T he L og thelog@taboracademy.org
Tabor Academy’s Student Newspaper Volume 88, Number 4
March 2016
Healthy Relationship Week Students and faculty work together to impact culture by Duhita Das
A few weeks ago, Brooke Wakeman ran “Healthy Relationship Week,” a Black Box series. Over the course of three nights, six faculty members shared their stories of their healthy and unhealthy relationships. Students were fortunate enough to hear from Ms. Smith, Ms. Kaplan, Mrs. Millette, Ms. Parente, Mr. Patterson, and Mr. Millette about their personal experiences. They gave students insight into their lives, what having a healthy relationship means, and compared it to what having a unhealthy relationship is like.
Brooke’s passion about this topic came from her own personal experience during her freshman year at Tabor. She was in an unhealthy relationship but she was, “lucky enough to have a support system,” including her family, friends, and teachers, that helped her get out of it. Looking back at this difficult time in her life, she “sees it as a learning experience” and “want[s] students to know that if they are unhappy with their relationship, or can sense that it is unhealthy, it is okay to speak up and seek support.” There is always someone here to talk to and from whom to seek help. Mrs. Millette, Brooke’s advisor, added that she “believe[s] in the power of using your voice to create awareness and change and love[s] that this week brought many of the faculty and students closer to one another.” Brooke hopes that the students who attended the series walked away knowing that they deserve respect, love, and support. Mrs. Millette says that “hindsight is 20/20” and wishes she knew what she knows now when she was in high school. By using her voice, alongside other faculty members’, she hopes that students understand what a healthy relationships looks, sounds, and feels like. At the core of each talk was the importance of self-love.
Photo by Photo Pool
If a student is feeling unhappy or confused, there are a number of resources here to help. Peer counselors, proctors, counselors, health center staff, advisors, and other faculty members can all help a student find the right person to talk to. Brooke hopes that Healthy Relationship Week will continue next year and that it expands to gain more exposure.
Brooke Wakeman ’16 initiated healthy relationship week with Mrs. Millette’s help.
Alternative Exams: Evaluating Effectiveness The community weighs in on new assessments by Madeleine Gregory
Mr. Townsend, acting Academic Department Coordinator during this year’s midterms, weighs the upsides and downsides of the system of alternative assessments. “It’s a fairer opportunity to demonstrate knowledge,” he says. “Not only good test takers have the ability to do well, and
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more kids are able to show what they can do.” He goes on to emphasize that for some courses, the traditional assessment format does not always provide the most effective manner of testing knowledge. For some history and English classes, for example, the skills and information learned can be better displayed through essays rather than sit-down tests. As both faculty and students agree, the main struggle came from scheduling, and having too many assessments or projects due within a very short time, essentially elongating the stress of midterms.
One major concern is that midterms are necessary practice for AP exams as well as exams in college. “For some classes, my AP exam will be the first continued on page 3
Photo by Photo Pool
There’s been a lot of talk since the implementation of alternative assessments last year about how this new method affects students’ ability to showcase their knowledge and skills and teachers’ ability to properly assess the capabilities of their classes. There are clear benefits and drawbacks to any new policy, and these are becoming more apparent as students and teachers alike continue to navigate the new system.
Teachers and students preparing for the midyear assessments.
Editorials....................................2
Features.................................4,5
Sports..............................7
Tabor News.................................3
Opinions.................................6
The Back Page.................8
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