May 2019 Issue
International School of Florence
Volume 7, Issue 6
What’s in this issue? THE GREEN NEW DEAL WON’T BENEFIT THE MAJORITY, 1 HOW DO WE ACTUALLY TACKLE GLOBAL WARMING, 3 THE US PULLS OUT OF THE INF NUCLEAR TREATY, 5 INTERVIEW WITH A VENEZUELAN LIVING ABROAD, 6 21 SAVAGE: A STORY OF IMMIGRATION, 8 COLLEGE ADMISSIONS SCANDAL, 10
BASKETBALL EUROPEANS, 11 11 MR MURRAY’S TAKE ON APPLICATIONS,
MR.MURRAY’S TAKE ON COLLEGE UNIVERSITY APPLICATIONS: THOUGHTSAPPLICATIONS, FROM MCIVOR,12 13 BASKETBALLTHOUGHTS EUROPEANS, 15 MR.MCIVOR, 14 UNIVERSITY APPLICATIONS: FROM COLLEGE 1616 COLLEGEINTERVIEWS, INTERVIEWS, THE OSCARS, 19
TWO YEARS LATER: A REEVALUATION, 19 KETAMINE: A NEW NOVELTY DRUG, 21
WHAT HAPPENED AT THE OSCARS, 22 KETAMINE: A NOVELTY DRUG, 24
STAFF STAFF
Editor-in-Chief Isabella Lovalvo
Artists Jacqueline Obert
Co-Editor Niccolò Platt
Advisor John Pitonzo
Layout Editors Giulia Oosterwijk Jacqueline Obert
Front cover by Jacqueline Obert Back cover “Enchanted Butterflies” by Jacqueline Back cover by Jacqueline ObertObert
WHY THE “GREEN NEW DEAL” WON’T BENEFIT THE MAJORITY By Dante Fagotti The Green New Deal, a resolution put forward
set fire to the world in order to become billionaires,
by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other Democrats
when instead a free market and competition can
in the House of Representatives will soon be voted
lead to many clean energy solutions.
upon in the Senate. Although many believe the Green New Deal should be passed in the Senate as it would take significant steps towards solving global warming, I propose that it’s drastic objectives will harm the US economy and therefore all its citizens, causing possible economic hardships in the rest of the world.
The US still has high emissions of carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, but compared to other countries, it has already begun to reduce its emissions. This has occurred even if the US is not a part of the Paris Agreement. Therefore, the world is not in dire need of an artificial agreement signed by the leaders of countries in order to take action. A resolution is not needed to bring about change. I say this as many are evaluating the Green New Deal as a resolution Wikipedia defines the Green New Deal as “a set
that must pass as it is about making the world go
of proposed economic stimulus programs in the
green. I believe though that one must evaluate the
United States that aim to address climate
quality of a document, instead of supporting it just
change and economic inequality. However how do
because it has good intentions. Furthermore, many
economic inequality, healthcare and many other
claim the Green New Deal is an improvement to
socialized programs have anything to do with the
past resolutions just because it is more extreme and
Green New Deal, confronting global warming.
radical in the changes it wants to make. To this I
Countries can go green even if they are not
have two questions: how does stating that the USA
socialist or have a socialized economy. The Green
will rely solely on green energy by 2030, instead of
New Deal, however, fails to recognize this as it
2050, actually do anything? Additionally, since
correlates the two together. I believe this is
when do radical changes, in short periods of time,
important to mention because many people
actually change the economy positively without
consider global warming to be a product of
instigating many and significant economic
capitalism, the evil ideology where businessman
consequences?
GLOBAL 1
While some criticize how the resolution is poorly written and how Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is not able to read and dispute facts and statistics, I rather discuss how I disagree with the ideology behind the Green New Deal. I though do suggest that those who read this article, whether if they disagree or agree do read the resolution in order make their own opinions on the matter. Additionally, that you read estimations on how I would like to believe that everyone believes in
much the deal will cost the United States, as every
global warming and that we should reduce our
news outlet shows different estimations. Personally,
carbon emissions. Unfortunately, I know this is not
one that I believe is honest is Bloomberg News.
the case. It is honest to say though that the majority
The latter reports,
does believe in climate change, even those selfless
“switching to renewable energy would
and uneducated Republicans, conservatives and
conservatively cost more than $400
capitalists that still believe that the Earth is flat. The
billion annually.”
major disagreement arises in the course of action. I believe that many on the left, especially socialists, want to go green without actually caring about the
The “Green New Deal” should not be passed in the Senate because it will not benefit the majority.
repercussions it could have on the US and thus the world’s economy; whereas, those of the right are divided into two categories: the few that don’t believe in climate change and the vast majority that does but simply believes in a course of action that limits economic repercussions. In other words, the right proposes solutions so that the US will not accumulate huge deficits and not cause an economic crisis with record high unemployment. Why? Because it is impossible, and this is not an overstatement, to remove all the current jobs which are dependent on non-renewable energy, the vast majority, and create new jobs at the same rapid pace for workers to not be unemployed.
Hence, the
Green New Deal would not only hurt the US government but also its citizens, and this would indirectly affect the entire world.
GLOBAL 2
HOW DO WE ACTUALLY TACKLE GLOBAL WARMING? By Dante Fagotti According to The Guardian, on March 15th,
Sorry UK Student Climate Network, but declaring a
more than 1 million students skipped school on
climate emergency and lowering the voting age does
Friday to protest against the government’s inaction
not benefit anyone and is thus completely useless.
towards solving climate change. Over 24 hours,
‘Well, at least there doing something, right?’ Wrong.
from Australia and New Zealand to Asia, Europe,
It turns out that submitting a similar document, like
Africa and the Americas, students all over the
that of the Green New Deal, which was just rejected
world took to the streets demanding for change.
in the Senate, is a total waste of time and effort to
Some organizers say that there were more than
discuss about when it does not consider one essential
2,000 protests in 125 countries organized. Greta
thing. What? The economics of climate change
Thunberg, a 16-year-old girl, initiated the
innovation. Many fail to recognize how this is the
movement by sitting outside the Swedish
only way to bring about change that is economically
parliament every Friday beginning last August. She
sustainable. Instead, they propose energy taxes and
represents the anger, fear and disappointment felt
subsidies. As mentioned by economist Bjørn
by many of the young generation towards the
Lomborg, these only threaten the less fortunate. For
adults and leaders who have not yet enacted
example, the current green policies in Britain have
change. Many of the participants hope for a green
increased the cost of heating 63% over the past 5
economy in 11 years, the timeframe experts at the
years so that now 1 million elderly that are struggling
United Nations believe is necessary to forestall
to keep warm over the winter. It is estimated that
significant climate change.
2,700 of them die each year. Furthermore, with subsides, for the past 50 years we have increasingly paid more.
This protest was the first big step in creating awareness for this important cause and in demonstrating youth willingness to get involved in caring for our planet, however, it did not lead to any significant changes of how our governments are tackling the issue of global warming. Frankly, I can see why. The current resolutions and manifestos do not actually tackle global warming. GLOBAL 3
The International Energy Agency estimates that
Our past experiences with innovation show how
today the world pays 101 billion dollars in subsidies
this is not just a theoretical idea that lacks
to green energy but in a generations time the bill will
practicality. It is an effective policy that is
not go down but instead up so that we will owe 223
economically sustainable and that will lead to results
billion dollars per year in subsides to green energy.
that will benefit everyone, including the poor. For
As the recurrent methods have failed to be
example, in the 1860, when we were hunting whales
successful, we must change tactic. We must begin to
almost to extinction because of the very high quality
dramatically ramp up investment in green innovation
light provided by their oil. We did not solve this
in order to innovate the price of green energy down
problem by taxing the whales but the innovation of
far enough far enough so even countries like China
kerosene that undercut the cost of whale oil by 90%.
and India will buy it. That is why the Nobel laureates
Another example would be the innovation of the
found that for every dollar spent on current policies
catalytic converter that decreased significantly the
on existing subsides to solar and wind will avoid 3
pollution caused by cars.
cent of climate change damage, what is an extremely
Instead of supporting energy taxes and subsidies,
weak correlation. However if we spent the same
we must learn from our mistakes and invest our
dollar on researchers we could avoid 11 dollars of
money in innovation, in something that will actually
climate change damage, a real difference.
bring about the change we so deeply desire.
GLOBAL 4
THE US PULLS OUT OF THE INF NUCLEAR TREATY By Peter Wood At the beginning of the year, the United States announced that they would be leaving the
Put in simpler terms: “you either get rid of the missiles or we make super sized ones”.
Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces treaty, also
In December 2018 the U.S. announced that they
known as INF. The treaty states that in the US and
would give Russia 60 days to destroy their missiles.
Russia there must not be any land-based ballistic
This deadline ended a few months ago, so this
missiles, cruise missiles or missile launchers with
means that the U.S. will be leaving the INF treaty.
ranges from 500-5,500.
Of course this situation didn’t go down well over with the U.S.’ European allies. They fear this might lead to a new Cold War, which would mean U.S. missiles on European land, which in turn may cause a new Cuban/Turkish missile crisis scenario. The US has chosen the most radical of possible solutions to this problem. Yes, Russia did start it and has been violating it for over 6 years, however, there surely were more peaceful possibilities to solve this
Their compliance with the treaty ended on 1 February 2019, however they will be pulling out altogether in the next six months. Russia is doing the same. Trump has stated that the only possibility for the US to not leave the INF treaty is if Russia destroys every single missile that violates the treaty. Allegedly Russia has been developing these missiles since 2013, and most of them violate the terms of the INF. Although Russia has denied the existence of these missiles, it has recently started to acknowledge them and claims that they do not violate the treaty in any way. Donald Trump has responded to Russia by claiming that if they did not destroy the missiles, then the U.S. would proceed in developing one of their own, starting thus another arms race.He has stated that, “We will move forward with developing our own military response options and will work with NATO and our other allies and partners to deny Russia any
issue; there always is another way. But, as hard as it is for me to say it, I do agree with their reasoning; a country can’t just break a treaty’s policies and expect everyone else to just brush it off. If Russia can build missiles that reach the US and break an international treaty, then why can’t everyone else? Now that both nations have pulled out of the INF, what are we to expect next? Best case scenario would be that they sign another treaty, but the odds of that happening are very low. What is probably going to happen is nothing. Neither the U.S. or Russia will try to bomb each other anytime soon; starting another war wouldn’t really be in their best interest. They are going to use the missiles they are building to show not only each other, but the whole world that they are strong. If the worst case scenario happens, and the US and Russia actually do plan to bomb each other, then the UN will probably find agreement between the two, if keeping the world safe is in their list of top priorities.
military advantage from its unlawful conduct.” GLOBAL 5
INTERVIEW WITH A VENEZUELAN CITIZEN LIVING ABROAD By Luca Fagotti Ms. Velasquez is from Maracaibo, Venezuela. She
trash. Many cities and towns are constantly subject to
currently lives in Florence, Italy and has been
long power and water cuts. These daily hardships
teaching at ISF since 2009.
explain why so many Venezuelans turn to emigration. If a person is able to afford a passport, he is prevented from obtaining one. Government workers constantly lie about not having the necessary booklets and equipment. The majority of people who wish to emigrate cross the border by foot. They walk for months on end and arrive to countries where they are often mistreated.
What are your most precious childhood memories when you lived in Venezuela? There are many, I feel privileged to have been born in Venezuela. I grew up in a thriving country that appeared to have a promising future. I remember that my father's work always allowed us to have everything we needed. When did you realize that the political situation
Do you have parents or friends who are still living
was getting worse?
in Venezuela and what are the difficulties they
In the middle of the 80s, the devaluation of the
face on a daily basis?
currency began and things were no longer as they used to be, but the Venezuelan bolívar was still relatively strong. The situation progressively worsened with the rise of Chavez and Maduro, who are the reason why Venezuela is undergoing a total economic and political crisis. People do not have anything to eat and cannot purchase the medicines
Yes, I have family and friends there. They experience multiple difficulties on a daily basis. They are forced to wait in long lines at the supermarket. The shelves in supermarkets are mostly empty and prices increase regularly. Furthermore, each person can only buy one product, as in: one carton of milk, one bag of rice,
they desperately need. They have to wait in line for
etc. They also have to go to extraordinary lengths in
hours at supermarkets in order to buy something as
order to purchase any type of medicine. People
basic as milk. Meanwhile, the poor scavenge around
organize themselves in different ways. Some of my
for food that has been thrown away.It is shocking to
friends have created a “Whatsapp” group so that they
see so many people run after a restaurant’s “fresh”
can help each other find things in different GLOBAL 6
In your opinion, how will the situation in
As a native Venezuelan, what is going through
Venezuela be solved?
your mind, when you hear all this terrible news?
The crisis keeps getting worse and worse; even when
I feel sad and disconsolate, especially when I think
I think it cannot, it does. Venezuela’s corrupt
of those who suffer day after day, and those who
government officials never cease to surprise me. I do
die because of lack of food and medicine. A country
not know how the opposition will be able to oust
as prosperous as Venezuela should not be plagued
Maduro’s government. Many foreign countries have
by such poverty and misery.
conflicting economic interests in Venezuela. Maduro is not going to go out for good as long as he has the support of Russia and China, which are in control of the country’s oil reserves. They US is also interested in Venezuela’s oil and their desire to military intervene is definitely fueled by self-interest. I do not know whether the army will continue supporting Maduro.
GLOBAL 7
21 SAVAGE: A STORY OF IMMIGRATION AND DEPORTATION By: Jay Hughes-Ransley
21 Savage is a world renowned rapper whose real
and say “by the way, I wasn’t born here.” His
name is She’yaa Bin Abraham Joseph. He was
lawyers have stated that in 2017 he had applied for
arrested on 3 February 2019 by ICE, which
a new visa. Charles Kuck, one of 21 Savage’s
called it a targeted operation. He was released
lawyers, stated that if the process goes at the
from immigration custody on Wednesday, 13
same pace it is now, it could take up to 2 or 3
February with a $100,000 bond.
more years for him to get his permit. In the meantime he runs the risk of deportation.
Savage told ABC's Good Morning America that he didn’t know
“I had an accent, ‘cause my first day
what a visa was when his mother
of school they was making fun of me
brought him to the US. There has
so I beat somebody up, and they
been a conflicting report regarding
was calling me “taekwondo kid,”
his date of arrival in the US.
he explained. “My mama
Based on records from ICE, he
whupped me, she made me stay in
arrived in 2005 at the age of 12
the house. So I know I had a
years, and was granted a one year
accent, but I been here 20 years”
visa. However, his lawyers argue that he came to America at 7 years
“I don’t know what happened to
old with his mum.
it.”
His visa has been expired since
Savage said he believes that the way
2006. “I knew I wasn’t born here,” he
immigration policy is enforced in the
said. “But I didn’t know, like, what
United States is broken, and said that
that meant for me as far as when I
he doesn’t think people “should be
transitioned into an adult, how it was
arrested and put in a place where a
going to affect my life.”
murderer would be just for being in the
The rapper said he wasn’t hiding the
country too long.” He said that he hopes
fact that he wasn’t a US citizen, but didn’t
his own situation can help others in the
want to broadcast that he wasn’t born in
future with their immigration issues. He has not elaborated on his experiences in the
America and just come out
ICE detention centers where he spent 10 days.
GLOBAL 8
Many of his fans took to the internet in response to the news of his arrest by ICE. Many felt “betrayed” that he was not from Atlanta, Georgia, and that they had been lied to after they found out he was British and that he was not an African American. Several memes about the rapper’s situation have hit the social media platforms and have spread globally. “Some of them was funny” “I ain’t gonna lie”, he noted. “I was appreciative of that. I coulda been another person who just, “He locked up? Damn,” and nobody said nothing. Some people, I see why they was mad. It ain’t about the meme, it’s about the bigger picture. But I done been through way worse things in my life than somebody putting me on a meme. “I been shot what is a meme? A meme is nothing. I look at bullet scars every day, so it’s like, a meme, bro?” There are important laws revolving around
Savage is playing the victim card by representing a poor African American even though he is nothing close to being poor. He is facing the consequences of his actions for not thinking about his visa sooner. He admitted that when he was younger, not having a visa impeded him from obtaining a driver’s license, opening a bank account and even holding a regular job. He avoided following the legal channels, and talks about how he learned to operate around the legal rules and start his music career. There is no excuse for what he has done. He has 3 small children to support, and he has said he is going to fight this until the end and that he didn’t want to see his children go through the same issue he is having. He is running the risk of having them placed in foster homes. As he waits for the courts and the
immigration in each individual country; it is
immigration department to rule on his visa; he is at
extremely important to follow these rules because
risk of deportation. We will have to see what
you are not only showing the country respect, but
happens over the next several months - or even years
you are also showing respect to the other
- to see if he is allowed to remain in the U.S. Â In
immigrants who have fought for their rights to
the meantime, he is still enjoying the life of a
live in that country.
successful rapper.
GLOBAL 9
COLLEGE ADMISSIONS SCANDAL: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW By Sophia Lovalvo On Tuesday, over 50 people - including well known celebrities such as actresses Lori Loughlin (Aunt Becky) and Felicity Huffman - were indicted for taking part in the college admissions bribery scandal. The case accused parents of paying off admissions consultant William Singer, who then used to the money to bribe test prep organizations and college coaches for spots in top universities throughout the country, such as Yale, Stanford, Georgetown, USC, University of Texas Austin, and UCLA. Parents involved in the scandal worked very hard to guarantee a spot in these universities for their kids, and did so in a number of ways, including paying college test prep organizations to help their children cheat. Proctors were either paid to correct answers, or stand-ins were hired to take the tests in the place of the kids. Felicity Huffman's daughter was even falsely labeled as having a learning disability, and allowed extra time to take the test with a special proctor.
their children's faces onto photos of real athletes or onto stock photos from the internet. The parents involved in the scandal have been accused of paying a combined amount of upwards of 25 million dollars to Singer from 2011 until now, making this the biggest college admissions scam ever prosecuted. So far, in what the FBI has nicknamed “Operation Varsity Blues”, about three dozen people from various states have been arrested including Huffman and William Singer. In court on Tuesday, Huffman had a bond set at $250,000, while Singer pled guilty to racketeering and other charges. As of Tuesday morning, Loughlin's husband Mossimo Giannulli has also been arrested, and has had a bond set for one million, but Loughlin herself has yet to be taken in. Several of the universities have issued statements stating that they were completely unaware of the scam. Athletic coaches and other faculty members from the universities that were involved in the scam have since been fired, and are now facing several charges. So far the universities themselves have cooperated in the investigation, and have not been accused of any wrongdoing.
Various college coaches were also involved in the scandal, as they took bribes from Singer to label the teenagers as athletic recruits, even though they had no intention of participating in college sports. Many parents went as far as to photoshop GLOBAL 7 10
ABOUT THE 2019 BASKETBALL EUROPEANS By Sophia Lovalvo On Tuesday, February 19, our varsity girls
The second game was played the following day
basketball team traveled to Wiesbaden, Germany
against Aviano, an American military base high
where the 2019 DODEA Basketball Europeans were
school in Italy who beat our girls at the very
held this year. Games were held in and around Wiesbaden, but most were played on the local American military base. A total of three games were played by our girls, during the first two days of this
beginning of the season. This must have made our girls extra determined, because it was a remarkable game, and our first win during the tournament. With
annual four day tournament, but they stopped there
a final score of ISF -30 Aviano - 23, our lady boars
as they did not advance to the semifinals.
were victorious and eager to put up a fight in the next
This season has been a special one for our varsity
game.
girls team, who have broken ISF basketball history various times. New additions to the team have made all the difference, leading our team to victory many times this season, which has historically been quite a
With a new found confidence, we started out the next game very strong, even taking the lead on and off against the International School of Bahrain. Sadly, in the end, the wild boars couldn’t quite catch
rare occurrence in ISF’s recent years in sports. The first game of the tournament was played
up, and fell short four points, but it was a great game
against BFA (Black Forest Academy) a team also
and overall experience. The final score was Bahrain
known for being the highest ranked in our division.
-26 ISF -22.
The game went better than expected; the girls even had a lead during the second quarter, but at the end the more experienced team took the victory with an ending score of BFA-37, ISF-23.
After losing a second game we lost our shot of continuing to the semifinals. In the end the champion of our division ( division 2) was AOSR (The American Overseas School of Rome) . The winner of division 1 was Stuttgart and the winner of division 3 was Sigonella. The Europeans Championships have historically been the most important and exciting part of ISF’s sports seasons. We hope to continue this tradition and set even more records in the years to come.
LOCAL 14 11
MR.MURRAY’S TAKE ON COLLEGE APPLICATIONS By Niccolò Platt To start off, what was the college application process like at your last school? [In Paris] it was bit different, there was certainly more staff committed to it. Because it was a bigger school, about twice as big as ISF, we had a more diverse student population. We had someone who was covering US applications, UK applications, we had a lot of mainland European ones, but we also had ones who were specialising in Japan and the far East. That was just because of the demand coming from the student population, it was a bit bigger and more diverse so we had to commit more members of staff to specialise in practicing in the entrance for particular regions in the world. It was a similar process, just more people involved. What do you think of the process at this school? I am not directly involved with supervising that, but from the information I get, it seems to me a very recognisable process, which I have seen in other schools I have worked in. I haven’t seen anything, as far as I’m aware, that’s unusual about it. But to ask me to comment on the whole process of support and everything that lies beneath that, I don’t think I am in a position to go in about it in great detail. Do you think there’s any room for improvement in how the situation is currently?
However, it’s not just only about numbers; it’s about expertise because from a staffing point of view, one person being an expert in how you support applications to every university in the world is quite a task. This is because every institution is very different in what they’re looking for. UCAS, UK ones, are a completely different system compared to the American ones, and the European ones are very different again. Asian ones are completely, utterly different. So, to ask that all from one person, I think that’s an awful lot and at a certain point you have to invest in additional staffing. Is that what your ideal college application process would look like? Would it be different? In the schools I’ve been in charge of before, although there was often one person leading a big part of it, it didn’t mean that there weren’t lots of satellite people who were not college counsellors but could give students a lot of useful advice. I don’t think that we really do that systematically at the moment. Many of the schools I worked in have tutors for all year groups, so you can divide the 45 students in a year group into three smaller groups and your tutor will play quite a big role in supporting you during your applications. That’s certainly a structure that I am keen to invest into in the future.
Yes, there is always room for improvement in any system. How you go about that is a different matter. The school is getting a bit bigger next year based on current figures, and you’ve got to make a decision: on what point do we start investing in additional staffing in support of college applications? At the moment, it’s largely in the hands of one member of LOCAL 10 12
What would your plans be to enact that? How do you envision the future of college admissions here at ISF? Any good school, the starting point has to be that we can provide the support that is necessary for university admission success, so that’s the ambition. What factors into that? One, staffing and I don’t just mean direct staffing, I’m talking about this kind of support staffing. There is also a possibility for better education for students - and parents - about what constitutes a ‘good choice’. American applications, in particular, are very time consuming. The Diploma is challenging enough, and as I’m sure you know already, each institution is looking for additional work, so you end up writing multiple essays, and have to add college prepping exams on top of that. I know a lot of people who are doing the Diploma and SATs, and are applying to universities who by and large won’t pay any attention to their diploma. All they are interested in are their SATs. Why would you apply to that? The thing about university applications is that there has to be an individual strategy for each student. What do you believe the right strategy for applying to colleges is? Well, one of the starting points is when you begin the process. At the very earliest, it has to be part of the decision making process when you choose your diploma programme. Many schools build an individual strategy for each student and say look, if you are interested in a particular subject and committed to to the UK and the US, get a sense of what you would have to do for your applications. Do they work together? Is having an application strategy which spreads out into many different systems actually going to work? Or is it better to try and be a bit more clear-sighted with the decision and then invest the right amount of time mastering that system than try to master multiple systems? Would you have any advice, by any chance, for students? Just start early? I wouldn’t start too early because sometimes you need to have a decent amount of experience to even make some useful choices. The danger is when people make decisions too early and end up
having a tunnel vision. The other thing is to be aware of is the cost and value of a university education these days. So you have to remember as well - it’s an investment strategy. How much money is this all going to cost? Now I don’t want your choices to be driven by financial concerns, but there is a financial dimension to it. Do you think you could give us any information on who the next counsellor will be? He is a British, ethnically Korean, man. He studied in the US and at Oxford University, and he’s got expertise particularly in the British and American systems. He’s currently working as a college counsellor, and various other things, in a big international school in Korea. His name is James Lee.
Finally, how do you think the transition will be for current grade 11 students, since they have already started some work for university with Mr. McIvor? Very shortly, we’ll be starting the transition - a ‘hand-over’ process form Mr. McIvor to Mr. Lee. Many of the systems that we use to manage university applications are common, they use the same types of softwares and the same type of programmes, so it will be fairly easy.
LOCAL 11 13
UNIVERSITY APPLICATIONS: A FEW UNIVERSITY APPLICATIONS: A FEW THOUGHTS THOUGHTS FROM MR.MCIVOR FROM MR.MCIVOR By Isabella Lovalvo In conducting this investigation on university applications at the International School of Florence, it is of course vital to understand how the process takes place. Mr. McIvor sat down with the Tuskan Times to answer some of your most frequent questions and share a few thoughts.
January. The process is taking place earlier and earlier each year; even now, I have time with Grade Nine and Grade Ten, which enables me to get
How would you personally define the role of college counsellor at the International School of Florence? As with all counsellors, it is to assist students to come to the best possible conclusions concerning university for themselves. It’s not to tell them what to do, but to help them decide what is best to do personally. Can you give readers a general overview of the university applications process at ISF? For example, timelines or important dates?
things sorted a little bit sooner.
Right now, the process is still in development, and it will look different from this year to the next; it’s already changed from last year to this year. For instance, this year, I finally managed to get time with Grade Eleven in the classroom, so I’m hoping that they will get the bulk of their essays written before the end of this year. My timeline would be to have a draft of all essays, personal statements, and motivational letters done by the end of this trimester, with the final draft done by September. Ideally, all UCAS forms and Common Apps will be ready by the time final predicted grades are given on 30 November. Unfortunately, that wasn’t able to happen this year. I’ve asked Mr. Blackstone to ensure that there are no IAs or other big deadlines this November, so that everyone can fully concentrate on completing applications by the end of the month. Additionally, this would allow them to focus only on mocks over break and in LOCAL 12 14
That will definitely come as a relief to incoming seniors. I know that it was definitely difficult at times to manage writing essays and IAs at the same time. Moving on, what do you believe is the correct balance between student initiative and school support throughout the application process? It should always be the student’s application, not the parents’ or the school’s; but the student should have the initiative to ask for support when they need it. The counsellor is there to help and support them with the process, for example, by showing them how to write essays and fill
in forms,
providing feedback on what they’ve done, or suggesting colleges they might look at, but it should always be the student’s initiative.
What do you believe are some of ISF’s strengths concerning the process? I think it’s really advantageous that students here have a counsellor who is dedicated to solely college counseling. In several schools, I’ve seen counsellors who are also IB Coordinators and teachers, so they don’t have as much time to dedicate to shaping the framework for the students. Additionally, we have contacts working with universities all over the world, who are very happy
I know that my grade went to quite a few of
to come visit us. We have college fairs and
these events; from my experience, they did help
consortiums that allow students to discover
me inform myself about potential schools and
universities that they may never have considered or even known existed otherwise, and there are
decide whether or not to ultimately apply, and I
students who end up finding their dream schools as
think many others would agree. So to round
a result.
things up, do you believe there’s any room for improvement? If so, where?
There’s always room for improvement. I would like to see more time spent on essay writing, specifically dedicated classes with Grade Eleven that deal with this. We’ve improved with standardized testing; ISF has recently become a center for Cambridge testing and SAT testing, but I’d like to improve and formalize the preparation for SATs. This will, of course, take a couple of years, but by the time I leave there will be a written framework that will hopefully be implemented very soon.
LOCAL
LOCAL 15
COLLEGE INTERVIEWS By: Omid Sheikh Wandre Ricardo What will you miss about 12th Grade and ISF? “My friends” What advice can you give to people writing their College app? “Start your applications early” What advice can you give to the 11th graders entering 12th grade? “Work a lot during the summer and get your extended essay out of the way as soon as possible.”
Danny Gryshenko What advice can you give to the 11th graders entering 12th grade? “Don't procrastinate” 1 thing you regret the most about 12th grade? “Honestly procrastination. It will not change the mind of people, I guess, but sometimes it's a serious problem.” Which Universities were you accepted at? “I was accepted at KCL, University of Edinburgh, Royal Holloway, University of York, and Manchester. Also Leiden and Utrecht” Which university are you going to? “I'm going to Leiden University.”
LOCAL 15 16
Pietro Righi Which Universities were you accepted at? “I was accepted to London School of Economics, and Utrecht in the Netherlands; in Italy I was accepted in Bocconi in Milan and Louis in Rome” What’s one thing you regret the most about 12th grade? “One thing I regret is possibly taking the IB requirements too seriously” What advice can you give to the 11th graders entering 12th grade? “Start looking for your colleges before you do anything else, as soon as possible, and don't take the IB requirements too seriously, especially CAS.”
Leo Consumi What is one thing you regret the most about 12th grade? “Not taking my favorite class which would have been chemistry with Mr. Koevoet.” How do you feel about your college applications? “I feel pretty confident in my college apps; they were pretty straightforward and I got my point across.”
LOCAL 16 17
Dasha Krasnikova Which University(s) were you accepted at? “Sarah Lawrence, which was my early decision choice for college, so I’m going there.” What do you feel about your college app?
“ I was pretty confident about my college application; I did have a little bit of help with it from a person in New York who actually works with kids to get them in different colleges, and being in this position where i have no idea what college application really is, it was really helpful to have someone to guide me through everything and give me a helping hand when I needed it for filling out the documents. It also helped me understand what colleges would fit me better, because I feel some kids don't really understand how some schools’ environments are and why they would or wouldn’t be best for educational purposes.” What will you miss about I.S.F? “My classmates, because obviously, moving across the ocean, I won’t have everyone next to me, and this can be a pretty upsetting.”
LOCAL 17 18
TWO YEARS LATER: A REEVALUATION By Isabella Lovalvo Two years ago, as some of our readers might
it is both reasonable and realistic to do so. Also critical
remember, the Tuskan Times carried out an
to the process is that the student feels confident,
evaluation of the university applications process at
prepared, and educated on the manner in which to
the International School of Florence. The piece,
proceed, and does so in an appropriate and organized
seen as one of the paper’s more polemic works,
timeline. However, this raises a question concerning
generated a large amount of discussion and a
the balance that should be struck between student and
deeper evaluation on the school’s part. Two years
school responsibility. Is it fair to expect the school to
later, the Tuskan Times has decided to take a look at
provide overwhelming individual support for each of
the current applications process to get a sense of a
its hundreds of students, or should students take a more
few different things, namely the present state of the
independent approach? What do students at ISF
process, its possible future, and critically, the
believe themselves?
current amount of student satisfaction.
In order to gauge possible answers to these
There are several factors that are important to
questions and more, the Tuskan Times conducted a
take into account when designing an applications
survey of the Class of 2019, which included questions
process that generates widespread student
both about their perception and expectations about the
contentment. First, it is important that the school
process, as well as general measures of confidence and
and the student body maintain an open channel of
familiarity with the system in a broader sense. The
communication, in which the student body makes
results can be found in the graph below.
known its desires and expectations, and the school then attempts to implement them to the extent that
LOCAL
LOCAL 19
Our Breakdown of Results
Supporting this, in a response to another question by
Note: the Tuskan Times is dedicated to maintaining
the Tuskan Times, asking if they felt that they were on
transparency, and must note that unfortunately, the
track to getting acceptances or offers in line with their
entirety of the senior class was not able to be
expectations and desires, 100% of students answered
surveyed. This being said, it is important to take
positively. When asked in an open-ended question
into account the principle that those who hold
about whether this was due to interventions by the
stronger opinions, either positive or negative, will
school or actions by the student, many indicated that
be more inclined to share them; hence, the survey’s
their success could be attributed to a mixture of the
results may not reflect entirely accurately the
two.
sentiments of each senior. However, a substantial
One of the things that students also heavily
amount of seniors did participate, and the Tuskan
indicated in the survey was that they were
Times believes that the survey’s results are
knowledgeable about the process. ISF and Mr. McIvor
valuable and significant nonetheless.
have made it a priority to expand students’ knowledge
It seems that overall, in the last two years,
of different colleges and systems, and any senior will
student sentiment concerning the college
recognize the myriad college fairs and visits at ISF, as
applications process in general, and as it relates to
well as the special days set aside at the year’s start to
ISF, has grown to be by and large positive. As seen
begin the process under Mr. McIvor’s guidance. To
in the graph, 50% or more of those surveyed stated
assess the impact of such events, we asked students
that they ‘agreed’ or ‘strongly agreed’ in every
where their knowledge of the applications process
single category, suggesting that very few, if any,
primarily originated, the results of which are seen
students feel that the process is in dire need of
below.
modification or reform. Most impressive was the
Though no one stated that they learned more from
students’ confidence in the overall success of the
ISF than from independent research, a clear majority
process: less than ten percent disagreed that the
of students agreed that ISF did help to some extent.
‘process went well.”
LOCAL
LOCAL 20
In this regard, ISF seems to have struck a
In one of our open-ended questions, we asked
satisfactory balance, providing information
students what the school could have improved upon
throughout the process without coddling students.
concerning the process. Deadlines were a common
Though the results are generally favorable, the
sentiment, as some felt it was difficult to find time to
survey has indicated that there are some areas that
write essays and fill in applications while also
could be improved by the school. Namely, half of the
juggling studying for mock exams and finishing final
students surveyed stated that they did not feel
Internal Assessments. The school is well aware of
confident writing essays and personal statements. As
this, and in our interview with Mr. McIvor, he details
these documents play a critical role in acceptances,
their plans to rectify the issue. Another answer
especially for those applying to steeply competitive
expressed was that the school should offer more
universities in the United States, this result is cause
information and guidance on non US, UK, and
for some concern. Though there were some events
Netherlands universities, as well as on specific non-
for students that aimed to help them gain skill and
academic components that help to make an
confidence in this section, such as an annual essay
application especially competitive. Concerning the
writing session with an NYU admissions officer, it
latter issue, it should be noted that the school does
appears that the system could be further expanded
offer a summer internship program to eleventh
upon. As it is sometimes difficult for students to
graders, though it tends to veer more towards
attend after-school events, a possible solution could
business and hotel experience than the sciences.
be to allot time for this activity in school. IB students
Regarding the former, the majority of students
are familiar with the fact that though much important
gravitate towards applying to the US, the UK, or the
information is shared during Approaches to
Netherlands, and thus, resources and knowledge
Learning, the latter part of the period is usually
provided by the school will to a large extent reflect
given as a study hall. Perhaps, every so often, the
that, though there is always room for improvement.
university counselor could instead utilize this time to
At ISF, there is evidently some discontentment
provide instructions on how to best construct these
(or lack of contentment) concerning the school’s
documents. Though seniors lacked access to this,
treatment of the university applications process.
Mr. McIvor has indicated that the school has begun
However, the school seems to be doing well in
to implement this process with current eleventh
promoting a balance between student and school
graders.
involvement, and the survey suggests that student
The last interesting result that merits discussion is that which concerns whether or not students felt sufficiently supported by the school. More than half of students answered positively, which is reassuring,but the question had the largest percentage of ‘neutral’ answers, and was the only section where students, though very few, strongly disagreed. What could be causing this?
satisfaction has grown quite a bit, likely thanks to the actions taken by Mr. McIvor and others in the last two years. That being said, there are some areas that are in need of further development and improvement, and there is always room to expand upon currently successful areas. We at Tuskan Times are hopeful that the school will be aided in doing so by the information provided in this article and by our seniors.
LOCAL LOCAL 21
WHAT HAPPENED AT THE OSCARS By: Omid Sheikh The first ever ceremony of the Oscars was
Throughout the movie I would find myself
held on May 16 1929 and roughly 270 guests
singing along every music that was played, if I
attended, in the 270 people some prominent actors
wasn't singing then I was humming or tapping
and producers of their time attended. Although this
my foot to the rhythm of the song. Rami Malek
was the first ceremony of its time and it wasn't as
won himself the best actor award for
glamorous and advertised compared to the later
playing Freddie Mercury, it was his first
years. The oscars from the late 20s compared
oscar and he deserved it.
to today has had a lot of changes, such as
Green Book won best Picture, Viggo
promoting diversity to the assigned roles
Mortensen came a long way from a
and this meant more women and
role in Lord of the Rings to a
people of color had proven more
movie that was based on a true
effective over the years.Before 1939
story. He is a versatile actor taking
the prize wasn't known as “Oscar” but as Academy Award of Merit which still
every role seriously and literally
remains as the official name but in the name
becoming one with the character.
“Oscar” has been protected by trademark
Viggo nailed the role of a tough Italian
since 1979.This years Oscars (dare I say it)
American bouncer whos job is to
was probably the best ceremony packed
protect Dr. Don Shirley while they go
with incredible movies ranging from
on a tour in the south in 1962.This
beautiful costume and set design to the most
amazing true story is comprised of two
original screenplay. (Disclaimer, this article
different men from completely different
is will be comprised of my thoughts on the
backgrounds coming together to survive
Oscars). I think the one we were all excited
the tour in the south and all they have is
about was “Bohemian Rhapsody” the
themselves. The movie deserved
story of Queen and their journey as
to win and Viggo Mortensen
a new innovative band inquiring
again amazes me to see
new methods of creating
how he can nail such a
music.
difficult role.
CULTURE 18 22
Mahershala Ali also won best actor in supporting
Lady Gaga as best original song in A Star is Born.
role, he played his part very well but I wish Viggo
Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga were also among the
would have won the best supporting role and they
people best couple in A Star Is Born, and after their
won most Original Screenplay.I was 100% sure
performance on the stage they won everyone's
Black Panther would have won best Picture, the
hearts. It was a good movie and very interesting to
first superhero movie fully dedicated to an African cast in an African setting. It brought a whole new perspective to the hero, the movie was a mix of meticulous costumes that were inspired from real native groups in Africa and inquiring the African
see Lady Gaga acting and playing her role very well. Bohemian Rhapsody won the most awards, it won best Actor, Best Motion Picture, best sound, best film editing, and was nominated for best
landscape. I might even say it was the first
picture. This years movies were all great and some
superhero movie that I actually enjoyed in a long
better than others, I just wish Black Panther would
time. Although it did earn itself an award for best
have won best visual effects because it was very
Production Design and best Costume Design.One
well made but besides that those were the awards to
award that surprised me the most was the award to
the movies I enjoyed and should have won.
CULTURE 19 23
KETAMINE: A NOVELTY DRUG TO TREAT DEPRESSION By: Luca Fagotti Ketamine could become the newest treatment for depression - the first of its kind in 35 years. While it is legal, it is currently “off-label” as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) still hasn’t approved it. The FDA’s approval would facilitate ketamine’s entry in the medical realm.
ketamine’s former and current use as a “party drug” has caused many to overlook its medical properties and applications. Its fast acting properties Ketamine has distinguished itself compared to Why does it have a bad reputation?
other antidepressants because of its fast acting
When looking at the positive results that ketamine
properties. People suffering from depression are
treatments have produced in combating
known to have fast mood shifts and thoughts of
depression, it is hard to understand the reasons behind the drug’s bad reputation. Thirty-five years
suicide. Many current drugs require time to begin
ago it was used on a small case study of people
operating and this comes to the expense of
and it wasn’t as effective as desired. This however
suffering individuals. Ketamine’s fast acting
can be explained by the unique circumstances of
properties are not being exploited due to current
the patients, which did not allow the drug to display its true worth. Ketamine is also known for being a horse tranquiliser and this has created
methods of administration. It is usually consumed intravenously or via injection, over a time span of
false notions regarding its utility. While it is
forty-five minutes. This however would change
definitely a very powerful drug, current
with the breakthrough of Johnson & Johnson’s
treatments on humans involve small doses, which
nasal spray.
are gradually consumed intravenously. Lastly, CULTURE 20 24
Treatment that is “in the works”
These forms of depression are the hardest to tackle, but they may shed some light on how to improve
Johnson & Johnson is the pharmaceutical
the drug for more common forms of depression.
company that has come the closest to gaining
Looking towards the future
FDA approval. In 2016, the company received a
Ketamine's success rate has been proven time and
breakthrough therapy designation from the FDA
time again to be about 70%, which is significantly
for its nasal formula. The drug has tested very
higher than the 50-60% success rate of current
well in its clinical trials and is linked to long-
slow-acting treatments. Its administration and side
lasting improvements in curbing depressive
effects (lung injury and suppression of adrenaline)
symptoms. Johnson & Johnson is one of the only
are obstacles that with time, will be overcome. If
companies that has conducted trials for over a
the clinical trials continue showing positive results,
year; most studies have lasted about seven weeks.
the FDA is bound to accept ketamine as an efficient
Janssen is another pharmaceutical company that
treatment for depression.
has reached great strides in developing esketamine, the chemical mirror of ketamine, for treatment-resistant depression. CULTURE 21 25