Tuskan Times Volume 7 Issue 5

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.

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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

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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