The Spectator The Stuyvesant High School Newspaper
Volume 111 No. 17
June 25, 2021
stuyspec.com
SCIENCE
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
“The Gymnasts of the Animal Kingdom”
“Sweet and Sour”
Ever heard of rabbits that could stand on their paws? Due to a genetic abnormality, a rare French breed of rabbits, known as sauteur d’Alfort, are able to do handstands in addition to hopping.
Maybe you’ve heard of Olivia Rodrigo by now? The pop star continued her eruption into the mainstream with her debut album “SOUR,” a pop album that marks a unique start for a promising artist.
SEE PAGE
“The Pulse of the Student Body”
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SING! 2021
Reevaluating the AP Culture at Stuyvesant By ISABELLA JIA, MADISON KIM, and JAMES KANG Due to the ongoing pandemic, Advanced Placement (AP) exams were offered online and in-person this year. Despite the teaching restrictions that many teachers faced throughout the semesters, exams were full-length. The overall struggle of these exams, along with the onset of programming selections for AP classes in the forthcoming year, has caused many to reassess the value of AP exams and the benefits and downsides to taking them. Because of the altered schedule this year, some students had difficulty adjusting to remote learning for an AP course. “Because of the block schedule this year, we had a lot less class time, which made us rush through the curriculum. This wasn’t only for my AP class, but that’s where I felt it the strongest because of the pressure of the AP test,” sophomore Manolee Merlet said. “My teacher provided us with a lot of resources to help us, though, so by the time the test came around, I felt okay about it.” Some teachers recognize the problem of students overloading on APs and taking them for the sake of taking AP courses. “Students should take AP courses/exams, and not just because it is part of the ‘game’ of getting into a good college,” English teacher Emilio Nieves said. “An AP course/exam is supposed to be an academic challenge, [and] actively seeking academic challenges for learning’s sake [should come] first. The learning is not only about the subject matter, but [...] each individual student [also] learns something about themselves in terms of how to
approach difficult circumstances and cula are aimed at a minimum level of challenges.” mastery of any given subject, so they Merlet also feels that the gen- shouldn’t serve as an indicator of eral culture surrounding AP courses academic rigor,” she said. “Students causes students to unnecessarily take who struggled in a course can usuAP classes that they are not inter- ally [prepare] and cram successfully ested in. “A lot of people take for the exam if they ctator Sabrina Chen / The Spe on a lot of have the willpower to APs just for do so, but there are also the sake of students who excelled taking them in the course because that’s who just aren’t what they see good test-takers, a lot of other especially under people doing, the enormous and they’re pressure of scared of fallstandardized ing behind exams.” or not standing S o m e out as much to teachers also becolleges,” Merlieve that the College let said. “It just Board syllabi for their makes you really respective AP classes stressed because are too rigid for both you’re taking on so students and faculty. much work for classes “Especially in my field, you’re not necessarily it’s ridiculous that a interested in.” teacher who’s extremely While other stuwell qualified, which most Latdents share similar in teachers are, [is] not allowed sentiments, some end u p to teach anything else,” Latin teachenjoying their classes nonetheless. er Dr. Susan Brockman, who has “Some people sign up for it just be- taught the course for 19 years, said. cause it is an AP, not because they are “You teach better when you make up very interested in it,” junior Xiaosh- the course yourself [because] you’re en Ma said. “When I was a freshman, teaching to your own expertise [and] I signed up for AP Environmental your own passion. You’re likely to Science because I could ask for it teach a better class. [The AP guide[...] No regrets, [since] I still ended lines have] created a stranglehold on up learning a lot of things, albeit, it American education.” [was] not the stuff that I expected.” With various colleges having Though AP exams are annual placed less emphasis on AP exams exams designed to measure students’ as part of their admission processes understanding of courses, physics teacher Daisy Sharaf believes they are not the most effective in doing continued on page 4 so. “The AP exams and AP curri-
NYC Public Schools Reopen in Fall By MARY LEE, SARAH HUYNH, and JADY CHEN In light of the steady decline of COVID-19 positivity rates in New York and vaccination efforts, the NYC Department of Education (DOE) announced that all public NYC schools will be fully reopening in September with in-person learning for the 2021-2022 school year. Masks, on-site COVID-19 tests, and daily health screenings will be required in schools. As of now, COVID-19 vaccinations are not mandated for students and teachers in the fall. Prior to the upcoming school year, Stuyvesant will be open for in-person learning this summer for NYC’s new Summer Rising program, which offers academic enhancement and enrichment programs to all NYC public school students for free. Stuyvesant’s Summer Discovery Program will also continue as a hybrid of remote and in-person learning while Stuyvesant’s Summer Health Accelerated class will be fully remote. It is unclear if summer reopening plans will affect reopening in the fall. “For the summer, social distance is reduced from six to three feet. Whether that has [a] bearing on reopening in the fall, we don’t know,” Director of Family Engagement Dina Ingram said in an e-mail interview. During the 2020-2021 school year, teachers and staff members with extenuating COVID-19 related circumstances were granted accommodations to work remotely. However, all individuals are expected to return in-person in the fall. “My un-
derstanding [is] that there will not be COVID-related accommodations. If there were other reasons beyond the regular accommodations that have always been around, then those will not be granted or will not even be available,” Principal Seung Yu said. Medical accommodations that existed pre-COVID, such as limited mobility, will be available. Stuyvesant has decided to revert to the 10-period schedule rather than maintain the alternating five-period blocks established this year. “There are still some unknowns about space, and the 10-period [schedule] offers us the most flexibility for space and safety. We also have to examine all the programming implications if we were to make a change with the programming,” Yu said. “I do not think it [...] will be prudent to make changes to the 10-period until we’ve had more time to examine it.” The decision to return to the 10-period schedule has received mixed feedback from students, some of whom feel worried about the sudden transition. “I’m kind of scared that the workload will be double the amount we have right now, and that’s not great,” freshman Erica Chen, who has yet to experience a 10-period day at Stuyvesant, said. Others are more supportive of the 10-period schedule as it offers shorter class periods per day but more class time per school year. “For me, it was very difficult to have a large chunk of information learned at once and then [...] a break from that information for a whole day,” continued on page 4