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the Standard

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Change in sabbaticals

Confronting censorship

Breaking the binary norms

Sculpting from the ground up

Senior runs London Marathon

Budget changes caused this year to be the first time that only one teacher was granted a sabbatical, as opposed to three.

The Standard addresses the censorship of Issue 4 of the publication and why the Editorial Board calls it into question.

Exploring the role of gender, the many forms it takes within the school and larger community as well as the effects of cultural beliefs.

Three students enrolled in 3D Studio Art classes share their passions for the arts and the inspirations behind their work.

Spencer Symonds (’17) finished the London Marathon on April 23. He participated to raise money for the Karen Morris Memorial Trust.

News 2-7 | Opinions 8-11 | Features 12-19 | Culture 20-24 | Sports 25-28

This generation will be defined by the extent of the action taken to combat climate change. Exploring where the community meets environmental standards and where it falls short.

Martha Collins | Deputy Editor-In-Chief Tyler Skow | Editor-In-Chief

Michaela Towfighi | Lead Features Editor April 2017 | Volume 42, Issue 5 The American School in London | One Waverley Place | London NW8 0NP U.K. | standard.asl.org

News Page 2

THE STANDARD | April 2017

••• Sabbatical changes New department heads

The process of finalizing tuition CAMERON CAMPILI NEWS EDTIOR Tuition is a fundamental part of how privately-funded schools function, and ASL is no exception. Tuition makes up 95 percent of the school’s operating budget, meaning changes to tuition are made with extreme care and caution.

Head of School Coreen Hester describes the process of determining tuition as “quite predictable.” Every October, the Senior Leadership Team, consisting of members of the Board of Trustees and senior administrators, meets to discuss what will be added and subtracted from the upcoming school year. This will help them estimate their operating budget.

Around November, recommendation for the upcoming year’s tuition is discussed by the Board of Trustee’s Admin/Finance Committee. The Board of Trustees votes at the beginning of December on the finalized tuition.

Increases and decreases to the tuition are a result of numerous variables, which can come from inside and outside of the community. In recent years, the U.K. government has had a large impact on tuition.

Chair of the Board of Trustees Admin/ Finance Committee Alison LeMaire believes that the government’s influence has created uncontrollable increases to tuition.

“Government influences change [to tuition] every year. Visas are a good example

as a lot of our teachers require visas and it is an example of a huge expense that recently got bumped up significantly,” LeMaire said.

Other examples of U.K. government involvement can be seen through the levying of a National Health Service (NHS) tax,

“

“We do our best to figure out where we fall to make sure that we are not relatively underpaying our teachers.”

Chair of the Board of Trustees Admin/Finance Committee Alison LeMaire and the implementation of an apprenticeship levy (a levy placed on organizations with a wage bill over £3 million). Both the apprenticeship levy and the NHS tax have contributed to tuition increase in the past three years.

The fluctuation of tuition is also dependent on several internal factors, the most influential being compensation, which includes faculty and staff salaries, benefits and more. Altogether compensation makes up around 77 percent of ASL’s expenses.

Faculty are advised to live close to the school, promoting the engagement of faculty in extra curricular activities. However,

with extremely high living costs within London, tuition has become an integral aspect of aiding faculty living expenses, providing adequate money for housing, [vacations], transportation and more. “The cost of living is a big factor because we want to attract teachers to come to ASL, and we want to retain them. We are aware that the cost of living in London is super high,” Hester said.

Increases or decreases in the number of faculty or full-time equivalent (FTE: the amount of hours an employee works), also plays a crucial role in the tuition process.

LeMaire believes that these changes contribute greatly to the overall tuition process. “It’s not unusual to add and take away FTE as education changes and curriculum ideas change,” LeMaire said.

This year [2017/2018] saw any additions to the FTE offset by not needing to fill any positions.

Benchmarking ASL against similar intuitions also contributes to the tuition process. The Board of Trustees Admin/Finance Committee benchmarks ASL against other international and private schools in cities that are relatively similar to London. In benchmarking, LeMaire believes that “we do our best to figure out where we fall to make sure that we are not relatively underpaying our teachers.”

The constant balance between compensation and tuition is integral as they’re “the two most important constituencies in this school by far,” LeMarie said.

In brief Anne Frank tree planted

Future Head of School visits

Earth week held

Holocaust surviver and Anne Frank’s stepsister, Eva Schloss, donated a sapling from Anne Frank’s house in Amsterdam to ASL on April 18. In a ceremony hosted by Head of School Coreen Hester, the tree was planted outside of 47 Grove End Road. Netherlands Ambassador Simon Smitts and Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy Lewis Lukens attended the ceremony. Students, members of the Board of Trustees and other community members were also in attendance. The High School featured Schloss’ story, “A Light in the Darkness,” during their 2014-15 production year.

Incoming Head of School Robin Appleby visited the school from March 30 – April 4.

Throughout the visit she spent time with current Head of School Coreen Hester, attending numerous meetings with senior administrators, teachers and students from each division. Appleby noted that leadership transition takes approximately one year and she intends to spend her first year understanding the school and its people on a deeper level.

Appleby plans to continue Hester’s tradition of an all school assembly next fall to “honor the history of leadership at the school.”

The Sustainability Council recently celebrated Earth Week to promote environmental awareness. The council started the week with an assembly, before hosting a panel discussion about the “True Cost” of the fashion industry on the environment the following day. On April 21, the council encouraged all students to wear green. The week culminated with Earth Day on April 22, where a roup of high school students attended the March for Science, which started at the Science Museum and ended at Parliament.

PHOTO BY LYDIA CONDON

PHOTO BY WENDY ROBINSON

PHOTO BY SOURNA DANESHVAR JR.

Cultural survey of high school students MADDIE SAYRE STAFF WRITER On March 21, ASL administered a survey to all high school students regarding cultural attitudes, which was previously administered to faculty and staff on November 23. The survey was used to measure ASL’s global perspective.

This was the first year ASL was administered the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) survey. Director of Teaching and Learning Robyn Chapel plans to re-administer the survey in future years in order “to see how we’ve developed. Also, by taking the survey, it will show us our strengths and our weaknesses. We can use it for making plans about how to become better [in terms of ASL’s global perspective],” Chapel said.

This first survey will be considered as the baseline data for which can be compared to the results of future surveys, thus being able to see the direction of change.

The Middle States Association (MSA) accredits ASL and visits every seven years.

One of the school’s goals, based on the MSA accreditation, is to strengthen cultural competency in students, teachers and staff, connecting to ASL’s mission statement. “The survey is aligned with our model of cultural competency,” Chapel said. “We’re very committed to students becoming global citizens and being able to interact with people all over the world who are very different from them.”

Athena Fosler-Brazil (’20) is interested in knowing what the results of the survey are, and how they can be used to help better the school. “At this point we took it and read the questions, but I think it depends on what that data is used for,” she said.

“I would be curious to see the results and where the majority of the school stands.”

Throughout the survey, a few questions are repeated and asked in various ways to see whether students answers change based on different wording.

Though the repetition confused and frustrated some students, asking similar and recurring questions is a common method in making surveys. “The survey is taken by people all over the world and has been tested for reliability,” Chapel said.

Grade 9 Dean Jennifer Craig agrees with Chapel’s views on the validity of the survey.

“Surveys in general, if they are designed correctly, they have to ask a question about six different ways,” Craig said. “There are repeated questions in real surveys because that’s entirely by design.”

However, Chapel believes that the survey will chart the cultural growth of the schools community. With this information, Chapel hopes ASL can later improve their cultural awareness. “It’s only in analyzing the results that it helps you improve.

The survey itself is just an instrument to show where we are.”

THE STANDARD | April 2017

Page 3

News

Four new department heads appointed CAMERON CAMPILI NEWS EDITOR

SOURNA DANESHVAR JR LEAD NEWS EDITOR

T

he 2017-2018 school year will bring four new department heads, altering ASL’s Teaching and Learning Committee (TLC). Four department heads are stepping down: Bill Kenney, Lanting Xu, Neil Basu and Roger Smith in the Science, World Languages and Culture, Math and SLD departments, respectively.

The department heads are elected in a periodic process every three years where teachers can apply to become head of their specific department. Once elected, department heads can stay in their position for up to six years.

Keeping a rotational system generates several benefits for the community. “We’ve also found that when the job rotates everyone becomes invested in the lead-

Learning Specialist Fay Wheatley will take over his position as the Head of the SLD Department after she returns from maternity leave.

In the meantime Learning Specialist Terri Moyer will serve as the interim head.

Although change is a necessity in bringing fresh ideas to each department, it does present drawbacks. One of these drawbacks, highlighted by Principal Jack Phillips, is altering the current chemistry and group dynamic of the TLC. “Anytime you have that kind of transition in a team there are both opportunities and costs.

The biggest cost is that we’ve got a great group and a great dynamic right now,” Phillips said.

Changing four of the eight current department heads halts the continuing work of the current committee. “The downside is now it’s about developing the new people, giving them a sense of the team, making sure they feel [like] they belong,” Phillips said.

is challenge them to feel like they have the autonomy and resources to lead a team, be responsible for a team. But also part of their job is to coordinate and make sure all the department are kind of working in the same direction,” Phillips said.

Senior administrators like Phillips, Chapel and Assistant Principal Karen Bonthrone focus on ensuring the overall quality of education at the school. As a result, department heads serve as the liaisons to facilitate best practices of education within the specific department that follow the broader institutional goals. “In the High School [they’re] really essential for the flow of communication,” Chapel said.

Additionally, Xu believes the importance of professional development remains a crucial aspect to the role of the heads of departments. “It’s important in the sense that the department head really needs to think very careful-

“The position is firmly one of the most crucial positions in the High School in terms of leading change.”

Outgoing

Incoming

Head of SLD Department Roger Smith

Learning Specialist Terri Moyer

Head of Science Department Bill Kenney

Science Teacher Andrew Ringham

Head of Math Department Neil Basu

Math Teacher Mark Barsoum

Head of World Languages and Cultures Department Lanting Xu

World Languages and Cultures Teacher Ruth McDonough

Director of Teaching and Learning Robyn Chapel ership system. There’s a belief also that it’s good to have goals, concrete goals, see those goals through and then let someone else have an opportunity,” Chapel said.

After serving as the Science Department Head for six years, Kenney must step down due to the periodic sequence.

This was the first year the World Languages and Cultures Department had a department head dedicated solely to the High School. Previously Xu has served as the Head of the World Languages and Cultures Department for the whole school. Seeing the transition through, she will step down from her role at the end of this year.

Transitioning to his job next year as the Grade 9 Dean, Basu will also step down as Head of the Math Department.

Smith will leave his post, retiring at the end of the year. Grade 8

“They’re coming in midstream, so how do we make sure they’re successful getting up to speed there?”

Director of Teaching and Learning Robyn Chapel believes that a department head, per the job description sent out to all faculty and staff, must “lead the continuous development, articulation and delivery of the curriculum and successful implementation of all school and divisional goals.” Additionally, they must create a vision for the department, which means “it’s firmly one of the most crucial positions in the High School in terms of leading change,” Chapel said.

Phillips also views department heads as one of the most important leadership roles in the school, given their direct involvement with teachers and the learning in a classroom. “They’re the ones closest to the actual work being done, and so what we want to do

ly about the type of professional development opportunities that would help teachers to improve over time.” Xu also believes that “if you want to ask students to be lifelong learners we ourselves need to be lifelong learners.”

Despite the ability to foster and augment the goals of a specific department, radical change for a department is unlikely based solely on the appointment of a new department head. “The departments have pretty clear goals that they’ve established so often [a department is] getting used to someone’s style of working, unless for some reason the department would collectively decide we really want to move in a different direction,” Chapel said.

Phillips also believes that establishing a transition allows for the overall growth of the department.

“It’s a chance to inject some new ideas and a fresh start, which I think you have to have: Leadership turnover.”

PHOTOS BY STEPHANIE BRENDSEL

Page 4

THE STANDARD | April 2017

•••

News

Q&A: Sitting down with the Social Justice Council Presidents Amanda Welch (’18) and Ananya Prakash (’19) share their beliefs on social justice and vision for the council

SOURNA DANESHVAR JR. LEAD NEWS EDITOR Congratulations, first of all.

What’s your relationship like?

Student Justice Council (SJC) President Amanda Welch (’18): Because we both started at the same time there isn’t a sense of “I’m older” or whatever. We see each other as equals.

SJC President Ananya Prakash (’19): I think we both have the same end goal of making ASL a safe place, but how we get there might be different. If someone brings up an idea or someone has another idea we make sure to compromise and listen to each other. In the end, because we have the same goal, regardless of which direction we take, I think we’ll definitely get there.

Why has the SJC progressed to the level of impact it has in such a short time?

AP: One of the reasons is because already there’s so many people at ASL who want to talk about social justice and who have passions about certain aspects of social justice. I think there just needed to be a platform for that, especially in regards to activism.

AW: I think even if these issues don’t directly affect you, I think social justice issues affect everyone, if you’re benefiting from them or not.

I think people do care about these issues and sometimes it gets overwhelming and you tune out. I think the reason why we’ve been able to get a presence in such a short time is that people care about these issues and sometimes they just put them on the back burner.

What does a safe environment look like?

AW: The people who have opposed us have felt that maybe we are promoting an environment with a specific opinion or viewpoint, but I think at this school it’s important to have viewpoints and opinions that I don’t agree with and other people don’t agree with and ones obviously that you do agree with. That’s important to have in any type of community and our goal is to make sure that everyone in the school feels comfortable speaking their opinion, listening to others’ opinions and also being comfortable with who they are in this community.

Amanda Welch (’18) and Ananya Prakash (’19) take over as Social Justice Council Presidents from Maddie Kolaja (’18) and Maya Matejcek (’17). Both Welch and Prakash started on the board last year. Next year, they hope to continue activities such as Aequitas PHOTO BY KENZIE MORRIS Day and add to the available discussion forums at the school.

AP: For me a safe space would be increasing the sense of empathy.

Obviously we’ve come from such different backgrounds, we’ve grown up in different environments and I think because we are so different it is sometimes hard for students to understand another student who might have different identifiers. For me a safe space would be students – even if they don’t agree with a certain viewpoint or opinion – they acknowledge that is present in the school and they try to understand where that person is coming from, even though eventually they might not agree.

Given how divisive and polarizing this year has been politically, how do you foster a council and environment that is inclusive of everyone’s thoughts?

AP: I think we need to make sure that as a council we are not focused on the group of people who think the same way as us. We need to acknowledge that there are other groups involved. I think as a council we need to work on holding dialogue and conversation. I think it’s one thing to do activism and have these projects going on and I think it’s another thing to really dig deep into people’s beliefs and why they

think a certain way. I think in general to help us as a community come together more and not be so politically different is to foster some conversation and ensure that everyone is involved. People might not agree, but people shouldn’t feel as if they cannot express their views.

AW: We definitely want to improve the discussion aspect of our council, I think that’s something that we haven’t explored, but that’s something that we want to do with our presidency. You could say that this school is politically on a certain side and there are opinions that are smaller in this school. There are going to be things like politics and discussion that are very divided, but I think it’s important to forget about that and look at it from the human perspective.

What is social justice at ASL? AW: I think at the end of day we all believe in equality and we think that’s a right people should have.

At this school it’s making sure everyone feels safe and has the right to voice their opinion, and respecting other people’s opinions.

AP: Also for me, a big part why I got into social justice was making that distinction between equity and

equality. I think it’s very important as ASL students to recognize our privilege of being at ASL, having this education, but acting upon that privilege. I think it’s one thing to understand that I have this privilege or I know this is happening or I know this is an issue, and it’s another thing to stand up for those rights; make sure that you are heard; make sure that other people who may not have that ability or that platform to voice their opinions are represented, whether it’s through the council, through a project or through discussions.

What is the difference between equality and equity?

AP: It’s this girl who’s on the ground and this other girl who’s on the pedestal, and they’re both trying to look up a certain wall and both of them couldn’t see because they are both below the wall. But if you give them both one more block, the girl on the pedestal could see, but the girl on the ground couldn’t see. So even if both people are given the same amount of advantage or help they are not able to reach the same outcome in the end. Equity is the end product or the end goal that everybody’s equal, where equality is giving everybody the same amount of assistance.

Now a more personal question, what’s the movie you’ve watched the most?

AW: Probably Avengers. My favorite superhero is Captain America.

That’s like me and my dad’s thing: Superheroes. We’ve seen it so much that sometimes we turn the sound off and we’re just speaking it. It’s really embarrassing.

AP: That’s such a coincidence, I was thinking the exact same thing.

I have to ask, what superpower do you wish you had?

AP: I think for me just going back in time – I think time travel. There’s so many things I regret or wish I said or wish I did.

AW: See[ing] what dinosaurs look like would be really fun.

AP: I was wondering… we don’t really know what dinosaurs sound like. We just make up that they sounded a certain way. No one actually knows what they sounded like.

How do we know they weren’t high pitched?

Editor’s note: Despite her position on The Standard, Ananya Prakash is included in the article to fairly and comprehensively represent the views of the Social Justice Council.

THE STANDARD | April 2017

•••

News

Page 5

Q&A: Talking with Student-Faculty Disciplinary Board Presidents Georgina Scoville (’18) and Mark Haghani (’18) explain their partnership and relationship with the administration

you to identify with it and form an opinion. I found a case this year where I had some previous opinions about these people, but the president put us in line and made sure that it is a really moral thing. So making sure that we always uphold the moral standard and keep away from the gossipy side of things.

MH: I would say that with the really big decisions it's usually that there's a very clear answer to them. If someone's done something really, really bad that's so against the school it's an easier decision to make and usually it's the middle ground cases that are the most complicated and are the ones that we as students resonate most with a little harder.

Georgina Scoville (’18) and Mark Haghani (’18) will serve as the Student-Faculty Disciplinary Board Presidents for next year.

Scoville spent the past three years on the board, while Haghani joined the board this year. The remaining eight members of the board will be selected through an application process and student election next school year. PHOTO BY SOURNA DANESHVAR JR.

CAMERON CAMPILI NEWS EDITOR What's it like to have the title of president?

Student-Faculty Disciplinary Board (SFDB) President Georgina Scoville (’18): I think it's scary in a sense, and I might be reading into it too much, but in some cases you're expected to be the highest moral person in the school. Also for me, since I've been doing [SFDB] since freshman year it's been the end goal. So, it's a relief in a way as it's so scary to get the ballot in.

SFDB President Mark Haghani (’18): I'm really looking forward to it. Even though I've only had six months on [SFDB}, I feel quite prepared and I think that it's been really good to have two presidents [Nils Skattum (’17) and Tyler Skow (’17)} to look up to this year. They've done a good job to emphasize that it's a student-faculty board, not a faculty-student board and that it’s really run by students.

How do the two of you work together?

GS: I think we’re very different in the context of SFDB. There's

this sense of good cop, bad cop, so you kind of have to play the field of making sure you have two different angles. So sometimes it means that I have to be the harsher one, but usually it’s [Haghani].

It's all about finding that balance and making sure that we work together.

MH: I think that something that's very evident is that [Scoville has] been on the board since freshman year and I’ve only been on the board since junior year.

I think that's very good to be diversified and to have a diversified board because that's what the SFDB is about: the right to represent the student body. I can give some fresh opinions or perspective on some matters, and she’s seen some different cases in the past and knows how to best deal with them. So I think that's a really good blend is that kind of new and old.

How has the SFDB changed from when you both joined?

GS: It’s awkward because you’re just sitting there waiting for these people to come in. But now I think we have become closer as a group and understood each other dif-

ferently, which is something that hasn’t happened in past years.

And especially this year freshmen have always become more vocal which is amazing.

MH: I’m sure coming in freshman year, one would be quite intimidated. That’s something we’ve seen from our two freshmen and that’s also something that’s very important, which is to have freshman and sophomores represent you as well as upperclassmen. Also we’ve really emphasized helping the students. So we don’t just punish people. At the beginning of the year, half of the board was new. So in these past six months we’ve gained a lot of experience, and I think at the beginning of the year we were helping the students a lot after the case because it’s about rehabilitation as well. It’s not just punishment that we give and I think that we have done a very good job as time has gone by. It’s something that we are going to be looking forward to continuing in the future.

What's your relationship like with the administration?

GS: Communication is the

best thing. There has been some cases this year where we have been frankly unhappy about some things that have happened.

I think what the presidents have done this year, has been very great. First of all they don't just keep it between themselves or between [Director of Student Life James] Perry and [Principal Jack] Phillips, but instead we had a meeting with the entire board.

It's different as juniors, but we were able to have an honest conversation with the administration about how we felt, which I thought was very good. So just having these open conversations with admin and coming together as a group.

What do you view as your role for high disciplinary cases?

GS: Within SFDB itself it's kind of hard when those bigger things happen. It's kind of gossipy amongst the students who aren’t on the board, but going from “wow, this is such an interesting case,” and separating your feelings and opinions from it is important. I think that the bigger the case the easier it is for

What do you want to see as the future of discipline at ASL? MH: When I leave I want to make sure that the board is extremely strong and is always favored towards the students. I think that it is really important to keep faculty limited inside of our meetings. We already have two faculty members [English Teacher Peggy Elhadj and Science Teacher Derek Fleming]. I think it’s a really good balance right now and I want to keep that balance.

GS: I want people to not think we’re the police, but people trying to help them and we’re actually on their side. When we’re discussing [their case] we vouch for their character.

MH: Preventing future cases is something I’m really interested in. Not this year, but I’m sure in past years some people have come up multiple times in front of the board and I want to prevent that. Last year 60 or 80 percent of cases were from plagiarism. I want to try and prevent the same cases from happening.

Sometimes underclassmen they don’t know about it as much, so it’s really important to inform students about that because sometimes we have kids who are in the gray zone and don’t really know what plagiarism is. Mistakes happen from all of us and sometimes you make them in the wrong places in the wrong time and I think it’s really important for us to recognize that.

Page 6

THE STANDARD | April 2017

•••

News

Sabbatical opportunities decreased The administration includes sabbatical spending in the professional development fund, although many teachers feel they are two puzzle pieces that don’t fit together STAFF WRITER

MADDIE SAYRE STAFF WRITER

L

ast spring, after three years of discussions, the administration decided to allow only one teacher to go on a school-funded sabbatical per year. In previous years, sabbaticals were available for up to three teachers a year. The change began when the Senior Administrative Team, including Head of School Coreen Hester and the principals of each division, were concerned with the large amounts of money set aside for sabbaticals.

ASL spends £500,000 each year on professional development with £180,000 of that spent on sabbaticals. “Thirtyseven percent of all of the money for the [faculty], over 200 teachers and 100 staff, went to the three people who took sabbaticals,” Hester said.

Director of Finance Chris AImond believes that the administration felt there were more efficient ways the money could be used. “It was a very high proportion [of money],” he said. “We were concerned that it wasn’t the best use of our professional development monies.”

Likewise, Director of Teaching and Learning Robyn Chapel supports sabbaticals, but believes that it is also important for every teacher to have a higher amount of professional development funds. “I definitely think it’s a valuable experience for the individual,” she said. “It’s just the tension between what’s good for the individual and what’s good for the collective group?”

Although Science Teacher Derek Fleming agrees that there were problems with the previous professional development funding, he feels sabbaticals are an important benefit for teachers. Fleming went on a sabbatical to study a master’s degree in science communication at the University of Kent. He finds it “extremely regrettable that a faculty benefit had to be reduced in order to increase funding in a different area.”

Head of Social Studies Department Natalie Jaworski views sabbaticals as a teacher benefit greatly diminished by the change. “I do think [sabbaticals] are one of the things that you look at when you start working here, as part of your contract this is a benefit that is offered to you,” she said. “It should be open to all of us to do and limiting it to only one is pretty restrictive.”

Science Teacher Kevin Conaty has been on a sabbatical and found it is a worthwhile experience, wanting others to have the opportunity to do the same. Before taking his sabbatical, Conaty was a biology teacher, but also

£500,000

Spent on professional development, including sabbaticals

i

ISABELLE LHUILIER

Professional development spending

£1,200

now given to each teacher for professional development annually

300% increase in funds

Sabbatical spending before 2016/17

£180,000

£300

previously Given to each teacher for professional development annually

ulty were able to take part in.

“It might be going to professional development in your area of expertise, so like a science conference or math conference. There’s lots of opportunities,” Chapel said.

However, with limited funds it was important to redecrease in funds distribute them more equitably. “We spent a lot of time now spent annualLy trying to have as fair a process on Sabbaticals as we possibly could so that everybody understood the rationale,” Hester said. “I'm a huge fan of sabbaticals – I just have to spend wanted to expand money within the budget and so I was in fahis teaching into vor of the redistribution.” chemistry. “Part If a teacher was in need of more money to of my sabbatical take part in one of these professional develwas to take some advanced courses in chemistry which I did, and opment opportunities however, they had to then I came back and was better prepared and request it from their divisional principal.

Expensive international programs were more able to teach the higher level chemistry one reason why a teacher would need more course,” Conaty said.

Conaty attended meetings involving the money. “You can imagine if you are going on whole faculty before the decision was made a trip to the [U.S.], that just wasn’t enough,” to discuss the changes and during these Almond said. “It was not particularly effimeetings tried to convey how meaningful cient because for every time you wanted to a sabbatical was for him. “I tried to present do a course, you had to [request] money from the positive experience that I had and that by someone else. It took a lot of time then for the cutting it down you are denying more people team who were approving the money.”

In addition, it was difficult to decide who what was for me a very valuable experience,” to give the extra money to, and this led to he said.

Despite reducing the number, Hester still concerns that the program wasn’t as fair as regrets reducing the sabbatical program and it could be. “How did the principal decide views the decision as “a debate of two rights. whether to give £1,700 to [someone] or to It was very difficult... because in the best of someone who [only] needed £200 more?” AIall worlds you would do both,” she said. “You mond said. “It wasn’t necessarily the fairest would still have three sabbaticals and you system.”

The new way of allocating the funds atwould be giving £1,200 [to each teacher].”

Originally, all faculty members were al- tempts to distribute them more equitably. located £400 for professional development Cutting down on the amount of sabbaticals in their first year of employment and re- allows every teacher to receive more money ceived £300 every year after. This money for professional development.

From the 2016-17 school year onwards was dedicated to professional experiences around the world that members of the fac- only one teacher from any of the three di-

spent annually on Sabbaticals

i 66%

£60,000

visions will be awarded a sabbatical. All teachers will have access to £1,200 for professional development. If they do not spend that money in their first year, they receive another £1,200 until they have reached £2,400. Staff members will receive £600 every year until they have £1,200. This allows more teachers to access more money for professional development, such as taking courses throughout the year and going to conferences either locally or abroad.

“

[Sabbaticals] are one of the things that you look at when you start working here as a benefit that is offered to you.

It should be open to all of us to do and limiting it to only one is pretty restrictive.

Head of Social Studies Department, Natalie Jaworski After numerous conversations, Almond and Senior Administration Team remain content with the decision “We believe it is the best use of the funds,” he said. “To fund a sabbatical costs about £60,000 a year. When you think about how that £60,000 could be used on lots of people, it’s a hard one to justify.”

However, Jaworski believes that sabbaticals and professional development are very different and should not be funded from the same pool of money. “I think the sabbatical is a separate benefit and I don’t look at [Professional Development] that we get at school as a benefit, I look at it as part of my actual job,” she said. “I don’t think that money should be coming out of [the same fund].”

THE STANDARD | April 2017

Page 7

•••

News

Westminster attack leaves lasting effects Reflecting on the ramifications and impacts of the terror attacks on Parliament

Flowers are left on Westminster Bridge in remembrance of the four lives taken by attacker Khalid Masood on March 22 during the terrorist attack.

PHOTO FROM FLICKR.COM/ZONGO

MARTHA COLLINS DEPUTY EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

M

arch 22 was like any other Wednesday. Ben Shields (’17) had just arrived home from school, when he got a call from his mom, Prime Minister’s Special Representative on Internet Crime and Harms Baroness Joanna Shields.

“Listen Ben, there’s been an attack.

I was near Parliament, but the car turned around as we were about to approach Parliament and they got me to a safe location and I’m fine.

Just so you know. Don’t be worried.

I’m OK,” she said.

Khalid Masood drove a van down Westminster Bridge at around 2:40 p.m., killing four and injuring at least 50, 31 of whom had to go to the hospital, according to The Independent. Deaths included Police Officer Keith Palmer who was stabbed by Masood when he entered the gates of Parliament. Masood was later killed by police gunshot.

The news of the attack stunned Ben, but he was comforted with the knowledge that his mother was secure. “At first I felt really reassured that she was safe and everything was OK, but I was really worried that somebody we know might have been hurt or that something might have gone wrong somewhere else in London – that this might have been the first of many attacks,” he said.

Hours of uncertainty lingered after the attack and Joanna remained in a safe place until there was more clarity towards how events were unfolding. “For hours all you could hear was the persistent hum of police and emergency helicopters overhead. All government buildings were swept and secured, and for many hours it

was not clear whether this was an attack by one individual or if the incident was part of a wider coordinated plan,” she said.

An aspect of Joanna’s current role is countering the presence of terrorist organizations online. The attack on Westminster reminded her of the importance of her efforts. “Though I already work on countering extremism and terrorism, this attack in London, where I live, and in Parliament, my place of work, has had a profound impact on me and strengthened my resolve in fighting,” she said.

“What struck me most was the sense of solidarity and community that followed. In spite of all the acrimony of politics, in the end we are all public servants doing the best we can to serve our community.”

Prime Minister’s Special Representative on Internet Crime and Harms Baroness Joanna Shields

The attack also reminded Ben of the danger surrounding his mother’s role. “It certainly is a scary notion that these groups that my mom does work to counter are targeting Parliament. It’s a weird thought that your parents work as a target constantly,” he said.

Unlike Ben, Isabel Rosen (’19) was still at school at the time of the attack. Had she been at home, Rosen would’ve been minutes away from Westminster. “[My mom] told me about the attack and my first thought was, ‘Oh my

god, are my little sisters okay?’,” she said.

Rosen didn’t immediately feel scared by the event. “Honestly I was a bit under whelmed at the fear I was feeling. I thought that I should’ve been having a more extreme reaction to it, but honestly I feel like since we hear so much about these [attacks], it wasn’t really that consequential for me, even if it was right by my house.”

As Rosen lives so close to Parliament, she and her family were evacuated from their home the following evening. “They thought that there might be some sort of explosive nearby, so they wanted to make sure the blast radius was cleared,” she said. “My little sisters, they were definitely more afraid than I was.

You had the panic on the inside, but having little siblings that you need to keep calm really helped in not having all the thoughts that could go wrong.”

Strong Cities Network Manager Rebecca Skellett, who works at the London-based counter terrorism organization Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD), was surprised by the timing of the attack, but anticipated that an attack on London would come. “We are always expecting something to happen. It’s always going to be a question of when, not if,” she said.

Skellett believes the motivations behind the attack are unclear, as they neither fully fit the profile of a Daesh or Al Qaeda attack.

In reading Al Qaeda magazine material a few years ago, Skellett came across striking content that emulates the Westminster attack. “[The magazine] had detailed instructions... even how to scar your tires to create a maximum ability for

the car to flip and cause skidding on a motorway so you’d be able to take out more cars and more pedestrians,” she said. “To get down to that level of detail in those magazines is indicative of just how much they advocate for the use of individuals to use anything in their means to create attacks on the west and symbolically on our way of life.”

In the wake of the attack, Skellett believes the response from London emergency forces and leaders was carried out well. “They were very cautionary about the information they released. They didn’t call it a terrorist attack from the get go, which is incredibly important to making sure that communities don’t feel like they’re being targeted without the evidence base, particularly if they were to come out and say this was Islamic extremism,” she said.

“We know from experience in London that as soon as those types of remarks are made there tends to be a backlash against the Muslim community.”

Although London leaders didn’t release speculative information regarding the motives of the attack, Skellett fears that the media contributes to the presence of Islamophobia and these sentiments play into the hands of Daesh. “I worry we’re giving into a cycle where it doesn’t look like it can ever end,” she said.

The day after the attack, local leaders such as Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and Home Secretary Amber Rudd brought community members together in vigils for those who lost their lives. Ben was comforted by images from these gatherings. “When I saw the pictures of the vigil the next day and the following days… when police and Mus-

lims were marching together on the bridge right next to Parliament, that gave me hope,” he said.

The sense of community that arose as a result of the terror attack from public officials heartened Joanna. “What struck me most was the sense of solidarity and community that followed. In spite of all of the acrimony of politics, in the end we are all public servants doing the best we can to serve our community, and losing Palmer, one of our colleagues, hit hard,” she said.

Ben believes that London proved strong and resilient in the face of tragedy. “I would say that it continues to show that London is, and the U.K. at large, is doing the most to counter violent extremism and I think continues to do the best job of keeping domestic security and safety,” he said.

Despite feelings of resilience from some Londoners, Skellett believes the lasting effects of this attack will be in Muslim communities across the country. “Just imagine going home that night as a person of the Muslim faith, putting on the TV and just seeing the speculation, the blame and the sense of shame that it gives communities constantly,” she said.

Skellett maintains it is essential that community members understand the true motives of religion.

“The questions of, ‘Will I have a hate crime committed against me because of the British public’s inability to divorce my faith from these acts of violence?’ That’s always going to be a contention until there’s more of an understanding across society that this is not representative of a faith in fact, surprise, surprise, no faith condones violence,” she said. “That message just seems to get lost.”

Page 8

Opinions

THE STANDARD | April 2017

••• New Facilities Refugee Crisis

Editorial

Confronting Censorship As an editorial board, we believe it is imperative that our audience is made aware that in Issue IV of The Standard, an article was censored by the administration.

We won’t discuss in detail what was censored, instead, we will outline the trepidations we have with the decision certain administrators made.

As a paper it is our duty to publish exemplary student news media according to the strictest standards of journalistic integrity. In Issue IV, we failed to deliver this standard due to this censorship. Hours before we sent to press a section of an article had to be removed, resulting in the publication of a story that did not fully encapsulate all the details of the event, despite the fact that we had obtained this information.

While this was the most egregious case, it wasn’t the only one. In the past The Standard has attempted to contact sources outside of school that the school

CARTOON BY GABY IWEGBUE

TYLER SKOW Editor-in-Chief MARTHA COLLINS Deputy Editor-in-Chief SOURNA DANESHVAR JR. Lead News Editor CAMERON CAMPILI News Editor SOPHIE ASHLEY Opinions Editor MICHAELA TOWFIGHI Lead Features Editor ANANYA PRAKASH Features Editor QUINN WHITMAN Features Editor OLIVIA ABRAMS Culture Editor ALEXANDRA GERS Culture Editor JONATHAN SHEVES Sports Editor ANKIT MEHRA Online Director STEPHANIE BRENDSEL Online/Photo Editor CHRISTINA LEONARD Online Editor SHANNON MILLER Adviser CARTOONIST Gaby Iwegbue STAFF WRITERS Maya Ariburnu, William Brummette, Martha Duff, Phaedra Letrou, Anastasia Ruimy, Houdah Daniels, Michael Flaherty, Rohan Haarmann, Isabelle Lhuilier, Jonathan Novak, Naz Ozturk, Jonathan Philips, Lorenzo Rasetta, Maddie Sayre, Ethan Snizek, John Towfighi, Imogen Weiss, Amaan Zafar

contacted for industrial projects. Although we were only attempting to provide the best information from an expert on the project, the school explicitly told the source outside of school not to speak to us. That decision left us unable to deliver the most accurate article possible and gave us only the school to trust for their own information. The school insisting that we rely on them and solely them for our data sets another uncomfortable precedence: one where the school constructs the only narrative.

In another instance this issue, we were denied information that we requested because the school was afraid we would misinterpret the data. We take issue with this because just because an interpretation of information that differs from the one the school has is not inherently incorrect. Data allows for multiple, correct interpretations. Also, it does the school no justice to withhold the information. The Standard is one of the main forms of communication within the community. Our job as journalists is to answer the questions people have about what the school does. The philosophy that what the community doesn’t know doesn’t hurt them is sincerely ingenuine.

This is an all too frequent occurrence and one that threatens not only our legitimacy, but that of the administration. If there is so much the administration wishes to with-

Standard

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Kenzie Morris, Imogen Weiss MISSION STATEMENT The Standard staff and adviser are dedicated to creating a collaborative, open forum that cultivates productive dialogue within the School community by publishing exemplary student news media according to the strictest standards of journalistic integrity.

CONTENT The Standard covers news related, but not limited, to the School community. Issues-driven coverage that aims to explore ideas, themes, concepts, trends and recent developments beyond the campus that are relevant to members of the community are also included.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Send submissions to the journalism lab, room Y-201, 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 for length and AP/Standard style. All letters must be signed in order to be considered for publication.

EDITORIALS

hold, one must wonder about their actions and transparency with the community.

Publishing an article that is missing critical facts is an offense that skirts on the line of neglect and misinformation. From your perspective as the reader, you should be skeptical of what it means when your news is incomplete. Of course historians will argue there is no one correct narrative, but to receive news from a publication that is wholly incomplete is inexcusable.

Especially in an age where social media is being used as a news outlet, and fake news and biased news organizations are on the rise, it is necessary that readers question the stories they are reading.

As an editorial board, we cannot stress enough the importance of the autonomy of the press. Without the capability to freely uncover and report the truth, in whatever form the truth takes, we cannot inform our community of the real issues taking place on campus. To limit the scope of what this staff can report on is a major concern for us as staff members and for the wider community.

Restricting the topics we can and cannot discuss hinders our community’s ability to accurately self reflect on matters of grave concern. If The Standard’s ability to print the truth is hindered, our readers will not be able to trust the journalistic integrity of our publication.

Articles published without a byline and presented in the same location issue-to-issue represent the majority opinion of the editorial board. They are unsigned.

COMMENTARIES Articles with a byline and a photo of the author in the Opinions section of the newspaper are opinions articles. They represent the view of the writer only, and not necessarily the staff of the newspaper or any other individual or group in the community.

CORRECTIONS POLICY Readers reserve the right to call attention to an error in print or online stories. Any queries regarding potential corrections can be emailed to the_standard@asl.org or be reported to Y-201. The corrected version will appear online with a note indicating that the article has been updated since it originally appeared. If the article originally appeared in print, a note about the correction will also be printed in the following issue.

ENGAGEMENT WITH READERSHIP The Standard encourages all readers to submit their thoughts through letters to the editor, guest columns, online comments and story ideas. Contact the appropriate section editor(s) for submissions.

Distribution

From the perspective of a well functioning democracy, the press plays the invaluable role of the watchdog, holding the government accountable. Simply stated, when the press is restricted in any capacity, there is no guarantee executives are being held to the standards they ought to be.

We also feel it necessary to discuss why the administration censored the article in Issue IV and the concerns we have with their logic.

This decision came down to the balance of two rights: The freedom of the press and parents’ right to privacy. Ultimately, their decision came in response to parents pressuring the school to withhold the article. The issues with the article were not raised by students, nor was the information in question damaging to any individual’s reputation.

This editorial board believes firmly that the administration should defend its students before catering to the demands of parents.

Finally, with a new Head of School starting next year, we hope that this issue does not set a negative precedent. Although this case of censorship is almost entirely isolated, its existence cannot be denied and if continued, will limit The Standard’s ability to produce a newspaper with integrity. We hope, in the future, that the school will respect the autonomy of the newspaper and allow The Standard to report the truth.

Press run is 800 copies. Copies are provided free of charge to students, faculty and staff in The American School in London; current enrollment 1,350.

ONLINE VIEWING The Standard can be viewed online at standard.asl.org.

Printed by Mortons Print Limited, 01507 523456 Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ TheStandardASL Follow us on Twitter: @TheStandardASL Follow us on Instagram: @TheStandardASL Follow us on Snapchat: thestandardasl

CORRECTION in Issue III, on page 23, we erroneously published an inaccurate quote attributed to Alex Harrington (’17). The quote should have read “physical activity that does not require, but can have competition.”

THE STANDARD | April 2017

Page 9

Opinions

Making the most of our facilities We are fortunate to attend a school with outstanding resources and facilities. The New Frontiers construction project reaffirms the school’s commitment to improving facilities and providing students with the best spaces possible. However, the implementation of the facilities thus far shows the school is forgetting the utmost priority for the facilities and a school as a whole: Serving its students.

The facilities feel less like student and faculty resources and more like ASL’s own leisure center. Adding fees for students to use the gym at certain times shows perhaps the tone-deaf nature of the implementation. If the school opens the pool, gym and fitness center late after school, students should be able to use them without being charged. We understand that there are times previously not guaranteed to students, but if the school is opening its doors to parents and other members of the community it should keep its doors open to students.

On weekends if the school can and is willing to keep facilities

open, then it should remain open to students. Unless there is an explicit, registered class, which understandably has an associated fee, students should be able to use the facilities free of charge any time they are open and supervised.

With the pool as well, the school must continue to prioritize students. The fact that the swim team, on some days, needed to wait for a Swim Stars lesson to finish in order to start their practice is not okay. We understand that maintaining the facilities is not a cheap operation, but it should not come at a cost for students.

Earlier in the year we reported that students would have priority of the facilities immediately after school and students were told this directly, but less than a year into the actual use of the facilities this has been contradicted.

The Swim Stars program has been popular, which is great for the school, but that shouldn’t come at the cost of student use.

Yes, many of the people attending the class are members of the community, but students shouldn’t

have to pay in order to use the pool.

The pool should be easier to access after school and on weekends. We understand the necessity to charge for swimming classes and other classes, but is it too much to ask to leave one lane open?

Many students use a fitness center of some sort and care about their fitness and wellbeing. The school needed to recognize this and continue to provide adequate resources for community members. Interest (or lackthereof ) in the fitness center stemmed not from a distaste to using the fitness center at school, but because the product the school provided failed to serve students as best it could.

If the school had a gym with all the equipment that students wanted to use and fostered a comfortable environment many more members of the community would use it.

Numerous students pay for a gym membership outside of school because they feel more comfortable or their chosen gym has better equipment or is more accessible. Of course, the school

cannot cater to everyone’s individual needs, but it’s not doing enough to cater to the majority’s needs. It makes no sense for the school to invest millions of pounds into athletic and other facilities only for students not use it.

Aquatics Fitness Center and Manager Keith Mainstone recently spoke at an assembly to elicit student feedback and inform students of new classes based on community consultation. Standing in front of the high school and asking for their help showed great progress for Mainstone and the development of the facilities as a whole, but it seems too little too late.

Hiring Mainstone just before the year started put him and the rest of the facilities group behind given that many of the people he wished to hire had to sit out a non-compete in their previous contracts and couldn’t start working at the school until many months into the academic year.

The late start meant that while students and community members were at school and wanted to use the facilities, they had to wait

Progress Report MUSIC TOUR

SURVEYS

DAMN

for aquatics and fitness center staff to supervise the facilities.

Given it is the first year the facilities are open, growing pains are understandable, but so many of these could and should have been avoided. By simply asking students what equipment they want in the fitness center and what times it should be open many of the key problems that plague the new facilities could have been resolved.

Finally, the administration needs to listen to what students say and remember that these facilities should not serve as the ASL leisure club, but basic athletic facilities for students to use.

We recognize that complaining about this can be seen as more than a little trite. We are aware that we are incredibly fortunate.

But it is evident that the organization of these facilities could be improved. The school invests so much in its students’ well-being and it’s a shame to see it wasted. Moving forward, the school should look to make student use a priority when making decisions about the facilities.

PHOTO 1 COURTESY OF LISA ROSS, PHOTO 2 FROM ZIMBRA, PHOTOS 3 AND 6 FROM WIKIPEDIA COMMONS, PHOTO 4 FROM FLICKR, PHOTO 5 FROM FLICKR.COM/ALBERTOGP

MOCKS

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The Editorial Board of 1.

The Standard gives 2. School Surveys: (2) But how else would our advisories 5. spend that time? Stephanie Brendsel the school its 2017 AP (5) Kendrick Lamar did it again, all praise to Kung 6. season report. 3. DAMN: Fu Kenny. Be humble. Ankit Mehra Music Tour: (3) At least the five audience members who weren’t ASL moms enjoyed the show. Sophie Ashley

Editorial

Five Guys: (5) The best burger joint in London can’t catch a break. Sourna Daneshvar Jr. Mocks: (1) Is AP review not a thing? Straight from a unit test to a mock. Martha Collins

Alessandro Baravalle (’17) runs marathon: (5) Only Baravalle could run 26 miles in an impressive time with minimal training and a sleep debt that was likely over 56 hours. This man makes miracles. Tyler Skow Post Scriptum: The end of an era

Page 10

THE STANDARD | April 2017

•••

Opinions

Taking in refugees is imperative JONATHAN PHILIPS jonathan_philips@asl.org

“

If the United States wishes to remain a leading force for good, and a role model for the world, then taking in refugees is a necessity.

The American dollar bill reads Annuit Coeptis – “He favors our undertaking.” The United States is a nation under constant change and improvement, but it is not self-improving and certainly not finished.

As Americans, it is our duty to demand and ensure progress.

The Syrian refugee crisis is the preeminent humanitarian challenge of this decade. The American public must recognize that the world has seen refugee crises before and failed to act. This has resulted in thousands upon thousands of unnecessary deaths. During World War II, a boat called the SS St. Louis sailed to the United States full of Jewish refugees; the Jews were refused refuge, the captain was forced to back to Europe. Just half of refugees who were in the St. Louis survived the Holocaust.

Those who do not learn from history are bound to repeat it. I am not trying to equate the Holocaust with any modern refugee crisis, but

the United States must learn from it’s mistakes in order to improve.

The United States has been in a position to help before and failed.

The answer to today’s crisis is simple: the U.S. must take in more refugees. Generosity is an American value, and it is high time that all moral Americans, liberal and conservative, turn back to it.

It is a moral imperative that the U.S. accepts refugees. The U.S. is not perfect, and it has never claimed to be so, but the U.S. has been a beacon of freedom and proponent of human rights since the end of the 1940s. If the U.S. wishes to remain a leading force for good, and a role model for the world, then taking in refugees is a necessity.

Taking refugees in is also beneficial for the U.S. as well. What, or better who, made the U.S. mighty?

Is it the U.S.’s vast nuclear stockpile? In part. Is it the U.S.’s unparalleled military power and the largest

1

economy that the earth has known?

In part. However, what is neglected far too often is who fathomed the bomb, who creates and sustains the economy. It’s immigrants and refugees. Icons such as Steve Jobs and Albert Einstein were immigrants and refugees. According to the Economic Policy Institute, immigrants disproportionately contribute to the economy compared to their native-born peers by being more likely to own small businesses and by having a higher representation in the workforce than the general population.

Millions of people from Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Somalia (to name a few countries) urgently need resettlement, and there is no practical reason why the United States cannot accept more refugees. We have one of the most strenuous screening processes ever. Refugees, like other new immigrant groups, show a strong commitment to the American dream and, according

to The Economist, “would rather work hard and get on than blow people up.” No refugee, since current screening processes were enacted in the 1980s, has committed a major terrorist attack in the United States – none. Furthermore, Wharton, University of Pennsylvania’s business school, finds that immigration leads to more innovation and greater economic activity.

Unfortunately, accepting refugees has become a partisan issue, but it should be a unifying one.

Some Republicans, especially during the campaign cycle, stated that they did not want to accept refugees. Recently the Republican Party has been starkly against accepting refugees; this is immoral. The position both hurts innocents around the world and is depriving the U.S. of economic benefits.

With regards to refugee admissions, the direction the American government strives for should not be right or left, but forward.

Importance of Tech and Culture ISABELLE LHUILIER isabelle_lhuilier@asl.org

“

The Technology and Culture class does provide critical analysis about the ethical concerns of technology which are vital to understand in the tech business.

Unsure what to expect, I nervously walked into my Technology and Culture class on my second day at ASL. I was unaware that this unique course would prove to be one of the most valuable classes I have ever taken.

Throughout the course of the semester, I developed an understanding of the complex relationship between technological advancement and civilization, and gained an entirely new perspective on society as a whole.

The course takes a journey through the history of technology, starting from the modest beginnings before gradually moving to the accelerated advancements of recent times. It focuses on how culture and civilizations have influenced this development and in turn how this development has influenced society as we know it. This course allowed me to see the ethics and social impacts of technological advancements, a side of technology I had never studied before.

I was surprised to find only four other students in the class with me. Although this did not

take away from the class experience, it made me concerned that this course was not well known.

When I was asked what electives I was taking, many of my peers were unaware of this elective or knew very little about it. This is unfortunate as so many students were missing out on such a valuable opportunity.

When I tried to persuade others to take the course, many told me they wanted to use their tech credit to learn skills that could actually be applied later in their lives.

I understand this, but the Technology and Culture class does provide critical analysis about the ethical concerns of technology which are vital to understand in the tech business. Instead of zooming in on an isolated aspect of technology like other technology classes, Technology and Culture looks at it as a whole and discusses its impacts.

Even though you aren’t learning about how to use specific technology, you’re learning about the world of technology and its positive and negative effects.

Another unique aspect of the class was that a large portion of it

was devoted to class discussions on the issues. We were able to debate technological issues and hear the different opinions and viewpoints of others. One topic we discussed frequently was technology’s impact on our privacy and safety and whether we can truly have both.

We looked at new technology such as Wikileaks and debated the question of whether or not we are willing to give up our privacy in return for security. This not only enhanced my public speaking skills but gave me a newfound appreciation for hearing the different perspectives of others.

At the end of the semester, we had the opportunity to speak with Beatrice Fabris, an employee of the company Octo-Telematics, an auto-insurance company, over Skype. By speaking to Fabris, we were able to hear first hand about the experience working for a tech company in the real world as well as see certain see certain technologies through the eyes of someone who is very knowledgeable in the area.

Fabris not only knew the technical aspects of her job, she was also able to speak on certain ethical impacts

and concerns of her company’s new product, proving the useful nature of the class.

I now understand that in order to be successful in the world of technology one must understand not only the technical aspects, but the social aspects as well. The class has opened my eyes to the human side of technology which is a lesson I don’t think you can learn from any other class. Taking this course has ensured that when I look at new technologies I will now consider the positive and negative impacts they will have on society. I believe this to be an invaluable lesson as in a world where more impactful technologies are being created everyday, it is important to consider the effects they will have on our society.

Therefore I implore all students to consider taking the Technology and Culture elective. It is a unique, interesting and thoroughly enjoyable experience and I am positive there is no other class at ASL quite like it. I left the class not only with a thorough knowledge of the history and impacts of technology, but with a new understanding of society as well.

THE STANDARD | April 2017

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•••

Opinions

Ecology trip teaches valuable lessons MICHAELA TOWFIGHI michaela_towfighi@asl.org

“

If you asked me last year about my plans for Spring Break, camping would have been the last thing to come to mind.

To take that step and try something completely new was terrifying, but, in the end, beyond rewarding.

A powerful roar and a golden flash. I had only seconds to react before I found myself chasing three lions through the Hluhluwe–Imfolozi Park in South Africa. While most of my peers were in school, this was my Tuesday spent on the Ecology expedition.

Let me be honest – before this trip, I had never camped or hiked before. As February turned to March and the trip approached, I began to realize what I had gotten myself into. The idea of carrying an 85 litre backpack for two weeks was not inviting, and my nerves grew exponentially as our departure date drew closer.

Yet as I stepped into the iMfolozi, the oldest nature reserve in Africa, I left all connections to civilization at the gate of the park along with my initial worries. The two weeks I spent in both the iMfolozi and Drakensberg Mountains are an experience I will never forget.

While I can’t guarantee the opportunity to chase lions, I can assure anyone considering taking Ecology that you will be humbled as you walk amongst animals in their natural habitat. When I stepped into the park, I realized how irrelevant I was in such a large, complex environment. This was the animal’s home, not mine. We walked in si-

lence, kept our distance and left no trail behind, ensuring our presence in the park was not a disruption to its inhabitants.

I quickly learned that the animals we encountered were not our friends. We had to be alert at all times, and ensure our actions did not put our group or ourselves in danger. We worked closely as a team, and we all had to contribute equally.

Part of this contribution came in the form of night watch. All day our guides were leading us through the bush, tracking animals and ensuring our safety. In order to relieve them of their duties, we stepped up throughout the night. For roughly hour and a half periods, each of us took turns waking up and watching over the group. The thought of night watch was beyond terrifying.

Spending time in the middle of the night, alone in the iMfolozi, a place where I was already beyond vulnerable, was something I vowed I would not do.

Yet, the first night in the iMfolozi rolled around, and there I found myself sitting alone by the fire, shining a torch for animals. A small confession – I loved every minute of it. The serenity that came with sitting under a sky full of stars, tending to an open fire was precious. I

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was paranoid, but never afraid.

When we said goodbye to the chaos and uncertainty the iMfolozi presented, I found myself lost in the beauty of the lush Drakensberg Mountains. I have never been in a place where the panoramic views were endless, and the expanse of mountain drifted off into the clouds. From sleeping in natural rock caves, and drinking clean, pure water straight from the river, we used all the resources the mountains provided. The adventure and ease of life that came from the Drakensberg was stark contrast to the iMfolozi, but nonetheless just as rewarding.

In such a technology driven society, giving up all connection for two weeks was another privilege associated with this experience. The ability to step away for an extended period of time, and be surrounded by people who were doing the same, not only fostered better connections and memories, but was also a much needed break. Being away and out of touch for so long, it is ever more apparent how dependent I am on technology. But while I was in the iMfolozi and Drakensberg, no technology meant no worries. We were all able to truly live in the moment.

I step away from this trip with two main takeaways: I am unbelievably fortunate, and, in the end,

it is always better to take a chance.

Yes, these may sound like clichés, but they’re true. If you asked me last year about my plans for Spring Break, camping would have been the last thing to come to mind. To take that step and try something completely new is terrifying, but, in the end, beyond rewarding.

I am fortunate enough to attend a school where such a trip is a class requirement, and this is an opportunity I urge as many people as possible to take. My two guides, Mandla and Artist, are two of the most knowledgeable and passionate people I have ever met, and it was a privilege alone to be in their presence throughout the trip. The lessons and experiential learning I experienced are not something you can replicate elsewhere. I have learned more about myself, the people around me and my setting than I ever would have in a classroom setting.

So I urge you, please take the chance on Ecology – you will get more out of it than I can begin to explain. The people you will meet and places you will see are beyond special, and I can strongly say this something I will not forget. The iMfolozi and Drakensberg will forever have my heart, and I hope the same can be said for others.

Ecology students spent two weeks camping, interacting with wildlife, and exploring the Hluhluwe–Imfolozi Park and the PHOTO BY MICHAELA TOWFIGHI Drakenserg Mountains in South Africa.

ASL is no longer American

WILLIAM BRUMMETTE william_brummette@asl.org

“

ASL’s shift from an American school to an international school occured nearly eight years ago, and was legitimized by the election of President Barack Obama.

“An outstanding American education with a global perspective,” is what the mission statement of the school claims to provide students.

The global component of our education is apparent, but since I have been here, the “American” aspect has diminished.

This is brilliantly summed up by the fact that there are no American flags displayed in the school. Sometimes they’re brought out at special assemblies, but these assemblies occur only once or twice a year.

I often find myself in classes where the United States’ role in the world is questioned by administrators and teachers. In our history classes we disproportionately learn about the faults of the U.S. ASL’s shift from an American school to an international school occurred nearly eight years ago, and was legitimized by the election of President Barack Obama.

Some of Obama’s emphasis on domestic issues such as healthcare was a signal for many teachers at

ASL to teach students that America has serious problems. The Affordable Care Act was another cue for many teachers to talk about how U.S. society is full of issues that need to be reformed. As a result of these changes in thought, ASL now is politicizing the education it gives it students. Students graduate with a feeling that America is a country that has severe domestic problems, without mention of the positive aspects.

Obama and his wife, Michelle, began publicizing holidays of different faiths and promoting certain social justice groups. As a result of this, the High School became more concerned with this idea of political correctness. This is proven by the formation of the Social Justice Council in 2013. The Social Justice council is a vehicle whereby global issues can be publicized. Although the council is meant to be impartial, there was always a quiet voice implying what the correct view on the issue should be. Sometimes these

views can be interpreted to be antiAmerican.

More recently, the 2016 election demonstrated this politicization as many people at this school could not even contemplate the fact that a Republican president, one who represents a large portion of American ideas. could win. Yet, when looking over the past few elections it seem likely that after one party is in power for eight years, the other party will most likely win the next election.

However, when Donald Trump did win the presidency, people at this school reacted as if the world had ended and that America had elected a tyrant. The U.S. government is full of checks and balances, which assures that one branch cannot become too powerful. The American three-branched system has survived for 241 years, it has also survived a vicious civil war, it is unlikely that president Trump’s tenure will change that.

The election of Donald Trump will further legitimize the view that

as a school we have to continue to counter America’s views. This is supported by the fact that Trump’s inauguration was not shown live throughout the school and very few teachers encouraged students to watch it. Yet, in 2008 Barack Obama’s inauguration was shown live throughout the school and it was publicized as a momentous event.

Furthermore, in the year 2012, John McCain visited ASL. Based on the anger towards Trump and the Republicans, I can’t imagine someone like him ever visiting the school again.

ASL’s shift away from an American school and towards a school that has more global and politically correct ideas is neither good nor bad. It is simply something that students should take note of when they graduate. Students should realize that they did not receive an American education, they received an international education. ASL is not an American school, but an international school.

Features Page 12

THE STANDARD | April 2017

••• Mansplaining Grading Process

Changing routine

Left: University College London on World Languages and Cultures Teacher Nina DeSimone’s first day.

Teachers reflect on sabbaticals and their importance within the High School Quinn Whitman | Features Editor

D

uring the 2015 - 2016 school year, World Language and Cultures Teacher Nina DeSimone spent a year away from school to pursue Latin American studies and her passion for the outdoors. What DeSimone misses most about her time on sabbatical were the “relaxing mornings and long weekends in the Lake District… being able to be outdoors and spend time hiking and camping just rejuvenated me,” she said.

DeSimone had two main objectives for her sabbatical. “One was to pursue a masters degree in Latin American Studies at University College London, and [the second was to] spend as much time outdoors as possible,” she said.

Teachers have the opportunity to apply for sabbatical leave after seven years of employment at ASL. To apply, teachers submit a proposal for review by the sabbatical committee, which consists of administrators from each division along with previous sabbatical recipients. High School Principal Jack Phillips describes the proposal review process to be “like grading a paper in Social Studies or English. You have a rubric and you look for thoughtfulness in the documentation and the paper itself,” he said.

In their proposals, teachers have to include what they would like to do in their year away and they are judged on how their sabbatical can benefit ASL and the curriculum upon their return.

A sabbatical is a way to invest in

professional development, and DeSimone felt her year away was a result of her dedication to the school. “In some ways it is ASL supporting me as a teacher and saying, ‘thank you for your contribution. We are going to grant you this time to allow you to do something different’.”

Similar to DeSimone, Math Teacher Doug Poggioli took a a sabbatical leave during the 2012 - 2013 school year. He was motivated to step out of his comfort zone to study German in Berlin and Field Biol-

“

One of the best things about the whole sabbatical was that it taught me how to be a student again.

Math Teacher Doug Poggioli ogy on Robben Island, South Africa.

“One of the best things about the whole sabbatical was that it taught me how to be a student again. I deliberately put myself in areas where I was not an expert,” he said.

Poggioli believes that he learned the importance of perseverance through his German classes. “I worked really hard, but I was not the best student. So it was a good taste for me of what it felt like to not be the brightest, best person in

the room, the one who has all the answers [to] every single question,” he said.

Poggioli believes that it was this realization that cultivated a stronger sense of empathy for difficulties his students may face in the classroom.

“It has taught me to have some compassion for my students… a lot of times when students are not getting it, teachers kid themselves that a student doesn’t understand because [students] don’t work hard enough or because they are not trying,” he said. “It was a really good experience for me as a teacher to go through that again and to put myself in areas where I was not super super strong and clever.”

DeSimone felt a similar experience to Poggioli on a student level after going back to school. “In terms of the studying and going back to school, it put me in the shoes of what my students are experiencing,” she said. “I just learned so much about researching and reading and writing along with my teaching… being a student sheds a light on what it is like to be a beginner or a novice again.”

DeSimone believes that the experiences ASL provides for professional development helped her grow as a teacher. “It is one thing to just do some professional development over the summer, it is another thing to have a year, to focus on things that will stretch you intellectually but also give you time to enjoy the things that you love,” she said.

Right: DeSimone hiking in the Lake District.

Below: DeSimone (right) and her mother, Cecilia, at the Pilgrim Fathers Monument in Lincolnshire.

Right: DeSimone and her fiancé, Andy Avery, at Port Carlisle at the end of Hadrian’s Wall.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF NINA DESIMONE AND DOUG POGGIOLI

Left: Penguin chicks seen on Math Teacher Doug Poggioli’s trip to Robben Island, South Africa

Above: A colony of penguins on Robben Island.

Above: Poggioli doing research on penguin chicks as a part of his sabbatical.

THE STANDARD | April 2017

Page 13

Features

The effects of mansplaining A look into the controversy of the word mansplaining and its influence on daily life

Stephanie Brendsel | Online/Photo Editor

W

hen English Teacher Eve Berinati presents her Gender in Literature class the first text of the year, “Men Explain Things to Me,” she immediately hears an imbalance of voices. As discussion around the text written by Rebecca Solnit transpires, she notices resistance from some of the boys, and some girls not speaking up when they disagree. Although this dynamic changes as the semester progresses, this has been a point of repetition for Berinati each year.

The term mansplaining, which many credit Solnit for, is often used as an umbrella term, referring to a dynamic of men explaining things to women in a way that is considered patroni z i n g .

Discussion and controversy regarding mansplaining has since been sparked by Solnit’s work.

Berinati recognizes the controversy surrounding the word, as it can imply a generalization. “It’s not about all men,” Berinati said. “But it is when men do this… it has a stronger effect in terms of the message it sends in that women are not credible or not capable of coming up with ideas.”

Although Berinati acknowledges that there are instances when women speak over men, she believes that the implications are different. “I think there is this added element of when a man does it to a woman or male student to a female student, [as]

it reinforces the gendered power structure that we have in society,” Berinati said.

Similarly, World Languages and Cultures Teacher Ruth McDonough believes that while it can be problematic to speak in generalizations when it comes to using the term mansplaining, it allows us to “point out the pattern,” she said.

McDonough believes that this particular gender dynamic of mansplaining can be seen at ASL as well. “I think that it’s inevitable that power dynamics in society are going to be present in ASL,” she said. “ A n y

Ananya Prakash | Features Editor

or treat women, both [in society] and in relationships,” Bracht said.

The prevalence of mansplaining at ASL is seen by Gender Equity Club Co-President Sophie Partridge-Hicks (’17). She believes that there are instances when this gender dynamic is internalized, and women can become socialized to doubt themselves. “If you’re in an economics class, you feel that

cal and plenty of boys that are more withdrawn. [Mansplaining] has to happen in specific contexts.”

In faculty meetings and in class discussions, Berinati has noticed that there are times when male teachers and students tend to subconsciously echo what female teachers and students have already said. “I have to work twice as hard to be heard, to be respected for my voice,” she said.

“[MANSPLAINING] IS A SYMPTOM OF BIGGER PROBLEMS OF THE ROLES AND THE WAY MEN THINK ABOUT WOMEN OR TREAT WOMEN, BOTH [IN SOCIETY] AND IN RELATIONSHIPS.” MATH TEACHER TONY BRACHT

structure that is pervasive in our media, in our workforce, in our government and in our social lives is going to be a part of what we do and recreate within school communities.”

Math Teacher Tony Bracht has seen that in his class, there are times when some male students tend to dominate the conversation. However, he recognizes that “men, including myself, don’t notice it as much as women do.

[Mansplaining] is a symptom of bigger problems of the roles and the way men think about women

m e n sort of deserve to be there, and as a girl you’re kind of just there as an audience member and not necessarily like an active participant in conversation,” Partridge-Hicks said.

Social Studies Teacher Becky Mason doesn’t always see the occurence of mansplaining present in her class as she notices how vocal a person is doesn’t always correlate to mansplaining. “Some people are more quiet, girls and boys,” she said. “I have plenty of girls that are very vo-

Berinati also recognizes the impact a person’s intersectionality of identities has on the extent of mansplaining. “I think [intersectionality] changes everything,” she said.

“If you’re female, white and middle class, your life is very different than if you’re female, not white and of a different class or a combination of other identities,” she said.

Bracht has noticed that it’s easy for many to assume that there is no problem of mansplaining, and to instead focus on other issues. “Especially if you’re in the group that is tra-

ditionally the dominating group, it’s easy to just dismiss [mansplaining] as non-issues,” he said.

Noah Hearne (’17) agrees with Bracht and believes that mansplaining stems, “from the stigma that exists between males and females and how men have always been perceived as stronger and more intelligent,” he said. “That has just been ingrained into how people use language and how they treat others based on those perceptions of intelligence.”

To increase the recognition of mansplaining, Hearne feels that the school needs to identify it as something to be discussed. He believes that it is essential that students “address its existence and recognize it is a thing and raise awareness so people wouldn’t be doing it blindly without realizing it is happ e n i n g , ” Hearne said.

Alongside increasing dialogue, Mason believes that it is essential for people to recognize the power imbalance amongst genders. “We [must] get to the point where it’s so clear that we understand where privilege lies and who has privilege, that you become aware, and men become aware of themselves doing it,” Mason said.

“That’s where we can get a change.”

Partridge-Hicks further believes that it’s important to recognize that the occurrence of mansplaining impacts all genders. “Mansplaining is just as destructive to men, this is a problem where voices aren’t being heard, and that’s an issue regardless of gender,” she said. “It’s holding everyone back.”

CARTOON BY GABY IWEGBUE

Breaking the binary

An exploration into the meaning of the man and woman gender binary as well as the reactions to the ways people in the community express their ge Ananya Prakash | Features Editor

Quinn Whitman | Features Editor

GENDER IN THE PAST

W

hen Math Teacher Deb Luheshi reflects on what gender meant during her childhood, she believes that it was solely between a man or woman gender binary.

“When I grew up in the United States, it was a very Judeo-Christian society and growing up I didn't have [an] understanding [of other genders]. My knowledge growing up was that it was purely binary,” she said.

Luheshi, who identifies as female, believes that these ideas of a gender binary always withstood in American culture. “My understanding of the U.S., is that it has been pretty binary because of the religious roots of the United States,” she said.

Skylar* (’18) identifies as agender (they/them pronouns). Agender means the lack of identifying with any gender. They agree with Luheshi and believe that although mostly gender binaries stem from European origins, other parts of the world were historically more open to other genders. For example, “Native Americans had this term [two-] spirit, and a lot of different pacific islands had a lot of different terms for people who don’t fit within a binary,” Skylar said.

Much like Skylar, World Languages and Cultures Teacher Mario Rojas, who identifies as male, does not believe that people identifying outside of the gender binary is a new phenomenon. He has seen examples of people not identifying with the binary in many cultures throughout history. Rojas believes that people expressing themselves outside of the confinements of gender binarism “is a pre-European social construct that was there,” Rojas said. “We’ve seen examples of it all throughout history, and I think it’s maybe been repressed.”

Furthermore, Skylar believes that these historical ideas of gender have been in place over many years and have indoctrinated gender roles and created the male and female stere-

otypes. “If you look at ads from the ’40s, they were extremely sexist… in the ’40s women were [motherly] and much more at home. Now women are more sex icons,” Skylar said. They believe that these media messages help to reinforce stereotypes and a binaristic society.

Similarly, Rojas also grew up in an environment that portrayed strict gender binary norms and roles. “I think for a long time we thought that the physical was what defined us and that there was no real way around it,” Rojas said.

Luheshi believes the conversations she has had surrounding the expansion of gender have taken place in the while the concept of gender has expanded globally. “The conversations I have had about gender have only really happened in the past six years,” she said.

Similarly to Luheshi, Rojas has also seen an increase in awareness surrounding the growing definition of gender. “I think we’ve come a long way since I’ve started teaching,” Rojas said.

Despite this, Rojas believes that the rising number of students identifying with different genders is “not necessarily because there are more people” identifying with genders outside of the binary as compared to previous years. Instead, he believes that as people are relatively more accepting of it now, more students feel safe to come out.

He has noticed that a greater number of students have come out as not identifying with the gender binary. “I’ve seen more and more students feel more comfortable enough to be who they are,” he said.

Currently, Skylar also believes that there are dramatic changes being made to what gender means in society and the different stereotypical roles of the binary genders. “This generation is definitely trying to break the mould more,” Skylar said.

I

ATMOSPHERE SUR

mogen Hare (’18) believes that her conservative, Russian Orthodox background has shaped her perspective on gender. Hare strongly believes that the man and woman binary is the prime expression of what gender is in society today. “I have grown up in a very conservative family, very religious orthodox and I have always been taught there are two genders: female and male,” she said. “I was born female and I would call myself female.”

Similarly to Hare, Jose Francisco Lecaros (’20) who identifies as male, believes that there are only two genders. “I think there were only meant to be two. I won’t discriminate against people who choose to be a different gender, I won’t judge people based on it,” he said.

Lecaros attributes this perspective to a conservative upbringing.

“I grew up in a really Catholic environment… I still have that belief in the fundamental, more conservative ideals.”

Furthermore, Lecaros believes that there isn’t much of a difference between sex and gender in today’s society. “[Sex and gender] seem like the same thing to me,” he said. “I

think that people are what they are meant to be.”

Despite this, Lecaros accepts that “if they want to change genders, then they should.”

In contrast Co-President of the Gender Equity Club Sierra Prasad, who identifies as female, believes that there is no limit to how many genders there can be. “Often society is quite binary and there is a belief that there are only two genders but that is a misconception,” Pras-

upset when some dents refuse to un religious beliefs spective. “It does when people don I have religious b I don’t think [oth gender are] somet to. I am an open-m people aren’t will [my perspective], Due to the m gender, Skylar d

“I THINK THERE WERE O [GENDERS]. I WON’T DISCR WHO CHOOSE TO BE A

JOSE FRANCISCO

ON HIS RELIGIOUS BELIEFS INFLUE ad said. “The great thing about the LGBTQ+ [community] and gender is that there are so many different ways to identify yourself.”

Especially in the past few years, Prasad has seen a rise in conversation about gender. “We are at a point that we are at a gender revolution, social justice revolution, people are becoming a lot more aware of these issues,” Prasad said.

Even though there is a growing awareness of gender, Hare feels

comfortable exp are agender at [ASL] tries to be fails in the wors said.

There are tim feels their gender instance was whe ingly put in tha kind of air force when answering was on a survey. S this view reinfor

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MALE FEMALE OTHER

ender BY IONS TRAT KASH S U L A IL MAN YA PR ANAN UINN WHIT Q AND

RROUNDING GENDER

e of her fellow stunderstand how her play into her perreally frustrate me n’t understand that beliefs. Personally, her perspectives of thing I can connect minded person but ling to understand ,” she said. mixed opinions of doesn’t always feel

that people who identify outside of the binary have received.

Skylar also cites the practice of writing pronouns on a name card in English class as something that they are uncomfortable with. “It’s good if it’s optional, because it does normalize asking people pronouns, but the problem is, you’re either forced to lie or out yourself,” they said.

Skylar believes that students who don’t want to out themselves to their peers are pressured in an

pronouns. A lot of people don’t believe that there is anything out of the gender binary,” they said.

When Skylar reveals their gender identity to their peers, they have felt their gender identity to be ignored by other people. “So when you tell them, ‘Hi, I would like to be addressed by these gender neutral pronouns,’ they’ll tell you either ‘no, that’s too hard for me to change,’ or ‘no it’s not grammatically correct.’

Similarly, Blair (’20)* who identifies as non-binary (they/ them pronouns) sometimes finds it difficult to come out, especially to adults who have been raised with the idea of a gender binary. “It is very difficult to tell an adult what they learned when they were younger is incorrect,” Blair said.

Even amongst students, Blair believes that there are misconceptions as to what being non-binary is and the recognition of students who are not cisgender, when gender identity corresponds with birth sex. “There are always people who will be uneducated on the topic and won’t believe in [being non-binary],” they said. “It is kind of strange because it is not about them and won’t affect them.”

ONLY MEANT TO BE TWO RIMINATE AGAINST PEOPLE A DIFFERENT GENDER.”

O LECAROS (‘20)

ENCING HIS CONCEPT OF GENDER

pressing that they ASL. “I feel like e accepting but it st of ways,” Skylar

mes when Skylar r is trivialized. One en a student “jokat they were some defense weapon,” what their gender Skylar believes that rces the ignorance

uncomfortable situation due to the lack of understanding of gender.

“You end up for a year, or a semester depending on what grade you’re in, you end up with a name card, with a name that might not be yours and with pronouns that might not be yours,” they said.

As a result, coming out as anything beyond the binary is not something that Skylar thinks is easy at ASL. “A lot of people are really rude when you tell them your

“A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE REALLY RUDE WHEN YOU TELL THEM YOUR PRONOUNS. A LOT OF PEOPLE DON’T BELIEVE THAT THERE IS ANYTHING OUT OF THE GENDER BINARY.” SKYLAR* (‘18)

SUPPORTING STUDENTS

A

s a teacher, Rojas believes that it is not only his job to give his students an education, but also support students that might be struggling with their gender identity and learn different gender labels. “That’s part of my responsibility now as a teacher working with young people,” Rojas said. “I want to be an ally, so it’s my responsibility to learn more about the different genders that are out there.”

Although Rojas teaches a language that often has to use gender pronouns, he makes an effort to “try to pick the gender neutral words when I have the option,” in order to make his room a safer place for students of different genders. However, Rojas believes that there needs to be “more dialogue with students and teachers,” through panels and discussion platforms to allow for an exchange of ideas.

The first step Luheshi thinks is crucial in creating a more accepting environment at ASL is also an increase in discussion surrounding gender and what it means to not fit into a man/woman gender.

While Luheshi has had conversations “about the fluidity of gender” with her colleagues, and believes that the gender binary notion is changing, for the most part many still tend

to view gender as a binary. “I think most people at ASL think in the binary,” Luheshi said.

Skylar agrees and further encourages that the topic of gender be taught in greater depth in Health classes, as well as the creation of more non-binary awareness days. They believe that this would create a more understanding atmosphere that would allow students to come out.

Despite this, Blair acknowledges that not all students are in an environment, particularly at home, where they can come out as not cisgender. “I think that you can certainly be a lot happier if you are out of the closet, but you should never feel like you aren’t valid for not coming out,” Blair said.

Skylar recognizes that although there are students who are still exploring and coming to terms with their gender identity and they shouldn’t feel the pressure to immediately label themselves. “If you don’t know what your gender identity is by this point in life, that’s totally cool,” Skylar said. “You have so much time in front of you. I mean so much time to just figure out who you are so don’t be stressed about it.” *To protect the privacy of certain students, names have been changed in this article

Page 16

THE STANDARD | April 2017

•••

Features

Examining the grading process

With the continued implementation of a standards-based curriculum, teachers comment on the process of evaluating these standards and their implications on student learning Houdah Daniels | Staff Writer

O

ver the past several years, there has been a gradual implementation of standards-based learning within different departments in the High School. Standards-based learning, which has been adopted by many schools internationally, provides specific objectives and skills a student must be able to complete, allowing for more cohesion between departments and clarity of the curriculum.

To assess if a student has met these standards, assessments with clear rubrics are given out and are evaluated using letter grades and percentages. Assistant Principal Karen Bonthrone

the standard-based system has been years in the making. It was three years ago when the world languages department decided to take more consideration into the summative work and leave out homework, or behavioral issues such as late work when giving grades. “We isolated academic performance from behavioral issues in order for us to better gage students’ academic achievements in the grades that they receive from class.” Xu said.

However, English Teacher Stephan Potchatek believes that using a learning continuum could be more beneficial than a standards based learning. “The assumption is that a kid is going to be developing just like the other kid, at exactly the same rate,” Potchatek said. “But what we know about kids is that they don’t. There are some kids

Ananya Prakash | Features Editor

ter place, and not presuming that the world is fine as it is.”

Science Teacher Brad Moore believes that learning in the classroom is impacted by the disconnect between how students view the importance of grades and their actual impact. “The main thing [students] say is that, ‘if I don’t get this grade in this class, I won’t go to the college that I want’,” Moore said. “People think [grades are] more influential than [they are], that there’s this huge correlation when it’s not nearly as big, so that’s blown out of proportion.”

Often times, Moore has observed that in the education system, the meaning of education and its purpose is not always fully addressed, with students focusing solely on a tangible grade. “When the motivation for grades is different from the motivation

believes that for many students going to university, the AP scoring system is vitally important.

“Our focus is on student learning, that’s there where we want the focus to be because that’s the most important thing, but we also have to translate that for people within our community and people outside of our communities as well,” Bonthrone said.

With the current grading process, Potchatek finds it illogical to give his students a decimal grade on their work in English class.

“For somebody who teaches English, my entire job is talking about making meaningful utterances, looking at meaningful utterances,

“ONCE THE ASSESSMENTS ARE TRULY LINKED WITH THE TEACHING AND LEARNING...THEN ACTUAL GRADES COULD REALLY HELP STUDENTS SEE THEIR STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES.” WORLD LANGUAGES AND CULTURES DEPARTMENT HEAD LANTING XU believes that a standards-based learning allows for students to get better feedback on their work and focus on their learning.

However, Bonthrone feels that the percentage grading system does not always fully represent a student well and is “an imperfect system,” she said.

Despite this, Bonthrone recognizes the importance of the current grading system. “We need [students] to have a transcript, we’re sending kids to colleges, colleges want to be able to see a transcript and be able to understand it quickly,” Bonthrone said. “We’re working in a system where we want to make that shift to greater emphasis on learning, but we still have this need to give grades.”

World Languages and Cultures Department Head Lanting Xu explains how implementing

who develop some skills really early on and struggle with other things.”

Potchatek also believes that there needs to be a larger emphasis on critical thinking and qualitative values in the curriculum.

“We [talk about] the growth mind-set,” but don’t communicate through our evaluation and grading practices, “institutionally or structurally any of the signifiers that are in fact about the value of growth,” Potchatek said.

Similarly, Middle School English Teacher Darnell Fine sees value in encouraging students to think critically. Fine explained the dangers of a lack of critical thinking by using an analogy one of his students had created with evolution. “Basically what she was saying was if you inhibit critical thinking, it keeps us from evolving into better people, it keeps us from evolving into people who are thinking more deeply and critically about the world, so we aren’t at our full capacity for making the world a better place,” Fine said. “Critical thinking teaches necessary skills in making the world a bet-

for education, that is terrible and it just makes it hard because everyone’s in it for different reasons,” Moore said.

However, Xu believes “once the assessments are truly linked with the teaching and learning, and are set to a realistic criteria, then actually the grades could really help students to see their strengths and weaknesses and therefore, the discussions would focus, a little bit more on the learning, instead of the letter grades,” Xu said.

Throughout the year, Fine’s goal is to help students think about all the “assumptions and myths [they] come across while being educated or socialized or assimilated in educational systems.” Fine believes there needs to be a reassessment of the grading system and evaluation process. “The assumption that students are just these empty vessels that we just pour knowledge [into]” as well as “our idea of what constitutes as excellence… [such as] an A, or a 100%, or a 5 on the AP exam,” needs to be reexamined according to Fine.

Bonthrone acknowledges this, however

and trying to help students make meaningful utterances,” Potchatek said. “And then I’m asked to take all of that work and reduce it to what has to be the most meaningless utterance that we have.”

Although standards-based learning has been implemented, which allows for more descriptive objectives, Potchatek also believes it’s time that the school transitions away from letter grades and quantitative forms for grading. Especially within the English department, he believes a continuum and descriptive form of evaluation would be more effectual. “Something has to change, our values have to change a little bit,” Potchatek said. “The way that we communicate student growth is not by looking at how you’re doing in comparison to [another student], it’s by actually comparing yourself to yourself.”

IMAGE FROM VECTEEZY

THE STANDARD | April 2017

Page 17

•••

Features

Leaving a legacy: Kevin Conaty After 26 years at ASL, Science Teacher Kevin Conaty is retiring.

Conaty reflects on his time at ASL and his plans for retirement.

Lorenzo Rasetta | Staff Writer

4

Varsity girls soccer ISSTs gold medals

Biology S

cience Teacher Kevin Conaty has been a member of ASL’s community for the past 26 years, teaching mainly Biology along with Chemistry and math classes. Conaty also served as Dean of Students (currently known as Director of Student Life) from 1994-2001. After a long career in teaching, he has decided to retire at the end of the school year.

Conaty’s initial interest in biology was sparked when introduced to the U.S. Ecological movement of the 1960s and 1970s. He went on to study science at the University of Notre Dame. “I thought biology was the discipline for me to get an academic backing in as well as to possibly pursue a career in someway that was involved with the environment and the environmental issues of the time,” Conaty said.

However after completing his studies he realized it was best to teach Biology, and pursue a career teaching future generations about a subject he was truly passionate about.

Following his time at Notre Dame Conaty taught in Rhode Island from 1978-87, and he also spent a year teaching Math and PE in Senegal, on

a sabbatical. Finally in 1991 Conaty moved to London and began teaching at ASL. Initially when he moved to London it had been his first time living in a such a large city, as he

26

Chemistry A

years at ASL

Chemistry B

In school, he has predominantly taught Biology and a course that was previously offered called Physical Science. He has also taught Chemistry A and Chemistry B, in addition to Algebra 1 and

7

PHOTO BY STEPHANIE BRENDSEL

came back from a 1-3 deficit, to defeat ISB 5-4 in penalties. “The determination, character, quality of play and the ability to not quit of the team really made it enjoyable for me,” Conaty said.

“I have very much enjoyed living in London… it’s a fantastic opportunity and I never thought I would live in a city as metropolitan as London, and even though I haven’t fully taken advantage of every opportunity, I have done a lot.”

Science Teacher Kevin Conaty

spent most of his childhood in a suburban environment. “I have very much enjoyed living in London … it’s a fantastic opportunity and I never thought I would live in a city as metropolitan as London, and even though I haven’t fully taken advantage of every opportunity, I have done a lot,” Conaty said.

Geometry with Algebra, in the Math Department, for a few years.

Outside of teaching, Conaty has created a legacy on the soccer field.

One of his favorite experiences was when he coached the varsity girls team and was able to lead them to four golds at ISSTs. One of his most memorable moments was the semifinal game in 1994, where the team

years as Dean of Students

Another fond memory for Conaty has been his Alternative trip to Florence, Italy taking hundreds of students and learning all about a great city over the years. “The trip has always been a special event and each group of students has made the trip unique every year,” Conaty said He also said that he takes pride in seeing students he taught in the past

that have gone onto work for ASL or in science in general. He believes in creating and developing an interest for science and encouraging as many students as possible to study the sciences in university, as he did.

One of Conaty’s main regrets is not teaching Chemistry earlier in his career. “I didn’t start teaching Chemistry until four or five years ago and maybe would have enjoyed starting sooner rather than waiting for 20 years,” Conaty said.

Conaty believes that his goal as a high school teacher is to generate enthusiasm around science and cultivate interest. “You have to work at being a good student, and being a good student outside of the classroom,” he said. “I try to maintain high standards and if need be lower expectations but not lower standards.”

In his first year of retirement he plans to spend time exploring London and spending time in Myanmar with his wife, Mai Nini Aung, helping her to run her local business selling ethnic weavings of the region.

Even though he feels that after all his time at ASL he will enjoy the free time, he still hopes to substitute teach for the school.

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THE STANDARD | April 2017

•••

Features

The melting point

With climate change threatening to pose the greatest refugee and security crises the world has ever known, taking a look at the places the school is trying to go green, and where it’s not Martha Collins | Deputy Editor-in-Chief Tyler Skow | Editor-in-Chief Michaela Towfighi | Lead Features Editor

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oth a cross country and long distance track runner, 2016 marked a special year for Farid Sousou (’17). South African Olympian Wayde van Niekerk shocked the world by smashing the 400 meter world record in a time 43.03 of seconds in Rio de Janeiro; a record Sousou won’t forget.

But 2016 was a year of many records Sousou won’t forget, as just months after van Niekerk completed his lap of the Olympics Stadium, scientists from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Met Office, all independently confirmed that 2016 would set a record for being the hottest year ever recorded – for the third year in a row.

Humanity may be moving faster then ever, both on and off the track, but the earth is struggling to keep pace.

According to the Met Office, 2017 is expected to be another warm year, but unlikely that it will break records.

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STUDENTS

n January 24, London issued its first toxic air pollution warning.

The toxicity of London’s air serves as testimony to the contrast Sousou experienced when he returned to London after his semester abroad in the Mountain School in rural Vermont last year. “When I was at the Mountain School you are pretty much in the middle of nowhere, so the oxygen is fresh. When you come here you can feel the pollution just going into your lungs and how disgusting it feels,” he said.

The presence of the pollution that Sousou described is grounded in facts. The Guardian found over 2,000 schools in England and Wales are located in areas with dangerous levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), pollution.

ASL is one of those schools.

Whilst Sousou acknowledges that the Mountain School’s mission is undoubtedly more environmentally conscious than ASL’s, he still finds the paucity of environmental

awareness in the High School somewhat unnerving. Although there are groups of students working towards sustainable practice, such as the Sustainability Council that Sousou is a part of, he feels more work needs to be done. “It’s kind of in the back of people’s minds, [for example] they don’t think about leaving a room with lights on,” he said. “I think that it’s a problem because if people don’t learn to be sustainable now, with the population that is growing to be well over 7 billion at this point, if we are going to carry on growing at the rate, we have to start learning to be more sustainable.”

Julia Holzman (’17) echoes Sousou’s sentiments, and would like to see ASL incorporate more sustainability into the core curriculum. A student in AP Environmental Science (APES), Holzman admits environmentalism was not on her radar prior to taking the class. “I like [APES and] being able to think about actual events and problems because it is more easy to imagine,” she said. “But

THE STANDARD | April 2017

Snapshots of ASL’s carbon footprint [the material] also really scares me because I don’t think I realized the extent of environmental issues before I took [the class].”

Holzman recognizes that classes like APES must be taught to follow the AP curriculum, but she still believes there is a lack of recognition and awareness on environmental issues within the high school curriculum. “There is a general sense of awareness about climate change and

“It’s really about how you choose to live in this world, whether it’s the foods that we are eating, the clothes that we are wearing and choosing to wear, it’s about consumption.”

Co-founder of Synchronicity Earth Jessica Sweidan it is sort of addressed [in class],” she said. “I don’t think [ASL] makes as much of an effort as they could.”

Parent and co-founder of Synchronicity Earth Jessica Sweidan firmly believes students like Holzman, Sousou and others have the means to make a difference in the sustainability of the future. Sweidan spoke to students during an Earth Week assembly. “It’s really about how you choose to live in this world, whether it’s the foods that we are eating, the clothes that we are wearing and choosing to wear, it’s about consumption, everything with regard to environmental impacts starts somewhere,” she said.

D

FACILITIES

uring the construction of the community arts expansion, the school commissioned Price & Myers, an engineering consulting firm, to con-

Page 19

•••

Printing impact 176.1

July 12, 2016 to April 25, 2017

Number of trees gone into making the paper used by the school

18,639 CO2 KG

The mass of Carbon Dioxide released in producing the paper

1,167,010 Hours Data from PaperCut MF

duct a Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) assessment. A BREEAM assessment measures the sustainability of infrastructure. According to an initial BREAM assessment the new facilities are predicted to score “Very Good”, exceeding “Pass” and “Good” but falling short of the “Excellent” and “Outstanding” benchmarks.

The BREEAM assessment is marked through a series of credit allocation including health and wellbeing, energy, transport, water, materials, waste, land use and ecology, pollution and innovation. The initial report indicates that the new facilities will earn higher scores in transport, materials, health and wellbeing and land use and ecology, and a low overall score in pollution.

Facilities Manager Kevin Moffat explained that the new facilities scored highly on the areas of pollution they targeted, but lower on the pollution category overall. This was due to the gasses produced by the school’s boilers, namely nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas which traps infrared radiation from the sun inside the Ozone, heating the earth.

“Nitrous oxide [is an] outflow gasses from the main boilers, and whilst we have them running as efficiently and as cleanly as we can, we cannot do anything more to them,” Moffat said.

“It would be very uneconomic and potentially environmentally worse for the school if we throw [the boilers] away and got new ones because those units are only 16 years old; they have a lifespan of 40 plus.”

Director of Operations Jim Heynderickx maintains that achieving a “Very Good” BREEAM score consisted of focusing efforts in lots of small areas throughout the new building.

The heating and cooling systems of the new facilities were priorities

Features

The equivalent energy needed to produce the paper. The light bulb is a standard 60W light bulb

in terms of efficiency for the design team. The Community Arts Building has the potential to be self-heating and cooling during the summer months, Heynderickx said. During the night ventilation windows are opened to allow cool air to enter the building, which causes the concrete ceilings to attain that cool air. When temperatures rise during the day the windows are closed, and the room remains cool from the trapped air.

World wide impact Climate change could create 150 million refugees by 2050 40 percent of the world’s population lives within 100km of the coast Additionally, heat is harvested as a byproduct of other existing equipment, such as the heat energy left over from the pool.

Another area in which the new building was built to be environmentally conscious was the windows.

The building team opted to use more expensive windows with reflective properties that are highly efficient in how they interact with light. “If we just put in clear glass we would’ve had to put in much larger air conditioning units because it would’ve gotten so hot from the sun,” Heynderickx said. “But because we bought the more expensive windows we didn’t have to have such large cooling units inside because the windows are more protective and reflective of the rays that create a lot of heat inside the building.”

Although the windows are more expensive, Heynderickx is confident they will pay for themselves in the long run. “We’re hoping those windows will maybe be in there for 80 years,” he said.

Transportation 391

122

Tickets purchased for high school student air travel this year Tickets purchased for high school student travelling by air outside of Europe, including Houston and Beijing

An economy class round trip journey from London to Frankfurt releases 168.6 KG of CO2 per person

As of April 12, 2017

Another BREEAM category that the art building fell short of achieving was sourcing 60 percent of the building materials locally. The limestone for the exterior, a major component of the new construction, was sourced from Portugal. “That was one of the aspects of the BREEAM that we couldn’t achieve because of our location,” Heynderickx said. Purchasing the limestone from Portugal was significantly more economical than attempting to acquire the materials in the UK. In the future, Heynderickx hopes to implement sustainable practices into areas of the school’s infrastructure. This process has already begun with replacing heating vents in the Lower School, and will continue with updating light fixtures across campus.

Heynderickx is eager to update many areas of the building to the highest environmental standards before implementing any additional features to the new construction. “[The art building] is already pushed to be at a 2016 [efficiency] level, whereas there’s other parts of campus that are still at a 1971 level and in terms of really bringing down our CO2 emission rating for each year, it’s better to deal with the [older] pieces of campus than the brand new ones,” he said.

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TRANSPORT

ithin this school year alone, 29 trips visited destinations in four continents. Hand-in-hand with the miles covered by students comes carbon emission – a significant area of improvement for ASL’s ecology impact.

In hopes of reducing these emissions and remaining environmentally conscious, Travel Coordinator Daniel Quy explains how groups travelling in recent years have bet-

ter utilized public transport to reach their port of destination. Previously, students would travel in buses to airports and train stations, however, “travelling by tube has a far greater impact on reducing emissions.”

When possible, Quy coordinates travel on Eurostar trains as a more environmentally friendly alternative to planes. With the extension of the Eurostar to Amsterdam in November 2017, Quy hopes to increase travel by train. “We are quite lucky as a school that has the biggest departments to travel, which are athletics and music, tend to be competing at international schools that are in Brussels or France, so we have the Eurostar option there,” he said.

However, when planning trips the logistical factors that must be considered hinder the environmental consciousness of the school. Student interest and time out of school must be prioritized, with environmental awareness slating in last. “It is very logistical. What time do we want to take the students out of school? What time would we arrive? There are lots of different aspects to look at which helps us build our decision, but going forward we could get more trains to these European cities,” he said.

Everyday travel to school is another area where Heynderickx thinks the school community can improve. “We may have many dozens of private cars that show up for pick up and drop off and if that number could come down that would be great because that’s a daily thing. Alternatives are once a year and pick up and drop off happens twice a day for every school day.”

Read about how the school is working to stabilize temperatures throughout the building in an article by Deputy Editor-inChief Martha Collins at www.standard.asl.org

Culture Page 20

THE STANDARD | April 2017

••• 3D Studio Art Hockney Exhibition

Mete Ege: ASL’s resident blues musician A look into the enigmatic life of Rock Band Director Mete Ege: Carousel teacher, blues musician and guitar aficianado John Towfighi | Staff Writer

“

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ne day, my brother brought me this album - it was Eric Clapton’s ‘Backless’ – and the first track on that album is a blues number. The moment I heard that track, life was never the same,” Rock Band Director Mete Ege said.

For Ege, who is currently working as a session musician (a professional artist who is hired for certain performances or recordings) blues is his life. Currently in the band “London Blusion,” which he formed alongside other local session musicians, Ege spends his band-free moments giving guitar lessons at school.

Having grown up in Ankara, Turkey, Ege comes from a diverse musical background and said his father was a “classical freak,” while his brother listened to more classic rock. From a young age, the likes of Beethoven and Mozart constantly reverberated throughout the house, familiarizing Ege with music.

The influence of his family enticed Ege to explore

his musical interests.

“In prim a r y school, when my friends were singing ‘Bah, Bah, Black Sheep’ I was singing Deep

Purple or Pink Floyd numbers,” he said.

But neither classical nor rock music struck Ege the way blues did. “Certain things in this life, we don’t do it because we are appealed to it or we are trying to make a point. It just chooses you,” Ege said.

Ege’s childhood dreams of being a musician did not fall short either, and his fluency with the guitar is evident in the wide range of genres he can p l a y.

Worki n g as a ses-

sion musician, Ege has become accustomed to adapting his style of play to the situation he is in. Every member of the band working professionally as a session musician has allowed Ege and his band to experiment with fusing and crossing different genres. Referring to themselves as a blues-fusion band, “London Blusion” seemed fitting for the band’s name.

Their first LP, a published music piece longer than an album, was released in 2013, and according to Ege was a spontaneous idea that came perfectly into fruition. “All the musicians in the London circuit we just got together and we did this for fun. We didn’t expect any financial return or anything.”

The final product was well received among the London blues community, and they began getting airplay on blues radio stations, as well as invitations to multiple gigs and festivals. In the past few years, Ege and his crew have performed at the famous Abbey Road studio, along with many music festivals, such as the Cambridge Rock Festival. The surprise success of the album drove them to develop a sequel, and the new album has hopes of being released soon. Facing the difficulties of scheduling and planning, Ege noted the great collaboration that happens when everyone gets in the studio together.

The history of blues is a large portion of Ege’s interest, and it is through blues’ roots in early 20th century African American

culture that Ege finds a latch for his interest to hook onto.

The ability of such an immensely suppressed group of people to create their own art form, a large portion of whom could neither read nor write, was truly amazing to Ege. “Blues music is the closest art form in the

music world to the human soul, because it was created by people who were suffering,” he said.

Practically a century later, Ege and his band, among many other artists, carry on the soul of those

“

Certain things in this life, we don’t do it because we are appealed to it or we are trying to make a point. It just chooses you.

Rock Band Director Mete Ege, on the effects of blues

who crafted the music they perform. With their upcoming album, Ege aspires to raise awareness with the song “Just One Skin,” as a portion of the revenue from the song will be donated to the organization Feed The Children, a non-profit dedicated to ending children’s hunger globally.

Whether from the 1920s or 2010s, the genre of blues has shaped Ege’s life-

style, and with their new album soon approaching, “London Blusion” will be on the road again, performing, recording and living the lives of blues artists. Going for a modern approach on blues, blended with some elements of other genres, “London Blusion” hopes to stay around for years to come. “It’s 21st century blues for the blues listeners; for the good old minority that keeps following us,” he said.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF METE EGE

THE STANDARD | April 2017

Page 21

Culture

Sculpting from the ground up Three students enrolled in 3D Studio Art classes share their inspriations and aspirations for the future of their works Alexandra Gers | Culture Editor

C

lay, wood, steel and tin.

These materials make up the foundation of two of the most specialized art electives: Advanced and AP 3D Studio Art. The courses consist of building artists’ 14-piece AP portfolios, which entails three categories of work: Breadth, concentration and quality. The pieces that constitute an artist's breadth showcase skill through a range of works, whilst a student’s concentration is a series of works focused on a specific theme chosen by the student. The quality section showcases a student’s proudest and highest caliber pieces.

John Carrafiell (’18)

Advanced 3D Studio Art student John Carrafiell (’18) has been cultivating his passion for ceramics since Grade 8. Carrafiell believes that ASL’s “excellent facilities” and 3D Studio Art Teacher Dave Pritchard have helped facilitate his love for art and clay.

“Pritchard has really challenged me a lot artistically because he’s proposed a lot of projects that I wouldn’t have thought of on my own or wouldn’t have attempted,” Carrafiell said.

“

You have a lot more ability to make your own decisions about where you want your artwork to go and what you want each piece to look like, which is what I find I like most about the class Maggie Brosnan (’19) Carrafiell has enjoyed the course to such an extent that he spent the previous summer working in a ceramics studio to create pieces for the AP. Anticipating the long hours needed to complete his portfolio, Carrafiell

spent five or six hours each day in the studio during the summer.

He believes that devoting the summer to working on his pieces was “really helpful in terms of keeping [him] going” artistically.

In regards to his concentration next year, Carrafiell has drawn ideas and inspiration from his love of architecture and design. Artists and architects such as Richard Serra, Alberto Giacometti and Frank Gehry have inspired Carrafiell’s artwork, however he feels his pieces remain unique and organic to his own ideas.

Maggie Brosnan (’19)

After putting 3D studio art as her second choice elective, Maggie Brosnan (’19) felt as though she was stuck in the course. Deciding to stay in the elective for two weeks, Brosnan found herself thoroughly enjoying the time spent in the class. She believes the course feels almost like a free period due to the freedom of the medium. “You have a lot more ability to make your own decisions about where you want your artwork to go and what you want each piece

Jordi Albanell (’17)

AP 3D Studio Artist Jordi Albanell (’17) believes the course allowed him the opportunity to remove himself from the hectic nature of his everyday school life.

“It wasn’t a class that was annoying to go to,” Albanell said. “You could get distracted by doing, designing, sculpting, doing whatever you wanted to do. It was a nice way to destress yourself from work from other classes.”

Inspired by his love of designing and building with ASL’s robotics team, as well as seeing his sister’s success with the course, Albanell enrolled in the class as a freshman, not realizing he would enjoy it as much as he did.

For the topic of his AP concentration, Albanell decided to focus on combining his love of engineering with his passion for ceramics, through the usage of the theme of steampunk. Steampunk, which combines historical elements with anachronistic technological elements, allowed Albanell to focus on merging figurines and machines.

Using artist Mitchell Grafton as his inspiration, one of Albanell’s favorite pieces emulates Grafton’s use of “gears and wires” coming out of a face mask.

Albanell believes that creating a message with artwork is incredibly difficult, however if he had to choose one message, he hopes to “represent [that] 3D studio art can let you be free and express yourself.”

to look like, which is what I find I like most about the class,” Brosnan said. “You don’t spend a lot of time working on technique... you get a lot of chances to explore new materials and new methods.”

Similar to Carrafiell, Brosnan pursued 3D studio art opportunities outside of ASL, spending the summer taking classes at the London Art Academy (LAA). The LAA provided Brosnan the opportunity to sculpt using live models, an experience completely different to the course at ASL. Brosnan believes “art is something you have to practice and you have to continue to be creative” in order to improve your technique.

Brosnan feels that she’s been able to improve a lot in the past year, as previously she feels there were reservations within her work and she “wasn’t willing to explore” new mediums and techniques.

Brosnan is currently in Advanced 3D studio art, and she has been comtemplating the idea of “the theme of merging man and forest” for her concentration next year. Inspired by sculptor Serena de la Hey, whose works are large human figures composed of millions of birch-wood sticks, Brosnan hopes to emulate de la Hey’s level of intricacy and detail.

Like most artists, Brosnan hopes to send a message with her artwork.

She wants to show through the tiny details, such as glazes, that “there can be individuality and uniqueness” in art. “When I pick out glazes I don’t pick out things that are flat, matte and perfect,” Brosnan said. “I pick out things that have imperfections to them because I think that in a way there is beauty within imperfections.”

Top: Jordi Albanell (’17) combines elements of engineering and ceramics to create his AP concentration.

Left: Architecture and design have been large inspirations through John Carrafiell’s (’18) AP concentration creation process. Bottom: Maggie Brosnan’s (’19) work which focuses on merging man and nature for Advanced 3D Studio Art. PHOTOS BY STEPHANIE BRENDSEL

Page 22

THE STANDARD | April 2017

•••

Culture

David Hockney Exhibition

PHOTOS FROM TATE.ORG

Reviewing David Hockney’s exhibition Retrospective at the Tate Britain, which is open until May 29 Olivia Abrams | Culture Editor

E

ntering David Hockney’s exhibition “Retrospective,” I was greeted by a collection of work that was foreign to me.

His fascination with depicting reality in an abstract way, spoke loudly against the light pink walls of the Tate Britain. One particularly modern piece of artwork from the exhibition, Blue Stools, captured the true essence of his work: to challenge the protocols of perspective.

From the 1960s styled homes of Santa Monica, California, to the hidden back roads of Yorkshire, England, Hockey’s exhibition at the Tate Britain encapsulates his source of inspiration from almost 60 years of work. Even his earlier years are captured among various self portraits, drawn as early as the age of 16.

While studying at the Royal College of Art in London in the 1960s, Hockney was heavily influenced by the growing and prevalent art culture. In Hockney’s Typhoo Tea from 1961, the label reads, “This was as close to Pop Art as I ever came.”

The Pop Art movement in Britain challenged everything about the traditional approach to art. Just like the evolving style of modern art, Hockney also took an unconventional approach throughout his extensive years of work.

In 1964, Hockney took his first trip to Los Angeles, where he came into contact with a range of influences. In the third room of the exhibition it became clear that the artist’s visit to the United States greatly influenced his paintings.

Even Hockney’s choice of color drastically shifted from pastel oil

paints to vibrant acrylics. After moving to Santa Monica, the artist continued to play with elements of abstraction, but reverted toward questioning how to capture movement.

The fourth room, entitled Sunbather, captured everything that granted the artist his name to fame.

His fascination with depicting reality in an abstract way, spoke loudly against the light pink walls of the Tate Britain.

In A Bigger Splash, one of Hockney’s more notable paintings, the artist focused on representing the movement of water. The painting

illustrates the laid back culture of Californian life, as well as the modernist architecture of the 1960s.

Continuing on, through the creation of polaroid and film compositions, photo collages occupied the walls of the seventh room.

Hockney challenged traditional image making, adhering to a multitude of viewpoints. Pearblossom Highway, my personal favorite of his photo collages, illustrates the contrasting perspectives seen by a driver and a passenger. The littered cans and abandoned road signs create a feeling of desertion, one that only Hockney could make you feel so powerfully.

Entranced by Hockney’s earlier work as an artist, I felt indifferent towards the iPad paintings that hung proudly on the walls in the final room of the gallery. While I

praise Hockney for embracing the growing technologies of the 21st century, I didn’t feel it was an appropriate way to end an exhibition that so heavily celebrated his successes.

However, Hockney is arguably one of the most recognized artists of our generation and our nation. Open until May 29, watch the walls of the Tate Britain come to life and experience everything that gave David Hockney his inspiration.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: A BIGGER SPLASH, BLUE STOOLS, TYPHOO TEA, POOL WITH TWO FIGURES AND PEARLBLOSSOM HIGHWAY

THE STANDARD | April 2017

Page 23

•••

Culture

Finding the best ‘American’ burger Sometimes it’s difficult to find a little bite of America in London.

Here are a few of the top three unfrequented American burger joints win London for a little taste of home.

Sophie Ashley | Opinions Editor

Cheeseburger pictured ‘A r i GOLD’ cheeseburger £8 (4.5/5): Beef patty, cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickled onions and smokey P&B mayo.

The burger was juicy and flavorful, the bun was fresh, and the toppings added to the overall tastiness of this cheeseburger.

‘Jose Jose’ Chilli Burger £8.50 (3/5): Beef patty, cheese, tomato, lettuce, chilli sobrassada relish, pickled onions and smokey P&B mayo.

The flavor of the burger was overwhelmed with the spice of the relish, and it was a little hard to enjoy all the different aspects of the burger. The bun was soggy from all the grease, and fell apart a bit as we picked it up.

Cheeseburger pictured

Cheeseburger £9.30 (4/5): Classic steak burger with Mature Cheddar cheese served on a toasted brioche bun The burger was soft and juicy, and had a slightly peppery aftertaste. We could easily tell that the ingredients of each individual part of the burger were of higher quality than the other restaurants.

Le Truffle £11.50 (4.5/5): Classic steak burger topped with truffle shavings, caramelised onions and Gruyère cheese.

The ‘Le Truffle’ burger was easily the best burger at Haché.

The sweet flavour of the caramelised onions complemented the strong flavour of the gruyere and truffle beautifully.

Alexandra Gers | Culture Editor

Ambiance:

Perhaps it was the fact that we were situated outside, but Haché Burgers felt distinctly lacking in the ambiance category. Attempting to be a mix of a casual American burger joint and a Parisian bistro, the fairy lights and glass chandeliers felt disconnected from the informal

Ambiance:

Haché Burgers

food we were eating. This was the only restaurant in which there were silverware sets and cotton napkins on the table.

Service:

The service was average for a busy Friday evening, taking about 15-20 minutes for the food to arrive after ordering.

Cost:

Patty and Bun is a small, dimly lit restaurant scattered with cushioned booths and wooden tables.

The music is easily one of the best aspects of the entire restaurant; A combination of R&B, reggae and Hip Hop that added to the overall chilled out vibe of the space. The burgers were

Haché was by far the

most expensive of all the restaurants, however it made sense due to the exceptional quality and freshness of the ingredients. If you’re looking for a quick, cheap eat, we wouldn’t recommend.

Location:

24 Inverness St, London NW1 7HJ

Patty & Bun

served swaddled in brown parchment paper that did a surprisingly good job of holding the grease in, and wooden cutlery was given to us in a metal bucket as our food arrived.

Service:

for anything.

Cost:

The burgers were both slightly cheaper than we expected. The cheeseburger, especially considering the speed at which it came, was definitely worth the price.

The burgers came barely Location: five minutes after we had 18 Old Compton St, Soho, ordered them. We were nev- London W1D 4TN (one of er left wanting or waiting multiple)

‘Ari GOLD’ pictured Cheeseburger £6.50 (3.5/5): Hamburger with tomato, pickle, Monterey Jack cheese, red onion and Diner burger sauce on a sesame bun.

The burger itself was juicy, but a bit chewy. The Diner burger sauce added a nice mustard flavor to the burger, and the bun was fresh and firm.

Arch Burger £7.95 (5/5): Hamburger topped with St. Louis pulled pork, Monterey Jack cheese, slaw and pickle on a sesame bun.

The ‘Arch Burger’ was amazing. The addition of pulled pork added a smoky, barbequey taste and the slaw was a nice contrast.

Ambiance:

The Diner immediately reminded us of an American burger establishment. With the vinyl booths, exposed brick walls, and the 80s rock music quietly playing in the background, it was easy to imagine we were in New York rather than Camden. The

The Diner

burgers were served in plastic baskets with paper wrapping covering the bottoms, making it difficult to eat.

Service:

The food took under 10 minutes from the time we ordered it. However, once we were given our food we didn’t see any waiters for the re-

mainder of our meal until we called one over to get the bill.

Cost:

As this was our cheapest meal, it was definitely worth it. Both burgers were delicious and came very quickly.

Location:

2 Jamestown Rd, London NW1 7BY (one of multiple)

PHOTOS BY ALEXANDRA GERS

Page 24

THE STANDARD | April 2017

•••

Culture

Exercising for success Students express how exercise and a healthy lifestyle contribute to successful academic performance and an improved mindset Phaedra Letrou | Staff Writer

CARTOON BY GABBY IWEGBUE

I

t’s 6:30 a.m. on a school day and most students are asleep, but not Alex Stone (’19). She’s running on the treadmill with music blasting in her ears.

Stone initially added exercise as a part of her everyday life to see a physical change in her body. However, as she continued, her motivations shifted from a physical change to maintaining a healthy and positive mentality. Stone now uses exercise and a healthy diet to motivate herself to work harder academically. She believes that since exercise takes time out of her day, she doesn’t “have as much time to do other stuff like watch TV.” Similarly, Grace Heinrichs (’18) also believes that exercise helps her academically. Before coming to ASL in Grade 10, Heinrichs was a dedicated member of her school’s crew team. “Rowing was everything, I went all the time. I was there more than I was at my

own house,” she said. Despite her love for the sport, she decided not to compete for the ASL team because it was too different to what she was used to. Racing in the U.K. is organized based on age, contrary to the U.S. where racing is organized by weight. Due to this, Heinrichs felt that the competitions were more physically taxing.

Despite feeling confident in her decision, Heinrichs describes the change as having a positive effect on her life. After leaving crew, Heinrichs wanted to explore the new fitness opportunities that were available to her. “I was [a] new [student] and I wanted to try new things [...] so I tried out [for] track, and that was really fun being a part of a team,” she said. Alongside trying a new sport, Heinrichs also looked at the physically oriented Alternative trips to “stay fit and to stay healthy.”

During the fall and winter sea-

sons, Heinrichs participated in independent exercise classes such as yoga, pilates and spinning to stay in shape. Although she enjoys them, she explains that she missed the team aspect that crew and track provided. Despite this, she continued attending the classes because she found that exercising helped her perform better academically and has noticed that it positively affects her grades. “I found that when I did work out more it put me on a schedule, and then it was a lot easier to do my work,” she said.

Heinrichs describes that having more to do every day restricts her from procrastinating and makes her do her work on time.

Similarly, Noah Konzal (’19) made a goal of incorporating more exercise and striving for a healthier diet. This was prompted in January when he decided to try and pursue new athletic goals for the new year in order to become a better student and a more positive

person. He also began exercising frequently to try and stay in shape for the upcoming baseball season.

Konzal explains that striv-

“

“I found that when I did workout more it put me on a schedule, and then it was a lot easier to do my work.”

Grace Heinrichs (’18) ing to maintain a healthier lifestyle at start of the year, “would give [him] the most motivation throughout the year” to pursue his goals. He began monitoring his diet more closely and removing foods that are detrimental to his health. “[I stopped] drinking soda

and [eating] gummy snacks to try to improve my health and that’s been going good so far,” he said.

Despite seeing an academic change, Konzal said that his goals also helped with his friendships.

“If I have more balanced meals throughout the day with healthy snacks, I’m much more of a happy person.”

Stone also feels that with a healthier diet she is able to perform better academically. Due to this, she makes sure to spend time with individuals who eat similarly to her. “I do spend more time or go out to eat with people who like eating healthy foods, like I do,” she said. She also feels that this has impacted her social circle. “I met a lot of new people through exercising,” she said.

She believes that she is able to stay motivated by being surrounded by positive energy and by people who are trying to accomplish the same goals.

THE STANDARD | April 2017

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Running London

Sports

Spencer Symonds’ (’17) unorthodox introduction to running and his preparation and participation in the 2017 Virgin Money London Marathon Jonathan Sheves | Sports Editor

A

s Spencer Symonds (’17) once again woke up in the early hours of the morning in Timbertop, Australia, he knew the challenge that lay ahead of him – another 30 kilometer run.

Symonds left ASL half way through his freshman year to move to Geelong Grammar School for a year abroad “in the bush”; an experience that Symonds heavily accredits for his athletic beginnings. “On our graduation, we had to run a 34 kilometer run in the bush, in 40 degree heat,” he said. “That’s what got me into long distance running.”

Symonds has definitely seen a mentality change in the way he approaches long distance running since returning from Timbertop.

“The school was very intense towards running. It didn’t matter how fast you went, all that mattered was that you kept going,” he said. “Socially, it was not cool to be a quitter. The school was not fond of kids who were last or took it as a joke. I hated it at first – waking up at 4:30 in the morning – it was not fun at all. Eventually, I started to enjoy it and became more and more competitive.”

He does believe, however, that at points, students at Timbertop were forced to run long distances as repercussions for their misbehavior.

“All of our punishments [resulted in] runs. If we did something wrong, we would have to be up early running. It was a core part of the curriculum,” he said.

Symonds, who was born in New York City, but soon relocated with his family to London, feels as if the decision to run the 2017 London Marathon

self. In the beginning of junior year, I tried to get a spot in the 2016 London Marathon. I got an email from Virgin saying that because I was under 18 at the time, they didn’t want to be liable for me. When I did turn 18 over the summer, I signed up straight away.”

It is the norm for most marathon runners to select a charity or cause to sponsor them for the race itself, and Symonds does not fall outside of this.

He choose the Karen Morris Memorial Trust (KMMT) as the cause that he wanted to complete the race on behalf of and believes that the decision was easy once he became familiar with the trust. “[PE Teacher Gwendolyn]Williams put me in touch with Sylvia [Morris], the mother of Karen Morris who passed away from a rare form of Leukemia. The charity raises money to build and create housing units for patients, family and friends, which I think is incredible,” he said.

“Instead of visiting your loved one in the hospital, which is very morbid, you can go into one of these units with a kitchen, a living room and live there.”

Acknowledging that preparing for a marathon is an incredibly difficult task, Symonds does admit that getting ready for the race hasn’t taken a major toll on his daily schedule. “Prior to training, I was running several times in the week. The biggest difference is that on weekends, I steadily built up the distance I was running,” he said. “That has probably been the biggest impact as it takes a lot of time and energy out of my weekend.”

Symonds understands that he is “not only responsible for the char-

Spencer Symonds (’17) and Alessandro Baravalle (’17) celebrate at the finish line following the culmunation of the race. The 2017 London Marathon broke the record for most runners in the PHOTO BY GEOFFREY SYMONDS race with 40,382 participants. jury,” he said. “I’ve also started to do a bit of yoga and try to be more hydrated as well.”

Although Symonds recognizes that he is at a high level of running, the appeal of competing for ASL athletics was never too appealing. “For me, [running] was more of a therapeutic thing. When I’m running, I’m competing against myself.”

On race day, Symonds, who participated in the race alongside Alessandro Baravalle (’17) admits that he

spraying water, the event was done very professionally.”

Symonds, like most marathon runners, found the first stretch hard to develop a tempo solely due to the mass grouping of people. “The first 6, 7 miles were difficult to break away from everyone and find a space of your own,” he said. “The next 10 were nice to get into a rhythm, and then, around the 17-18 mile mark, I started to feel the pain. They call it ‘The Wall’.”

finish line to the car park,” Symonds said.

With regards to the total amount raised for the KMMT, Symonds broke the record for the largest donation made to the charity, with his final figure falling just shy of £14,000. “[Baravalle] and I plan to visit Karen’s [Morris’] home in the Hammersmith Hospital that we’ve helped fund,” he said.

Although he does recognize that marathon runners are either “one

“For me, [running] was more of a therapeutic thing.

When I’m running, I’m competing against myself.”

SPENCER SYMONDS (’17) came as a result of his passion for the sport and admits there is something special in running the race in what he considers to be his home town. “I think it’s nice to build up to something and have a goal. Running was just a hobby that I was doing for my-

ity, but also for the donors,” and has taken extra care when it comes to his physical preparation to ensure his race goes smoothly. “Stretching is big. I’ve never really stretched and taken it seriously, but when you run this much, it becomes a risk for in-

did get quite emotional. “[There] was quite an atmosphere there. I had a bit of adrenaline going. Both of us [Symonds and Baravalle] were nervous,” he said. “It was a very exciting day.

The crowds are beside you for the entirety of the day, playing music,

He does admit, however, that the most pain endured did come shortly after the race. “After the run is where the most pain comes in. We were pretty immobile after the race. I think it’s fair to say that the hardest part of the race is the walk from the

and done” or “get the bug,” Symonds admits that while the appeal to run another marathon is still there, he will take some time off. “I think that I would like to do another one in the future, but certainly no plans in the immediate future.”

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Sports

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THE STANDARD | April 2017

Batting for high expectations

Baseball:

ebuild” is seldom a part of Head Varsity Baseball Coach Terry Gladis’ lexicon. Yet, it’s a concept he couldn’t deny before the season started. “It’s absolutely fair to think that it would be a rebuilding year after losing not only eight seniors, but one of our top pitchers, Alan Kohler (’18),” Gladis said.

“What’s going through my head is there are going to be some growing pains; there’s going to be some rebuilding.”

Perhaps the greatest obstacle for a consecutive championship lies in the lack of pitching.

With aces Kohler and Zack Longboy (’16), both all-tournament players, no longer on the team, Gladis is “experimenting” with seven new pitchers to fill the void. Lefties Noah Konzal (’19) and Brodie Craig (’18) will dominate the majority of the innings, alongside Michael Flaherty (’20) and Matthew Pope (’20) out of the bullpen.

Returning to the team this season, Craig brings power to the pitching staff as he increased his pitching velocity by up to 7 miles per hour., hovering at around 75 miles per hour.

Konzal, new to the varsity team, is more of a finesse pitcher, who, on JV, threw a one-hit shutout against ACS Cobham last season.

While the pitching staff remains in a transitory state, the team as a whole boasts an undefeated record, with an aggregate score of 46-6 in their first four games, accurate as of April 25, which leads Gladis to believe “funnily enough… rebuilding might not be in the vocabulary.”

Captain Jake Perelmuter (’18) attributes the early success to a balanced roster. “We might be even better than last year, not in terms of talent, but we have insane depth this year,” Perelmuter said.

Contributing to the depth, Perelmuter believes the underclassmen will play a vital role in the outcome of the season. “We have an incredible amount of young talent; sophomores and freshmen who can all play and slide into spots right away,” he said.

After the team completed an undefeated, gold-medal season last year, incoming thirdbaseman and pitcher Pope recognizes the individual responsibility to replace the seniors of last year. “It feels like there’s a bit more pressure on you to perform like they did last year,” he said. “There’s that pressure to fill in for them and do what they did as opposed to just do what you do.”

Pope believes the objectives for this season have been adjusted accordingly with the loss of four All-Tournament players. “I think expectations are not like last year, [to] have an undefeated season and win ISSTs. Since we lost a bunch of players, it’s not that we’re expected to win, but we’re expected to do well,” Pope said.

The goal for the season is a modest one as far as Gladis is concerned. “[The goal] is to improve every time we walk out on the field. Every single day if we improve I think everything else will follow and we will be very proud of ourselves at the end of the season,” Gladis said.

For Perelmuter, it’s more concrete. “Gold.

Nothing less.”

Sourna Daneshvar Jr. | Lead News Editor

W

“

Kendal Fass (’19) faces a pitch during varsity softball’s game against TASIS on April 22. The team lost the close game 14-13. PHOTO BY BRODIE CRAIG

Noah Konzal (’19) loads a two-seamer fastball up during his shutout game against TASIS on April 22. Varsity boys baseball won 11-0.

PHOTO BY STEPHANIE BRENDSEL

Softball:

ith only three returning players on the varsity softball team, infielder Natalie Vann (’20) described the atmposhere of tryouts as “nervous because there were no[returning] seniors on the team so it meant this was our only chance to make the team for the next two years.”

Mia Holtze (’18) and Georgie Smith (’16), last year’s pitchers, both left the squad, leading Head Varsity Softball Coach Kelly Isbister requiring everyone to throw 10 pitches during tryouts in order to find successors. “If anything, we’re developing pitching,” Isbister said.

During tryouts, Isbister identified Kate Black (’20), Helen Craig (’18) and Kate Farrell (’18) as the main contributors on the mound.

To compensate for inexperienced pitching, Isbister employs an aggressive base running style, eager to confuse opposing fielders into making mistakes and ultimately allowing runners to steal bases. “Having a really aggressive base running style just gets you extra runs and it shakes up the other team so I think that’s amazing that we have aggressive base running,” Captain Stephanie Bell (’18) said.

As one of 11 new players, Vann feels there is room for improvement with regards to teamwork. “It’s a new team, so I feel like there’s not as much communication between the players, but that’s just going to happen while the season progresses,” Vann said.

Winning this season isn’t a pressure like it was last season with eight seniors, Bell believes. “I don’t really think that there’s any pressure. This year if we do well it would be wonderful and I think we can do really well, but it’s more about developing the team for the next year as well,” Bell said.

Likewise, Isbister doesn’t feel any external demands to repeat the feats of previous teams. “I don’t think there’s much pressure since everyone thinks it’s a rebuilding year,” Isbister said.

Despite fielding a largely new team, the talent level of the team surprises Bell. “We lost a lot of players last year so I had low expectations, but there are some really good players out there and it’s pretty similar to how it was last year. It’s not exactly the same, but it’s close,” she said.

Regardless of the exodus of players, Isbister maintains that the goal for this season is to continue the success of the team last year who finished silver, and bronze the year before. “We’re not rebuilding,” Isbister said. “Just because so many left it’s not going to be a weaker quality team.”

The team is focusing on this season, however, with the abundance of underclassmen, the program will be strong in the coming years. “The future is pretty even.

It’s well spread out,” she said. [Next season] will be a season where we’ve moved on from being a developing team to being a team that’s putting in a challenge for the other teams.”

THE STANDARD | April 2017

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Athlete spotlights ANKIT MEHRA ONLINE DIRECTOR Coming off of a gold medal ISST campaign last season, varsity tennis are set to field a team largely filled with returning players, but on varsity boys tennis, there is one new face: Harrison deBoer (’17).

Having played at a competitive level at Santa Barbara High School, California, prior to joining ASL for his senior year, deBoer was a highly ranked player on the recruiting circuit. A knee injury, though, cut his sophomore season short.

Now fully recovered after stepping away from the sport for over a year, deBoer is ready for his senior season – his comeback season.

“Injuries are part of any sport, but it’s still really sad when they interfere with your ability to compete,” he said. “I am really excited that I am healthy again and able to finish strong my senior year.” deBoer believes tennis drives his “competitiveness” and though “time consuming,” he couldn’t imagine his life without it. Confronted with the stress of recovering from the injury while also

AMAAN ZAFAR STAFF WRITER With 10 seconds left on the clock, varsity girls basketball had it all to do.

The final play began with the drive to the basket, attracting a triple team and finishing a well thought out pass, all done by the team’s floor general and guard Mia Holtze (’18).

Holtze grew up playing basketball with her siblings in Connecticut.

“I’ve played basketball for as long as I can remember. I grew up playing with my older brother and dad in our driveway in the U.S.,” she said.

“I attended my first basketball camp when I was 6 with my siblings who were 11 and 13, which was scary, but made me want to get a lot better.”

She carried on playing basketball throughout lower and middle school, focusing on getting better and making friends through the sport.

She admits, similarly to many successful athletes, that her family has played a crucial role in her development and success. “My dad has definitely influenced me the most in all of my sports,” she said. “He has always been my number one fan and always wants me to do my best. [My dad] picks me up after a bad performance or a hard loss, and encourages me to keep playing.”

wanting to balance his social life, deBoer had the realization that he could not stay away from the sport. “I decided to return because I love tennis and I learned how to balance everything that is important to me.”

In a new setting, deBoer believes varsity tennis fosters more of a team atmosphere. “On my team in California, people were playing for themselves so they could be recruited. At ASL, the tennis team’s main goal is to make our teammates better, which has created a really great atmosphere and community.” deBoer, who is undefeated this season, has enjoyed the transition into the team, adapting well to both the camaraderie of the team and his performances. Filled with a heap of personalities, deBoer sees the different strengths of his teammates. “Our team is pretty awesome,” he said. “We’ve got some killer forehands with Nils [Skattum] (’17) and Jack [NavinWeinsten] (’17), massive serves from Will [Mayer] (’17) and Alessandro [Baravalle] (’17) and pure tennis genius from Magnus [Allan]

Boer does not believe the transition between schools and teams has been difficult, partly due to the welcoming environment of the team. “The transition was much easier than one would expect because the team is so welcoming and fun... the team and I

“Soccer was something I did since I was little, because my sister played,” she said.

This past fall season, Holtze and the varsity girls soccer team took a large toll. “This year’s soccer ISSTs finals against TASIS was the hardest loss I’ve had in any sport. After winning ISSTs the two years prior, and beating TASIS during the regular season, it was a shock to the whole team when we lost 1-0. It felt especially bad, because it was the last game for our eight seniors,” Holtze said.

Holtze’s teammate in soccer and basketball, Riley Evans (’17) finds Holtze to be an ideal teammate. “Mia has a very good basketball brain. She knows the sport extremely well and that knowledge allows her to not only make good decisions for herself, but help her teammates see opportunities that will give them a better shot, or open them up for a drive,” Evans said.

Similarly to Kraft, Evans believes that Holtze’s leadership has directly affected the team’s success. “As a goalie, it is very easy to get flustered and nervous in important games.

[Holtze] has always had a cool head and been very good at making decisions,” she said. “Her silent leadership from the back of the field has

allowed the team to be an offensive based team, leading to our team’s success the past 3 seasons.”

During the spring season of Holtze’s junior year, she opted to steer away from softball, believing that this would be more beneficial for her athletic development elsewhere.

“This was a really hard decision for me. Although I loved playing softball and being on the team, I thought track would be better to stay in shape for basketball.”

Heading into senior year, Holtze has a few goals that are on her mind.

“When I was a freshman, I was lucky enough to have amazing upperclassmen that welcomed me and made me feel comfortable on my first varsity sports. I hope I can do the same for my teammates next year.”

With it being her last attempt at ISSTs next year, Holtze wants to bring home three gold medals for ASL. With regards to her hopes to the future, Holtze hopes to pursue and continue her basketball journey at a collegiate level. “I am going to try and play Division III college basketball and I’m going to give it everything I’ve got,” she said. “Basketball in the states is quite competitive... so I’ll hope for the best and see what happens.”

Harrison deBoer (’17)

PHOTO BY STEPHANIE BRENDSEL

(’17), Nick [LeMaire] (’17) and Oliver [Wilson] (’17).”

Not only moving in his senior year, but having had to take a year away from the sport due to injury, de-

Holtze joined programs to strengthen her abilities and to continue to meet new people. “When I moved to London in [Grade 3], Lon-

“I’ve played basketball for as long as I can remember. I grew up playing with my older brother and Dad in our driveway in the U.S.” Mia Holtze (’18)

don Sports offered soccer, basketball and softball, which encouraged me to play and make friends,” she said. “By the time I got to high school, most of my friends were playing these three sports as well.”

Varsity Girls Head Basketball Coach Dave Kraft has been impressed with Holtze’s growth over the season.

“She was frustrated early in the season and her growth was amazing. We asked her to be a leader this year. She wasn’t our captain, but she was our court leader, no doubt.”

Although Holtze is a “star player,” Kraft believes that she still has room to improve and fulfil her potential. “I wanted her to recognize situations. If she wasn’t hitting her shot, I wanted

have become more familiar.”

As for his role on varsity tennis, deBoer is hoping to enjoy himself and largely be a team player who can contribute to the ISST effort.

“I just hope to enjoy myself and contribute as much as I can to the team. This team has a lot of potential, and I not only hope, but am very confident, that the team will be bringing home some gold medals at ISSTs.” This season, deBoer has seen success in his return to the sport,

beating ACS Cobham 9-0 in both his singles match and his doubles match as well as coming out on top against TASIS 9-1 in his doubles match, leading to his undefeated start. “I owe my success early on this season to my coaches at ASL... and my doubles partner, [LeMaire],” he said.

One of his goals this season is to be injury free. Having been hit with a serious injury in the past, deBoer sees injuries as a limitation to his success. Looking towards the future, deBoer doesn’t see a life without tennis. “Tennis is one of my favorite things to do and I really want it to be in life in the future in whatever way is possible. I envision myself still shredding it on the court when I’m in my 80s,” he said.

Varsity tennis will travel to Brussels on April 28 to face the International School of Brussels (ISB), before facing Frankfurt International School (FIS), TASIS and ACS Cobham before ISSTs. Ready to compete for gold in his last year of high school tennis, deBoer has one thing on his mind.

“Munich better get ready come May.”

“At ASL, the tennis team’s main goal is to make our teammates better, which has created a really great atmosphere and community.”

Harrison deBoer (’18) began playing tennis in California and is now on varsity tennis.

Mia Holtze (’18) drives to the basket in a game against TASIS on January 3.

PHOTO BY STEPHANIE BRENDSEL

her to take it to the basket. If she had a couple of fouls, she had to play a different way on defense.”

Alongside basketball and softball before switching to track this year, Holtze has played soccer throughout all years of high school.

Sports

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Sports

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THE STANDARD | April 2017

Running London Baseball/Softball season preview

Tom Linkas (’18) slides into second base during the first of ASL’s double header against TASIS on April 22. Varsity boys baseball won the first game 11-0, and the second 8-3.

PHOTO BY RILEY EVANS