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Volume XXXII Issue 2 • November 7, 2014 • University Prep • 8000 25th Ave NE Seattle • What if Journalism Lacey is the real Lacey?

Grade inflation

Did you really deserve that A?

Kids Crazy for Coffee p5 Pass the Paseo p12 Mahir’s Ladies p14

news

University Prep • November 7, 2014 • Volume XXXI1 Issue 2

Josh Wah-Blumberg plays the piano as his talent for the Mr. Junior Ellie U Prep pageant. He gained lots of recognition for his satirical Madwed tries to play on well-rehearsed performances. finish homework at school so she doesn’t have too much to do when she gets home.

Schoolwork Struggles

unior year can be notorious for long nights of homework and studying. Each year expectations rise and homework increases as students also become more efficient and prepared for college. Upper School Director Ken Jaffe acknowledges that junior year is typically a step up for students regarding workload. “Junior year, for a variety of reasons, tends to be more stressful for students than other years,” Jaffe said. “[Because of] pressure to do better, [juniors]

spend more time on homework than they have in the past.” Jaffe also says that external pressures for students can often be seen as extra homework, especially outside-ofschool tutoring. English teacher Christina Serkowski says that she sees a step up in students’ effort level in junior year. “Juniors feel like it’s a more stressful year whether or not classes are more difficult. Their grades are under greater scrutiny, and so more students want to do well,”

“I don’t think each individual class is asking much of us, but we are taking other classes. It adds up.” —Junior Emily Lin

How do the juniors feel about their homework? It’s similar to the way this guy feels.

Illustration: Micho Matuszewski

Serkowski said. Although these factors can result in an extremely strenuous year, U Prep has been working to give no more than a reasonable amount of homework to students. U Prep has been doing its best by attempting to stay in touch with students and check in, making sure they’re not too overwhelmed. History teacher Pat Grant says that in order to keep homework in check, he likes to ask for student feedback. “I frequently survey students about how much time they spend on homework,” Grant said. He does this to make sure he is giving a reasonable amount. Many students agreed that each class’s homework is in fact very reasonable, but when added to other core classes and electives it can become overwhelming. “I don’t think each individual class is asking much of us, but they don’t always think about the fact that we are taking five or

BY Lila Luthy

n today’s world the Internet is as common as water. Rare is the moment when a phone can’t be pulled out to answer a question. People are constantly updating their social media feeds or playing games on their devices. How does this connectivity change the way we communicate with friends, strangers and relatives? Are people still wary of hanging out with people they meet online or has chilling with strangers become a new social norm? When kids are younger it seems the message, “be wary of people you meet over the internet” is ingrained into their heads, but it seems that internet friends can be a positive thing. Ninth grader Sienna Axe, who is no stranger to stranger danger, talks about her take on internet friends. “They are nice because if you’re going through a transition in your life and you don’t have friends, you have Internet friends that you are not going to move away from because you were never there in the first place,” Axe said. Through the internet, ninth grader Sophia Beaufrand has been exposed to all sorts of differ-

Tutoring/ SAT prep

How to use emojis

six other classes and it adds up,” junior Emily Lin said. However teachers also try to be aware of this when assigning homework, especially for juniors. “Thirty-five minutes of homework [per class] is [a] good [amount]. If it gets to 45 then it’s too much because if you multiply 45 by six, it ends up being [more than four hours],” Grant said. “That’s only doable if you have a free period and no major outside of school commitments.” But even then, each subject’s homework sometimes exceeds forty-five minutes and many juniors have jobs or sports. Serkowski suggests either having fewer classes or switching to a full block schedule. This could help reduce conflicting homework by giving students an extra day in between different subjects. “I feel that the root problem is the assembly-line structure of schools.” Serkowski said.

Can meeting friends on the internet be a positive thing?

After school sports/ jobs

Photo: Jacob Kauff

Stranger Danger No More “If you want to get cyber bullied, go on Club Penguin because seven year olds are terrifying.” —Freshman Sienna Axe

Procrastination

Complaints from juniors strike a new interest from the teachers about the homework load and other stresses BY LEAH BELL

Top five reasons juniors don’t get their homework done

Lack of sleep

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Volume XXX1I Issue 2 • November 7, 2014 • University Prep

Used in predictng horoscopes.

College stress

Used when you are nervous and excited at the same time.

Photo: Jacob Kuaff

As devices become more prevelent in our society, the amount of people we interact with over social media increases. ent people. “I think that the internet has really opened my eyes and has been a form of a wakeup call to other cultures and other people’s situations,” Beaufrand said. Instead of simply telling kids not to talk to strangers online, it might be more valuable to teach them how to make positive choices in internet friends. Director of Academic Technology Jeff Tillinghast feels that telling kids once will not teach them a valuable lesson. “It’s something you have to continually revisit. When you’re a younger kid it’s a lot easier to draw lines and say, ‘this is black and this is white.’ There is a huge

need for the conversation to be constant,” Tillinghast said. As teens get older the way they interact with others changes. “When I was younger I posted a picture of Dean Winchester from “Supernatural” and someone commented, ‘Dean is gross, One Direction forever’. Then there was this full-on war, but it was all pretty harmless because it was ‘this person vs. this person’, but now it’s more me vs. you,” Axe said. Even though there are occasional arguments, Axe feels that cyberbullying is not really an issue. “If someone says something that’s completely uncalled for you just unfollow them,” Axe said. “If

you want to get cyber bullied go on Club Penguin because seven year olds are terrifying.” How did internet friends become so prevalent? “There has been a lot of research on how kids now don’t have the same idea of physically going to a place. The stereotype for us when we were kids was we are just going to hang out at the mall,” Tillinghast said. “Just going and hanging out at the mall is not as big now as it was when I was a kid. So what’s replaced that? If you can’t just go and hang out with your friends, you want to hang out somewhere with people and online has filled that space.”

Online Interactions

We polled the student body to see what their boundaries are online. Used when you’re hoping for something to happen.

Used to be funny, usually out of context.

Have you ever met a friend online?

57% No

Have you ever talked in-depth with a stranger online?

63% No

Have you ever had a romantic relationship online?

100% No

43% Yes 37% Yes

University Prep • November 7, 2014 • Volume XXXI1 Issue 2

editorial

We Should Always Get What We Deserve

here is no student on earth who would prefer a lower grade to a much higher one. And while it might just be that students want the highest grades possible, for college or even a job, some pride comes from working hard and earning what you’ve worked for. Grade inflation hurts us. On paper we can look like we’re stronger than previous students, when we aren’t. This is true whether it be at a large public school, where many students have perfect GPA’s, or at a school like U Prep, where average GPA’s have risen as years go by. Sure, every school is doing it, so it doesn’t disadvantage U Prep to slowly inflate grades. But it can in the long run. U Prep is known as a challenging academic environment. Additionally, if we do institute some grade deflation to stop the continuous rise, U Prep has ways to communicate with colleges about this change so that it doesn’t disadvantage students. The most important thing, for all students’ success as far as colleges go then, is to make sure that colleges don’t think U Prep is getting any easier as the years go by. Stopping grade inflation, however, does come with consequences that would be hard to deal with if it’s never happened before. It would mean that a perfect transcript, dense with A’s, would accumulate a B or two and stop the trend toward perfection. It would mean that a strong B student could earn a C in the near future. Ending grade inflation would mean painful, awkward transitions. For the school in making sure colleges know what is happening. For parents in understanding that if the school does its job, there will be no disadvantages to students. For students in coming to terms with getting what we deserve and nothing more. But the advantages could be great. The school would guarantee that it can be seen as what it is today: A challenging academic environment, for years to come. Students will be prepared for any grade in college, no matter the grading policy. Maybe our slight grade inflation just comes from making sure we have similar grades as peer schools, but students should leave with the value of hard work, and the lesson that we should always get what we deserve.

staff

Editors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kai Milici & Lacey Pike Copy Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kai Milici Photographer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jacob Kauff Entertainment Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Annie Cohen Web Editors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cole Kaufmann Shawn Owens Reporters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Leah Bell, Annie Cohen, Melissa Funes, Issac Glasser, Jacob Greene, Lila Luthy, Micho Matuszewski, Lindsay McConville, Mahir Piyarali, Shawn Owens, Jared Taylor, Emma Van Deursen, Jennifer Wen, Hannah Zundel-Davis

got an opinion?

Puma Press welcomes letters to the editor and guest columns. Contact any of the students above or e-mail us at pumapress@universityprep.org.

join us online

You can view articles at uprepmedia.com or follow us on Twitter or Instagram at UPrepMedia.

What are we afraid of?

o you have Ebola?” I hear these words come out of students’ mouths nearly every day in the hallways of U Prep with a mixture of dark humor and genuine apprehension. The widening spread of the virus throughout West Africa has caused an increased amount of fear across the nation and this does not leave out U Prep students. Illustration: Micho Matuszewski Many students are scared that they or someone they know will contract the virus. This is especially the case in Seattle because Harborview Medical is just starting to open their doors to infected patients. However what is being called “the Ebola scare” isn’t really justifiable. For one, Ebola can only be spread through bodily fluids, and, two, we have so much awareness and understanding of the virus that it is highly unlikely it will become anywhere near an epidemic, at least in the United States. Just last month Mike Kinzer, medical officer

for the CDC and father of seventh grader Lily Kinzer, came to talk to us about Ebola. Along with providing us with much insight on the virus, he reassured everyone that there is pretty much a zero percent chance anyone in the U Prep community will contract it. Yet there is still anxiety among students surrounding this issue. According to the United Nations, in all of West Africa there have been around 4,900 deaths. Compared to the population of these countries which is upwards of around 4-5 million (each), this is a very small percentage. by Lindsay However people in the McConville United States seem to be more concerned about the virus than those in West Africa when only a few cases have been reported here. We need to stop worrying and think rationally. This is not to say that Ebola is unimportant and not an awful virus, but considering where we live the fear is completely unjustified. As long as we stay knowledgeable and aware, we will be fine.

Where’d my shows go?!

een Titans. That’s So Raven. Drake and Josh. Remember these? If these shows weren’t awesome to you, then it is safe to assume that you did not own a television to see them. Not only did the old shows have awesome characters, they also had really good plotlines that made people want to watch them. Those tricky situations that made it so difficult to do the impossible mixed with clever, funny jokes and a good lesson to kids at the end made those shows entertaining to watch as a kid, a teen, and the occasional 35 year old living in their parents’ basements. Unfortunately, 2010 came along, and with it, many great TV shows were taken off the air. Now don’t get me wrong, the problem isn’t that the shows are gone; we all have to go out, at some time. However, I personally have a huge problem about what filled the holes that the good cancelled shows left. I don’t know what great screenwriter died, but over the past couple of years of watching TV with my little brother and sister, I’ve noticed something common between almost all the TV shows directed towards teens and kids (except a select Illustration: Micho Matuszewski few on Netflix and shows that come on past 9:00 pm) - that they are absolutely terrible. Let’s start with plotline, or lack thereof. They are all completely and utterly predictable. Almost every show now features this bland characteristic of constantly repeating the plot of their shows, thinking nobody will care if they

take things they’ve used in shows like five times over. Sure, that shows may be interesting for the first couple of broadcasts, but you eventually realize that they aren’t really doing anything to make the show interesting and as a result, we stop watching. Also, what’s worse than a character who is not funny? A character who makes things worse by trying way to hard too be funny. All the time, the characters just use stupid punchlines. Even if something slightly funny is said, it is ruined half a By Jared second later by the bland Taylor laugh track that goes off every three seconds! The characters of old TV shows used to be so well thought out and creative. Today’s screenwriters are having a terrible time making an ideal character, which ruins their shows. After looking at reviews and negative comments about today’s shows, the two greatest genres for a character in a modern TV show is either a stuck-up famous and rich person who treats their friends like they’re lower than them, or else they are sleazy characters who use butts as their punch lines in someway or another. Seriously. It’s just not that funny. I get it; everybody is entitled to an opinion and I’m sure that I am over exaggerating on this whole topic. Or maybe, I don’t know, we’ve grown up to the point where we see things as an adult. And I will admit that I have a bias because the discontinued shows were arguably the best ones - and I’m not the only one who thinks this! But all the same, everyone now is going to grow up and forget the good days when a diss was legendary enough to use anytime and the morals of friendship and respect were still in play.

Volume XXX1I Issue 2 • November 7, 2014 • University Prep

Caffeine Fiends

Starbucks Study Tips

Student coffee drinkers explain the appeal of America’s favorite warm beverage BY JACOB GREENE

hree hours is the minimum amount of sleep I allow myself to get,” Junior Kristine Kwon said. Anything less leaves her completely non-functional. Fitting in time for sleep is a challenge that students face daily. When dawn arrives to find that you haven’t received an adequate amount of rest the night before, many turn to the cure-all that is a steaming cup o’ joe. Each school day morning finds senior Sara Adelson rolling into her local Starbucks with only one thing on her mind: Coffee. “I drink multiple cups a day,” Adelson said. “I wake up each day feeling tired, like school is more of a chore rather than something to look forward to. Coffee is how I cope. My life without caffeine would be awful.” Adelson isn’t alone in her need for caffeine. For junior Kaitlyn Bushfield, coffee is a crutch she relies upon constantly. “On a day without coffee I am comparable to a wet rag laying on a dirty floor,” Bushfield said. Needing the extra boost that caffeine provides, Bushfield frequently makes a midday Starbucks run in order to last through a particu-

Never try to study in a lounge chair; you will doze off. Try sitting in a stool.

larly rough day. For Kwon, caffeine not only keeps her from dozing off, but she also finds that it increases her attention span. “When I don’t have coffee [...] I get faint. I legitimately can’t focus,” Kwon said. She also finds that she is most attentive directly after waking up, which is when she gets most of her homework done. Unsurprisingly, a large part of her wakeup routine revolves around caffeine. “The first thing I do [in the morning] is make four or five cups of coffee. I drink half of those before I leave the house,” Kwon said. After the school day, she weathers the 3 p.m. slump by returning home to drink the remaining amount. The caffeine keeps her on task as she slogs through the day’s workload. “Coffee is a necessity in order to finish my day,” Kwon said. Unlike many of her peers, Kwon chooses to forgo the expensive trips to Starbucks. Preferring to save a penny, she takes the time to prepare her beverage of choice at home. She finds the grinding of beans

“On a day without coffee I am comparable to a wet rag laying on a dirty floor.” —Junior Kaitlyn Bushfield

Order a beverage you don’t mind drinking cold. You will forget about it and end up drink luke-warm chocolate milk instead of hot chocolate.

Illustration: Jacob Greene & Leah Bell

Paulie Puma enjoys his morning cup at a local coffeeshop. Like so many U Prep students, he relies on coffee to make it through the day.

therapeutic, and looks forward to days when she can take the time to craft her own cup as opposed to making a trip to Starbucks. An avid drinker, she was originally attracted to coffee for the flavor but has grown dependent on it. Kwon has a preference for espresso over brewed coffee. She said, “I drink my coffee black for health reasons.” Kwon realizes that if she were to take every cup with sugar and cream, the calories would begin to add up. On the same note, Adelson is less concerned with the effect

caffeine may have on her body and more with what accompanies her beverage. For this reason she advises that if you are in search of a beverage to perk up your day, shy away from flashy, caloric Starbucks drinks like their Fall favorite: the Pumpkin Spice Latte. A 16-ounce grande weighing in at just under 400 calories, this drink more comparable to McDonald’s double cheeseburger than your average drip coffee. Next time you pop in for a quick treat at your neighborhood Starbucks, know what’s in your cup!

Comparing Caffeine Contents

Sit where others can see your screen. The fear of social judgment will stop you from finding out what kind of pumpkin pie crust you are on Buzzfeed.

Sit near an outlet, or your computer will die and you will cry.

Taking a look at everyday sources of caffeine, a can of cola has roughly 30mg, a bar of chocolate has 50mg, A cup of tea also has about 50mg, a cup of instant coffee has 100mg, and a cup of brewed coffee has 150mg.

Bring a sweater; it might be chilly. 10

60 70

90 100 110 120 130 140 150 160

news

University Prep • November 7, 2014 • Volume XXXI1 Issue 2

Go Healthy, Go Happy Junior Grace Recka shares her secrets on leading a healthy lifestyle Grace’s Favorite Snacks

Fresh peanut butter with apples

2 3 4 5

KIND bars

Dried fruit

Almonds

Bananas

news7 7

Volume XXX1I Issue 2 • November 7, 2014 • University Prep

Five things you can make in the Maker Space

The MakerSpace has a wide range of equiment available to all students

Build a musical instrument.

BY HANNAH ZUNDEL-DAVIS

or many teenagers, eating healthy is the least of their concerns. University Prep students are consumed with sports commitments, homework each night, college applications and the list goes on. Most don’t have the time to cook and plan healthy meals. However, junior Grace Recka has devoted herself to sustaining a healthy lifestyle yearround. She finds smart eating and exercising choices fun and exciting. What does your typical diet look like everyday? It includes healthy superfoods and proteins that keep me energized. My most important meal is breakfast; I like to eat protein and fruit that keeps me satisfied throughout the morning. Water is very important so I always drink a glass when I wake up, followed by coffee with hemp milk. I hate being hungry, so I love to snack throughout the day.

Create stickers for your devices.

Junior Grace Recka enjoys a balanced lunch of salad and fruit, while senior David Funes digs into pizza and cookies.

Photo: Jacob Kauff

side, I am able to be my best self. The people I surround myself with on a day-to-day basis also inspire me. Do you think of the way you eat as a diet or a lifestyle? I never like to think of my eating habits as a diet because I eat what I love and its important to treat myself. If anyone takes anything out of this article I want them to know this: food fuels the body. It is essential for your body to function and is the best way to stay healthy.

“Surround yourself with people who are going to inspire you and remember that you’re doing this for you and only you.” —Junior Grace Recka

What inspires you to lead such a healthy lifestyle? What inspires me is how good, balanced, and refreshed I feel. When I feel good from the in-

How do you stay motivated to

stay away from unhealthy food? Although I have my bad days like every other person, I stay motivated by giving away all my unhealthy food to homeless people. This way I’m helping someone in need. Before eating something unhealthy, I think do I really want this and is it worth it later on? I also like to reward myself with new workout clothes and create workout playlists to keep me motivated. What exercises do you do? I love all exercise! However, my all time favorite is Barre, a mixture of high intensity interval training, It works to tone the body by targeting the smallest and largest muscles in your body as well as breaking down fat. The choreography involves tiny oneinch movements that get you to your shaky point, which literally burns fat and strengthens muscles. When I am not doing Barre, I love going for hikes, bike rides, runs or yoga classes. Exercise should be fun way to get out any frustrations in a healthy way.

What do you do when you have a craving? I first drink lots of water. Then I try to recreate the unhealthy food I am craving with something healthy. For example, if I am craving ice cream, I like to make a smoothie. What are your favorite healthy foods? My favorite healthy foods are green smoothies, acai bowls, grilled veggies, and sweet potatoes. What are your favorite indulgences? My favorite indulgences are dark chocolate, dried mango, mochi, frozen yogurt Any advice for people who are trying to eat healthier? Drink lots of water! Also, set daily goals for yourself and remind yourself what is important to you. Surround yourself with people who are going to inspire you and remember that you’re doing this for you and only you.

Eat This, Not That! What to eat when you are craving unhealthy food Instead of eating an ice cream cone loaded with sugar and fat...

1 2 3 4 5

Design and produce iron-on patches.

Have this instead: a bowl of nonfat yogurt topped with granola and fruit! Tasty and healthy!

Instead of scarfing down a deluxe hamburger with processed meat, cheese and bread....

Have a sandwich with real turkey, cheddar cheese, and vegetables on whole wheat bread!

The Unused Space

The MakerSpace gives students a place for creativity BY SHAWN OWENS

he MakerSpace is an island of misfit toys, filled with an array of unused gizmos and gadgets. This year the Commons Lab was renamed the “MakerSpace,”and equipped with an array of electronic equipment. The goal of the MakerSpace is to give students a new space where they can create projects using school provided resources. Computer Science teacher Emma Anderson is an advocate for the oportunities for creativity that the MakerSpace gives students. “The purpose of the MakerSpace is to give students a place to explore digital and physi-

“The most important entry point is just being a little curious.” — Jeff Tillinghast

cal tools, both for the creation of inventive electronics and also for the creation of art,” Anderson said. All the equipment in the MakerSpace is paid for by the school and available to students who want to use it for engineering and artistic projects alike. With tools ranging from a vinyl cutter to soldering irons and even robotics equipment, the MakerSpace is filled with possibilities. Unfortunately, according to Anderson, this is unused potential. “There haven’t been any largescale projects so far this year, mostly just students tinkering with what is in there,” Anderson said. “One part of this is the fact that the MakerSpace is a very new part of U Prep, and not a lot of people know how they can use it.” Along with being new, many students do not know what uses the MakerSpace may hold for

curious students. Director of Academic Technology and Digital Media teacher, Jeff Tillinghast, thinks it is not widely used because students have not thought of the possibilities the resources can provide to them. “I think that part of why people haven’t done any projects is that people may not know what’s possible with it [the resources]. Its hard to approach, so we haven’t seen a whole lot of it so far, and it will take time for people to envision what they can do with the resources we provide,” Tillinghast said, “The most important entry point is just being a little curious and wanting to learn something.” Although some students spend lunch in the MakerSpace, as of now, no one has started a largescale project in the MakerSpace. Junior David Michelman, who regularly visits the MakerSpace, there is a small group of students who use it regularly, however

Create light-up clothing.

Print anything you can imagine.

other than that not many students use the MakerSpace. “I think a large part of why students don’t use the MakerSpace is because they just don’t know about its existence. There is a tight knit group of people who use it, but other than them, not many people know,” Michelman said. “I can’t speak for the other students who hang around the MakerSpace, but personally I have a lot of the same stuff the MakerSpace has, it’s just not particularly useful for me.” In order to inspire students to start projects of their own, Tillinghast and Anderson are working together to hold some workshops showing students how to use the different equipment in the Maker Space. Their ideas include a screenprinting workshop using the vinyl cutter, and potentially a joint project with the library for bookmaking with LEDs for decoration.

Whatever happened to 3D Printer Club? Uprep Rep Rap, more commonly known as printer club was founded in 2012, and initially was very successful. Within one year the Uprep Rep Rap had completed its original goal, constructing a fully functioning student made 3D printer. But progress on adding additional nozzles and other modifications slowly halted. Then without a warning, at this year’s Club

Fair, Uprep Rep Rap was nowhere to be seen. As it turns out, Uprep Rep Rap is no longer an official club. “We are having this discussion, during lunch meetings, I think the official thing now is that printer club is not a club, but the printer is a utility in the MakerSpace,” said founder of UPrep Rep Rap senior Mantas Mazeika. During the second year of printer

club, the club began to encounter problems. “Especially during junior year, it was really hard to get everyone organized, and I think the club atmosphere at U Prep needs to be a bit more structured,” said Mazeika. Part of the problem was projects being started but never finished. Mazeika hopes that the more

structured format the MakerSpace provides will be better in terms of completing projects. “If someone wants to add the extra nozzels then they will write it down on the project board and anyone interested can sign up to work on it,” said Mazeika. —Shawn Owens

news

Grade Inflation: Why it is Bad For You How does it impact students and teachers? BY ANNIE COHEN AND MELISSA FUNES

University Prep • November 7, 2014 • Volume XXXI1 Issue 2

n 1980, the average GPA of a student attending University Prep was a 2.3. Over 30 years later, this number has risen to a 3.4 average for the Junior class of 2016. This is clear evidence that grade inflation pervades at U Prep, just as it does most American schools and colleges.

Volume XXX1I Issue 2 • November 7, 2014 • University Prep

Grade inflation is a flaw in grading that has slowly increased over a long period of time. There is no sole explanation for why grade inflation exists. It occurs at many schools for a variety of reasons, each to different degrees. Although there is no concrete cause of grade inflation, there are many theories as to why it has become a rising phenomenon specifically in the past few decades. One of the reasons for boosted grades may be that teachers feel pressured to give higher grades. Assistant Head of School and Director of Upper School Ken Jaffe cites the logistical problems with low grades as a reason for why teachers may inflate grades at the lower end. “I think that teachers may give some grades on the lower end, that are a little higher to avoid unnecessary interference, of having to defend the low grade,” Jaffe said. When history teacher, Abigail Hundley gives out grades that are a C or lower, she finds that there has normally been backlash from either students, parents or other staff members. “Parents think the reason they are sending their kids to this school is because their kid is above average [academically]. Of course if you average everyone that’s here, not everybody can be above average. I think we are just not good at accepting that,” Hundley said. There are also patterns showing that certain departments at U Prep, consistently give higher grades. “In the humanities, [like] English, history, [and] foreign language, [classes] seem to [have] more A’s and B’s,” Herrington said. In classes such as english, and history. It has been noted that when teachers give a lower grade parents and students have more of a tendency to try to argue against the grade, because of this the teachers of english and history regularly give out higher grades. Hundley believes that if the teachers of U Prep are going to give out grades, they

Grades Through the Ages: How the seniors’ average GPA has changed since the 1980’s 2010

2000

1990 1980

2.372

3.039

3.329

3.481

Grade (grr-aid in-flay-shun) noun Inflation the process of rewarding higher grades than a student would have received in the past for the same work.

should be the appropriate grade. “In my heart I still think if we are going to grade we should grade for real. I hate grading I would love to throw it out but if we are going to grade it should say something. I think a C being 75 percent should be the average, at that point it means you have most of the material down.” History teacher Ms. Hundley. Not to mention, teachers also want students to thrive and do well in their classes. Academic Dean Richard Kassissieh believes that one of the largest pieces why grade inflation is rising is also because teachers are becoming nicer towards their students. “As a result, teachers are inclined to give students the benefit of the doubt.” Academic Dean, Richard Kassissieh. However, some teachers have different attitudes towards grading. “If anything, I feel pressure to grade lower. Largely, to hold that line against grade inflation. But certainly dealing with kids and their emotional reaction to grades,” English teacher, Christina Serkowski said. On the other hand, students and teachers both have gained vast amounts of knowledge over the past few years. “I assume that over the years, teachers have become more skilled and students have also

become increasingly focused on grades. So it doesn’t surprise me that perhaps kids are earning higher grades than they were in past years,” Jaffe said. However, as Kassissieh said, “Grades aren’t everything. We encourage students to look at comments and teachers work very hard to provide feedback that helps them think about what to improve, which is more important than being able to say, ‘I am a A student,’ which is the case currently.” Although grade inflation is a recognized issue at many schools, there is not a straightforward solution. The obvious thing to do would be to expand the array of grades typically given to students. Currently, 90 percent of the grades given to students at U Prep are A’s or B’s. “I would like to see a wider range of grades,” Kassissieh said. “But let’s say we were to redo [the grading system] tomorrow, people would be pretty upset. The students who thought of themselves as A students would be B students, and parents who thought their students who were getting B’s are suddenly getting C’s and wondering what effect that will have on college.” Luckily, Herrington and Associate Director of College Counseling, Britten Nelson communicate to colleges what our grade spread

is and what typical grades are. This helps colleges to understand what a certain grade means coming from U Prep as opposed to another school. “At the end of the day I don’t think it has a big effect on colleges. But it has an effect on communication between teacher and student about how you’re doing in a class,” Kassissieh said. Even though U Prep has evidence of some grade inflation, it is not as severe as the nearby public schools, “I would predict that the numbers would be 30 or 40 kids in a graduating class with 4.0s.” Herrington said. As a former college admissions director, Herrington ran into trouble at schools that had a lot of grade inflation. “I couldn’t assess the rigor of that high school because every student was getting an A. Unfortunately, I had to focus on standardized testing,” Herrington said. Due to grade inflation in some schools, more college admissions offices have to rely on test scores. Relying on test scores cause chaos when it comes to accepting students from a college admissions office view. Because grade inflation is present at U Prep, it is an important factor for students, parents and faculty to be aware of.

student life

University Prep • November 7, 2014 • Volume XXXI1 Issue 2

Volume XXX1I Issue 2 • November 7, 2014 • University Prep

Happy Halloween! Photos: Anna Letson, Lizzeth Mancilla, Sam Froines, LaJahaya Lewis-Harrell

Piercing Piercings...

Photo: Jacob Kauff

Students are exploring self-expression in a new way...with piercings!

BY EMMA VAN DEURSEN

ars, belly buttons and noses are becoming prime real estate for peircings. Piercings are becoming more common in teenagers and are a growing trend. People used to just get their ears pierced, but it is now a way for people to express themselves. “I wanted to be different,” ninth grader Sydney Hurst said. The majority of people get a piercing because it gives them something that makes them dif-

ferent from other people. “I kind of get piercings because it is something different,” senior Julia Bobrovskiy said. While ninth grader Maya KlineSharpe is more into the self expression, “I thought that ear piercings were really cool and a good way of self expression.” Parents play a big part with getting piercings. Hurst, who got her nose pierced around three months ago, said it took a long time to convince her dad to let her get it done. Kline-Sharpe had

“I thought that ear piercings were really cool and a good way to express myself.” —Maya Kline-Sharpe

Top Five Strangest Types of Piercings Tongue

Piercings

Eyebrow Piercings

a similar experience with her mom. “Since my mom is a doctor I really had to convince her since there are a lot of infections and risks with the more rare ones. It took a few months to think about and consider doing it,” KlineSharpe said. Kline-Sharpe continued to say that the tragus, a part of your ear, is the most prone to infection which is the main reason her mom was apprehensive to get the piercings. Bobrovskiy, who got her belly button pierced, had a different reaction from her parents, “My parents really didn’t care.” Bobrovskiy also said that she thinks the piercing got a little infected, which was the only difficulty there was. Everyone’s experience with piercings is different. “When I got my first ear piercing I was in kindergarten so I was

Chest or “Necklace” Piercing

four. My most recent one was two months ago,” Kline-Sharpe said. Kline-Sharpe also said she wants to get other piercings to, not body ones but but she would consider getting a nose piercing or a few more on her ears. While Hurst, who got her nose pierced at the age of 14, said she had a very interesting experience. “It was probably less painful than I thought it would be,” Hurst said, “I had a lot of adrenaline so I don’t really remember what it was like but at one point I thought that I would pass out.” Bobrovskiy has an interesting past with piercings, “I got my first piercing when I was in first grade and I got my ears pierced. From then on it was like an obsession,” Bobrovskiy said. She continued to say that in seventh grade she decided to pierce her own ears and had five on one ear and four on the other.

Arm Corset Piercing

University Prep students are loving their piercings! Clockwise from top left: Senior Julia Bobrovskiy with her belly button ring, junior Leah Bell is all smiles with her nose ring, and Bobrovskiy with her quadruple ear piercing. Clockwise from top left: sophomore Zack Beitel eats a donut off a string, sophomore Isabel Duxbury carves a pumpkin, sophomore Lindsay Carter does the ‘Thriller’ dance, junior Cole Gifford eats a donut off a string, senior Andrew Biehl participates in a popcorn eating competition, sophomore Vivian Voth carves a pumpkin, senior Yusen Ye shows off his carved pumpkin, junior Cooper Hollie hurriedly stacks plastic cups.

Back Corset Piercing Illustrations: Micho Matuszewski

student life1111

dining out

University Prep • November 7, 2014 • Volume XXXI1 Issue 2

Napkins Required The grilled pork sandwich from Paseo, a small Carribean sandwich shop

Photo: Jacob Kauff

BY ISAAC GLASSER AND JACOB GREENE

ark and delicious sauces flowing from my sandwich rolled down my fingers, and there was nothing to be done about it. The kind of sandwich you can almost taste before you eat it, Paseo’s Caribbean Roast was an easy pick as I stepped up to make my order. While this might be their most popular sandwich, the menu features a lineup of delicious meals which make for a great lunch on any occasion. Like every restaurant, there’s a

downside. And, while it is unlikely they will burn your food, your wallet is another story. $8.50 for a modestly sized sandwich? Ouch. It is a rather unassuming restaurant, certainly not drawing attention to itself with bright colors or flashing lights. What is certain to catch the eye is the backup of people, often extending half a block or more. Going for a quick sandwich stop during the busy lunch hours of the day turns into an adventure as struggle against the unending line, attempting to simply order a meal.

Paseo attracts all types. Your typical midday line includes a good mix of elderly couples, middle-aged office types, and many stereotypical seattle hipsters, residents of the Fremont neighborhood Paseo calls home. Place an order, grab a number, and wait, wait, wait some more. One doesn’t venture to Paseo to make awkward conversation with the people standing next to you in line. Though the extensive line may be Paseo’s greatest flaw, the food proves well worth the wait. But reviews shouldn’t be about waiting for the food, how the line is long and how the day is hot. This is about the food. Which was delicious. Absolutely, one of the best sandwiches I’ve had. When you think Sandwich, you don’t think Seattle, right? Maybe we should reconsider that. Paseo features a collection of large and flavorful sandwiches, certain to fill your cravings. A couple of entrees worth noting; as I should mention, Paseo is not only a nationally ranked sandwich restaurant. That being said, my strongest suggestion to any and all is the Caribbean Roast. Warm, flavorful, sweet, a perfect combination of a hundred and one flavors. Or, consider the Grilled Pork

Savory Flavors and Painful Waiting sandwich, more basic, but just as delicious. If meat’s not your thing, give one of the salad options a try. Feeling adventurous? Try the Tofu con Gusto. Top it off with a cold can of San Pellegrino Aranciata, and you’re in business. There are only a few two seater tables inside the small roadside shack, so if you’re going with friends, get your food to go. Nearby, the BF Day playground park provides a grassy spot to stop and eat. Oh, and take napkins. These sandwiches are messy. If you don’t like sandwiches that fall apart in your clutches, I have bad news for you. These aren’t your grandmas sandwiches. Most of the sandwiches are layered with, well, sandwich juices? It certainly doesn’t sound as appetizing as it is. Paseo aptly named it, “Paseo Marinade.” Much better. Even with big prices and not-so-big tables, Paseo is easily one of the best sandwich shops in Seattle. Just don’t forget the napkins. Final Grade: AIf you’re willing to deal with long lines and high prices, these sandwiches make for a delicious meal.

“Warm, flavorful, swee: a perfect combination of a hundred and one flavors.”

reviews1313

Volume XXX1I Issue 2 • November 7, 2014 • University Prep

Before We Fell Asleep We almost died from boredom in the theater

BY MELISSA FUNES AND EMMA VAN DEURSEN

he movie, “Before I Go To Sleep” starring Nicole Kidman is not a movie that should be watched, ever. It was called a thriller but there was nothing thrilling about it. The plot was plain, boring, and repetitive. “Before I Go To Sleep” was about a woman in her mid forties that wakes up everyday, forgetting all

Photo: Jacob Kauff

of the knowledge she had collected the day before. There was only ten minutes of the movie that we found intriguing, from the trailer the movie was portrayed as a thrilling film, yet there was nothing worth sitting on the edge of your seat for. It was such a predictable storyline that we could guess how it ends, because it was so transparent. “Before I Go To Sleep” The plot was moving at such a slow pace,

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particularly throughout the beginning, where it repeated itself for the first half and hour. It was very poorly written and directed in our opinion, with decent actors such as Kidman, and Colin Firth the writer and director could have done so much more. There were only few moments where we thought to ourselves this could be good, and even then, at those moments the plot line seems to take a turn and went somewhere else with the film.

Another thing we found very irritating was that there was no climax, it slowly built up to a point where something really unexpected could have happened. We found this movie quite horrific. It was just too plain, and boring to be a enjoyable film. This is not a movie we recommend ever seeing. We both agreed the best part of the movie was the trailers beforehand. It is not worth the money, or the time. Overall Grade: D-

sports

University Prep • November 7, 2014 • Volume XXXI1 Issue 2

Blood, Sweat & Volleyball

sports1515

Volume XXX1I Issue 2 • November 7, 2014 • University Prep

Outside Opportunities

I played so well that I became the new passer. Sorry, sophomore Blythe Ickerman, I took your job.

The pros and cons of participating in public school athletic programs

Appetite for Athletics We spoke to 21 pumas, asking them for a list of sports they’d like to see at U Prep. Below are their responses:

52%

My day as a Varsity Volleyball player. It was interesting . . . BY MAHIR PIYARALI

was scared. Like, really really scared. Even though I had three strenuous years of Middle School PE under my belt, my confidence was low. After watching the Varsity Volleyball team play against SAAS, I learned that these ladies hit the ball hard. When I say hard, I mean hard. The smack of the ball against skin made me cringe in fear. I was given a XXL jersey, which was surprisingly tight in the arms but shamingly loose in the bosom. Equipped with a neon green headband, I stepped into the gym and introduced myself to the coach. I had been told that he was a bit cocky and known on the team for being overtly intense. His name was Dylan, but apparently is more affectionately known on the team as “Diva.” Before practice, we started a little game of six-on-six. I was told to stand in the back left of the court, and only hit the ball if it were in front of me, that’s it. Somehow, the ball somehow always found its way near to me. Coincidence? I think not. We got straight into a drill about covering. Covering is when someone hits the ball over the net, and we all get behind them so the ball doesn’t drop. Dylan briefed us that we were working on this drill because “you guys

suck at this.” Yeah, he was a real diva. After a sweaty ten minutes, we breaked for water. As I was sauntering my way over to the bench to cool off, I heard “eleven, ten, nine.” We only had fifteen second to get water! What the hell! After the brief oasis of a sip of water, we continued the drill. Luckily, during the second half of the drill, I found a way to mainly stay off to the side shagging stray balls. Junior Merone Hadush asked me, “Do you want to learn how to block?” I had no idea what that was, so of course my answer was, “Sure, why not?” I learned to sweep my feet and stick my hand up so I could “block” the ball if it gets hit over. Dylan gave me a quick, nondemoralizing recap of what I was supposed to do. Then, we started to block. He was hitting the ball harder and harder in the general area to which my hands were hopelessly flailing. I had miss after miss until, finally, I blocked one! Everyone was cheering, and then there was sarcastically funny Dylan, “You see that, Shakirah! This idiot can block better than you can!” We ended practice with a short scrimmage. I was supposed to play the front right position, but was told to stand in the back left. Apparently, when the other team

“I was so out of place, I looked like Mr. Jaffe trying to dance.”

Football Senior Riley Johnson, who plays lacrosse for SAAS, shows off his skills. Photo: Jacob Kauff

BY JEN WEN

O Photo: Patricia Van Duersen

is serving, you have a “rotation” in which after the ball is served, you run to your position, which makes absolutely no sense at all. I was so out of place, I looked like Mr. Jaffe trying to dance. Then, when your team is serving, you have to start in the middle, then run to your spot. You do this without looking at the serve behind you, all the while, living in constant fear of a ball connecting with the back of your head. After every single point, there is some kind of cheer. If we lose the point, we meet up in the middle in a quick huddle. If we win the point, we do some kind of humiliating cheer which runs down my manhood, or whatever manhood I had left after 90 minutes surrounded by girls hitting a ball and me cowering in a corner. To be honest, I thought I would be spending an hour and a half socializing and checking out the upper class ladies, but it turned out to be one hell of a workout.

5 Words That Mean Something Different To Volleyball Players

1 2 3 4 5

Pancake: A diving effort to save the ball from hitting the floor Shagging: Picking up balls during or after a drill Kill: Scoring a point, which is followed by a huddle Shank: A horrible pass that no one on your team can save Pipe: A back row hit

What the real Varsity team thought of Mahir’s performance “I can’t believe that our coach thought you were better at blocking than I was!” —Sophomore Shakirah Muhammad

“He was sweating hard, even though it was an easy practice.” —Junior Merone Hadush

“He looked really good in that uniform.”* —Senor LaJhaya Lewis-Harrell

ne time I was taking a nap right by my coaches and I missed my event,” said junior Tianna Lee. “It was incredibly embarrassing because my coaches yelled at me to get up but I was so tired that I didn’t even wake up,” Lee said. Lee has been a part of the Ballard Girls Swim Team since she was a freshman. For those who wish University Prep had a bigger variety of sports as a part of the athletic program, there is always the opportunity to participate in a sport with a public school. There are currently nine upper school students participating in a fall sport with another school. It can be hard to play a sport with another school for multiple reasons. As most public schools get out at 2:20 or 2:30, it can often be difficult for U Prep students to make it on time to their practices. “I get to practice late everyday and most of the time I only get to swim [with Ballard High School] for 30 minutes,” Lee said. Going to a different school can often leave you out of activities that the rest of the team may do at their school on the day of a game.

“Sometimes they would have meetings at their school that I couldn’t be a part of,” Freshman Morgan Delancy said. Despite missing out on team meetings during the school hours and rushing to get to practices, Delancy and Lee both feel that participating in a sport at a different school has been a great opportunity for them to branch out and meet new people. “It’s a great way to meet new people that

“Outside of school sports are a great way to meet new people.” —Junior Joe Klemencic you wouldn’t normally compete against,” junior Joe Klemencic said. Many wish that U Prep had more of a variety of sports to participate in. “I do enjoy the athletic program at U Prep, I just wish that maybe we had a little more of a selection of sports” Lee said. Sophomores Jacob Richey and Vivian Voth both wish that U

Prep had a swim team they could participate in and many more students have also expressed interest. Out of the nine upper school students playing a sport for a public school, five of them participate on a swim team. Having a swim team seems like just one of the sports that many U Prep students would like to see happen. There are many reasons why swimming, along with other sports students wish for can’t happen. When asked about the situation, Athletic Director Rebecca Moe said that many factors decide what sports U Prep can offer. Specifically for swimming, there are no other 1A league schools that offer swimming. “Pool facilities are extremely hard to find, as priority is given to the public schools,” Moe said. Though the lack of pool facilities and no 1A swim league makes it hard for any chance of U Prep ever having a swim team, it should not get in the way of anyone wanting to try or participate on a sports team that U Prep doesn’t offer. “I continue to swim for Ballard despite the challenges that sometimes come with it because of my passion for the sport,” Lee said.

33% Swimming

29% Gymnastics

19%

Rowing/Crew

10% Golf

14% Other

What are your thoughts on flag football? “That uniform looked really good on him.”* —Senior Ajhana Lewis-Harrell *Honest to God, they really did say the same thing, even though they were interviewed separately

“I feel like football is a good part of the high school experience“ —Freshman Heiwon Muluwork

“I feel like people probably take it very seriously but I’ve never been to one of the games.” —Sophomore Isaac Selby

“It’s a very physically demanding sport that requires a lot of effort.” —Junior Justin Ting

“I think it’s cool that it was student issued and that it’s a student run thing.” —English teacher Alec Duxbury

back page

University Prep • November 7, 2014 • Volume XXXI1 Issue 2

Heard in the Hallways (Yeah, we were listening.)

“Anna Kendrick looks like an evil rat.”

“I love math. I can sleep in class and I never get caught.”

“Stop clapping! I’m forgetting everything.”

“Does it look like I’m trying to be too edgy for my yoga pants?”

“This video has four million views. That’s half the population of the world.”

“And don’t lead the police to my scissors cause they will find his DNA.”

“The art was better than the dance.”

“I cut my tongue eating a sandwich.

The Secret to French Cooking Drawing By Micho Matuszewski

Rants • The parking spots are too small • Didn’t get enough candy on Halloween • Lunch lines are too long • Grades are out... • It’s either freezing or really hot in here • Homecoming

Raves • Music Day! • Thanksgiving break is coming up • U Prep sports rock! • It’s hat season • One quarter down, three to go! • Homecoming