The Standard - Issue2 - 2018/19

the Standard

The American School in London | One Waverley Place | London NW8 0NP U.K. | standard.asl.org

NEWS, 3-6

Obstacles of overcrowding

As re-enrolment reaches an all-time high, students and teachers feel the impacts of the apparent school overpopulation on learning and student life.

PAGE 2

OPINIONS, 7-10 Editorial: Managing our extracurriculars With new clubs being created annually, the Editorial Board comments on the subsequent responsibilities of club members.

PAGE 5

FEATURES,11-19 Stereotypes of success rethought From tackling a new academic challenge to making a positive difference in someone else’s life, success can take many different forms.

PAGES 16-17

CULTURE, 20-21 Disrupting virtual reality designs

A review of the Victoria and Albert Museum exhibition Videogames: Design/Play/ Disrupt and the ways it captured game development.

PAGE 21

SPORTS, 22-24 Sports fanaticism culture

The excitement surrounding sports fan-bases, why students follow local and international teams, and how they were drawn to support these teams.

PAGE 2 2

Justice confirmed?

A controversial Supreme Court decision, leading to the confirmation of Justice Brett Kavanaugh, has not only divided the U.S., but also emerged as a topical debate within the High School.

Martha Duff | Features Editor Lea George | News Editor: Print Lena Levey | Staff Writer

Story on pages 4-5 November 2018 | Volume 44, Issue 2

Online

SPORTS

FEATURES

• Five-part special report: Analyzing a material GRAPHIC BY QUINN WHITMAN culture • Hurricanes Michael and Florence reach far and wide in southern U.S. • Learning through the work process

Larson, has swum competitively for ten years. She chose Northwestern for its strong athletics and academics.

• Ally Larson (’19) commits to Northwestern University’s swim team • Fall ISSTs Sports Preview

PHOTO FROM ALLY LARSON

In case you missed it... standard.asl.org OPINIONS CULTURE

• I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson reminds readers about the importance of relationships • Teachers recommend books for Teen Book Week

PHOTO FROM GOODREADS

• NAFTA 2.0 carries implications for all

• Brazil’s Bolsonaro elected after issues ignored

NEWS

• The 2018 Midterm Elections will determine America’s future • Broken elevator disrupts school life

@TheStandardASL

2 Online

The Standard

As re-enrollment reaches 90 percent, the larger student body places space constraints on communal areas and causes overcrowding both during and in between classes.

ISABELLE LHUILIER FEATURES EDITOR QUINN WHITMAN MEDIA DIRECTOR When Director of Operations Jim Heynderickx enters school in the morning through the temporary entrance besides the Art Building, he feels how crowded the school has become.

As the gym balcony is being used as a common corridor by the whole school, Heynderickx has noticed that getting around school has become more challenging. “To me, just going around campus feels a lot different than the last 12 years,” he said.

Math Teacher Neil Basu has also noticed the student population increase this year. “This was a particularly anomalous year I think in terms of percentages of kids who came, kids who stayed and kids who got accepted,” he said. “There are just a lot of kids in the High School this year and I think in the whole school overall.”

The struggle to find spaces is also apparent to teachers. English Department Head Alissa Mears finds that there is not classroom space available to accommodate extra classes. “With Study Hall and with needs for our classrooms, there are classrooms in some periods that aren't free for student-teacher conferences or meetings,” she said.

Mears doesn’t know what would need to be done to reach a permanent solution without taking from other parts of the High School.

Basu thinks that teachers have become accustomed to having space available, but believes that if it becomes necessary, the number of free classrooms could be reduced by using every classroom during every period.

As long as more teachers are hired to accommodate the increase, Basu believes that the school is capable of accepting a greater number of students.

“For me it's about teachers,” he said.

“If there is classroom space available then you could put a class there as long as you're hiring the teachers for it so

On September 10, all High School students had closed campus.

The cafeteria was overcrowded, with many students not being able to find chairs or tables.

PHOTO BY QUINN WHITMAN Nadeen Kablawi (’19) finds that it can be difficult to find space during breaks. “It is sometimes really hard to get a seat during lunch and even in the Commons,” she said.

Kablawi also notices the struggle with space during assemblies. “During assemblies I notice it when I walk in [the school center], there is nowhere to sit. Often times I have to sit on the stairs,” she said.

November 2018

[the teachers] are not overloaded.”

Should the school want to increase capacity over the current size, Heynderickx believes there would have to be a major adjustment of facilities.

“Doing something that sounds kind of simple like adding two more English classrooms is difficult because things are pretty tight now and to create this simple space on campus

would involve changing something else,” he said.

However, Basu has not seen the increase in student population affect the classroom environment. He believes the school is stringent in keeping class sizes small, with a current maximum of 18 students per high school class and 16 students per English class.

Even with a cap at 16 students, Kablawi feels like her English classes are quite overcrowded. “Sometimes we all don’t even fit around the table. The seats will have to be really close to each other,” she said.

Mears believes that a lower cap on English classes is necessary because of the Harkness method’s requirement of student involvement. “The Harkness method requires a certain amount of vulnerability and if you get past that it is hard for students to feel heard and comfortable expressing themselves,” she said.

Mears said that previously, the English Department has tried to keep classes at 15 students or fewer, but have allowed classes to expand to 16 students if necessary. “What it has meant is almost every class is 15 or 16 students, as opposed to the past where there has been a range of 12 to 15,” she said.

Mears believes that one of the groups who suffer the most from limited spaces in the English Department are new Grade 11 and 12 students. “I think that the students who lose the privilege to elect are the new 11th and 12th graders,” she said. “A lot of them got slotted into classes that had remaining seats.”

In order to alleviate this problem, as well as incorporating advisory as one of teachers’ five permitted classes per cycle, administrators have picked up classes they would not normally teach.

Such teachers include Director of Service Learning Brandon Block teaches English 10, Assistant Principal Karen Bonthrone teaches AP Physics 1 and Director of Student Life James Perry teaches Financial Mathematics. Mears believes that this has helped administrators get closer to student learning.

“I love working in a school where administrators are in the classroom doing the work of teachers themselves,” she said. “They really get an idea of the pulse of the school and it really makes for a healthy learning environment.”

Basu, who manages the organization and scheduling of classes with Bonthrone said the demand for classes this year caused certain courses to have classes that are much larger than others.

Courses such as French V, AP Biology and AP Art History, typically comprised of just one class, generated more interest this year, resulting in two small classes.

Dean of Admissions Jodi Warren believes an increase in students was the result of an unusually high year for re-enrollment. “Our enrollment was 90 percent, the highest it's ever been,” she said.

Additionally, the number of new students who assumed a place at ASL was also unexpectedly high this year.

“While the amount of new students actually attending ASL is usually

News

Overcoming overcrowding obstacles

Five students in the Learning Commons share two small tables, bearing the effects of the higher population of students at the school this year.

PHOTO BY QUINN WHITMAN around 70 percent of those accepted, this year, more students attended.

Warren feels these anomalies made planning for the next year slightly more difficult. “All that kind of planning that you have to do … is always tricky because we never quite know who is really coming and going,” she said. “Normally we make projections based on three year, five year trends and [this year] everything was just kind of outside those trends.”

Although she is uncertain of what sparked high enrollment this year, Warren believes it is important not to make generalizations. “It seems like a lot of our families are committed to staying here, staying in London,” she said. “But people [are] still moving, too, so I think, in general, people assume that everyone is leaving or nobody is moving and in our experience neither of those things are true.”

However, Warren has seen the student population fluctuate throughout the 30 years she has worked at the school, particularly in response to global events. For instance, in the early 1980s the enrollment of ASL was 1,600, but in 1988 it had dropped to below 1,100 due to a collapse in the price of North Sea Oil. “At that time we had a lot of students whose parents worked in the oil industry and they all

moved away from London,” she said.

Warren describes the enrollment rate as “gradual buildup” but wonders if it will continue to increase. “It's been a trajectory of getting higher,” she said.

The current enrollment of 1,408 is in part due to the high levels of re-enrollment. “It used to be around 80 percent and it popped up to 85 percent about 10 years ago and stayed around there … so it's a big jump from 88 percent to 90 percent.”

Despite the rising number of families choosing to re-enroll, Mears believes that admissions will be able to fill an appropriate number of places. “I anticipate that this won't be a problem in the future,” she said. “I think that if it does continue this way, I don't think it is tenable. It is a problem if we are bursting at the seams and we cannot seat students.

I think we need to think about having more classes and more staff.”

Kablawi understands that there have been high re–enrollment rates, but believes that it is important for student-teacher relationships not to be compromised as a result. “The ratio of teachers to students should always be a small ratio,” she said.

“The school needs to make sure that academic progress is monitored, but I just think that ASL needs to continue with strong relationships.”

News 3

Kavanaugh confirmation raises concerns about consent After Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation on October 6, students and faculty examine the implications of behavior in high school.

MARTHA DUFF | FEATURES EDITOR LEA GEORGE | NEWS EDITOR: PRINT LENA LEVEY | STAFF WRITER

“I swear that the evidence that I shall give, shall be the truth,

I do.

I do.

“But until July 2018, I had never named Mr. Kavanaugh as my attacker outside of therapy.”

“I have never sexually assaulted anyone— not in high school, not in college, not ever.”

Ford

Kavanaugh

the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help me God.”

4 News

The Standard

Every 98 seconds, an American is sexually assaulted The rate of sexual assault has decreased by 63% since 1993 Around 30% of sexual assault cases are reported

Statistics from nsopw.gov and rainn.org

In July, President Donald Trump nominated Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.

However, soon after, Christine Blasey Ford, Professor of Phsycology at Palo Alto Universtiy, and researcher phsycologist at the Stanford School of Medicine, accused Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her at a house party in 1982, whilst the two were in high school. This case instantly became a prominent and divisive issue throughout the U.S., and the High School.

Kavanaugh has vehemently denied the assault, despite claims from former classmates that he was a heavy drinker and “womanizer”. However, with the lack of additional evidence to support Ford’s claims, the Senate found difficulty in accusing Kavanaugh of the assault, and as of October 6, Kavanaugh became a Supreme Court Justice.

Following Kavanaugh’s induction Kavanaugh’s supporters mainly argued two points: Ford was lying or misremembering the assault, and that even if Kavanaugh did misbehave, he was only 17, and shouldn’t be held accountable for his actions 30 years after.

Ford stated that when Kavanaugh was a student at Georgetown Prep in Maryland, he and a friend drunkenly pinned her down and tried to rip her clothes off. She claims he covered her

drea Stephen (’21) believes that there needs to be a more extensive conversation concerning consent, and that people should be held accountable for their actions regardless of their age.

“We need to start understanding that sexual assault is not okay,” she said.

“Assault is assault whether you are 18 or 25. You should be held to the same standard.”

Severino believes “anything where you are putting someone intentionally in danger, I think that that is a defining characteristic of someone. If they are willing to put someone else’s life in jeopardy, that really says something about them.”

Following Kavanaugh’s indution, Sam Habib (’21) questions the truth behind of the allegations against him, and wonders why Ford didn’t voice the assault earlier. “It was 30 years ago, and she only came forward as soon as he started to run for Supreme Court, which has political underlyings. So one can never be sure if she is telling the truth,” he said.

Moreover, Severino believes that Ford would not have come forward if Kavanaugh was not nominated to the Supreme Court. “To become a Federal Judge, there is also an opportunity for anyone to come forward with any information about you and you still have

they’re of high school age? Of course.

I’d love to think it wouldn’t happen, but of course it could,” he said.

On the other hand, Severino believes that an assault, similar to that of Ford, would not happen at ASL. “I definitely believe that people at ASL are more in touch with what is right or wrong, and maybe even more mature than most kids our age… technically there is a possibility that anything could happen, but I think that it is quite unlikely because of the [types] people at our school,” he said.

“However, I do believe that if something like that happened, the girl or boy would not be quiet about it, because with everything that has happened, it has become much more of a social issue that is talked about.”

In regards to ASL’s disciplinary policies regarding sexual assault, Perry stated that the school is legally required under U.K. education laws to report such cases to their local council.

From there, it is the council’s choice to either report the case to the police, or handle it privately.

Despite Ford’s allegations, Habib still believes that Kavanaugh was the right choice for the Supreme Court.

“The evidence against him in terms of the sexual assault was minimal to say the least. All there was [was] the ac-

been sworn into the Supreme Court.

“False accusations are real, but I think Ford had enough evidence to say she was sexually assaulted. {Ford] told her therapist in 2012 that this happened. I don’t think she thought to falsely accuse someone of assault six years in advance in case she could one day use it against him,” she said.

Stephen noted that at many high schools, there are several misconceptions about consent, and that students may not have a complete understnad of what the word means. “A lot of people don’t understand what consent is, or think that if they pressure someone into saying yes, then that is consent.

That is still sexual assault. People need to understand what ‘yes’ means, and what ‘no’ means,” Stephen said.

Moving forward, Habib feels that the controversy over Kavanaugh’s confirmation will only further divide American society politically and socially. “A lot of Republicans won’t mind because they want Kavanaugh, but a lot of Liberals will be really angry, and we are already seeing that now,” he said.

Furthermore, Stephen is concerned about the future of the Supreme Court. “A lot of people don’t think it’s right to let someone who is even accused of sexual assault be

“PEOPLE NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT ‘YES’ MEANS, AND WHAT ‘NO’ MEANS.” ANDREA STEPHEN (’21) mouth when she tried to scream, but that she managed to flee the room after she was pushed off the bed. As a result of these allegations, a wider discussion on one’s ignorance versus poor character emerged throughout Kavanaugh’s testimony.

In light of Ford’s allegations, age and appropriate consequences have emerged as a topical debate amongst politicians and civilians. Jack Severino (’19) believes that “regardless of the time or how old you are, the whole ‘boys will be boys’ argument, saying that this is simply due to a sense of immaturity, is absurd. For something as serious such as assault, you should still be held accountable,” he said.

In agreement with Severino, An-

November 2018

to be sworn in, so I don’t think these allegations would have been made if he was not later nominated to be a Supreme Court Justice.”

In spite of this, Habib believes society should create an environment where women feel comfortable sharing their stories. “If this did happen to Dr. Ford, it must feel awful to have your [assaulter] get away like that. Girls should feel that’s it’s OK to come forward,” he said.

High School Director of Student Life James Perry agrees with Habib in regards to the need for girls to be comfotable reporting sexual assault.

“When those claims are made [at ASL], we take them very seriously. Could someone harass another student while

cusation itself. There was no rape kit, and no witnesses. There was such little evidence that one cannot prove he did it,” he said.

Severino agrees with Habib that Kavanaugh was the right choice for the Supreme Court. “He was put forward because he knows that he has to think unbiasedly, he has to give his best judgement…When the time comes to make decisions, regardless of whether it is about women’s rights or sexual harassment, I believe that he will make the right judgement call. A possibility is that he may even favor on the side of women just because of what he has gone through.”

On the other hand, Stephen believes that Kavanaugh should not have

on the court. Brett Kavanaugh in his testimony was talking about how he didn’t trust the left... That’s why a lot of people don’t have faith,” she said.

Yet ultimately, Severino believes that the political divide over Kavanaugh’s nominaiton to the Supreme Court, as well as the Supreme Court itself, will eventually subdue. “I think [the Justices] are vetted extremely carefully and their names are chosen for a reason. You don’t get to the Supreme Court just by luck.

[The Justices] are clearly very skilled at what they do, and the majority of people believe that they will do their job to the best of their ability, they have their faith in [the Justices], so why shouldn’t we?”

News 5

FDA ban limits reach of e-cigarettes On September 12, the Food and Drug Administration released a statement banning wide-scale advertisements of e-cigarettes to the underage population, potentially shifting the future popularity of the Juul.

IZZY HARRIS

STAFF WRITER

ISABEL LINK

STAFF WRITER In the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a statement regarding the usage of e-cigarettes and vape products on September 12. In the message, the FDA describes the issue of underage smoking, and their efforts to prevent it. “This spring, [the FDA] focused on sales of Juul, issuing 56 warning letters [to the company] and six civil monetary penalties to retailers as part of this effort,” the statement reads.

Although not initially directed towards Juul, a popular e-cigarette, the announcement addresses many companies, Juul at the forefront. The FDA

Juul to be advertised and sold in places readily available to young people.

According to Mashable U.K., Juul poured roughly $560,000 into appealing towards Congress during the months between July and September, which is a 166 percent increase from the previous few months, in efforts to remain at the top of the e-cigarette industry.

Prevention Specialist Brenda Conlan understands the full extent of the vape “epidemic” that has been occurring all over the U.S. and U.K. As an educator, she visits thousands of teenagers and parents annually and teaches them about the dangers of addiction.

Based on her own experience with addiction, Conlan believes that the FDA’s warning was much needed, and she is glad they are taking steps to decrease the underage usage of Juuls. “I don’t think it makes sense to risk getting a generation of young

Conlan believes part of the danger of Juul is the lack of education young people are receiving in regards to the product. “Kids feel like this isn’t really going to hurt me [and] it’s certainly not going to kill me even if there are health effects,” Conlan said.

Laura Boyle (’20) believes it is important for the FDA to get involved in underage usage. “[Juul is] definitely targeting young people in their advertisements so it’s good they’re cracking down on that,” Boyle said.

Boyle agrees with Conlan that Juul is directly marketing to teenagers. Her friends in San Francisco are regular users of the product, and she believes that a ban will be detrimental to them, but will not negatively affect older users, as they have alternatives. “[Adults] will still be able to use it, and if not, there are other alternatives like other e-cigarettes,” Boyle said.

As a student, Shefren encountered underage usage of cigarettes by her peers as early as Grade 6. “When I was in middle school we saw the same ads that adults did. . . many kids ended up thinking [smoking] was perfectly fine to do,” she said.

Now, at ASL, Shefren witnesses the impacts of a similar trend in students, but this time with minimal research available concerning the repercussions. “If you’re using a pure nicotine product that hasn’t been studied of what the long-term effects of that will be, that’s what makes me the most nervous for kids,” she said.

Although not an exact replacement for cigarettes, Juul is seen as a stepping stone for adults trying to quit smoking. Shefren questioned whether keeping Juul on the market for those individuals truly outweighs the possibility of teenage consumers

Zora Blair (’20) thinks the ban will not be as effective as the FDA wants it to be. “Juuling has already become really ingrained in popular culture and there’s not much they can do at this point,” Blair said.

Additionally, Blair believes that for people with friends who have a nicotine addiction, it can be more pleasant to spend time with them if they Juul as opposed to smoke cigarettes.

“Even just walking down the street, it’s much nicer to be next to someone who’s smoking an e-cigarette than it is an actual cigarette because it doesn’t have the cigarette smell,” she said.

Blair, however, believes that the number of users may not be cut down.

“Banning Juuling wouldn’t necessarily be positive because they banned marijuana and that doesn’t mean that it’s actually gone away,” she said.

Juul could still be present in society

“IT DOESN’T MAKE SENSE TO RISK GETTING A GENERATION OF YOUNG PEOPLE ADDICTED TO NICOTINE.” BRENDA CONLAN, PREVENTION SPECIALIST has designated the 60 days following the statement for Juul to cease advertising to the underage population or run the risk of being banned.

Through this statement, the FDA has reached out to Juul in order to help keep their products out of the hands of minors through their marketing. Additionally, fines have been instituted for shops that decide to stock and sell Juul products. By doing so, the FDA is making it harder for

6 News

people addicted to nicotine so that adults can have access to these products,” she said.

The primary reason Conlan thinks students are drawn to the Juul is its polished design and variety of flavored liquids that the nicotine pods come in. “I think that the way it looks, the flavorings, the sleekness, the ease of it... it’s ludacris that [they say] they’re not marketing to young people,” Conlan said.

Middle School Assistant Principal Katie Shefren also hopes that this potential ban will curb young people from using products such as Juul, but in order for it to be more effective, the community needs to discuss it. “If they were to ban it, one of the things that would probably need to happen is for families, for schools, to build up the education of kids on what the problem with the product is and why this ban is taking place,” she said.

becoming addicted to nicotine.

“Nicotine, we do know, is addictive because there’s something about it that makes you feel good, but... you’re not going to finish growing up and developing until you’re about 25 or 26,” she said.

Shefren believes that teens engaging in a potentially harmful activity now are at risk of damaging their brain development just so adults can continue using Juul.

subsequent to being made illegal, especially with the appropriate research not getting conducted to reveal the product’s effects. Blair believes that similar to real cigarettes, Juuling needs to be proven harmful in order for people to be convinced to stop. “What’s going to decrease the popularity of Juuling is science coming out and saying this is exactly what’s negative about Juuling and this is exactly what it does to your health,” she said.

The Standard

EDITORIAL

Managing our extracurricular commitments Ranging from filmmaking to sign language to raising awareness for charities, the High School hosts more than 50 clubs, all serving a different purpose and appealing to a wide variety of interests. At the start of every year, the Clubs Fair provides club leaders with the opportunity to attract members and allows students to see the different student-run organizations they can join.

However, it seems that while a large number of students sign up for many of these clubs during the fair, there is an increasing lack of participation throughout the school year. Whether this is due to overcommitting or simple forgetfulness, this Editorial Board believes that in order for a club to successfully fulfill its purpose, those who sign up as active members must also fulfill their roles.

We find it unfair to see students put in an im-

mense amount of effort into the planning and logistics that accompany the formation of their clubs, to then only see a small number of students attend the meetings compared to the number that signed up at the Clubs Fair.

When students go to the Clubs Fair, there are many different options to choose from that align with a variety of people’s interests. When going up to different club stands, most clubs generally state the frequency of meetings, giving students an option to sign up if they wish. In general, this should serve as a guideline to those who might be signing up and shows that there is an importance of attending. If the students simply aren’t interested in the club after a meeting or two, they should make this clear to the club leaders.

However, we believe that club leaders aren’t

ANANYA PRAKASH Editor-in-Chief PHAEDRA LETROU Deputy Editor-in-Chief: Print ALEXANDRA GERS Deputy Editor-in-Chief: Online CHRISTINA LEONARD Online Director SOPHIE ASHLEY Lead News Editor LEA GEORGE News Editor: Print JONATHAN NOVAK News Editor: Online JONATHAN PHILIPS Opinions Editor JOHN TOWFIGHI Lead Features Editor MARTHA DUFF Features Editor ISABELLE LHUILIER Features Editor NAZ OZTURK Culture Editor: Print ROHAN HAARMANN Culture Editor: Online LILY WHITMAN Sports Editor: Print MICHAEL FLAHERTY Sports Editor: Online QUINN WHITMAN Media Director EMILY FORGASH Media Editor IMOGEN WEISS Media Editor

CARTOONISTS Gaby Iwegbue, Zainab Shafqat Adil

SHANNON MILLER Adviser

GUEST WRITERS & LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Send submissions to the journalism lab, room P-101, or to the_standard@asl.org. These must adhere to the same set of ethical guidelines that all staff content is held to, and will only be published at the discretion of the editorial board and the adviser. The Standard retains the right to edit letters or articles for length and AP/Standard style. All letters must be signed in order to be considered for publication.

STAFF WRITERS Allegra Albanese, Taylor Anderson, Sal Cerrell, Houdah Daniels, Izzy Harris, Estee Jorgensen, Lena Levey, Lucas Romualdo, Anastasia Ruimy, Zainab Shafqat Adil, Aziz Ahmed, Didi Akintemi, Zarina Choudhari-Stewart, Polina Dashevsky, Vittoria del Balzo di Presenzano, Labeena Hanif, Raunak Lally, Micaella Lavi, Isabelle Laxer, Isabel Link, Gabriel Menzies, Helen Roth, Cameron Spurr, Rodolphe Stern, Jasmin Taylor, Maddy Whitman

November 2018

necessarily off the hook. When deciding to take on the role of a club leader, students must be willing and ready to put in the necessary time commitment to allow their club to have a strong impact within the High School and broader community. Although there has been some positive change, the administration still needs to take further steps to hold all club leaders accountable to the conditions set out when forming a club.

Although we understand that in the High School, it is easy to become overambitious with academic commitments and extracurriculars, the Editorial Board would like to urge students to keep in mind other commitments to avoid a lack of participation in clubs.

Often times, applying as a member of any club is seen as non-binding and members can

Standard

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EDITORIALS Articles published without a byline and presented

withdraw if they feel that they have been too ambitious by signing up for an overwhelming amount of extracurriculars. Students need to be ready to participate in what they signed up for in order to follow through on the vision of the club.

Informing club leaders and advisers of no longer being able to commit to a club might be disappointing, however, in the long run, it can aid in establishing a more accurate perception of the number of active members in a club. Thus, the club leaders can organize club meetings and events accordingly.

Students signing up for clubs at the Clubs Fair on October 4.

PHOTO BY EMILY FORGASH

in the same location issue-to-issue represent the majority opinion of the editorial board. They are unsigned.

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Opinions 7

OPINIONS

Split Conscience

Social media

Jonathan Philips | Opinions Editor

Social media has diminished our social skills; some of us cannot hold conversations with anyone anymore.

Social media has destroyed humanity. I know that sounds dramatic, but hear me out. The way we interact with each other in all contexts has changed a lot over the past decades. Our social skills have diminished; some of us cannot hold conversations and others have developed anxiety towards having conversations with anyone, especially strangers.

Social media has affected everything, from friendships to romantic relationships.

This is not to say that social media has not connected people like never before. But what,

“

To be connected to people halfway around the world, we have given up connections to the people around us. To be a part of Facebook groups, we have given up parts of our real communities. as a society, have we had to give up? In order for us to be connected to people halfway around the world, we have had to give up connections to the people around us. In order to be a part of Facebook groups, we have had to give up parts of our real communities.

A person walking around our school would likely see groups of people sitting in the Commons or at Bottom Orange looking at their phones rather than talking amongst themselves.

Our relationships with other people are not the only thing affected by social media – our relationships with ourselves has also been changed.

It is no secret that people embellish their lives on social media. This hurts people’s self-esteem. When we only see the glamorous side of people’s lives

(because that is what people want to share) we come to think that our lives are, by comparison, dull.

According to Pediatrics, the American Academy of Pediatrics’ peer reviewed journal, there was an increase of major depressive episodes (MDEs) experienced annually between 2006 and 2014.

Over this time period, the prevalence of MDEs increased by 37 percent. It is no coincidence that Facebook became mainstream during this period, or that Instagram was founded in 2010 and that Snapchat was founded in 2011. Social media both has the potential to enrich and ruin our lives.

Social media has become the cornerstone of modern communications and as a consequence addiction rates are rising with regards to these platforms. Dr. Mark Griffiths, in a 2018 Psychology Today article, said that social media’s “usage is intimately intertwined [with phones] and their mobile nature contributes to excessive checking habits, which often derives from what is commonly labeled as the ‘fear of missing out’ (FOMO).”

Obviously “excessive checking habits” are a problem; all the time that people waste on social media can be used towards something productive.

Personally, I can attest to this. Sometimes I can spend significant amounts of time scrolling through my Facebook feed; it’s not that I enjoy the content particularly, it is just so distracting and has become almost habitual for me.

However, what is more worrying is the development of “FOMO.” Social media is supposed to connect people, but if it is causing “FOMO,” then it is closing people off from each other.

Another concern regarding social media is privacy. We put so much of our lives on Facebook and Instagram that we are practically cyborgs. This leaves us vulnerable to the companies who we trust with our information, the people who they sell that information to and others who wish to abuse us. The Cambridge Analytica scandal is proof that this concern is valid.

Whether it be because of the risk of depression and addiction, the privacy concerns or the slow loss of social cohesion that is inevitable. We must wean ourselves off of these dangerous platforms, it is imperative for your health and your community.

Social media creates a platform that bridges space and connects people like never before.

Perhaps there is no more pervasive a force in our lives, certainly our online lives, than social media. Whether it be the familiar white Facebook “F”, the friendly Snapchat ghost or the multi-color Instagram camera, these platforms have become integrated into our lives – and for the better.

Throughout most of human history, geographic boundaries separated the vast majority of people from each other. This hindered trade, development and idea creation.

There has never been a moment in human history where interconnectedness was as easy as it is now.

Two billion people use Facebook monthly, one billion use Instagram monthly and nearly 200 million people use Snapchat daily. We are clicks away from people thousands of miles from us.

The benefits of social media are immense.

Social media creates a platform that bridges space and connects people. This means that old friendships can be maintained over distance, something that is particularly useful for an international school such as ours. New friends can be discovered and new communities, based on interests, can be created like never before.

Do you like cat memes? Do you like French literature from the 1500s’? Facebook has groups for that and thousands more.

The benefits of social media do not stop at the elimination of physical boundaries, social media platforms diminishes interpersonal boundaries as well. People are more forthcoming and less apprehensive on social media because of a perceived anonymity and lack of ‘real life consequences.’ This is both good and bad of course. However, the good far outweighs the bad as issues that might be too taboo to discuss; mental health issues and topics of that personal nature are discussed readily and frequently on social media.

Social Media’s reputation is not all good though.

Facebook in particular has made a bad name for itself by contributing to political polarization: these companies tailor what you see on your feed to what you like, which can create an echo chamber.

This can lead to leftists only reading leftist news, liberals only reading liberal news and

conservatives only reading conservative news.

This is desirable to an extent as people read the publications they are partial to, but the diversity of reading material that a reader would get at a newsagent is far greater than that of social media. Naturally this leads to people reading different facts and political common ground receding. However, this power can go both ways.

“

The benefits of social media do not stop at the elimination of physical boundaries, social media platforms diminishes interpersonal boundaries as well.

The same platforms that limit the spread of ideas have the immense potential to allow ideas to flow freely between people and organizations.

This is beneficial to both parties – people become more aware of what is happening in the world and political organizations get a further reach than ever before.

This reach does not just apply to political groups. Companies and consumers also benefit from this increased outreach. Customers can now find companies to suit their needs with ease on social media, through advertisements, word of mouth and interest based groups. They can also find out more about the companies by looking at their profiles. Companies can find interested customers easier than ever through targeted ads.

It is simply undeniable that social media is a leading force for good. Yes it can be distracting and sometimes even a nuisance, but used responsibility, it can connect and bind the world together like never before.

Split Conscience is a recurring feature that addresses two sides to an issue, one that the writer themselves is undecided about. It is written by the Opinions Editor. Students can scan the QR Code to vote on which side of the issue they stand.

8 Opinions

The Standard

Supreme Court injustice IZZY HARRIS

izzy_harris@asl.org

“

The role of a Justice is supposed to be assigned free of political affiliation, and based on their moral policies.

Up until Grade 9, my knowledge of the Supreme Court was limited. The extent of my relationship with the court was history lessons in school and hearing about landmark cases on the news. Other than being forced to memorize the names of all the Justices in Grade 8, I seldom knew what went on within the court or the full effect of what it does.

In February 2016, former Justice Antonin Scalia passed away, pushing me to pay more attention to the Court. Given that the death happened so close to the 2016 Presidential Election, I was worried. Justice Scalia had strong conservative views.

I was right in my assumptions when it appeared that Neil Gorsuch would replace Scalia and that Scalia’s views would continue. It was an extremely disappointing decision.

This was the first time I had paid attention to a major shift in the Supreme Court. Former Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement from the Court this summer.

Originally appointed by Ronald Reagan, Kennedy served for 30 years before his retirement. Justice Brett Kavanaugh is his replacement.

Over time, I began thinking about the process it takes to become a Justice. I wanted to understand more about the U.S. Government and how it handles departures from the Court.

I had understood that it was a nomination from the President, but was still unclear on the specifics if a nomination didn’t go through.

More recently, the idea of the “for life” appointment dawned on me.

With Trump as President, I personally believed that if he nominated someone questionable, the Senate would be able to stop him, due to the checks and balances our government prides itself on.

During the middle of my summer journalism course, I was given news that the new Justice nomination had been chosen. I was disappointed at first, but still hopeful that the checks and balances would come in to reverse the decision. They didn’t.

I noted the list of protections I receive under the Constitution, like freedom of the press and my right to vote as, and began to imagine them slowly being stripped away until I’m left with nothing. The more I heard about Kavanaugh, the more I questioned the legitimacy of the American government.

T h e role of a Justice is supposed to be assigned free of political affiliation, and based on their moral policies and ability to govern. In 1988, when the government was deciding who would replace Justice Lewis Powell, the

public were faced with Kennedy and Robert Bork, the latter being rejected from the Court, leaving Kennedy the seat. This action, now referred to as “Borking,” was used to describe the hopeful outcome of the Kavanaugh decision.

Most people my age don’t come across the word perjury often. I certainly didn’t until recently. Perjury, also known as lying under oath, does not seem like something that a judge would be accused of, especially one who possibly could be one of the faces of justice in the U.S. During the hearing on September 4, Kavanaugh made assertions that diverted from the truth, such as the definitions of phrases he used in his high school yearbook. He also had to reference a calendar from 1982 in order to

make up for his likely inebriation during that time period. This makes me concerned: if he can’t hold true to his history, how can he be true to the Constitution?

Speaking on this, in the midst of the current immigration crisis, Trump has made an announcement regarding the citizenship of first-generation American citizens. This is part of his “anti-immigration” promise he ran during his 2016 Presidential campaign.

If Trump’s Executive Order goes through, it will almost certainly be a direct violation of the 14th Amendment, citizenship to all people born or naturalised in the U.S., and end up appearing in the Supreme Court.

This will be severely stepping on the toes of the Founding Father’s ideas and will, without a doubt, strip America of its title of being “Land of the Free.” How can it actually be the “Land of the Free” if people are being deprived of their citizenship under the Constitution?

If the Court is composed of a majority of people who are historically known for going against the law and being unconstitutional, then there is a major problem in the government, leading to a gap in the checks and balances. The Supreme Court would, in theory, uphold Trump’s decision to ratify a “Citizenship Deprivation” Amendment, since the Constitution is what guides Supreme Court rulings.

Congress needs to take more time to evaluate the people they are nominating into governmental positions and truly think about their character and rationale, rather than their political affiliation.

STEM deserves more credit LUCAS ROMUALDO lucas_romualdo@asl.org

“

In a world with a dynamic economy, this school must prepare its students for the future that they will inevitably face.

November 2018

The High School currently requires four years of English and two years of performing or visual arts in order to graduate. However, it only requires two years of math and two years of science.

Currently, there are approximately 2 million jobs in arts fields in the U.S., with an average salary of under $50,000 a year. Meanwhile, there are over 8 million jobs in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields, with an average starting salary of over $65,000 a year.

The reasoning behind requiring four years of English is convention.

ASL does not require as much math or science in order to allow students especially passionate about the arts or humanities to pursue their interests.

This inequity is unfair to students interested in the STEM fields.

A balance between interests and being well-rounded is important to maintain.

Indeed, it is important that every student has some academic experience in English, history, math, science, technology and the arts.

However, the same opportunities afforded to those interested in the arts and humanities, through the option to drop science later in their time in high school, should be afforded to those whose interests lie in science and technology.

A possible solution could be to require three or more years of math, or to decrease the arts credit requirement to one year.

Most students are frequently exposed to STEM fields throughout life. More and more professions in the modern

workplace require or value advanced mathematical ability, including finance, all science fields, accounting and business management. Even jobs one might not consider to require much math still do, such as working a cashier in a coffee shop or in a construction job.

Even if, despite these odds, you managed to avoid math in your career, there is still the necessity of conducting personal finances, which uses a great deal of math.

It’s hard to say that math is not important, and the school’s credit requirements ought to reflect that.

Art, on the other hand, is currently

considered to be just as important as math under the credit requirements.

While some level of competency in interacting with the arts, as well as the different methods of thinking that the arts expose one to, are important, it is nearly impossible to equate the importance of the arts to that of STEM. Given this reality, the school should recognize that the importance of the arts and STEM curricula are not equal. For sure, they are not more important than technology, of which only a semester is currently required.

In a world with a dynamic economy, this school must prepare its students for the future that they will inevitably face. This future is one increasingly entrenched in technology and affected by science.

As such, now more than ever before, skills in math and technology are essential to a well-rounded education.

While of course the arts should in no way be neglected, their relative importance, compared to math, science and technology, should be considered and reflected in what the school requires from their students in order for them to graduate.

Opinions 9

Suicide is not a joke EMILY FORGASH emily_forgash@asl.org

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If a depressed or suicidal person’s feelings are being used by others to express short lived bursts of anger, it can degrade their own problems.

“I’m going to shoot something,” is a phrase I would frequently say in my everyday speech when I was frustrated about something not working out the way I intended it to. This is embarrassing to admit.

People who knew me well a year ago understood that I meant this statement in the least literal way possible.

Despite this, I now know that saying such disturbing things in a colloquial manner when one doesn’t actually mean them deprives the statement of its detrimental meaning in the long run.

This habit is especially dangerous when considering suicidal references.

It is becoming increasingly common for teens to make suicidal comments or references when trying to express frustration. Most of the time, people say these statements in a very nonchalant manner when they are upset with a situation. Suicidal phrases have become the norm when describing shortcomings. Sometimes, even if people know

that using these types of phrases without meaning them are wrong, they do it anyway as an impulse.

James Charles is known by many and is famous in the beauty community for his incredible makeup skills

Rates of depression and anxiety among teenagers have increased by 70% over the last 25 years. and controversial personality. On September 27, he posted an Instagram Story that highlights the issue of using suicidal reference in everyday speech very clearly. The post was a selfie that had the caption: “I have a sinus infection plz kill me.”

Suicidal phrases now seem like more of a joke, so it’s extremely hard to determine who actually means these statements, and who is using them as a metaphor for their frustration. Charles had 8.5 million followers on Instagram at the time of this

post, who are mainly teens. They had the opportunity to see him make a joke out of suicidal feelings.

In addition to making it harder to determine whether one is suicidal, these types of messages might also make people feel like their true feelings aren’t valid.

If a depressed or suicidal person’s feelings are being used by others to express short lived bursts of anger, it can degrade their own problems. They might feel less inclined to reach out for help in fear of not being taken seriously. This can be dangerous as some people may end up truly hurting themselves without proper help.

Time To Change (time-to-change. org.uk) is a website that publishes people’s mental health stories. One woman describes how she felt when people would joke about mental illnesses and depression. “I remember people in my school making jokes about self-harm or suicide, when talking about homework or a particularly troublesome exam or teacher. None

The number of children at the A&E with a psychiatric condition has doubled since 2009.

Progress Report ED APPS

BATHROOMS

DAMAGE DONE

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10 Opinions

truly suicidal feelings, and could make it difficult to detect who actually means these feelings so that they can get the help they need.

STATISTICS FROM THE INDEPENDENT PHOTO 1 FROM EMILY FORGASH PHOTO 2 FROM COMMONAPP.ORG PHOTO 3 FROM LEA GEORGE PHOTO 4 FROM THE RED SOX’S INSTAGRAM PHOTO 5 FROM GENIUS.COM PHOTO 6 FROM STEVE REED

FRIDAY MUSIC

This Editorial Board of 1.

The Standard and a special guest gives the 2. school its second report of the school year 3.

of them knew that every night I’d go home weeping, ashamed of my depression and anxiety, ashamed that I couldn’t find their jokes funny when they poked fun at my weaknesses and fears,” she said.

It’s extremely important to avoid using suicidal phrases as a joke or nonchalant manner. The effects of using these types of statements in everyday speech can be detrimental to others; this can invalidate people’s

Halloween assembly: (B) StuCo’s literally lost the plot. If not for Kippy’s triumphant entrance, I would be very disappointed. Alexandra Gers

4.

Damage Done: (A++) Three hours of sleep was worth it to see the Red Sox win a ring. Michael Flaherty

ED apps: (C) What a nightmare. Over now though.

Jonathan Philips

5.

Friday music: (A) Love the added spice to my Friday afternoons. Needs a bit more commitment from the student body though. Jon Novak

Top O Bathroom: (F) WhO iS sTeAliNg ThE BaThRoOm SeAtS?!1!1! Sophie Ashley

6.

Reusable water bottles: (C) Having a reusable water bottle is great, but only if doesn’t get thrown away after being abandoned in the Mellon Library. Steve Reed Post Scriptum: Irish Rugby.

The Standard

FEATURES

Teaching with technology Improvements in technology in the past decade have allowed for new approaches to lectures and class management. As new apps and devices are released, teachers are left with options as to how to make their classes effective.

Isabel Link | Staff Writer

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ith recent advances in technology such as Apple’s Macbook in 2006, the iPhone in 2007 and Google’s Android Software in 2010, teachers are incorporating new devices, programs and websites into their lessons.

As a result, Science Teacher Deb Luheshi has noticed that classrooms are functioning differently from when she was growing up. “We didn’t have computers readily available,” Luheshi said. “You literally had your teacher and your textbook and that was it.”

Nowadays, Luheshi not only uses a computer to teach but also works with a device called Surface Pro. It is like a regular computer except the screen is detachable from the keyboard to be its own tablet, allowing her to sketch and write on with a stylus. Microsoft released and discontinued the product in 2013.

The Surface Pro is interactive like a tablet but doubles as a computer, so it is multipurpose. “I like to ability to be able to write directly onto the computer, to be able to annotate diagrams, to quickly create hand-drawn graphs. So, the Surface Pro allows those features,” Luheshi said.

After her classes, Luheshi publishes the slides from that day on Powerschool. “Although it’s not a complete set of what we talked about in class, for those students who’ve been out ill or on a school trip then they have something they can reference more easily,” she said.

Aside from being used to post notes, Powerschool was made for teachers to post homework assignments, answer keys and useful resources for their classes. The school-affiliated website enables teachers to attach documents, videos and links to other sites on their individual pages for students to utilize. In this way,

Powerschool is a vesile for teachers to provide a more expansive understanding of the content gone over in class.

Luheshi believes that one benefit of having an online outlet for school work is that it enables students to focus on classwork without having to worry about recording every bit of information down of paper. “It’s also helpful for students with accommodations who struggle to both take notes [off of slides] while also incorporating what’s being discussed in the classroom,” Luheshi said.

When teaching higher level courses, like physics, students can watch concepts like gravity and force

“

Technology is really changing the way we think about how to spend class time and how we think about homework as well.

Natalie Jaworski, Social Studies Teacher in action through animations or videos as opposed to trying to picture it in their minds. “You can drop objects in the classroom...[or move them] down a really long ramp,” Luheshi said. Yet, students are able to refer to recordings multiple times instead of watching it happen only once in that moment.

In the social studies department, different technology has been incorporated into the curriculum.

“One of the big things we use from Google is called Doctopus,” Social Studies Teacher and Department Head Natalie Jaworski said. “That is putting together class lists and [creating] an assignment sheet where we send [documents] out to you so you each get your own copy.” Social studies teachers can then keep track of how much work each student does by “locking,” or unsharing those documents at certain points to view them.

The social studies department also uses technology to approach students’ learning differently, based on a “model of teaching” called Flipped Classroom. “[Teachers] record themselves doing what would be a lecture in class...That is the homework that you watch, and then in class you do stuff with what was in the lecture,” Jaworski said. This minimises the time teachers spend explaining topics as students learn at home then discuss what they know in class.

“That use of technology is really changing the way we think about how to spend class time and how we think about homework as well,” Jaworski said. She believes that technology has helped her in terms of workload and being able to assign work anytime, any place.

However, “there’s a time and place for certain technology,” she said, “so using it just for technology’s sake doesn’t always work.” Constantly reading and writing on a laptop isn’t required for students to succeed.

Additionally, it is difficult now more than ever for students to distinguish sources, let alone credible ones, with so much information at their fingertips.

“Sometimes I feel like the internet is like the greatest library in the world but all the books are on the floor,” Jaworski said.

In the math department, Math Teacher Doug Poggioli created his own online textbook as a re-

source for his students to learn from. Poggioli compiled pages and pages of original definitions, examples of concepts and descriptions all on a Google site. “The nice thing about making your own textbook is that you can choose what you put in here.

You can change it from year to year,” he said.

Students can also suggest edits to be made or writing to be clarified in the online textbook and Poggioli will review his site to improve what they recommended to. “A lot of textbooks vary in the way they do things, but this textbook reflects the way we do things,” he said. It is personalized for students, and they can have a part in helping each other learn in this way.

Another advantage to having an online textbook is that students who missed class can go online and access the content went over that day. “They at least can see what we did and they can still have the same resources that anybody in class had,” Poggioli said.

Poggioli recognizes, however, that it does take regular maintenance to run the website. “Certainly it gives you more flexibility, but it also takes the work of keeping the website up to date,” he said.

One day, Poggioli believes that paper textbooks may become obsolete in math. “I wouldn’t be surprised if in the future teachers start making their own textbook,” he said. Without having to pay anyone or carry the thick volumes around, students can learn from their teachers’ sites and other textbooks published on the web.

Technology is a rapidly growing field with numerous inventions being released every year. From forever-improving smartphones, to Amazon’s Alexa to virtual reality headsets, technology continues to upgrade. In communities like ASL, education is being adjusted to accommodate new changes and utilize resources that were not present before.

Racial slurs in the classroom The n-word has been used in American literature since the practice of slavery.

Often present in English classes, teachers and students believe that it is essential to approach the word with care to avoid misinterpretation of purpose.

Jasmin Taylor | Staff Writer

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he administration is incorporating race and social justice into the High School curriculum in more explicit ways. In doing so, the presence of the n-word in class material has become more common. But with this comes discussion about how students and teachers handle racial slurs in the classroom.

Born out of hatred and beliefs of white supremacy, the n-word was used as a derogatory term to subjugate anyone of African descent in Western society. Slavery is a practice that was a significant part of American society from the 1600’s to late 1800’s, and as a result, the derogatory words used during that time have remained common vocabulary, although often with slightly different connotations. Even today, the n-word is found in music and books, so when reading literature from less than 100 years ago, the n-word often appears.

For English Department Head and American Literature Teacher Alissa Mears, the n-word is a topic that requires extensive thought on how to

November 2018

approach it. “In American literature, I think it’s inescapable. Especially if you’re trying to adequately represent writers of color and texts about characters of color because it’s just such a part of the American legacy,” she said.

Mackensie Kim (’21) thinks that despite the language, books containing racial slurs shouldn’t be censored or omitted from education. “They’re a part of history and we can’t just censor out parts of history that are uncomfortable or that people don’t agree with, because that isn’t telling the full truth,” she said.

Both Mears and English Teacher Peggy Elhadj agree with Kim that literature containing the n-word should be taught, but have different views on why it shouldn’t be censored. “If we don’t talk about [racial slurs] in class then some people may not understand their significance, [so] they hear them in the street or the hallway and they think it’s funny and a joke,” Elhadj said.

Echoing Elhadj, Mears believes it is important to help students understand the significance of the n-word. “I had students in the class who had heard it used as a brotherly term, in rap lyrics for example, and didn’t know the weight of the word and the importance and the damage of that word.”

Alex Dowd (’20) read the n-word aloud when reciting a poem line-by-line as a class in his freshman year. “Having that experience makes you see the weight of that kind of language more so than if I hadn’t had that experience,” he said. “Reading texts and engaging with material that uses that language in the context that it’s normally used is important.”

Additionally, Elhadj believes that it would be irresponsible to teach literature, such as the “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain, which states the n-word 217 times, without having discussion about racial slurs.

“There needs to be a conversation beforehand about why we’re not going to say those words aloud, why it’s worth talking about, why they’re in

the text, why we’re still teaching the text in spite of it, the types of characters using those words in the text and, more importantly why those slurs are slurs,” Elhadj said. “[This will make sure] everyone is aware why racial slurs are improper, why racial slurs are not acceptable ways of speaking and come to the conclusion that we’re not even going to read them when we come across them in the text because they’re so disrespectful.”

Kim realizes the importance of providing context through discussion through personal experience. When she was younger she accidentally used the n-word after reading it in a book for class, and nobody told her it was a bad word so she didn’t know it was inappropriate for her to say. Kim thinks that she would have understood the history of it more if the teacher had told her what it was and how it was used. “If taught properly, the students will understand racial slurs are offensive to some people and they’ll read the text with that insight and be more understanding,” she said.

Features 11

Crossing a

Unwanted sexual advances are often dismiss considered acceptable. The term ‘rape culture’ its boundaries blur in certain situations, the nee Sophie Ashley | Lead News Editor

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ierra* (’19) believes that a rape culture exists at ASL. She points to entitlement as being one of the main reasons students can continue to pursue others, even when there is clear disinterest. “We’re all very privileged in so many different ways. I think we all feel entitled to things, and we all feel entitled to have the best education or to do things,” she said. “[This entitlement] roots deeper with some kids, especially in regards to sexual harassment and abuse.”

The Women Against Violence Against Women (WAVAW) Rape Crisis Center defines rape culture as an environment where “women perceive a continuum of threatened violence that ranges from sexual remarks to sexual touching to rape itself.”

This culture can include “jokes, TV, music, advertising, legal jargon, laws, words and imagery, that make violence against women and sexual coercion seem so normal.”

Sierra feels that rape culture is allowed to continue because friends want to protect the offenders. “A lot of [people] are too scared to look uncool to their friends rather than speak up,” she said.

Sierra explained that it’s hard to manage such situations “because [ASL] is such a small environment where everyone has to be friends with each other, or at least on good terms.”

Disagreeing with Sierra, Anna Heinrich (’20) doesn’t see rape culture in the ASL environment, but rather in the larger, global

12 Features

community. “Generally, in society and in our lives it’s apparent, but to the kids at ASL, I think we all are pretty respectful of each other and have a good understanding of these social issues,” she said.

“Our generation specifically, as we’re getting older, we’re more aware of a lot of these social issues such as sexual harassment. There still are aspects of stereotypes such as ‘boys will be boys, they can do this to [girls] and it’s fine and [girls] just have to accept it because that’s the way they are,’ and that hasn’t completely gone away,” Heinrich said.

Echoing Heinrich, *Dwayne (’20) believes that issues like assault and rape culture have become less taboo through education and new generational standards. “I think there’s very well taught boundaries here about being safe with those sort of issues, and knowing where that line is, and reaching out to other people about it,” he said.

Venue parties and alcohol ne aspect of ASL’s social life are venue parOoften ties: events hosted at clubs, bars or venues, without any parental supervision.

Phaedra Letrou | Dep

compared to house parties due to the fact of there being significantly more people and less of an ability to take note of peoples’ behavior. “There are so many different grades and people and different levels of intoxication meshing together,” she said.

She also noted that many people blame alcohol as a reason behind their behavior of unwanted sexual advances. Although she believes that “alcohol loosens what people are about to do,” she thinks offenders’ behavior is mostly attributed to the fact that “they’re entitled [to assault] rather than... them thinking it’s a mistake because they were drunk.”

Similarly, Dwayne thinks that the presence of alcohol at parties blurs boundaries, yet believes that the social scene prevents it from turning into an issue. “Your vision and your decision making can get blurred, but I think people pay attention to that and people are careful and everyone kind of takes care of everyone,” he said. “ASL has this culture that if something like that were to happen, everyone

in the High School woul and no one wants to let that situation.”

Eva Noel (’21) believe community, assault is “de that’s talked about wheth just serious conversations Logan* (’19) mentione witnessed a girl was intoxi another boy started to touc ly. “It seemed, really unwa doing it,” Logan said.

Logan believes that the taken to stop this culture although he has noticed th

Sierra thinks rape culture is more normalized in venue parties

The Standard • No

a boundary

sed or forgotten amidst misinterpretations of what is self often turns people away from conversation. Although ed for an understanding of what’s ‘too far’ remains.

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Cameron Spurr | Staff Writer

called out on their behavior, they are defensive.

“When somebody tells [the offender] ‘hey, you were out of line’ they’ll brush that off and say ‘no, no, she was flirting with me,’” he said.

However, from Heinrich’s past experience, students have stopped unwanted sexual advances before they went too far. “There may be a bit of pushing and a bit forceful, but nothing ever too extreme,” she said. “ASL students have enough respect for each other and we’re all friends. Even if there is a bit of pushiness, it’s never anything that’s an issue afterwards.”

ovember 2018

Moving forward hould an issue arise, Noel Sfortable believes she would feel comtalking to High School Counselor Stephanie Oliver.

“Oliver would be the best option to talk to for [an issue regarding assault] because I know she’s someone we can trust and talk to about things like that,” she said.

Noel also noted that in order to avoid unintended advances or uncomfortable comments, “people should be more cautious of what they’re saying. We don’t know peoples’ experiences and we don’t know everything about their background,” she said.

Students have spoken to Oliver in the past about incidents of sexual assault or harassment.

“It’s important to listen to them when they come in because people need someone to hear their story,” Oliver said.

Oliver realizes that the majority of assault and harassment occurs at parties and off campus, and that in these situations, people are hesitant or afraid to intervene and stop it.

Many male students have approached her to explain a situation where they didn’t know how or whether to step in. Oliver said that in general, sexual assault is “a man’s problem” in terms of educating boys on respecting and how to treat women, rather than teaching girls how not to be assaulted.

The changes to the Code of Conduct this year included adding a harassment statement.

The Code of Conduct and harassment statement both safeguard against sexual assault and harassment at ASL. Under the revised Code of Conduct, any sexual misconduct is a level three behavioral infraction, and examples of sexual harassment in the harassment statement include verbal behavior, physical behavior, visual sexual harassment and online sexual harassment.

Dean of Student Life James Perry explained that “the purpose behind the [statement] was to make it more clear what is considered harassment and in doing so hopefully protect people in our community.”

He further explained that with the new statement “if anyone were to cross a line and we would need to take action, we could say we couldn’t have been any more clear.”

Alongside speaking to a trusted adult, Sierra thinks that students “should make [people] realize [when they do something wrong], and see what they’re doing to make them stop.” She worries that if action isn’t taken soon, the behavior will continue “in college and on a larger scale.”

Heinrich believes that the problem needs to be fixed on a societal scale, through conversa-

'People should be more cautious of what they’re saying. We don’t know peoples’ experiences.”

Eva Noel (’21) tion. “I think a lot of the issue about things is that… people don’t talk about them, and when you don’t talk about them you can’t address them,” she said. “Even voicing your opinions, naturally people kind of come to realizations on what’s OK and what’s not, and act accordingly based on what they hear around them.”

PHOTO BY EMILY FORGASH

Features 13

Following in his footsteps

Kylie Brumm (’19) plans to pursue a Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) scholarship and join the U.S. Navy after university, just like her father and grandfather did.

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“ ometimes [my dad] wouldn’t be home until 11 p.m. He’d be frustrated, but he could take it because he was serving his country,” Kylie Brumm (’19) said.

Brumm first told me about her family’s story sitting at my dining room table. We were with a group of other seniors, and they were going around in a circle sharing their plans following graduation. When we all turned to Brumm, her eyes lit up. She told us she wanted to get a Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) scholarship and then join the U.S.

“Do I want to dedicate my life to my country ?... I do.”

Kylie Brumm (’19) Navy. She wanted to follow in the footsteps of her father who is a Lieutenant Commander in the Navy, and has been serving since he was 18.

Rachel Anderson (’19), a close friend of Brumm, admires her decision.“ She inspired me with her selflessness, and that she wants to do something not for her, but for everyone. She already feels safe, and she wants to do this for everyone who doesn’t have that opportunity. I think that’s really special,” Anderson said.

It wasn’t until last year that

Lena Levey | Staff Writer Brumm rediscovered her love for her father’s work. “When I was really little I wanted to be just like my dad,” Brumm said. “Then I outgrew that.”

Due to her father’s job, Brumm moved nearly every year and grew up witnessing military life firsthand, especially when her father would go out to sea for three to six months at a time. “Seeing my dad work so hard at something and get so much joy from knowing that he was helping everyone, even people who don’t know he’s helping, made me want to feel the same way,” she said.

Brumm knew the Navy was the right path for her after she experienced anxiety regarding the numerous terror attacks in Europe. “Right after the Manchester bombing at the Ariana Grande concert, I became very afraid. It hit really hard in that moment,” she said. “My dad picked me up from the airport [after a school trip], and we sat for an hour in the car.”

Her father reassured her that, although it wasn’t being reported on in the news, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was working tirelessly to put an end to terror attacks throughout Europe. This conversation helped her come to terms with the risks of living in a big city like London. “That’s when I realized that although I don’t know everything my dad does to help the world, I know that he has made some impact. I want to make sure I can help other people feel safe if they’ve been through something like I have,” she said.

However, Brumm knows that an ROTC scholarship isn’t guaranteed.

“I’m basically applying everywhere that has a Navy ROTC program, but even then, if I do get the scholarship, I don’t get to choose where I go to college,” she said.

She explained that applicants apply to the program and not a specific school.

So while she can list her preferences, in the end, the Navy awards placements on a first-come, first-served basis. If she is awarded the scholarship, Brumm will serve four to five years in the Navy after studying in university.

Brumm has noticed that many of her peers are uninterested in serving in the military, and she understands why. “Some people are meant to spend hours away on a submarine, and some people are not. Some people wouldn’t dream of moving every few years, having to change jobs, leaving family and friends behind, or moving overseas.

There are a lot of ways to help the world without serving in the Navy,” she said. “For a while I just wanted the scholarship to pay for college, but it became to have greater meaning. Even if I don’t get the scholarship, I’m still going to do something for the Navy.”

It is important to her that she help the world in the same way her father does. While she doesn’t know if she’s going to serve in the Navy for the rest of her life, she knows she is ready to protect her country. “Do I want to dedicate my life to my country? Do I want to have to go war if need be?” she said. “I do.”

Brumm and her father at the commissioning of the USS Mississippi in 2012. He is a lieutenant commander in the PHOTO COURTESY OF KYLIE BRUMM (’19) U.S. Navy.

Evolving environment

In the past decade, the school has undergone numerous changes, both physical and curricular, that have effected the daily lives of students and teachers.

Zarina Chouhdari-Stewart | Staff Writer

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The old School Centre, which was redesigned in 2008 to become the School Center the community recognizes today.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ADVANCEMENT

14 Features

hen Anna Duffy (’21) first arrived at Waverley Place seven years ago, the school looked the opposite of how it does today. “Waverley Park looked completely different. There was no art building, we had no pool, no real [fitness centre],” she said. “I think that the school has started to pay a lot more attention to the environment that students learn in, and how it impacts the learning they’re doing.”

Health Teacher Bambi Thompson, who has been at ASL for eight years, feels similarly about the increased attention on the environment with the reshaping of the mission statement. Although it is just a statement, it has impacted her teaching heavily.

The mission statement has always held standards that students and faculty can implement in their daily lives.

However, after the reshaping, there is an added emphasis on the importance of learning, character, community and service for the school. Thompson believes that implementing the core values was a positive change that “[encouraged] students to take action.”

She noticed that the school used to place more focus on the academic side of students. However, with the new Code

of Conduct and mission statement, Thompson believes that administration has “put more emphasis on the character and ensuring the happiness of the student.”

However, not everyone views the changes as positive ones. The addition of an advisory program four years ago has resulted in mixed feelings. Zaki Yamani (’21) believes that the advisory program is “a waste of time” and that “the things [students] do in advisory are unproductive.” He feels that he could be utilizing this time more efficiently by meeting with teachers or doing work.

At the start of this school year a new advisory placement system was introduced, in which students got the option to change advisors. Thomas Belinky (’20) who has Science Teacher Derek Fleming as his advisor, “really [enjoys] it,” and feels that his advisory is a safe place that is “super open.” One aspect of letting students pick their advisor was to make stronger connections between students and teachers.

While there is change at the school, there is always a period of time where you don’t see visable changes, and it puts a damper on the environment. Duffy feels that the reconstruction of the play-

ground three years ago was a time like this. “The [time when] you don’t get any of the benefits or see any of the actual changes is a rough period, so there are times where I’ve felt that they could have done it better,” she said.

Duffy remembers when she was in Grade 6 “we did not have the playground for the entire year, and we would be on that side strip on [Loudoun Road],” she said.

Although intended to be positive, Duffy believes these changes have a negative impact because of timing. Duffy believes that the “fact that we could no longer use the space in the way we wanted was not ideal,” as they would have preferred to utilize the space to the fullest capacity. This relates to the reconstruction of the Waverley Place entrance: a point of frequent use for the community.

Thompson believes that the changes made are not just to update the school and to make things look good, but to help facilitate students’ learning and curiosity. Fundamentally, the changes are intended to give students a better environment to learn and thrive in. “Things have not been changed for the sake of change,” she said, but rather, they have “been changed for the sake of service.”

The Standard

A decade at sea

Computer Science Teacher Kent Collins spent 10 years in the U.S. Navy, five of which on a nuclear warship in the Pacific Ocean, inspiring his appreciation of hard work.

Isabelle Lhuilier | Features Editor

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espite being the son of a U.S. Air Force officer, a career in the military didn’t cross Computer Science Teacher Kent Collins’ mind growing up.

Instead, he dreamed of becoming an actor. “My mom was a choreographer of a theater. I would be in the theater more often than not; I grew up on the stage,” he said.

However, his life took a turn when he began the college application process during his junior year of high school.

Discovering he would need financial aid, Collins looked into the Reserve Of-

compensated for by a strong sense of teamwork. “If you are on a ship and a fire breaks out you don’t get to walk away. The team has to be there to solve the problem,” he said. “There is a unique blend of both the very competitive and the very collaborative, recognizing that you are all in this together and you live or die together.”

After graduation from the academy, Collins spent five years in the Navy stationed on a nuclear warship, the USS California, working in the reactor plant as part of the Nuclear Propulsion

and there was a part of the Oakland Bridge that had just fallen into the water,” he said.

As Collins was part of the Navy during the Cold War, the U.S. was under the impression that the next war was going to be fought at sea. “[They thought] it was going to be fought over the horizon between the USSR and America and the whole premise was that the huge battle forces would meet over the horizon,” he said. “They’d have air-crafts in the air doing reconnaissance, they’d discover where the

“LIVING AT SEA IS EXHAUSTING AND DEMANDING, BUT YOU DON’T DO IT ALONE; YOU ARE WITH A COMMUNITY TO ASSURE THE SECURITY OF OUR NATION.” COMPUTER SCIENCE TEACHER KENT COLLINS

ficer Training Corps (ROTC) program, which provides full college tuition in exchange for five to six years of military service.

During the summer of his junior year, Collins attended a science and engineering seminar at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland for two weeks and was amazed by the facilities. “I applied and was very fortunate to be selected,” he said. “I don’t think I would have sought out the service for any other reason, but I wasn’t getting any money for college so saying ‘yes’ was the easiest choice to make.”

Unlike a typical university, Collins described the service academy as “very regimented” with a structured environment and system of leadership. For example, students must wear a uniform every day and are only allowed “civilian clothes” on special occasions. Additionally, all students are required to participate in athletics. “As a midshipman at the academy, you have a very strong chain of command, so you have an understanding of where you fit in,” he said.

“There is a built in social structure which helps you connect with other people.”

Furthermore, the first weeks on campus are the equivalent to a military boot camp. During this period, freshmen have their heads shaved, are given rifles and uniforms and learn drills. The camp is physically demanding as students have two PE sessions a day and by the end of the camp most drop five to ten pounds. It is also intellectually rigorous as students must learn a vast amount of material about the structure of the Navy. “Every day we are responsible for a little bit of information,” he said. ‘It wasn’t a challenge that I wasn’t up to, it was a challenge that made me feel like I was doing the right things and growing.”

Despite the competitive nature of the program, Collins feels that it was

November 2018

Program. Initially, Collins served as the Reactor Controls Officer, responsible for the electronics of the nuclear reactor, and then became the Chem Radcom Officer, in charge of the chemistry of the plant to make sure the radiation levels were safe on board.

A typical day for Collins consisted of eight to ten hours on watch, four to five hours working on his divisional responsibilities and three hours of professional development where he learned more about the ship.

Remaining at sea for six months at a time, Collins was primarily stationed in the West Pacific Ocean. His position enabled him to travel to many areas of the world he had never seen before. In his first years he visited the Philippines, Alaska and the Aleutian Islands and later, Hong Kong, Singapore and Thailand.

However, being away from land for so long meant a great deal could occur in the meantime. For Collins, one instance was returning to his apartment in San Francisco in 1989 shortly after a earthquake had destroyed the city. “When we got back the entire freeway system had collapsed, both levels on top of itself

other navy was and then you’d start lobbing missiles, including tactical nuclear missiles, at each other.”

Although Collins never saw active combat, working on a nuclear ship was nonetheless dangerous. He recalls a terrifying instance where there was a fire on board. “You go into a lot of training to make sure that the team is prepared to handle that, but it’s still very scary,” he said. “You find yourself in a compartment that’s filled with smoke and you can’t see anything and you’re wear-

ing a breathing apparatus so it’s more difficult to get around. But you’re doing honest fire-fighting, you’ve got to put it out. Your heart races.”

The scariest moment for Collins was sitting in the passenger seat of a fighter jet taking off from the deck of an aircraft carrier. “Being catapulted off the deck … was the scariest moment, that was it right there,” he said “The runaway is a lot shorter and when you go off the runway the plane actually drops down initially because it’s still getting the lift that it needs to go up.”

Once he had completed five years of active service at sea, Collins transitioned to a shore duty where he worked to safely replace the nuclear reactors on his old ship. “I was one of the supervisors that managed the reactors as they were removing the fuel rods and cleaning out the core to do the insertion of the new fuel cells which was incredibly interesting,” he said.

Collins then worked at the Command of Naval Services where he would monitor nuclear ships coming in and out of port.

After spending 10 years in the Navy, Collins transitioned to a career in teaching in order to have a family life. He worked as a teacher at Norview High School for 15 years in Norfolk, Virginia. Collins was then given the opportunity to teach for Google with a summer program called K, where Grade 9 students would spend a summer going through a series of Computer Science classes. It was here that Col-

lins met Liz Perry, who was working with the one-to-one device program at ASL at the time. Perry knew a position to teach Computer Science at ASL was becoming available and urged Collins to apply.

Collins believes that his time in the Navy has shaped his approach to teaching, as it displayed how hard work can pay off. In order to become a Nuclear Propulsion Officer, Collins participated in six months of school at the nuclear training site in Orlando, and another six months at a prototype, a ship on dry land, in Orlando. “It was a lot of extended hard studying and I think what it taught me was that you need to persevere but when you do the benefits are there,” he said.

As a result, Collins looks for students who are willing to persevere and attempts to change the mindset of those who expect success to come easy.

“I think that students need a little hint of how hard it can be so that they know that they’re capable of living up to those expectations,” he said. “If we don’t give them that degree of rigor then we are doing them a disservice because they will have to learn it later.”

For Collins, his most poignant memory during his time at sea was the satisfaction of being on a team that “[did] something very hard very well.”“Living at sea is exhausting and demanding, but you don’t do it alone; you are with a community of individuals working together to assure the security of our nation,” he said. “And that’s extremely rewarding.”

The USS California, a nuclear powered warship, in the West Pacific Ocean. Collins spent four years of his naval career working and living on the ship, where he was able to travel to the Philippines, Hong Kong, Singapore and Thailand. PHOTO FROM WIKIMEDIA

Features 15

Solving the puzzle of S

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From tackling a new academic challenge, to making a positive difference in someone else’s life, success can take many different forms.

Lea George | News Editor: Print

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mbracing something new, growing into something new, expanding one’s mind, taking on a challenge and picking oneself up after one falls down.” This is how Director of College Counseling and Academic Advising Anne Richardson defines success. However, she did not always think about it this way.

“I think it’s come to me through years of experience,” she said. Richardson believes that a student’s perception of success is mostly formed through a comparison between them and another student. “I think that when you’re younger, you get very bound up in what others think success is. Whether it’s from your peers, from your teachers or from your parents,” she said.

Since Grade 5, Lily Noel (’19) has experienced the situation Richardson describes and has learned to develop her own perceptions and opinions along with her peers.

Now she believes that her role as the Student Council President has allowed her to observe the trends and cultures that define students’ perceptions of success. Early on, Noel understood that the Student Council President position would provide her with a platform to make change within her community and sees the role of a president as less of a title that one achieves, and more as a role of effective leadership. Noel was elected in April of 2018.

As president of the Student Council, Noel has been able to observe the way that students go about their educational paths. Amongst her observations, Noel has noticed and become aware of an intensely competitive nature within the High School. She believes that this atmosphere stems from ASL being an incredibly successful school in terms of academics.

“I think ASL prides itself on being a very ac-

ademically rigorous school. That is an impressive part about this school... but, with that I do think there comes a sense of competition between students,” she said.

Noel believes the high standards that accompany the school’s scholarly success has led to a sort of obsession with the notion of success. “Everyone at this school wants to do their very best, and when that very best is set at such a high level, it’s hard not to compare yourself to the people around you,” she said.

Additionally, with the competitive nature of high school students, comes a molded picture of what a successful student should look like.

To Noel, “a successful ASL student is able to juggle a million things.” Yet, she disagrees with this perception of student success, deeming it an “unrealistic assumption that someone can do everything.”

Cala Lindsay (’21) has not yet felt a drive to compete against peers academically, but understands why students in Grade 11 and 12 have voiced such a feeling. She believes that, in a classroom environment, students tend to feel comfortable and sure of themselves. Therefore, she believes that, for the most part, no one is trying to push and be the one to impress the teacher at the expense of others.

AJ Laurienti (‘21) defines success as, “being happy with what you’re doing...I think that you’re successful if you go to work everyday thinking, ‘I’m doing something good, and I feel good about what I am doing.’”

Similar to Richardson, Noel believes that one’s success should not be measured by a comparison to another student’s academic life, but rather by their own independent growth.

“I think as you get older, you start to recognize

“PEOPLE MAY NOT MEASURE THEIR SUCCESS IN TERMS OF THE BILLIONS THAT THEY EARN EACH YEAR, BUT IN THE NUMBER OF LIVES THAT THEY CHANGE.” DIRECTOR OF COLLEGE COUNSELLING, ANNE RICHARDSON 16 Features

The Standard

that success really comes from individuals and from the development of a singular person,” she said.

Lindsay also feels that success is to be measured on a personal level, rather than one singular concrete definition. “I would probably define success as an achievement a person has reached, usually as the result of hard work,” she said.

Lindsay believes that this word holds a different meaning for each individual. “The definitions people give of success would range based off their experiences,” she said.

Furthermore, Lindsay believes that the feeling of success is often accompanied for her by one of pride and a will to work harder. “To me certainly, when I feel like I have succeeded in something it makes me feel motivated to work even harder,” she said.

Noel explained that with this understanding of personal development comes the accept-

ance of seeing success as individualized. “With that success can mean many different things for many different people, and really it’s just that idea of, as one person, how you’ve been able to achieve one thing,” she said.

Noel believes that “if you achieve that growth in that area that’s particular to you [and] that you have passion in, then that’s success.”

In the world beyond high school, it is evident to Richardson that some adults still do not have a clear view on what it means to be successful, perceiving this word as a comparison still between themselves and another.

Yet, she does believe that those who do feel successful, have reached this sentiment in acknowledging that this word can have multiple meanings. “There are many people in this world who work in jobs that involve helping people, like teachers and nurses. People like

that may not measure their success in terms of the billions that they earn each year, but the number of lives that they change, and that they affect,” Richardson said.

Lindsay also believes that there is a prevalent assumption that in order to be successful, one must receive a certain income, or own a large amount of materialistic items. “I think that people often can perceive success as something that has come at a cost, or where other things have been compromised [to achieve it],” she said.

Laurienti strongly agrees with this belief, yet stresses the importance of being able to see through such an image. “[The stereotypical image of success] doesn’t necessarily mean that they are happy. They could still have so many problems, even though on the surface they have a yacht or they have a jet,” he said.

In regards to academic success, Laurienti views his own and other students’ obsession with such a form of success due to the belief that “if you don’t get good grades, you’re not going to be accepted by college and then you’re not going to be ‘quote unquote successful’ afterwards,” Laurienti said.

This belief caused conflicts for Laurienti.

“I don’t know if that’s necessarily true, even though I myself have thought that way in the past,” he said.

However, Laurienti believes in order to avoid becoming prisoner of such a mentality, one must remember, “you shouldn’t just be seeing your high school experience and your college experience only as a way to make yourself better. They should be [ways of ] helping others grow as well.”

CARTOON BY GABY IWEGBUE

“SUCCESS CAN MEAN MANY DIFFERENT THINGS FOR MANY DIFFERENT PEOPLE... AS ONE PERSON, HOW YOU’VE BEEN ABLE TO ACHIEVE ONE THING.” LILY NOEL (‘19)

November 2018

Features 17

Out of school and into work

Jacob Nathan (’19) interned at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery and St. Mary’s Hospital where he worked on care improvement for adolescents with diabetes.

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Alcohol and Diabetes

Houdah Daniels | Staff Writer

or five weeks during this past summer vacation of his junior year, Jacob Nathan (’19) worked in two hospitals.

Firstly, he spent a week at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, predominantly observing surgeries and the daily practises of neurosurgeons.

Nathan then gained a more hands-on experience at St. Mary’s Hospital where he researched and wrote papers on paediatric diabetes. “I worked five days a week, 9-5, although most days were longer,” Nathan said. “They gave me quite a few opportunities to actually produce my own work rather than just observe what they were doing, which was pretty cool.”

Nathan attributes his continuous involvement in the medicine field to his childhood when his fascination was initiated. “If you were to ask my 4-year-old self what I wanted to do, I was going to be a pizza delivery boy and then when I was 5, I would be a brain surgeon.

Logical progression,” he said.

Nathan recollects that his five-yearold self’s interest in medicine was sparked by “[wanting] to help people.” Beyond the humanitarian aspect of working in medicine, Nathan now realizes that he

“Understanding that people probably don’t want to just read a block of text, that it has to be visually appealing, I put it into a question-answer format so that it’s super accessible even if you’re not paying attention or if you have trouble digesting information,” he said.

In addition to being mindful of the aesthetics of his abstract, Nathan was deliberate in covering topics which he felt “actually mattered” to teenagers. “A lot of people aren’t going to think [of what] their health will be like when [they’re] 40. They’re going to think about how can I go have a drink with my friends and not have to worry about blood sugars,” he said. “How can I manage school work? What are exams going to be like?”

Nathan’s proposal was submitted on October 12 and he finds out whether his abstract has been accepted in December. Given that his work does get accepted, Nathan will go to a conference in Birmingham to present his findings and write a further paper as well as publish more data.

Another project Nathan worked on was redesigning the way long term care is given to patients.

During his time in the hospital, Nathan recognized the importance of forming relationships with professionals who could guide him in the future. “Having that experience of a professional relationship has been really useful,” he said. “I now have contacts that I can speak to, I’m still working with some of them. We’re working on some research papers that we’ll be submitting.”

Nathan recognizes the correlation between the science courses he has taken, such as AP Biology and AP Chemistry and the medicine working field as it provides him with a good foundational understanding of the procedures taking place. “If doctors are talking about the decomposition of a drug in your body to the first order reaction then you’re sort of like, ‘Oh, I know that’.” he said. “Or, the body’s physiological response, in terms of diabetes, to glucose being released, you know, ‘Oh, there’s some [biology] there’.”

What Nathan appreciated the most about working in a professional environment was the elimination of

Carb Counting

“IF I FIND SOMETHING I’M REALLY PASSIONATE ABOUT, I REALLY THROW MYSELF IN HEAD FIRST.”

Well-being and Diabetes

Travelling with Diabetes

JACOB NATHAN (’19) values the field for its limitless nature. “I think I would be depressed if I was in a profession where I reach the ceiling of knowledge in that area. [Medicine is] something where you cannot stop learning, otherwise you fall behind and you’re not doing right by yourself or for your patients,” he said.

Nathan first began trying to gain work experience the summer of his sophomore year. “I sent my CV out about 10 times and I only heard back from about three or four people,” he said. “I ended up taking three positions and two were a week; one was just for an afternoon.

Then I emailed back two of those people for this summer and one of them offered me a month, so that was lucky.”

Nathan’s work at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery was to observe clinic settings and procedures as well as the research the neurosurgeons were doing. His work at St. Mary’s was also observational but also evenly split with independent work.

Nathan’s work at St. Mary’s involved designing resources for adolescent patients. given his perspective as a teenager.

The current patient’s model for a diabetic adolescent is that they see their specialist annually, which involves of the adolescent alongside their parents or guardians speaking to roughly five clinicians. Adults are held more accountable in terms of having to face the cold consequences of not responding to their treatments as required. Nathan recognized the potential intimidating nature of these meetings which could lead to anxiety especially for those who haven’t been managing their diabetes as well as they should have been.

Nathan’s initial idea was to design a group clinic for four to six patients at once, which would serve as a guided discussion open to all ages as well as an informative session to discuss all kinds of diseases such as diabetes and chronic asthma.

“The idea is that if you give people the confidence and the knowledge to do things themselves [as teenagers], then as adults, they’ll be much more informed… and take care of themselves… That’s the most important thing, it’s about ongoing education,” he said.

grades. Nathan realizes how, when being limited to classwork, a major source of motivation can be the grade but working has allowed him to see far beyond that. “When it’s not for a grade, I didn’t have to work as hard as I did but I wanted to and that’s being translated into my school work,” he said. “I want to do it to the best of my ability more so than ever before and I don’t need to be motivated by getting a good grade.”

Despite Nathan “not expecting” to be invited to pursue research papers with the doctors he was working with, his early recognition of his passion for medicine as well as his enjoyment for research guided him through his work and was a consistent source of motivation. “If I find something I’m passionate about, I really throw myself in head first. Find the things that you enjoy,” he said.

“I’m really passionate about medicine, I’m super passionate about the research project I’m doing right now and so I enjoy working on it,” he said.

Exercising with Diabetes

Driving with Diabetes

Nathan focused on the above six topics throughout his internships, with his main focus directed towards adolescents with diabetes.

18 Features

The Standard

Religious holidays go unrecognized There are more holidays celebrated by students than the ones with allotted school breaks. In result, many take absences to observe their faith which can lead to implications with attendance and missing out on class.

Helen Roth | Staff Writer

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ona Marouf (’21) remembers celebrating the Islamic holiday Eid with family in Aleppo, Syria, as a joyous occasion when she didn’t have to worry about school. Now she chooses to attend school instead of staying home during Eid. “Eid is usually three or four days and I don’t think I would want to miss [that much school] because that would cause me to work so much more,” she said.

Marouf believes that by coming to school instead of celebrating at home, she is compromising her religion, making her miss home in Aleppo. “[Missing Eid] makes me reminisce about the days where, in Syria, we would miss days of school because of Eid and during those days we would spend that time with family,” she said.

Out of the 209 students who responded to a recent conducted by The Standard survey, one third reported that they practice their religion regularly. However, students who are not Christian often noted their ability to practice their religion is limited by the school calendar.

51 of the 209 students said they sometimes miss school due to religious holidays. Jewish student Thalia Bonas (’20) prioritizes her religious holidays over school. “At the beginning of the year we are hit

by Rosh Hashanah, and then really soon after we’ve got Yom Kippur, and then Sukkot,” she said.

However, prioritizing religion over school comes with consequences. Bonas describes that missing school causes her to fall behind on her work, and even weeks later she still feels

dar, so that we know when to expect that members of the community may not be here,” she said. “We don’t expect people to come to work or come to school on a day of significant worship.”

Despite the addition of religious holidays on the master calendar, some students have found that fac-

“I was just really disappointed by the way the faculty handled kids missing school.”

Thalia Bonas (’20) behind. “This year I found it really hard to balance all of my work because I was out of school,” Bonas said.

Head of School Robin Appleby said that students who celebrate religious holidays are not expected to come to school on the day of their holiday.

“We mark [religious holidays] on our master calen-

ulty members still have trouble understanding absences for religious holidays. “Most of the teachers are fine. Some of them I do have to explain why I am missing school,” Daniel Philips (’21) said.

Philips has already missed four days of just one class this semester, due to religious holidays. “It becomes difficult to catch up on the work. The limit

you can miss is six. I’m just on the limit,” he said.

Bonas also feels that it is difficult to catch up on work due to the lack of understanding from some faculty. “Some of my teachers were much less considerate than I expected, and overall I was just really disappointed by the way the faculty handled kids missing school,” she said.

Aside from the master calendar with the religious holidays, communication also takes place between faculty members. “In each division there are conversations about not plan[ing] events on high holy days, as to not create either exclusion or conflict for families,” Appleby said.

This message does not always appear to get across. Bonas said that in past years, she never worked during religious holidays, as it is supposed to be a “holy day.” However, due to the amount of work she was assigned, she felt she had no other choice.

Although planning can be difficult as some holidays are based on the lunar calendar rather than the Gregorian calendar, Appleby believes that acknowledgement is essential. “I think it’s really important in an inclusive environment that we always keep [religious holidays] in mind,” she said.

Leaving home behind Chaznane Fidahoussen (’19) left Madagascar in 2015. Since her departure, she has remained invested in her home, raising awareness about wildlife exploitation.

Taylor Anderson | Staff Writer

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eople my age would get kidnapped,” Chaznane Fidahoussen (’19) explained. “The [Malagasy] government is completely corrupt.”

Fearing for their safety, Fidahoussen and her family moved to London from La Reunion, an island off the coast of Madagascar, in 2015, leaving their old life behind.

Fidahoussen misses many aspects of Madagascar, but most importantly the vibrant wildlife. “I get tired of seeing the same buildings every day, whereas in Madagascar, sometimes I would just come out of school and see a lemur or I would see so many different species of chameleons in my backyard,” she said.

The drastic change in environment was particularly evident when Fidahoussen settled into her

A bay in La Reunion, Madagascar (above).

Fidahoussen (right) with her friend who lives back in Madagascar (right).

PHOTOS FROM CHAZNANE FIDAHOUSSEN

November 2018

new home in London. “You don’t have McDonald’s in Madagascar, you don’t have cinemas, you don’t have massive shopping malls, you don’t have these international brands,” she said. “When I moved to London I noticed...how developed it was and how so many local people in London aren’t really seeing the critical issues in Madagascar.”

One thing that has surprised Fidahoussen is the lack of awareness of issues in Madagascar by people living in London and Europe in general. She mentioned that she has always been aware of the exploitation of the wildlife in Madagascar and wants to raise awareness. “I think moving to London inspired me [to help the ecosystem of Madagascar] because I see such a difference in how so many people didn’t really pay attention [to the environment],” she said.

After hearing about destruction of wildlife in Madagascar over the past few years, Fidahoussen knew something needed to be done. She mentioned people from other countries taking natural resources, such as vanilla and rosewood, for themselves, in turn detrimentally impacting the environment. She noticed that countries such as China are particularly influential when it comes to exploiting natural resources.

According to The Guardian, the price of vanilla has increased around 150 percent since 2017 due to poor harvests, causing a surge in prices.

To combat the surge in price, groups of thieves will steal vanilla from farmers which can result in violent conflict and retaliation from the thefts.

Along with preventing exploitation of natural resources, Fidahoussen expressed interest in improving the quality of education and human rights in Madagascar. “I’ve been talking to different NGOs around London and I’ve been trying to talk to them about making a new project and putting it into Madagascar, but controlling it here,” she said.

“I would like to focus a lot on orphans and children just because I want to ensure they have a good future and that they can grow from being homeless and have an education.”

“When I moved to London I noticed how so many local people aren’t really seeing the critical issues in Madagascar.”

Chaznane Fidahoussen (‘19) Fidahoussen’s sister, Chabana, who just finished studying politics and international development at the School of Oriental and African Studies, inspired her to pursue human rights and improve education.

Chabana is now aiming to raise money to build more schools in Madagascar.

Fidahoussen is currently researching how she can merge her two interests into one NGO. “Education is one of the most important things in Madagascar. If you do have one, then you can find a job easily,” she said. “Our natural reserves are what makes us special and I think we should keep it that way. I really want to act towards that and stop the exploitation.”

Features 19

Culture

Broadening off campus options It is most convenient to head to the St. John’s Wood High Street during breaks, but some students do venture out to farther destinations to widen their variety of options.

Labeena Hanif | Staff Writer

25.2% OF 163 STUDENTS IN

Sw

GRADES 10-12 ALWAYS GO OFF CAMPUS FOR LUNCH

T

he sun reflects off the clouds, pinkhued, as they start to rise. Commuters begin to make their way to St. John’s Wood station. Some stop for coffee at Starbucks on the St. John’s Wood High Street, while some prefer Helterskelter, more commonly known as the Beatles coffee shop just outside the tube station. Soon enough, the school day starts, and students rush to make it to class. For an hour or so after, the streets are mostly quiet.

Then it’s 9:20 a.m. Students trickle into Starbucks, Pret A Manger, Tesco

and Gail’s. They all seem to know each other, greeting one another as they pass by in groups. The same pattern will continue in a few hours for lunch.

As more grade levels will be allowed to go off campus in the second semester with the inclusion of the freshmen class, the High Street is sure to get much busier. This is understandable; the High Street is a close and convenient place to buy food. However, out of the 163 students who responded to a recent survey conducted by The Standard, only 37.3 percent said that they go to the High

cottage s is Taylor Lewis (’21)

a

Finchley Road is also a popular location for students to get food. “[I like] just hopping on pretty much any bus that goes near the [Finchely Road] tube stop, [or] just nipping down there for a cheap lunch, cheaper than the High Street,” Gavin Mackay (’19) said. Students on the survey listed the abundance of restaurants at the O2 Center at Finchley Road including Nando’s, Pizza Express, Wagamama’s and Byron Burger. “There’s one Japanese place called Sushi and More… Other than that, sometimes Subway, McDonalds, KFC, maybe,” Mackay said.

Most of the places listed by both Mackay and the survey responders have relatively inexpensive food options and quick service that attracts students.

t

Despite all the options for those who wish to go farther from school during their breaks, many students simply prefer to stay within a closer radius of the School. “Everywhere else is too far for me. I like to be quick,” Omar Ben-Gacem (’20) said. “We’ve only got an hour, or 45 minutes. Why would you push it so close?”

Gaby Iwegbue (’19) agrees with Ben-Gacem and is aware of time restraints. “I would never go to Baker Street if I didn’t have a free before or after,” she said.

For underclassmen that often do not have free periods, the press for time can be an issue as well. It can be easier to just stay close. While some, such as Lewis, are able to go farther and enjoy it, students like Ben-Gacem might prefer to appreciate the options from the High Street and the school’s cafeteria instead.

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S t. J

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High stree

75.5%

OF 163 STUDENTS IN GRADES 10-12 SAID THAT THEIR FAVORITE TIME TO GO OFF CAMPUS IS DURING LUNCH.

Fi n c h l e

recognized Swiss Cottage as somewhere she likes to go for lunch. “Swiss Cottage being one of the closest places to our school… it’s just one of the easiest places to get to that isn’t the restaurants on the High Street,” she said. Lewis likes to go to McDonald’s and Subway, which are both in Swiss Cottage.

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Street during their breaks. Students go out mostly during lunch, but some reported that they also utilize conference time and free periods.

Since students are not allowed to order food to school at the moment due to the reconstruction of the Waverley Place entrance, students have taken the initiative to go off campus, with only 2.5 percent of the 163 students in Grades 1012 saying that they do not go out. Many students reported that they are venturing out of St. John’s Wood to Swiss Cottage and Baker Street.

“When I have time, during my free, I go to Baker Street for lunch. Maybe I’d bring a friend or two and have lunch there,” Iwegbue said.

“GBK, Chipotle… I also go to Five Guys.”

eet Str

20 Culture

B a ke r

The Standard

Illustrating differences between STEM and artistic careers Students pursuing the arts share their frustration with the misinterpretation of artistic careers and their comparison to STEM-based professions.

Estee Jorgensen | Staff Writer

I

“ f you look at old Hollywood, it was very sexist and racist and only existed for entertainment,” Riley Steege (’19) said. Not only was old Hollywood full of this negative ideology, but also full of homophobia and instances of sexual assault.

Steege suspects that because old Hollywood purely existed for entertainment, it feeds into the idea that artistic careers aren’t seen to be as valuable as science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) related careers. However, Steege believes that artistic careers hold a pivotal role in today’s society.

Steege thinks that “seeing issues [in art] is what sparks the emotion in people.” She believes that the arts are able to present current events and issues in a way that attracts an audience and allows the viewer to become more “passionate” about the subject as they are able to see it rather than read a study about it.

Max Olsher (’21) has noticed that most people view singing as a talent you are born with, and an easy way to become well-known. “It’s the idea that all singers are famous and high schoolers just want to be famous,” Olsher said.

He thinks this idea exists because a lot of singers have risen in popularity. How-

you want to be a computer programmer everyone is like ‘oh, good for you’ … but if you say you want to be a singer, everyone is like ‘oh, that’s just a phase’,” he said.

Sofia Van Mierlo (’20) disagrees with Olsher, but rather believes that these ideas originate from the fact that ar-

that there’s a cap of what you need to know to hold a job within STEM. However, with art, professionals have to constantly be changing to make new interesting pieces. “With STEM-related courses, once you reach a certain level or meet the criteria it’s easier to find a job but with

“Once you reach a certain level or meet the criteria, it’s easier to find a job, but with artists there’s always that ongoing struggle of creating.”

SOFIA VAN MIERLO (’20) ever, he disagrees that fame is everyone’s end goal.

Olsher believes artistic and STEM career fields aren’t seen as equal based on the comments people receive. “If you say

tistic careers can be more challenging to pursue compared to careers in STEM, as with art “it’s hard to constantly appeal to what’s in and what people like.” Van Mierlo also believes

artists there’s always that ongoing struggle of creating things that appeal to an audience,” she said.

Steege believes that a false stereotype has evolved as artistic careers

are mostly viewed in society as futile pursuits. When people discover she is planning on pursuing a career in theater, she notices they often mention the idea of having a “back up” career. These comments make Steege feel that people aren’t truly seeing the value in artistic career paths. “There’s a stigma around it that it’s not valuable and it’s not helping anyone, when it really does,” she said.

Steege agrees with Olsher and states the reason behind this is “because [STEM-based careers] are a bit more academic, people see those [careers] as way higher.” Steege believes there is nothing we can do at the moment to help equal out these career fields except wait. “Time is the bottom line,” she said “people in our generation understand the value of art and what an impact it has on a community, and over time as we get older I feel like these fields will equal out.”

Disrupting the design behind a virtual world

Victoria and Albert Museum’s Videogames: Design/Play/Disrupt creates a collection of technological and graphical gameplay footage, but falls flat.

Rohan Haarmann | Culture Editor: Online

T

he Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) recently opened an exhibition titled Videogames: Design/Play/Disrupt, which aims to capture game development as an intricate design medium.

The exhibition jumps between various fields that are brought together in the development cycle of modern video games. My experience with the exhibition was one of wonder, but also one that left me contemplating the unfulfilled potential of what could have also been both a much more informative and thought-provoking show.

The exhibition was laid out over a series of connected rooms, each covering different aspects of development and the technology industry at large.

Upon entering, I was presented with a large array of screens displaying impressive gameplay footage, demonstrating the graphical capability of videogames in the modern era.

The following rooms of the show followed this same pattern, displaying footage taken from popular video games of different genres. As I gazed at the footage on display, I found myself entertained and intrigued, but was lacking context for what I was seeing. There were limited explanations for the curated content, and a lot of what was there felt superficial, prioritizing eye candy over any meaningful insights into how videogames are developed. Given the extremely complex design and iteration

November 2018

process of each videogame within the rapidly expanding £180 billion video games industry, I learned relatively little.

For instance, one section of the exhibition displayed the script of a story-based game, which was interesting to glance at, but ultimately raised many more questions than answers.

There was no explanation of the writing process and how it might differ

“

I could not help but shake the feeling that I was walking through a set of mismatched parts that never came together as a concrete whole. in catering to videogames rather than T.V. and film, nor any unique content such as interviews with game developers.

For an installation backed by such an influential institution, I felt a lot more could have been done.

In fairness, the exhibition attempted to cover a broad scope of sub-topics: everything from motion capture to gender and sexuality representation within the videogame industry. These attempts to touch on sensitive real world themes

also fell slightly short as they briefly mentioned problems such as a lack of diversity within the videogame industry without detailing solutions or the source. Had the scope been slightly better defined, the content of the exhibition would have been more focused and detailed.

One of the positive aspects of my visit was the interactions I had with other viewers. In the second room, I was approached by a passionate gamer who accompanied me for much of the exhibition’s remaining rooms. His explanations of the various installations often made up for what the exhibition itself lacked.

To its credit, the exhibition facilitated these interactions by including a large range of playable game demos.

Visitors would come together to solve a specific puzzle or figure out how the controls to a game worked, which itself is a testament to the power of videogames as a social platform.

Throughout my visit, I could not help but shake the feeling that I was walking through a set of mismatched, although visually stimulating, parts that never came together as a concrete whole. There was no underlying narrative relating all the moving parts on display to each other. I came out with little more understanding of how the industry actually runs than I had going in, but I did have some fun.

Rooms within the Videogames: Design/Play/Disrupt exhibit portray insights into how videogames are designed and perfected before being released for the consumer.

PHOTOS BY ROHAN HARMAAN

Culture 21

Staying motivated individually and on a team

Being part of a sports team comes with the challenge of staying motivated in and out of the seasons. Athletes and coaches share their experiences staying motivated throughout the year.

Houdah Daniels | Staff Writer

Michael Flaherty | Sports Editor: Online

Nick Mannhardt (’18) and Nick Kuenstler (’18) of the performance crew team rowing at the Head of the Charles Regatta in 2017, and members of the varsity field hockey team before a game.

PHOTOS BY HELMUT MANNHARDT AND QUINN WHITMAN

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bstacles don’t have to stop you.

If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it,” Michael Jordan once said.

Making a commitment to be part of a sports team comes with several adversities and challenges, one of the most difficult being staying motivated. One of the most physically demanding sports at ASL is crew.

The performance team (crew’s varsity equivalent) trains around six to eight times per week all year round; fall and winter seasons have a number of races but are predominately for training. Spring season, which often includes summer vacation, is the main race season.

Performance crew Head Coach Stuart Heap recognizes the necessity of athletes seeking personal motivation throughout seasons. However, Heap also emphasizes the importance of the team sharing a common goal of working towards spring races.

“Some people are looking towards recruiting, some people are aiming towards certain erg scores, some people are preparing throughout the year for specific competitions,” Heap said. “There’s a wide range of goals, but the main goal for the team would be the spring races.”

Performance Crew and Varsity

22 Sports

Basketball athlete Jack Wilkin (’20) agrees with Heap, as he too recognizes the risks of individual motives overpowering the greater goal of the team. As crew can be regarded as both an individual and a team sport, Wilkin works to balance both aspects. In regards to individual sports, “you’re focusing on how you can continuously reach your goals and how you can continue to improve,” he said.

believes that team sports are about being selfless and putting the team first. “You respect your teammates, you fight for your teammates and you have fun,” she said. Dobos believes that if players don’t respect each other or are selfish, it can create issues within the team and have a negative impact. She acknowledges this is one drawback of team sports, but she has noticed that players can easily recognize their teammates who

Fencer Sophia Kalimtgis (’21) reiterates the significance of a good coach – also in individual sports. “[In fencing] there is absolutely no team aspect. You’re by yourself, it’s you and then your coach is yelling at you,” she said.

Despite complete isolation in matches, Kalimtgis acknowledges the support system during practice and how that motivates her during competitions. “It doesn’t feel lonely, or

“YOU’RE FOCUSING ON HOW YOU CAN CONTINUOUSLY REACH YOUR GOALS AND HOW YOU CAN CONTINUE TO IMPROVE.” JACK WILKIN (‘20) “[With team sports], it’s about how you can improve yourself for others. Making yourself better on the team is being more selfless and thinking about the grand scheme of the team rather than just yourself,” Wilkin said.

Similar to Wilkin, girls varsity volleyball Coach Ikildo Dobos

have a bad attitude.

Dobos also feels that in all sports, the coaches are a support system and have some responsibility in motivating either the team or the individuals. She thinks that without the coach’s motivation, sports would not work because the coach knows the players and can help them succeed.

you don’t feel away from everybody because it’s a community,” she said.

“Preparation is kind of what makes fencing a community because you have to prepare with someone else.” “Preparation is very together but when you’re up there, you’re by yourself,” Kalimtgis said.

Avid basketball player Kieron

Windless (’22) believes that self-motivation from athletes can lead to greater success for the overall team.

Windless also plays soccer but decided not to do so this year in order to refrain from injuries and be in the best shape for basketball. He also looks forward to track and field this spring season, where he specializes in the 100m sprint and long jump, to keep him in shape for basketball.

Despite his main sport, basketball, being a team sport, Windless’ primary sources of motivation are his dad and being able to give back to his parents in the future. “I’ve played all my life, I started when I was 3 years old and my dad has been pushing me ever since,” he said.

Windless hopes to follow in his dad’s footsteps as he strives to get recruited for a Division I college, despite his dad not doing so, and make it to the NBA. Windless’ goals also go beyond college. He ultimately wants to fulfill his ideal lifestyle where he’s able to do what he loves everyday while giving back to his parents for all that they’ve done for him. “The sacrifice my parents [have] made for me now, I just want to give back to them.”

When Windless has these ultimate goals at the back of his mind, it motivates him to work harder during practice and games.

The Standard

Passion for sports across the pond

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The excitement surrounding sport fan bases draws students to follow local and international teams through victories and losses alike.

Naz Ozturk | Culture Editor: Print

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othing can match the euphoric thrill one gets when their favorite sports team scores the winning point or goal.

The excitement and tension that builds up during those last few seconds of the match are palpable, whether the audience is viewing the game at home or at the stadium with thousands of other fans.

However, every team must have its losses, some more frequent than others.

Nevertheless, season after season, sports teams manage to rally back crowds of devoted fans, creating a sense of loyalty and persistence with every game.

Dylan Evans (’19) is an avid fan of the New England Patriots, an american football team in the National Football League (NFL). Growing up in Boston, Evans has been an enthusiast of the team for as long as he can remember. “Well I grew up in Boston so it’s kind of a common thing there [to support the Patriots],” Evans said.

Similar to Evans, Ludovico De

November 2018

Giorgi (’21) decided to support theMajor League Baseball (MLB) team, the New York Mets when he moved to New York City in 2012. “I moved to New York … and I just picked up

Evans enjoys being a part of the Patriots fan–base as he describes the team’s followers as being “really supportive” throughout the season. “[Patriots fans] have high expecta-

worked out when it comes to the important stuff.”

In contrast, De Giorgi doesn’t share the same involvement as Evans in his teams’ fan–base. De Giorgi doesn’t “fol-

“TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR PLAY IN WELL KNOWN TOURNAMENTS ...

SO PEOPLE CAN GET ATTATCHED TO THE TEAM.” SOFI JANSSEN (’20) on baseball [when I was] there,” De Giorgi said. While living in New York, De Giorgi noticed that the baseball fan base was split into two as he “had to choose either the Yankees or the Mets, and [I] just chose the Mets.”

tions for the team, which I think is really important,” Evans said.

He regards the Patriots’ losses throughout the season and even at championship games as “a little kink in the system that will eventually get

low the fan base [of the Mets] very closely” as he believes that Mets supporters are unrealistic. “They are a bit hopeful [of the Mets’ performance] ... [since] the team doesn’t always do well.”

As a supporter of the British soc-

cer team Tottenham Hotspur, Sofi Janssen (’20) believes that the fan base of the Tottenham Hotspur differs to others in the Premier League.

“There are some teams where fans can be very aggressive, but Tottenham Hotspurs fans aren’t like that,” she said.

After a cab driver had complained to her about the lack of young people following the Tottenham Hotspur, Janssen decided to support the team. Still a devoted fan, she recently cheered on Spurs player Harry Kane who was playing for the England national team in the World Cup this past summer.

“The [Tottenham Hotspur players] play in well-known tournaments. Their games come at very high stakes, so people can get attached to the team and its performance,” Janssen said. She believes that the team’s fans stay loyal to the Tottenham Hotspurs as “they have done really well [in the past so] people have a valid reason to support them.”

Sports 23

Sports

Looking ahead to ISSTs A

s fall ISSTs approach, members and captains of the Varsity Cross Country, Field Hockey, Girls Soccer, Boys Soccer, Girls Volleyball and Boys Volleyball teams reflect on their season so far, sharing their expectations and excitement for the upcoming tournament. Check out the video posted on Eagles Claw for interviews and footage of practices and games.

Coverage continues on eaglesclaw.asl.org

competitors, we’ve been able to see where we are.

“

the games we’ve “Through played against our top Varsity Girls Volleyball Captain Eva Noel (’21)

Thomas Cassidy (’19) takes control of the ball during a game against Kinja on October 20.The boys varsity soccer team won this match 2 - 1.

PHOTO BY KIRA KRUTCHER

24 Sports

The Standard