Haverford School’s Gabe Baker is Main Line Student of the Week (Feb. 17-23)

By Bruce Adams

A senior at The Haverford School, Gabe Baker is a member of the school’s Signet Society, Honor Council, Black Student Union and Ethics Club. He was a Senior Leader for the Third Form Trip, an overnight trip with the third formers (freshmen) to Camp Saginaw to help integrate them into the high school community. Baker is a Tour Guide at Haverford, was the varsity soccer team’s manager, and is a four-year basketball player for the Fords whose sister Amaris Baker plays Division I basketball at Drexel University.

Main Line Media News: Tell us a little about the goals and most meaningful activities of the Black Student Union. What has been your favorite experience with the BSU?

Gabe Baker: As a group, we do community service, host fun events like movie nights with other schools’ Black Student Unions, help students in our community academically, and participate in something called the Brotherhood Project. The Brotherhood Project is a program where a few of our members go down to the Lower School to read books to some of the little guys. My favorite experience with the BSU was when I got the chance to be a moderator for the Middle School Diversity Alliance Conference. Kids from schools all over the Philadelphia area came to our school to talk about various topics. It was impactful to hear all of their stories and perspectives.

Main Line Media News: As a Haverford School tour guide, what is your favorite part of the tour? What is the most frequent question you are asked by tourists?

Gabe Baker: The question I get asked the most often, which is also my favorite part of the tour, is how has my experience been going to an all-boys school. I always tell the parents that here the guys are not your classmates, they are your brothers. The sense of brotherhood allows for a stronger community than a co-ed school or any other school.

Main Line Media News: What do you think has been the most rewarding activity organized by the school’s Signet Society?

Gabe Baker: The most rewarding activity we helped carry out was Back to School Night at the start of this school year. While I can only tell my parents about my classes and what we do here, they can’t actually experience it, so Back to School Night is the closest thing for them to see my day through my eyes. It was just really charming to see them in our halls.

Main Line Media News: Tell us a little about the activities of the Honor Council.

Gabe Baker: The Honor Council meets every Tuesday morning to discuss what we see in the community or any programming we have to set up. Perspective is the most important thing about what we do. When someone slips up and makes a mistake outside of their character, it’s our job to be as fair as possible to help them get back on track.

Main Line Media News: Tell us a little about the goals and activities of the Ethics Club. What has been your most interesting activity with this club?

Gabe Baker: The Ethics Club is a group that meets during our Clubs period. We’re based around the National High School Ethics Bowl. We don’t compete in the competitions but we talk and debate about the cases they use. My most interesting activity was having the chance to present and lead a couple of cases.

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

Gabe Baker: My favorite course would have to be 3D Design Art. The class is like the Swiss army knife of all the art Haverford has to offer. We create projects that dabble in ceramics, woodworking, and painting. It is a nice space to clear your head from your other classes while creating some cool stuff.

Main Line Media News: What has been your favorite experience as a Haverford School basketball player?

Gabe Baker: My favorite experience would have to be my Senior Night. It was the first home game of the season, meaning that it was also Silent Night — we had to score 10 points before our section could start cheering. After we surpassed 10 points, the section changed the entire atmosphere of the game. We blew out the other team by a lot of points. Sharing that game with my family and friends made it a night to remember.

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

Gabe Baker: My favorite book of all time is The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. The book is essentially a more advanced graphic novel. The images take up full pages and are all drawn in detail in monochrome. The story has a great plot twist and I love Brian Selznick’s writing style.

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