay off.

Main Line Media News: What is your favorite course at The Haverford School, and why?

Conor McDonald: My favorite class at The Haverford School is a tie between Theoretical Physics with Mr. Maley and Advanced Chemistry with Mr. Leech. Mr. Maley is an incredible teacher with a talent for breaking down complex concepts simply and thoroughly. Topics I once thought beyond my understanding suddenly made sense in his classroom. His passion for the subject and ability to help us understand has made the class challenging yet incredibly rewarding. After taking Chemistry in my sophomore year with Mr. Leech, I knew I had to sign up for Advanced Chemistry with him again. Like Mr. Maley, he can break down concepts, so they are simple but understandable. This class built off of my passion for chemistry and also gave us realistic real-world examples. For example, in one lab we synthesized aspirin using the same reaction medical companies use. Both of these classes challenge me to learn complex topics.

Main Line Media News: Tell us a little about your leadership role as Senior Patrol Leader of your Boy Scout troop. What do you think has been the most valuable thing you have learned/gained from your journey to becoming an Eagle Scout?

Conor McDonald: Over the past 11 years of scouting, I have learned the scout oath, law, motto and so much more from camping trips and merit badges. I think it is almost a disservice to say that one was a more valuable lesson than the others, but the most all-encompassing lesson has to be the Scout motto, “Be Prepared.” As a senior patrol leader, I scheduled weekly meetings and camping trips. I also led our programming including merit badges, camping preparation, and our Board of Honor ceremony. My Eagle Scout project was a mud kitchen for a local preschool. It was extremely challenging to bring to life, but everything I learned in scouting allowed me to push through, persevere, and achieve my goals.

Main Line Media News: What is your favorite book, and why?

Conor McDonald: My favorite book is How to Change, by Katy Milkman. My mom gave it to me last year and it was part of my inspiration for my reflection with Signet.

(To be selected as Main Line Student of the Week, a student must first be nominated by his or her school.)

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