GRA DE PREREQUISITES Promoting genuine interests Protecting students' limits

By Jade H arris By H annah Shahidi

In the past few weeks, I’ve been talking with my teachers about which courses I should take next year. My teachers have explained di erent options and helped me decide what I should take based on my performance in their classes. In my English and History classes in particular, I’ve noticed that my teachers are taking into account my genuine academic interests instead of recommending I take certain courses only because of my current letter grade.

Starting next year, the school will remove the previous year minimum grade requirement of B+ for Honors United States History and Honors English III: Imagining America. e school made this change so that students won’t be restricted in their course selections and will be able to take the classes that interest them, according to Head of Upper School Beth Slattery. Having grade requirements in place for science, math and world language classes is justi ed because each class students take builds upon previous material. In humanities subjects, however, students work on improving their own skills rather than preparing for more advanced topics. Ultimately, the school's decision to remove grade requirements for honors English and history won't be harmful and will result in more bene ts for students.

As students become more immersed in di erent classes and speci c topics within broader subjects, their interests are bound to change. High school is the time when students should be able to explore the subjects that they are curious about, as opposed to being con ned to the subjects they’ve always excelled in, with little room for variability.

e school should encourage students to branch out to subjects that interest them, even if these subjects don’t come as easy to them. It is important for students to know that it is normal, acceptable and often bene cial for them to struggle in certain classes. In fact, working consistently to overcome hard tasks is what can encourage personal growth.

Additionally, a student’s level of interest in a subject can change based on what speci c topics or time periods they are studying. For example, a student can be interested in world history but not United States history. If someone performs poorly in a class that they’re not interested in, it shouldn’t a ect their ability to take classes that they will be passionate about. By removing the grade requirements for certain classes, there will be more opportunities for students to try out di erent niches to see what interests them, rather than being limited by prerequisites.

Also, the current grade requirements enforce the idea that getting anything less than a B+ in English and History is a bad grade. is promotes the idea that if students don’t get a B+ or above in a class, they are incapable of improving or doing well in a di erent course, which can lead to discouragement, frustration and lowered self-esteem.

High schoolers are constantly growing and improving — when given the opportunity to be in a challenging class that they have an interest in, many will rise to the occasion. By having grade requirements in place, the school is essentially telling students that they are incapable of improvement, which can turn people away from trying new things they might end up enjoying.

One of my rst introductions to the demanding expectations of the Upper School was the rigorous Advanced Placement (AP) European History course’s grade prerequisites and placement exam. I needed an A in ninth grade history and my teacher’s recommendation to move onto the essay exam — even then, only 19 students from about the 60 who took the test got into AP European History.

Even though I felt quali ed after going through the process, I still struggled throughout the class and was shocked by the massive jump in di culty. Rigorous courses like these are ful lling when it’s possible to meet the challenge. But with the school’s new policy of removing the grade prerequisite for Honors United States History and Honors English, students will be underprepared for such classes, which will only be more detrimental to their passion and mental health.

For years, the school has been trying to address issues of student stress, burnout and the relentless pursuit of college acceptances, but the issue doesn’t lie in whether or not people are allowed to take honors classes. Rather, the issue is the culture of competition which must be addressed prior to implementing these policies.

One of the main arguments for removing the grade requirement is that it would allow students to explore and take the classes that they enjoy or nd interesting. It’s important to allow students to explore their passions, but eliminating the grade requirement for humanities courses isn’t the correct approach. Many students max out their yearly cap of honors courses solely for advancing their college application. In fact, some students are bound to take as many honors

Turkey's grim earthquake lessons

By Jackson Tanner

California shares similar seismic conditions to Turkey, and the recent earthquakes there lay bare the vulnerability the state shares.

On the morning of February 6, the ground of Southeastern Turkey and Northern Syria was broken as a 7.5 magnitude earthquake ripped across the East Anatolian fault line. What followed was utterly catastrophic — over 6,000 buildings across the region were reduced to 210 million tons of rubble. While Turkey has faced serious earthquakes before –– including the 1999 Izmit earthquake, which killed over 17,000 people ––they paled in comparison to the havoc which was wrecked last month. After 13 days of search and rescue operations, the nal death toll for this quake was over 50,000. California needs to take notes in order to prepare for its own and inevitable quake. e San Andreas Fault, part of the “Paci c Ring of Fire” that produced the catastrophic 2011 Tōhoku and 2004 Sumatra-Andaman earthquakes (the most costly and deadly earthquakes of the 21st century), runs right through California and next to the Los Angeles metro area. Because of the seismic instability of the San Andreas fault, California is predisposed to experience catastrophic earthquakes. In fact, as they can, regardless of whether or not they are intrigued by the subject. Even though taking rigorous courses is important on a transcript, colleges are searching more and more for students with genuine passions and drives within their community. e answer to student passion isn’t to make all rigorous courses accessible; it’s to change the relentless sky-high expectations, even if they are an unintentional result of a strong college preparatory environment. If anything, access to di cult courses are only going to make those very same students dread going to their favorite classes. e constant challenge can be demoralizing for students, especially if they’re not receiving the grades they expected. e school needs to promote deep interest for the sake of learning, but this policy isn’t the solution.

According to a Chronicle poll, 71.3% of 129 students surveyed said there is a stigma around dropping classes. 67.7% said they feel pressured to stay in a class they're struggling in. While the school is heading in the right direction by focusing on cultivating student passion and interest, it is evident that there is a toxic college preparatory mindset that must be addressed rst, or else this policy will only prove detrimental to students' academic interests.

Students should take courses they are interested in and are appropriate for the amount of work they are willing and capable of doing. e only way to demonstrate interest with regards to college applications should not be taking honors classes. Otherwise, we will end up with students struggling in futile attempts to prove their passion for a subject — when they could be learning at the right pace in a di erent course.

71.1% of students* said there is a stigma aroundclassesdropping feel68.3% pressured to stay in a class they're struggling in for the deisgnationhonors

* = 146 students polled

BY RAISA EFFRESS

Chronicle Assistant Opinion Editor argues that after the devastating earthquakes in Turkey, California needs to implement better earthquake infrastructure and organized policies to prevent inevitable disasters.

Los Angeles and do 213 billion dollars in infrastructure damage. Tens of thousands would be injured, and hundreds of thousands would be displaced. e likelihood that an earthquake larger than 6.7 magnitude hits California is over 70% in the next decade, and the likelihood one over 7.5 strikes is 30% over the next 30 years. With thousands of lives at stake, these are not numbers California should be taking lightly. e state has the economic resources to prepare itself adequately for the earthquakes, but there is a lack of political awareness and will to e ect these reforms.

One of the most signi cant issues with the Turkey-Syria stringent earthquake building regulations in the world. e lack of standardized regulations is a serious aw that can have severe consequences, as local bureaucracies greatly inhibit California from ensuring that such dangerous structures are re tted.

Still, these regulations are far from perfect. ere are, even after over a billion dollars was spent on retro tting soft-story buildings, over 4,000 such structures in Los Angeles. San Francisco has another 500. More dangerously, brittle concrete and unreinforced brick buildings, which according to the USGS are the two most dangerous types of buildings in an earthquake, are still widely prevalent in California. Over 1,900 of these structures remain in Los Angeles, as well as nearly 4,000 in San Francisco. Regulations for such structures are handled on a local basis, preventing uni ed total protection of California’s major cities against earthquakes.

In the Turkey and Syria earthquake, another key issue was the lack of response teams on the ground. While they worked e ectively, the scale of destruction was simply so large that services were stretched. California should prepare for this eventuality by putting more funding and training into our local rst responders’ earthquake search and rescue capabilities, as well as increasing pre-stocking of the necessary equipment to be used in an earthquake.

All of California needs to adopt a uni ed policy to remedy both rst responder preparedness and building regulations, just as the state has done with its early warning system MyShake. It is necessary to ensure more public awareness, more organized regulations and more funding to retro t vulnerable structures and prepare rst responders to the fullest extent. ese are the logical next steps to clean up the currently con icting local policies and levels of political interest in the area of earthquake preparedness. is is a goal in which every Californian has a stake — ensuring the state does not become a repeat of what occurred in Turkey.

By Sabrina H amideh

McConnell’s is the best ice cream parlor in all of Studio City. From the variety of tasty avors to the ambiance of the shop and even the energy of the sta , McConnell’s is superior to any other ice cream establishment.

McConnell’s serves over 20 avors of ice cream with some classic avors like mint chip and vanilla bean and also unique avors like Passion Fruit Lemon Swirl and Honey and Cornbread Cookies, which is one of my personal favorites. e diversity of avors allows ice cream enthusiasts to sample many avors that they may not be able to taste at other shops, while still carrying classic options for those who enjoy a simple ice cream eating experience. Whether you enjoy classic vanilla or venture to try more daring avors, McConnell’s has the best choices to o er. McConnell’s o ers many dairy-free options, so those who cannot eat dairy products can savor the delicious selections as well. Its choices o er a wide range of avors that are not only healthy but are delicious as well. All of the ice cream served is made from scratch and does not contain any stabilizers, preservatives or llers, giving the dessert a very organic taste.

Although the ice cream served at the shop is absolutely scrumptious, the McConnell’s experience is so much more than merely the palatable avors. When one enters the McConnell’s facility, they see a beautiful image of Ventura Blvd. from the 50s on the wall. While waiting for their ice cream, customers can observe the graphic and learn the history of the area––grounding McConnell’s as an integral part of local lore. is image truly sets the fun and nostalgic mood of the shop apart from any other. e warm, comfortable, and aesthetic environment at McConnell’s is unlike that of any other ice cream establishment I’ve seen.

e amazing sta at McConnell’s also boosts the quality of the shop. All of the employees I have encountered have been upbeat and delightful people, being more than happy to indulge numerous sample requests. e amazing employee service makes McConnell’s a top choice for enjoying some quality ice cream while taking a break from daily stresses.

If you nd yourself with a sudden craving for ice cream after school, I highly encourage you to choose McConnell’s located at 12073 Ventura Pl.

By Sasha Aghnatios

Salt & Straw encapsulates everything it means to be a good ice cream shop. Among its many outstanding factors include its modern design, positive atmosphere, and, of course, the variety of avors to choose from.

Of all the ice cream behemoths in the world of Ventura, only one is worth going to: Salt & Straw. e other ice cream places are good, of course, but why would one go to any other place when Salt & Straw is the best?

When you rst walk into the shop, the rst thing you notice is the black paint on the walls. As Oscar Wilde once said, “Sin is the only real color element in modern life.” Moreover, black is the absence of color. erefore, Salt & Straw’s walls are devoid of sin, which really shows that Salt & Straw can do no wrong.

Many of the Salt & Straw avors go beyond the traditional chocolate and vanilla and include a wide range of avors. In addition to a rotating menu of seasonal avors (the current theme is cereal!), they have a myriad of classic avors, including their most popular Salted Malted Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. For the vegan comrades of the world, Salt & Straw o ers Peanut Butter Brittle Caramel Fudge and Marionberry Coconut Sherbet. e Salted Malted Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough has everything you might want in ice cream: butterscotch, cookie dough, fudge and the perfect sweet-to-salty ratio. Some cookie dough ice creams clobber your taste buds with an exceedingly and cloyingly sweet taste—Salt & Straw manages to combat this common de ciency by balancing the sweetness with some salt to produce a more balanced overall taste. Moreover, the cookie dough is neither too hard nor too soft; it marries perfectly with the ice cream and the fudge with which it is mixed. at is not to say that the ice cream is too chocolatey. Instead, it is an exquisite example of how a good cookie manages to proportionally balance chocolate and butterscotch. e perfection of the Salted Malted Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough is unmatched, and is a microcosm of the entirety of Salt & Straw: everything is crafted to awlessness. Whether you want to relax and eat quality ice cream or are in the mood to try some unique ice cream avors, Salt & Straw is the place to be.

By Eden C onner

Fatamorgana Gelato is a hidden gem nestled among the many recognizable chain restaurants on Ventura Blvd. Walking into the shop, you are instantly welcomed by soft music, Italian glass decorations and a sudden sense of calm. Not only does Fatamorgana o er tasty, delicious avors to choose from, but it also o ers vegan and nut-free avors that make it a healthier option than traditional ice cream shops.

Fatamorgana Gelato o ers a range of classic gelato avors, but with a healthy twist. Many of the avors have the classic soft texture associated with gelato while others have a more light texture. e shop is entirely gluten-free and also serves avors that are vegan and nut-free. e nutritional value of the ingredients, however, doesn’t come without limitations: the consistency of Fatamorgana gelato is generally thinner than its traditional counterparts.

e Rocky Road — which is thick, creamy and supremely chocolatey –– is about as close as it gets to the classic gelato texture. But the Stracciatella — a gelato staple of cream and chocolate shavings –– was too thin, and fell short as a result. With dozens of avor choices, including matcha green tea and passion fruit margarita, the shop has some winners, but it is not the sort of place where every avor tried is better than the last.

What is left to be desired in taste is made up for, however, by the shop’s chill atmosphere. e relaxed energy makes it a perfect post-school debrief spot or homework space. Sitting at the long barstool at the front of the restaurant facing a large window to the outside street, you feel a welcome sense of separation from the outside world. It is the ideal place to people-watch and snack on some treats.

Not only does Fatamorgana o er vegan and nut-free gelato avors, but it also only uses fresh and whole ingredients, putting it at the forefront of healthy, simply-made ice cream shops in the area. It is also comforting to see an ingredient list with less than ten items – it makes the dessert experience a more transparent one. e next time you are looking for a place to take friends with or without dietary restrictions, head to Fatamorgana at 12021 Ventura Blvd. for a chance to relax and enjoy quality, healthy gelato as a delicious treat after school.

By Jayan K andavel

Van Leeuwen Ice Cream, located in Sportsmen’s Lodge, has some of the most unique avors near campus — brown sugar cookie dough chunks, honeycomb and peanut butter chocolate chip are just a few of its incredible menu items. e wide range of avors available makes Van Leeuwen a highly tempting ice cream shop to visit.

Van Leeuwen Ice Cream started out as an ice cream truck in New York City with a mission to make good ice cream from high quality ingredients. Since 2008, they have added their award-winning vegan ice cream and their newest creation, ice cream bars, to their stores.

What might be one of the most appealing things about this shop is its assortment of vegan ice cream. eir vegan ice cream avors include vegan cookies and cream caramel swirl, vegan churros and fudge, vegan oat milk brown sugar chunk and vegan chocolate oat milk cookie dough chunk. us, Van Leeuwen is a great ice cream shop to go to if one wants a healthy alternative to traditional ice cream.

Van Leeuwen o ers delicious non vegan ice cream avors as well, including Malted Milkshake and Fries, Sicilian Pis- tachio, Marionberry Cheesecake, Praline Butter Cake and Earl Grey tea. ey also sell classic avors like Vanilla Bean and Mint Chip. e store also has kind and helpful employees, who helped me nd the perfect avor and o er many free samples. e store has a welcoming and warm atmosphere — despite the perfectly chilled ice cream — which makes you feel right at home. e amazing service provided at Van Leeuwen’s further adds to its tasty assortment of avors, and is a must-visit ice cream shop.

Additionally, Van Leeuwen’s ice cream is rm, creamy and will melt in your mouth like sweet silky clouds. e ice cream has the perfect balance of sweetness and even acidity. Mixed with the crispy vanilla wafer cone, this is the perfect scoop. e soft texture of the ice cream along with the mixture of di erent tastes within each avor makes Van Leeuwen’s an amazing choice to grab a treat.

Van Leeuwen’s variety of avors to choose from along with its excellent service and healthy options makes it a top choice for ice cream in the Studio City area. I would highly recommend this incredible shop, located at 12833 Ventura Blvd.