Issue V

Standard

the

March 2016 | Volume XLI, Issue V

News: 2-4 Opinions: 5-8 Features: 9-14 Culture: 15-19 Sports: 20-24

2016 election progresses A look at the current U.S. presidential election, the global division it is creating the High School’s thoughts on candidates and the process so far.

Page 4

EDITORIAL

The athletic divide The Standard’s Editorial Board calls for more gender equality in athletics in the High School, from both the student body and the administration.

Page 5

All eyes on her Analyzing the survey results from the Independent School Gender Project study, and what they say about society.

Head of School to depart A look into Head of School Coreen Hester’s decision to retire, as well as the process of finding her replacement Sourna Daneshvar, Jr. | Sports Editor

Pages 12-13

Story on page 2

Demographic disconnect

An exploration into the lack of diversity in art and movies, as well as the current racial tensions in the U.S. Pages 18-19

PHOTO BY YARRA ELMASRY

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

Page 2

News

•••

THE STANDARD | March 2016

Presidential elections Language Department changes

Hester to retire after a decade

SOURNA DANESHVAR, JR. SPORTS EDITOR

H

ead of School Coreen Hester informed the Board of Trustees on January 27 that she would retire, effective at the conclusion of the 2016-2017 school year.

Numerous factors, such as the nearcompletion of many of Hester’s goals as Head of School, swayed her decision. “In order to stay, I would have wanted to commit to five more years and that probably would not have been right at my time of life,” Hester said.

During her tenure thus far, Hester highlights the 2010 strategy plan, revised mission statement, alignment of the K-12 curriculum and community outreach in Westminster as her largest accomplishments.

However, Hester asserts that these would not have been possible without the assistance of others. “You make clear what your mission is, and your vision, and then you hire the right people, you get all the right people moving in the same direction and then you really do make something happen,” she said.

Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees Julie Skattum appreciates Hester’s work, specifically pertaining to the mission statement. “[Hester] has transformed ASL into a very clearly-mission driven school... and so many wonderful things have flowed from that,” Skattum said. “She’s raised the bar.”

High School Principal Jack Phillips believes Hester’s notable initiatives, namely increased endowment and evolving faculty demographics have firmly positioned the school for years to come. “We can take risks as a school, we can do things without a fear that the school isn’t in any kind of financial danger,” Phillips said. “Her work around leading the faculty and thinking about diversity is going to be long lasting.”

Qualities, skills and direction for the school are factors in consideration to determine the new head, yet with Hester’s work Skattum does not believe the succeeding head needs to focus on any particular facet of the school immediately. “It’s passing the baton to someone who understands who we are and where we are,” Skattum said.

Searching for a successor started with the Board of Trustees creating a search committee. Specific members of the board members the search committee.

After confirming the search committee,

Head of School Coreen Hester announced to the Board of Trustees that she will retire at the end of the 2016-2017 school year. PHOTO BY YARRA ELMASRY Skattum and Head of the Board of Trustees Dave Novak interviewed nine search firms via Skype, before finally selecting Carney, Sandoe & Associates, a Bostonbased company. “The Board wants to look broadly [and] globally [for] the very best leader for this school,” Carney, Sandoe & Associates member Barbara Chase said.

Skattum describes the relationship between the Board and Carney, Sandoe & Associates as a “partnership. They are the experts on how best to expose us to as many people as possible,” she said. “They’re very much our eyes and ears in identifying individuals we should talk to.”

large community buy-in,” Skattum said.

However, an “open search” is not guaranteed for fear of exposing applicants who hold positions at other schools. Revealing a desire to leave their respective communities may prevent some candidates from applying. “Another possibility for the search is that there may be candidates [who are in] positions that they wouldn’t ordinarily leave except for trying out for our job, then it would be a closed search,” Skattum said. “In that scenario we would do the best we could to involve the community as much as possible while balancing confidentiality.”

After gathering feedback from various members of the c o m m u n i t y, such as parents, students, administrators and faculty, the search agency drafted a Position Description (PD). From the candidates attracted to the position through the released PD and other advertisements, the team will narrow the field down to approximately 100 applicants for the search committee to review. Around five semi-finalist applicants will visit campus for interviews with the search committee and to meet various members of the community.

Once interviews and other necessary

[Hester] has transformed ASL into a very clearly-mission driven school... and so many wonderful things have flowed from that. She’s raised the bar.

Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees, Julie Skattum At the rudimentary stages of the search, many questions about the procedure of the process remain unknown for the Board and search committee. However, the search committee to remain as transparent to the community as possible. “We don’t yet know how this process is going to go. What we would hope is that the process would involve, what’s called an “open search” with numerous opportunities to meet candidates and

information is gathered about the candidates, the search committee will suggest a candidate to the Board to vote for the new head of school. Ultimately, the decision for the new head of school lies solely with the Board of Trustees.

While the process lacks a defined timeline, PDs typically require several weeks to draft, and reducing the number of applicants takes several months. However, neither the search committee nor Carney, Sandoe & Associates will compromise a time schedule over quality of candidates. “We want to attract the best candidate and put the time that’s necessary in putting the best foot forward,” Chase said.

While Phillips is not a part of the search committee, he believes that his absence will not diminish the relationship he will have with the new head of school. “I have every confidence in the search committee [that] they are going to get someone who is highly qualified,” he said. “Whoever it is I will absolutely work closely with them,” he said.

For Hester, her upcoming retirement has made her reflect on her tenure at the school. “I’ve loved getting to know the students and the families and bringing in great teachers so it’s been pretty magical. I actually kind of think that ASL is a little addictive.”

Deputy-Editor-in-Chief Nadia Sawiris and Lead News Editor Charlotte Young contributed to reporting

•••

THE STANDARD | March 2016

Page 3

News

Reilly moves forward

College Counselor John Reilly will be departing ASL following the culmination of this school year. After spending five years at ASL, he has accepted a position at Trinity School, in New York City, as Associate Director of College Counseling.

Sebastian Mayr | Sports Editor “I’ve never had a day where I’ve not enjoyed coming to work and I find myself very fortunate in that fact,” Reilly says, the magnitude of his decision almost unnoticable in his measured tone.

It hasn’t been easy for Reilly, knowing these next months will be the last at an institution he’s tirelessly dedicated the past five years of his life to. “[Leaving the ASL community] is the part that kind of keeps me awake at night... This is a place that is really hard to leave,” he said.

For Reilly, it’s leaving behind the strong relationships he’s built with students and families over the years. It’s leaving behind a team he’s worked with

“

college admissions process provides a harrowing reminder of the challenges ahead.

Reilly’s own experience stood in stark contrast to this, as it was not only enjoyable, but also unraveled a world of unprecedented opportunities for him, waiting to be seized.

“When I was in high school I loved the college process. I think a lot of students here view it as a stressful process, but for me it kind of unlocked this world, that there were so many choices out there.”

It would be years later though, while working in the admissions office at his alma mater, Claremont McKenna College, that Reilly sought education as a potential occupation. His time at Claremont,

My job is not just the transaction of me helping a student get into college. It’s about helping them understand who they are as people.

John Reilly, College Counselor and grown extremely close to for three years. But most importantly, it’s leaving behind a community he’s been heavily involved in through counselling, teaching and advising.

Growing up in Queens, NY, Reilly fondly recalls his high school summer experiences in upstate New York, where he participated in a leadership-building program with students from 32 different nations.

Pooling together youths from around the globe, the program gave Reilly his first taste of a truly cosmopolitan community.

“That really made my world a lot smaller, because then I was able to meet kids from around the world. Places that I had heard about, places that I had read about,” he said.

For many high school students entering their senior year, the prospect of commencing the

which consisted of reviewing 1100 applications annually, made him realize he wanted to work with a broader subset of students whom he could guide through the admissions process, and he settled on high school as a viable option to do just that.

After three years of reviewing applications and finalizing admissions decisions alongside a panel of seven other members, Reilly transferred to the Friends School in Baltimore, where he would work as a counselor and teacher for four years prior to moving to London.

Reilly began his work on the opposite end of admissions, advising students on the broad range of universities and opportunities at their disposal. It was at Friends that he could share his own experiences at Claremont. And it was there that he began to understand the importance of community values. “Integrity was a big tenet of the school,

with students talking in a positive way about the [college] process amongst each other, and that it wasn’t always competitive. I think there was a really healthy sense of reflection that made the process more palatable for them,” he said.

A sense of community and togetherness has been an important ingredient in Reilly’s counseling mantra. It’s exactly this mantra that has allowed him to serve as much more than a college counselor and be there for students socially and emotionally too. “My job is not just the transaction of me helping a student get into college. It’s about helping them understand who they are as people.”

Reilly points to the partly open door in front of him. “Unless I have a student in my office, my door is always open,” he said.

The message of the college counseling staff, one that is echoed

by Reilly, that everyone is united.

While Reilly’s foremost priority is to his assigned students, he regularly hears about other students from his two counterparts, Head of College Counseling Patty Strohm and College Counselor Ivan Hauck, and sees his position as responsible to all ASL graduates, regardless of whether he is their counselor or not.

Despite settling on college counseling at Friends, Reilly had not yet fulfilled his longtime aspiration of working overseas. An opening at ASL in early 2011 however, presented a fitting opportunity to be part of a top-caliber college advising staff whilst simultaneously working abroad.

ASL’s diverse and dynamic student environment immediately complemented Reilly’s itinerant nature and allowed him to come into contact with widely disparate backgrounds, bearing a striking resemblance to those at his summer camp two decades earlier.

“The reason I chose to be here was I wanted to be overseas, but then also I knew that the team I would come work with would be outstanding, and it’s proven to

be that for the past five years. It’s a really good team to be part of,” he said. Living in London just happened to be another perk of the job.

Since then, Reilly has gone on to spearhead the Undergraduate Courses at University and College (UCAS) clearing system, serve as one of the advisors on Model United Nations and alongside Strohm and Hauck, contribute to expanding ASL’s programming workshops.

Re-settling in New York, his birthplace, presents somewhat of a coming together for Reilly, whose family currently reside there after living abroad for extended periods of time, too.

Though excited by the new team he will be working with at Trinity School, he acknowledges the inevitable drawbacks of departing and starting anew. “On a personal level, it’s a really great opportunity, but the sort of international calling that I have, I don’t think is ever going to go away.

I’m looking hopefully to become involved in the global programs that Trinity has to offer, to maintain that experience that I’ve had at ASL,” he said.

That international calling initially encouraged Reilly to actively pursue counselling and a subsequent degree in education.

That international calling has – to a large extent – shaped the very essence and framework of his job, and he intends to maintain and build upon it next year, regardless of the inhere t welcome challenges he faces. “What I hope I’ve done here is show parents a strong work ethic and commitment to their children. Now it’s incumbent upon me to do what I did five years ago and show a willingness and excitement to know the kids, and help those kids understand what these greats places are that are out there.”

CARTOON BY MICKEY SCHULKES

•••

Page 4

THE STANDARD | March 2016

News

2016 U.S. election progresses WILLIAM BRUMMETTE STAFF WRITER

The 2016 presidential election is well underway with just under eight months to go before Americans vote for a candidate.

According to The New York Times, Donald Trump has so far secured 739 delegates while Sen. Ted Cruz R-TX has secured 465 delegates. After losing his home state of Florida to Trump, Sen. Marco Rubio R-FL dropped out of the race, having secured a total of 168 delegates. Ohio Governor John Kasich has secured 143 delegates. For a candidate to secure the Republican party nomination, they must receive 1,237 delegates.

Democratic party nominees, however, must win 2,838 delegates. According to The New York Times, Hillary Clinton has 1,690 delegates and Sen. Bernie Sanders I-VT has 946.

Ben Shields (’17) believes that this is one of the most riveting elections in U.S. history.

“There are a few election years that have crazy moments” he said. “This is one of them.”

Shields believes Trump has been so effective because “he is a voice against the establishment.”

So far in this election, establishment candidates have struggled. An establishment candidate is a candidate who is closely tied to the party. Former Governor of Florida Jeb Bush dropped out after poor results in South Carolina (which Trump won).

Mimi Albanese (’16) thinks that if Mitt Romney ran this year he would have met the same fate as Bush. “It’s just not the year for an establishment candidate,” she said.

DEMOCRATS

REPUBLICANS

Hillary Clinton Delegates: 1,690 Donald Trump Delegates: 739

Sen. John Kaisch Delegates: 143

Sen. Ted Cruz Delegates: 465

Sen. Bernie Sanders Delegates: 946

The remaining presidential candidates for the 2016 U.S. election. Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton lead their parties with 680 and 1,630 delegates, respectively.

Kris Westgaard (’16) agrees. He believes that Americans are angry about issues currencly facing the country that make an estabishment candidate unappealing. He sees one possible cause of anger stemming from the financial crisis of 2008. “We are on the road to recovery, but a lot of people lost their jobs, and the public feel betrayed by their own system,” he said. “That’s why Bernie Sanders is gaining a lot of support with his

News Briefs ICC Global Festival

Security Update

On March 20, the ASL Parent Community Association hosted the ICC Gobal Festival. Parents ran tables filled with different food items representing their culture while various games and events took place. The Global Festival is an annual event that’s goal is to showcase ASL’s diverse community and is offered as a way for students to understand the places the school represents.

In the first two weeks of February, several U.K. and international schools received pre-recorded bomb threats via phone. Following the terrorist attacks in Brussels on March 22, Head of Security Barak Favé has assured that ASL has maintained contact with the Metropolitan Police and counter-terrorism units as well as the U.S. Embassy to stay informed and prepared.

Model United Nations

Autism Awareness Group

ASL students performed at an unprecedented level of success at the last Model United Nations (MUN) conference of the year, HABSMUN. The Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ School, located just outside of London, hosted the event. Students chaired 3 committees and won a total of 7 awards, making this year one of the most successful years ever for MUN.

The Autism Awareness group raised over £750 through a bake sale on February 24 and selling wristbands at a varsity boys and girls basketball game against the International School of Brussels on February 26.

The Autism Awareness group aims to “alleviate misconceptions about the disease and help the wide range of people on the Autism spectrum in any way.”

accusations of Wall Street’s greed and corruption. Banks got bailout money and the banks used that money to pay their CEO’s and high officials, and people feel like that’s their money.”

Social Studies Teacher Terry Gladis believes another possible reason that explains why Americans are so enraged is the increasing divisions between Republicans and Democrats. “The partisanship has absolutely

paralyzed the government for the good part of the last eight to ten years. It’s the parties being so polarized that nothing is getting done. Nobody wants to compromise – they want their side to win,” he said.

Since November 2014, the Republican party has held a majority in both houses; however, they do not control the 67 Senate seats needed to override a presidential veto. As a result, it has been challenging for Congress to pass legislation.

The American people are also realizing that pressing issues, such as gun control and the national debt, are getting worse, which only fuels their support towards someone like Trump, who is addressing these specific issues.

Gladis also thinks that Americans are becoming increasingly torn over these important problems. “Every single issue we have, we seem completely divided over,” he said.

“Since America was built on compromise, we need to go back to our foundations.”

Shields believes this year’s election is of paramount importance to the student body. “This election will determine all of our lives and who has the most control over the world,” he said.

Albanese believes that “if someone like Donald Trump were to be elected president, that would make me quite nervous.” Whatever happens in November will be very important for the world, but also for the High School.

PHOTOS FROM WIKIMEDIA COMMONS Editors Note: The number of delegates indicated above was accurate as of March 24, 2016

Changes to Language courses SOPHIE ASHLEY STAFF WRITER Spanish 3A will be offered for the last time this year. For the past five years, Spanish has been the only language tracked into two sections at level 3.

The 3A class was designed to follow the same curriculum as Spanish 3 while additionally factoring in reading comprehension and short novels.

The decision was made after the language department compared the results of students’ Avant STAMP tests over the last four years, which is an online assessment designed to monitor student progress and language efficiency. The pattern found was that the extra material given to students in Spanish 3A was not significantly improving the students’ levels of proficiency. “[The STAMP tests] show that the student proficiency levels at the end of the year are very similar. The differences do not provide any justification for the tracked system,” Department Head of World Languages and Cultures Lanting Xu said.

Another factor that went into the deci-

sion was the realization that most students in level 3 and 3A are in Grade 9. “Can any of us have the evidence to show that 9th graders, at the start of their career in high school, can already be divided in terms of able students and less able students? I don’t think philosophically we should endorse that kind of idea,” Xu said.

Timmy Demetris (’19) takes level 3 Spanish and disapproves of the decision to stop offering the tracked system. “I think that there are people that are just more advanced and there are kids who [are] still good but who would struggle in 3A,” he said.

The same decision is being considered for tracking level 4 of Spanish and French.

Teachers of 4A classes will be documenting their curriculum and the differences in language proficiency at the end of the year in comparison to the students in level 4. “We want to see that [the students] actually are taught differently and it creates different results so that we actually have some kind of justification for these tracked systems,” Xu said.

In response to increased student interest, next year will also see the return of Arabic 1.

•••

THE STANDARD | March 2016

Page 5

Catcalling Drone warfare

Opinions

THE ATHLETIC DIVIDE

CARTOON BY STELLA JORGENSEN The portrayal of female sports as inconsequential in nearly every professional league promotes a similar stigma at the high school level. This Editorial Board has found evidence that women’s sports are not treated equally to men’s in the High School. The inequality not only comes from an administrational standpoint, but also the social trends within the student body.

Often times, the inequality is not obvious. Women in high school athletics no longer face discrimination in matters such as funding, but minor inequalities that exist not only add up,

but have a profoundly negative impact on the student athletes.

Arguably the most obvious, and perhaps trite, example of this inequality is the disparity in support between varsity girls and boys basketball. For years, the fans at girls varsity basketball games have consisted mostly of parents and Lower School students, the stands filling up with High School students in the last quarter, presumably because the boys team plays after. We recognize that some find the physicality of boys basketball more exciting than that of the girls, however, this blatant lack of sup-

port is perpetuating gender inequality within the school. We should have an interest to support our peers in their athletic games, regardless of their sport or their gender.

Because this occurrence also takes place at the professional level, we as a society generally disregard the trend as not being a real issue. Yet, this is a glaring problem that needs to be addressed. In its current state, it is detrimental to the mindset of female student athletes.

The lopsidedness in support for women’s and men’s sports extends to administration spon-

Standard

sored events as well. Last year, the school hosted both boys soccer and girls softball ISSTs at Canons Park. A school day was shortened to allow for students to go and support boys soccer in their semi-final match on a Friday. However, this same treatment was not extended to the softball team. We recognize that it is difficult to shorten school days, but the administration cannot do it for one gender and not another.

This Editorial Board calls upon the administration and the athletics department to ensure uniformity in how they treat teams

that are hosting ISSTs. Additionally, we propose that the administration, athletics department, Booster Club, Student Council and even the teams themselves all work in conjunction to ensure that sports events are being given the same coverage and regarded with the same importance, no matter the gender of the athletes.

The spring sports season is upon us. Many teams will have home games and tournaments.

We as a school need to stop ignoring the gender imbalance that exists within our sports and school by supporting all of our peers equally.

the YARRA ELMASRY Editor-in-Chief

Micah Skariah, Quinn Whitman

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

through letters to the editor, guest columns, online comments,

ZACK LONGBOY Deputy Editor-in-Chief: Content

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TYLER SKOW Deputy Editor-in-Chief: Issues

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CHARLOTTE YOUNG Lead News Editor

CARTOONISTS

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MARTHA COLLINS Opinions Editor

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School page of the ASL website, www.asl.org.

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EDITORIALS

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SOURNA DANESHVAR, JR. Sports Editor

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CONTENT The Standard covers news related, but not limited,

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•••

Page 6

THE STANDARD | March 2016

Opinions

To catcallers everywhere

MARTHA COLLINS martha_collins@asl.org

“

Men have the power to break my confidence down, get inside my head and make me fear for my safety – all with a few short words.

Thanks for reminding me how uncomfortable I can feel a mere 100 yards from my own home.

Second time today, fifth time this week. That slur you roll off your tongue so freely and naturally is damaging and painful.

To everyone that has ever shot a sexual slur at a stranger on the street, or tossed up an obscene gesture with no provocation: What is your motive? In all honesty, has that ever worked for you?

Has humiliating a random stranger on the street ever helped you pick up girls?

Or, is your motive to make me feel ashamed, embarrassed and downright scared for my safety? If so, congratulations, you have surpassed your goal.

To those who say it’s a compliment, or that it’s nothing to get riled up about: Should compliments make me want to crawl as deep down into my own shell as possible? Are compliments meant to humiliate me, or allow me no conceivably safe way to respond?

No, compliments should not make me obsessively self-conscious of the way I walk down the street or present myself to strangers.

Regardless of the time of day, women walking alone on the street are never exempt from catcalls.

Time and time again I’ve asked myself what I can change about myself to avoid these situations.

Yet, that is not the conversation we should be having. The problem does not lie within what I am doing – or wearing – but in the minds of the catcallers and how society has allowed them to think that such a thing is acceptable. We should not be discussing what women can and cannot wear.

Rather, we should focus on educating males on the grave effects that catcalling and the objectification of women can have.

The rampant culture of catcalling is a close cousin to rape culture, both of which involve victim blaming because of what the vic-

Progress Report SPRING BREAK

MLB

SUSHI & MORE

SUN

tims are wearing, or how they’re presenting themselves.

No, I did not put a skirt on today for a stranger to comment degradingly on it. And again, no, just because someone is a male does not give him a power over me that requires me to respond. No one gets get to call me a “b*tch” if I don’t entertain his slur and refrain from responding, quickening my pace in the opposite direction and darting my eyes away from his gaze.

Catcalling is powerful. There is no doubt about it. Men have the power to break my confidence down, get inside my head and make me fear for my safety – all with a few short words.

Words are powerful. Yet, it is not just the bombardment of slurs that women experience. It’s also the leers. The unmistakable piercing glare that tracks me down the street. When I walk past you, I can tell the way you try to undress me with your eyes with the elevator look – from my head to my shoes

PHOTOS 1, 2 AND 5 BY MARTHA COLLINS; PHOTO 3 FROM DIMLAND.BLOGSPOT.COM; PHOTO 4 BY ZACK LONGBOY; PHOTO 6 BY SOURNA DANESHVAR, JR.

1

2

3

4

5

6

The Editorial Board of 1.

The Standard gives the school its first 2. spring report.

and back up again. I know that you’ll turn around when I walk past you. You’re out of my view, but not out of my mind. I dwell on that moment for the rest of the day, replaying possible scenarios.

These catcalling men have mothers and sisters. And, I guarantee, that the women in their lives are ridiculed by strangers on the street as well.

Ask the women in your life if they’ve ever experienced catcalling. If you’re a male, try to understand how it truly makes women feel. If you’re a female, talk about it. Share your stories.

Raising the conversation identifies it as the pressing issue that it is. It is not, in any way, shape or form, something that we, as women, have brought upon ourselves.

Rather, it is the alarming reality of daily objectification and marginalization that women experience in society.

To the catcallers: What would your mother think if she heard you?

Bottom O mess: (D) StuCo cleaned it up, but the mess was back the next week. It’s a cross between a trash can and a closet. Yarra Elmasry One week Spring Break: (F) I have had a year to reflect on the change, and it is not working out. I need that tanning time. Tyler Skow

4.

Sush: (A-) Fast becoming the new favorite lunch spot, Sush at (undisclosed location, not so fast freshmen) only receives an A- due to the recent inflationary 50p price change. Zack Longboy

5.

Sun: (A+) Welcome back. Nice to know you exist.

Martha Collins

is back: (A) My winter hibernation is finally 6.

3. Baseball ending. The grass is being mowed, the bases laid and MLB is back for another summer of fun. Ankit Mehra

“Waverley Park”: (C-) It’s not a park – nice try, New Frontiers. Sourna Daneshvar , Jr. Post Scriptum: Hats off to Maath

•••

THE STANDARD | March 2016

Page 7

Opinions

Advocacy through social platforms

YES 73.9%

of freshmen attended

of sophomores attended

of juniors attended

25.8%

of seniors attended

NO 26.1% 38.8%

17.6%

HOW FAIR IS THE ELECTION PROCESS?

34.5%

HOW HELPFUL WERE THE SPEECHES AND Q&A?

not at all

26.7% 17%

30.9% 23.6% not at all

“I think [attending the speeches] is good for support, but I’m not sure how effective it is for us...if we don’t get any voice in actually deciding who the president is.”

-Maia Vasaturo-Kolodner (’17)

SHOULD THE ENTIRE STUDENT BODY VOTE IN THE ELECTIONS?

51.1%

of all students attended

not very

“This process allowed for whoever cared enough to come to the discussions and to be able to approach their student representatives with their preference for candidate, giving them more input.”

-Ayse Yucesan (‘18) Stuco Representative

25.6%

not very

THE VOICES

ATTENDANCE AT STUCO SPEECHES AND Q&A

to see the creature again. Much to his surprise, the penguin has been returning every year to see his rescuer. The story has been covered in media publications globally, raising awareness for conservation around oil spills.

Another example of virality being used for good, is the recent “Match for Lara” campaign, which, through the use of the hashtag “#match4lara,” resulted in a young woman receiving the lifesaving bone marrow transplant she needed. What these examples share is that they create a community of engaged individuals.

Anyone can create such a community. Social media is generally used for self indulgent reasons, such as showing a network how luxurious one’s holiday is or, in West’s case, complaining about debt and comparing it to poverty in a third world country.

If you have even one follower on Twitter or Instagram, you have the power to spread an idea or a cause that you care about or that you think matters.

20.8%

31.5%

somewhat

WITH OPINIONS EDITOR MARTHA COLLINS

THE DATA

somewhat

The

Buzz

His Instagram photos involve calls to action, placing links to donation pages for causes such as clean energy or oil spill clean ups.

As well as founding his own charity and supporting many others, Ruffalo has written an online article emphasizing his concern regarding the lack of action being taken against natural gas drilling.

These three celebrities use their power to affect society in positive ways. However, others are not so generous and manage to forget the potential of their positive influence.

It’s not just celebrities who forget the true potential of social media. In the 21st century, the internet has created the concept of “going viral.” Just last week, hearts melted over the story of the penguin Dindim. In 2011, Joao Pereira de Souza found an oil-covered penguin on a Brazilian beach and nursed him back to health. When he eventually released the penguin back into the wild, de Souza never expected

very

“

Some celebrities use their power to affect society in positive ways.

However, others are not so generous and manage to forget the potential of their positive influence.

“Kenya not Kanye,” which urges members of the public to donate money to charities based in the East African country. To date, the site has raised $4,513. However, the Twitter page of Ferrer’s campaign has only 91 followers, which pales into comparison to West’s 19.9 million. The irony lies within the idea that West is using his large follower base to engage in and advocate for a much less charitable cause.

Social media is rife with celebrities who use their name, influence and ability to reach a large audience for the greater good. The actors Sophia Bush, Mark Ruffalo and Leonardo DiCaprio are among those who use their online profiles for charitable causes. Bush, for example, retweets causes that she feels are important to advocate for, such as how Donald Trump’s sons kill endangered animals for fun.

DiCaprio’s Instagram account is dedicated to environmental activism, his posts reaching over 4 million people and bringing in hundreds of thousands of likes.

very

MAYA ARIBURNU

maya_ariburnu@asl.org

Kanye West stole Valentine’s Day’s thunder this year with his now famous plea to Mark Zuckerberg. West, a rapper and fashion designer, asked the Facebook founder for $1 billion to help with his alleged $53 million debt. He didn’t do this over a drink in a bar with Zuckerberg, but rather in front of the whole world, using just 140 characters on Twitter.

The ensuing sea of tweets makes it hard to see West’s request in a purely amusing light, especially after, in one tweet, he referred to Africa as a country instead of a continent. The reaction of the press and individuals worldwide has covered every aspect of the outburst, even down to psychoanalyzing West’s mental state. Yet, in the midst of this debate lies a less discussed and far more interesting reaction.

Gabriel Ferrer, a Miamibased senior copywriter, saw an opportunity to use the press storm around West for good.

Ferrer, with a bit of witty wordplay, launched a website called

10.9%

DATA TAKEN FROM A SURVEY OF 165 STUDENTS CONDUCTED BY THE STANDARD.

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Page 8

THE STANDARD | March 2016

Opinions Snapchat ruins experiences DANIEL ZIMMERMANN daniel_zimmermann@asl.org

“

Don’t only do something for the value of the story you will make on Snapchat. Do it for the story you will tell to your friends and family in the future.

Thank God the DJ Khaled khraze is over.

Sure, his Snapchat stories were funny, and having an insight into the daily life of a celebrity was interesting. But, it highlighted one aspect of our society that has grown into a major problem in the past few years: Snapchat.

Ever since Snapchat gained popularity around four years ago, the application’s purposes have varied. First a controversial app that worried parents, Snapchat has transformed into a vital medium of communication.

Although its communication utilities are often redundant with other social media platforms like Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp, the point of Snapchat almost solely falls onto

its capabilities of instantly sharing photos and videos.

What is a Snapchat story?

To myself, and other teens who spend arguably too much time on social media, it is an update on what our friends are doing.

If you are at a soccer game, you “story” it. If you’re at the airport ready to leave the country, you “story” it. And of course, if you’re at a party, you most definitely “story” it.

Has it gone too far? It seems that people are all too willing to sacrifice positive life experiences to document it, just so that 100 of their friends can view their moment for 10 seconds. Is there really so much value in documenting something when you sacrifice actually living it? Don’t only do something for the value of the

story you will make on Snapchat.

Do it for the story you will tell to your friends and family in the future.

Going back to Khaled, this problem was evident in his “fan love” Snapchat stories. These were when he would go out and see his fans that were so desperate to meet him (but more desperate, however, to get on his story). If you go to his story and view these 5-10 second clips of “fan love,” how many of those fans have their cameras flashing and selfie videos rolling, just to document their encounter with this C-list celebrity? Too many. The fact of the matter is that they don’t really care about meeting Khaled; they care about getting on his story, and getting him on theirs.

We, as a generation, seem to

be fixated on showing off the unique life experiences we have, meals we eat, our reunions with friends, and sunset pictures. And, many of use even feel the need to share 200 seconds worth of flashing lights and choppy sound at a concert.

I am definitely guilty of having these kinds of annoying Snapchat stories, but then again there aren’t many people that are exempt from excessively sharing on Snapchat. However, I think it is important to take in experiences without the added documentation. Enjoy what you do, where you go and what you eat; but don’t only enjoy it because you get to show it to everyone on Snapchat.

Enjoy it because it is your life – we should cherish these moments in more than just pixels.

It is easy to fear the concept of drone warfare. “It’s just something about the remote killing aspect,” said my friend when I asked him about it. “It doesn’t sit right, distinguishing between an innocent civilian and a dangerous [combatant] from thousands of miles away.”

Demonized in the media and in popular culture, “evidence” – at least that of the anecdotal nature – of the harmfulness of drones is easy to find. A simple Google seach of “drone warfare” will back this up – no punches are help back in covering the failure of drones or cases of innocent civilian deaths.

Yet, despite these so-called “failures,” drone warfare has become one of the U.S.’s preeminent counterterrorism strategies over the last decade. According to Foreign Affairs, a magazine published by the nonprofit Council on Foreign Relations, around 400 drone strikes were launched in the first four years of the Obama administration.

And, despite much criticism, the drones have been largely successful: Killing key leaders and disrupting terrorist sanctuaries in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia, drones have successfully targeted al-Qaeda and other militant groups. They have done so at a small financial cost, at no risk to U.S. forces and with fewer civilian casualties than a special forc-

es ground operation might have caused.

According to data from the nonprofit think tank New America Foundation, as of 2013, drones had killed an estimated 3,300 alQaeda, Taliban and other operatives in Pakistan and Yemen. This includes over 50 senior leaders of al-Qaeda and the Taliban, as well as many lower level operatives who are vital to terrorists’ success, like passport forgers, bomb makers, recruiters and fundraisers.

The attacks go beyond targeted killings: The threat of drones also undercuts terrorists’ ability to communicate and train. In order to avoid attracting drones, the alQaeda and Taliban operatives try to avoid using electronic devices and congregating in large numbers.

Fact: Employing drones kills and disrupts terrorists, and keeps American lives safe. Yet, when the headlines display only the negative effects of drone warfare, it is easy to see where the negative image comes from.

While they are largely effective, drone strikes do have their negatives. Although the U.S. government contends that there are little to no civilian casualties, independent experts from Foreign Affairs, pin the number somewhere around 150 (over the span of the Obama administration). While obviously that is 150 too many, people often fail to take into account the

similar – and arguably more lethal – effects of the alternatives.

Of course, the ideal situation would be capturing combatants alive with ground raids, and allowing authorities to question them.

And, in stable countries where the U.S. has the support of the local government, these ground raids are the current practice. But in war zones, or unstable countries such as Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia, arresting militants is highly dangerous and, even when successful, often inefficient with the amount of international coordination and manpower necessary.

In those three countries, the local governments have little to no control over large swathes of their land, making it highly dangerous to go after militants that may be stationed there. In fact, in Pakistan and Yemen, the governments have at times even cooperated with militants. If the U.S. regularly sent in special forces to hunt down terrorists there, sympathetic officials could easily tip them off, likely leading to shoot outs, U.S. casualties and the deaths of innocent civilians.

As far as air strikes are concerned, drones are also safer and more efficient. The smaller warhead carried by most drones is far more precise than a 500-pound bomb dropped from a bomber, which runs the risk of greater unexpected structural damage and casualties. Even more important,

drones, unlike traditional airplanes, can loiter above a target for hours, waiting for the ideal moment to strike and thus reducing the odds that civilians will be caught in the kill zone.

Just like any operation, the military has a thorough set of protocol that they undergo with drone warfare.

After a request from ground operatives, the CIA will collect and verify as much reputable Humint (military speak for a human intelligence source) as they can, and employ visual surveillance, via drones, for hundreds of hours.

This includes constant observation of the target, beginning the day before the strike, as any sighting of civilians could halt the mission.

Certain strikes on higher level terrorist targets need an even further level of oversight, so-called “signature strikes” requiring a signing off by the president.

Drone warfare is not an exact science, but it is far closer than many people believe.

The fight against drone use is a popular, but vastly misunderstood topic; drone warfare is cheap, efficient and prevents the loss of American lives. In order to protect American lives, both from deadly terrorist attacks on the homefront and from casualties in the battlefield, we must get over our irrational fear of drones, look past the only-negative headlines and accept drone warfare.

Demystifying drone warfare ZACK LONGBOY

zack_longboy@asl.org

“

Fact: Employing drones kills and disrupts terrorists, and keeps American lives safe.

Gender in society Glow-in-the-dark bacteria

j cancella

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Features PHOTO BY YARRA ELMASRY

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THE STANDARD | March 2016

Social Studies Teacher Jason Cancella discusses his experience teaching at an underprivileged school in New York City, the contrast to ASL and his future endeavours in Japan Maya Jotwani | Lead Features Editor

W

hen Social Studies Teacher Jason Cancella walks into the school, he passes metal detectors, like at an airport.

The bell rings and students flood into his Economics or U.S. History class, most of the boys making a beeline for Cancella to give him a “pound,” a hug and a slap on the back before sitting down. “Most of them would not enter or leave without making contact with me in that way,” he said.

This is George Washington Educational Campus in Upper West Manhattan, New York ,so west that “we almost fell off the island.” Cancella worked here for three years prior to ASL. At this school, most students were of Dominican descent, with a small population of African Americans and one white student named Kilian.

Over the years Cancella taught there, he realized the “pound,” and in fact all forms of touch, were more than just an acknowledgement or greeting. “With some of them, who had undiagnosed learning challenges, and emotional challenges and family issues, touch was a big way of making, literally and metaphorically, contact with them,” he said. If a student became aggressive or agitated in class, all Cancella had to do was put a hand on his or her shoulder, which would be enough to calm him or her down.

As the teacher, Cancella had to bring together the students who came from all types of backgrounds, Hispanic or African American, from sleeping on couches to a warm family home. It was always chaotic.

At the front of the room, Cancella had to find his power to control his students and contain the chaos. “I had to be crazier than they were, I had to be louder than they were, I had to be willing to push it farther than they were willing to push it,” he said. “I had to [make them] realize that I was willing to be playful, but also that I was willing to make them uncomfortable,” he said.

His source of power: Humor, “a little bit of craziness” and intimidation.

His craziness came through in many ways. One day, a student was particularly “mouthy” in class, talking back and bothering other students. Cancella found that talking to him and reprimanding him was doing no good. So before he knew it, Cancella found himself leaving the class and chasing the boy down the hallway. Eventually, Cancella caught up to the boy and went in for a full tackle. When they

a teacher. He was a role model to many children who did not have positive adults in their lives, and a confidant when students needed help. “I was kind of the cool uncle or cool brother. The kids knew that if they needed me they could reach out to me,” he said. “And kids did. I had a girl admit that she had been sexually assaulted by a family member. I had kids come and talk to me that they were sleeping on someone’s couch because they had been thrown out of the house,” he said.

After three years at George Washington Educational Campus, Cancella eventually moved with his now wife, Science Teacher Eileen Cancella, to London. The stark difference in environments made Cancella re-evaluate his new role in the school and what he had left behind. “In those first few years, I felt quite guilty,” he said. “That’s probably why I threw myself so

“And it’s not that kids don’t express affection or feel affection, but the ways in which we interact are very formal.”

The way Cancella teaches changed too. In New York, Cancella felt that students couldn’t think critically and analyze some subject material in the same way. When learning about democracy, he could have conversations about democracy and civic participation, but

With some of [my former students] who had undiagnosed learning challenges and emotional challenges and family issues, touch was a big way of making, literally and metaphorically, contact with them SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHER JASON CANCELLA made contact, they slid, right in the principal’s office door. Opening the door, the principal expected to start yelling, but then “sees that it’s me, and I’m sitting on the student, and says, ‘Oh, hi, Mr. Cancella.’ She closes the door and leaves me to it,” he said. The principal didn’t blink an eye. At this school, a teacher had to do what he had to do to take control.

Cancella became more than just

much into developing the teacher apprenticeship program (TAP) and developing the service trips, which I ran for four years. Some of that was my way [of ] trying to find a purpose in a school where I wasn’t needed in the same way that I was [before].”

Cancella found teacher-student interactions at ASL to be very different. “It’s amazing how distant we are, how formal we are,” he said.

questions like “why does democracy work in some places and not in others” were out of reach. “The conversation would stay pretty superficial, partially because the kids didn’t have background knowledge to fill the gaps. In my experience, if I didn’t offer them the information, there wasn’t a whole lot, except for personal experience, they could bring to the table,” he said. “You could put it in the context of their

own lives, but not in the context of cultural or historical things.”

Although the method may be different, the end goal is the same. Children come into school and teachers help these students learn about the world about themselves and about others. “While I was directly reaching out to kids in [New York], here, I was reaching out to students who could eventually reach out to [others] and [who] are the future leaders and powerbrokers,” he said.

“People with means who could go on in their lives and help other people.”

After 12 years at ASL, Cancella and his family have decided to move and work at the American School in Japan (ASIJ) in Tokyo, Japan next year, where Cancella will be a Social Studies teacher. “With [Isla (’27) and Jasmine (’28)] grown up and [my wife] Eileen is half Japanese – her dad is from Okinawa – we’ve always wanted to live in Japan and have the girls learn the language and spend some time there.” Although another change, Cancella hopes to forge the same strong relationships and support the community.

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Page 10

THE STANDARD | March 2015

Features

The Self-Sufficient Lightbulb Lucy Webb (’16) is making an electricity-free lightbulb.

The secret? Bacteria.

Renata Wilson | Features Editor

L

ucy Webb (’16) has been working tirelessly on her Independent Study Lab for over two years. “I’m trying to insert a gene that glows [without electricity] and put it into E. coli, make it glow, then use it as a light bulb,” Webb said.

She hopes that the lightbulb could then be used to illuminate places of the world that don’t have readily available access to electricity.

cause currently 60 percent of the world’s population does not have access to electricity,” she said.

Webb points out that this is especially damaging to aspiring students in certain developing countries, because many have to collect water during the day and arrive home in the dark. Without access to electricity, these students are unable to study during the night. “My lightbulb could

Webb must be supervised in the lab at all times, so if Bonthrone is busy, Science Laboratory Technician Stephanie Nolan supervises her. Webb works on her independent research program for a full class period each cycle, just like any other class.

Webb believes that if the school were to encourage more students to apply for an independent study research class, it would be highly

The Goal:

FROM LEFT: The lab materials necessary for the bacterial transformations; Webb PHOTOS BY MAYA JOTWANI

To create an electricity-free lightbulb by transforming E. coli with a glowing plasmid PHOTO COURTESY OF LUCY WEBB

Breaking down the science behind this electricity-free lightbulb is a somewhat complex process.

“What I did is take genes called LUX genes found commonly in fireflies and put them into E. coli bacteria.

I then incoporate the LUX into the DNA of the E. coli. The E. coli then reads the genes and create the proteins that would be originally created in the fireflies in the bacteria.

So basically I’m inserting the genes and having them produce [the proteins] themselves.”

The inspiration for this lab struck Webb when she went night snorkelling in a luminescent bay in Bermuda.“The bacterium were able to light up even during the night.

So, I thought ok, why don’t we try to use this as a light bulb in places that don’t have electricity?” she said.

Webb began to develop this project at her previous school in response to a global thesis prompt meant to address one of the world’s problems. “My dream was to make a fully functioning lightbulb that can be used without electricity be-

change that,” Webb said.

Webb added that light is necessary for work in indoor facilities, such as hosiptals, throughout the night.

In order to get her Independent Study Program certified, Webb had to write up a proposal and show it to Assistant Principal Karen Bonthrone. “There is no framework for [experiment-based] independent study programs here [at ASL], but [the school] let me be the guinea pig,” Webb said.

Although students have done independent studies in the past, Webb’s is of a new kind. “Lucy is an experiment,” Bonthrone said. “Students have done independent study programs in the past, but they have always been through book research. So, in a way, [Webb] is completing an experiment within a departmental experiment.”

Bonthrone was supportive of Webb’s experiment from the beggining. “She said ‘yes’ from day one.

Given Bonthrone’s background in science, we clicked, and she became my mentor,” Webb said.

beneficial to interested science students. “Especially with the new labs and new technology, I think it could be great. There are a lot of kids who are interested in science research and it could be a great thing at ASL,” Webb said.

According to Bonthrone, ASL is able to work with students who are interested in furthering their education beyond the curriculum on offer. “At the moment, [the independent study program] is designed for students who have maxed out in a certain subject area,” Bonthrone said. Science students who are past the AP level, but want to continue studying their specific scientific passion, are encouraged to create an independent study program.

Bonthrone explained how with the new science buildings (due to open in August) under construction, one of the things being developed by the science department is a methodology for practical independent study. Webb’s experiment is helping the science department understand how to best support students.

5

STEPS TO THE LIGHTBULB:

1. Plasmid with luminicesent gene (pVIB) placed with E. coli bacteria 2. The E. coli bacteria uptakes

the pVIB plasmid 3. Bacteria plated on agar nutrient containing antibiotic ampicillin to force bacteria to synthesize the luminescent genes.

4. Gene synthesizes protein that allows bacteria to glow.

5. Lightbulb glows! (theoretically)

•••

THE STANDARD | March 2016

Page 11

Features

Looking beyond appearances Racial stereotypes and judgements, and their effect on students and faculty Ananya Prakash | Staff Writer

“W

hen I first came to ASL this year, a lot of the teachers said, ‘Wow, you speak English very well’,” Effie Ogino (’19) said.

Born in New York but identifying as Japanese, Ogino was immediately judged upon her arrival to ASL. Some teachers were surprised by how well she spoke English. “That is probably a stereotype among the students who look different or seem different,” Ogino said.

Some students worry the physical appearance and cultural identities of students and teachers can dictate how they are viewed and treated. The effects this has on the community are often disregarded because of the lack of blatant racism in ASL

Julia Leland (’16) said. “[Stereotypes] can also prevent you from being a part of the community.”

Amanda Welch (’18) believes stereotyping is a pervasive issue in the school. There have been many times when other students have made assumptions of Welch’s character based on stereotypes that come with being black. “I’ve been asked why [I] don’t do basketball,” Welch said. Numerous other assumptions including liking rap music have also been made because of her race.

Half-Japanese and half-American, Luke Zeigler (’17) agrees with Welch about the nature of stereotyping at ASL. “As an Asian, people sometimes think like ‘oh, he must be smart’ or ‘oh, your parents must push you re-

Quinn Whitman | Staff Writer model to me the word, instead of laughing.”

Cortes is not the only faculty member who faces judgement for not fitting the “norms” of society. “I often dress up so that parents understand that I have gone to the same kind of institutions they have and that I understand how to speak like they do,” Grade 10 Dean Renee Green said. “I don’t speak the way I would necessarily do at home because I know that would be met with ‘maybe she’s not qualified, maybe she’s not smart’.”

Xu has faced a similar situation with regards to the societal view of teachers who are not white. “There is almost a sense that you have to show your credentials a little more just so that there is a sense that you actually are qualified.”

There were many times I had... breakdowns because people treated me like I was unworthy when I wasn’t smart enough to be a ‘normal Asian’ EFFIE OGINO (’19) and how diverse the school may seem on the surface. As a result of ignoring the reasons why judgements are made and discussing the consequences of them, stereotypes become more prevalent. “I think humans, as we have evolved as a species, we categorize things, which is both good and bad. It is bad in the way that people are sorted into boxes. They are either in your box or another box,” CoPresident of the Social Justice Council

ally hard’ even though that might not necessarily be the case,” Zeigler said.

All these examples of stereotyping students based on their appearance or identities can have consequences on the mindsets of the people in the community.

For Ogino, the stereotypes she faced have seriously affected her. Since she was young, she always felt tagged as the ‘Asian girl’. “There were many times I had... breakdowns because people treated me like I was unworthy when I wasn’t smart enough to be a ‘normal Asian’,” Ogino said.

The pressures accompanying racial stereotypes are not only evident within the student body, but also within faculty.

K-12 World Languages and Cultures Department Head Lanting Xu sees stereotypes as the reason behind some behavior in the faculty.“There might be situations where the students and faculty members who are racial minorities might be trying a little harder in order to prove, either to themselves or to others, that they are just as good,” she said.

Xu is not alone in her concerns. “People generally tend to make stereotypes about Mexicans because Mexicans are seen as a low class people,” World Languages and Cultures Teacher Beatriz Cortes, who is Mexican, said. “I always ask the students, be kind with me that I’m not a native speaker of English, and if I don’t pronounce something correctly, help me and

Xu believes that teachers and students who do not fit the dominantly caucasian culture of ASL have to assimilate and change in order to not be stereotyped based on how they look, act, think and speak. “Do we deal with difference by ignoring them, avoiding them, forcing people who are different to conform, or do we have an open mind?” Xu said.

Green recently had her hairstyle in braid twists, and received many comments on it based on preconceived negative connotations that accompany the hairstyle. “Somebody asked me if I smoked lots of weed because of my sassy hair,” Green said.

Many teachers believe that the racial diversity within teachers is lacking, a key reason why stereotypes, such as the comments Green received, prevail. However, Recruitment Manager Megan Gomm said that the team advertizes the positions well when recruiting teachers, so they get “a really wide range of candidates and have interesting, diverse candidate pools.”

Gomm understands the “value diversity has for the learning environment” and believes recruitment are doing their best to hire racially diverse teachers, while being “conscious of bias, prejudice and discrimination.”

Zeigler also acknowledges that “the staff is generally a relatively good depiction” of what he’d like the student body to look like, and highlights the benefits of having racially

diverse teachers. “It’s always good to see in people of authority and high positions that are of your ethnicity,” Zeigler said.

“We might not be fully appreciating the power of minority teachers on campus and their influence, or possible influences on students,” Xu said. “It is not to say that it is only when you have a minority teacher [that] students can be inspired, but I think that it does project and provide a different perspective, a different experience in student learning.”

This “different experience in student learning” is what will help break down stereotypes and enable students to get a true ‘global perspective’ free of labels. Recognizing privilege and its role in stereotyping is also crucial. “It isn’t appropriate for someone like me [who is white] to wear dreads because there is a stereotype that a person of color who does wear dreads [is] dirty, or unclean, but [when] I wear it, it is trendy,” Leland said.

Although Ogino was stereotyped when she arrived at ASL, it took her some time to understand that she “[didn’t] need to try and fit into the stereotypes.”

Welch feels the same way, and realized she doesn’t want to be defined by one particular characteristic.

Ogino hopes that people aren’t limited by the stereotypes associated with their race, and that “all students understand that stereotypes are just one part of a story, not all of it.”

All eyes

Looking into the result School Gender Project ( they reveal about the female Yarra Elmasry | Editor-in-Chief

27% Bad Body Image 30% The Culture 87% Respect bEtween 73% F students 61%

good Teacher Relationships

87%

11% 28%

recieved sexual texts Have been Bullied

9%

Grade 9 Boys

30%

Grade 12 Boys

Independent School Gender Project (ISGP) consists of a survey conducted among High School students as freshmen in 2011 and again as seniors in 2014. Many U.S. independent schools use this survey to collect data on characteristics, social norms and demographics in independent schools.

Worldwide Results

Grade 12 girls across all schools struggle to maintain healthy eating habits when compared to their results from Grade 9.

or Sirine* (’16), there has always been a pressure to be a certain way because of the people she surrounds herself with. With friends who constantly focus on diets and exercise, Laura has started to question her body and eating habits. “I feel like they’re in the back of my head shaming me and [saying] ‘you shouldn’t be eating that’,” Laura said.

Although Sirine knows they would never say this to her, she feels the need to be aware about how she looks when with them. “When I hang out with certain people, I feel like I need to be like [them],” Sirine said. “There’s a pressure to really judge my body, not feel comfortable with it and not just accept the way I am.”

Part of this pressure Sirine feels is due to the portrayal of women in the media. And she believes that the media’s influence is particualrly strong for younger girls. “I’m already seeing huge differences in the way that [younger girls] dress, the way they act, just the things they do and that scares me because I think at that age you should still have a bit of a childish behavior and enjoy not caring as much,” Sirine said.

Similarly, Clara* (’19) notices a strong sense of judgement amongst her freshmen peers, with this negative attitude mainly driven by the boys. “[A few boys] have this group chat, and they like to ‘roast’ people, which is basically them taking a random girl and destroying her [and] saying terrible things about her,” she said. Sarah notices that many girls are self conscious of their appearance and behavior in fear of judgement from their peers.

Amber* (’19) notices this judgement and sees a gender bias here. “If you come to school in sweatpants, people won’t be mean about it, but it will be more of a question ‘why are you doing this’.

I mean boys wear sweatpants, why can’t [girls] wear sweatpants?” she said.

Where judgement manifests in clothing for girls, Henry Petrillo (’18) believes judgement is prevalent with sports for boys. “If their friends have always done sports then they’re going to be less likely to try something new when they get to high school, even though there’s more opportunities, like robotics or another club, because that’s

M

what their friends do an ways done,” he said. “[Th ing yourself from your fr the same activities as the drance.”

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gards to what is conside “When younger grades and see a lot of senior g at lunch, that’s going to to them like ‘oh, maybe ine said. “Then I think i a chain reaction.” Sirin salad is indicative of tin young women should be High School Principa ticularly struck by the da about body image with But, Phillips doesn’t see “I think [the results] say subject to the same thin nities [are subjected to] ing trends when it come women face,” Phillips s discouraging to be totall Specifically, Phillips w data that makes the Gra tably vulnerable, how it and how the administra situations. The survey re of freshmen females don male adult with whom t sonal level within the Hi

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Michaela Towfighi | Culture Editor

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little injustices everyday nder inequality is not as ools in America, but its e have to be wary of,” she [boys], we’ve done a good are of it, but when they ing privileged, they usuthey’re doing and what’s oint where they can say

worried about the image to younger grades in re-

Although discussions about gender equality, body image and social pressure are discussed in some platforms in the High School, including Health class, Phillips believes this needs to be amplified. “I think we have to be explicit and address it in our curriculum. I think we have to be purposeful in that we say this is what it means to go to ASL,” Phillips said. Through events like seminars or speakers series, similar to Aequitas Week and Laura Bates, Phillips hopes these discussions will reach more of the student body.

Events such as Aequitas Week and guest speaker Laura Bates are steps in the right direction of magnifying this discussion, and Phillips hopes this will be continued through seminars and more guest speakers.

Gender Equity Club Leader Victoria Dreyer (’16) feels that the school works hard in ensuring female students feel supported, but that the larger issue is that students don’t feel comfortable speaking up. “The problems come on a smaller level when people might not feel comfortable bringing [issues] like this,” Dreyer said. “I feel like a lot of this stuff is hushed up because it’s the way it is or people are just not comfortable bringing light to these issues because it can be a really scary thing when you’re saying something that is not going to make other people happy.”

Phillips is hoping that over time the Advisory program will become a place to have these discussions. “I would hope as we get the kind of basic framework of an advisory in place that we can begin to differentiate by grade to a greater extent than we are doing now and that we can really hone in what [Grade 9 students] need, particularly to talk about some of these dialogues,” he said.

Moving forward, Phillips thinks students should acknowledge the differences that students face. “The biggest takeaway is there is a fundamental difference in the experience of girls and boys here at the school, and a fundamental difference between [Grade 9 students] and [Grade 12 students],” Phillips said.

fferences in the way that y they act, just the things at scares me (’16)

ered normal and healthy. s… walk by Bottom O girls with one tiny salad o be sending a message e I should do that’,” Sirit’s just creating a bit of ne is concerned that the y meals and that is what e eating. al Jack Phillips was parata from the ISGP survey h young women at ASL. this as exclusive to ASL. y that our community is ngs that similar commu], that there are disturbes to the pressures young said. “I think it’s a little ly frank.” was concerned about the ade 9 students look not will develop over time ation can help with these evealed that 59.5 percent n’t feel like they have a fethey can talk to on a perigh School.

*Editor’s Note: Names that are followed by an asterisk are aliases used to protect the sources’ anonymity

71% 73%

Bad Body Image Respect bEtween students

62% 83%

90%

good Teacher Relationships

52%

12%

recieved sexual texts Have been Bullied

12%

38%

Grade 12 Girls

26%

Grade 9 Girls

The Info

ASL Results “The experiences of senior boys at ASL are exceedingly more positive than the typical experiences of senior boys in independent schools.

The respect for others (regarding race, ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation) expressed by the seniors of both genders is exemplary.

An area to examine in more depth is the comfort level of ninth graders, which includes connections to adults and aspects of student leadership.

Another area to explore is the body image of senior girls, their attitudes and eating behaviors.”

From ISGP survey analysis

•••

Page 14

THE STANDARD | March 2015

Features

Terror-induced anxiety Stephanie Brendsel | Staff Writer

I

t was December 2014 when the Apollo Theater ceiling collapsed on Kendal Fass (’19) and her family. Since then, Fass fears for what could potentially happen to her inside and outside of her home.

Though her experience was not terrorism related, the recent prominence of terrorist issues makes it a continuous occurrence on her mind. Even when she hears noises in her home, she expects the worst: Terrorists.

Fass believes living in London prompts more fear for terrorism.

Fass was in New York City during the 2015 Paris attacks and felt safer being there than if she had been in London. “If I were here, I would be freaking out because it was so close and it is only a 2-hour

train ride [to Paris],” she said.

Since the Paris attacks, Fass has opted to rarely use the Tube, visit the theater or travel to unfamiliar places. “I always have the fear of ‘scary people’ and just scary situations,” Fass said.

Her change in behavior has

in dangerous situations.

Other students have different coping mechanisms and fears for the future.

The day after the Paris attacks, Zoe Rose (’19) spent the entire day in bed, waiting for her friends in Paris to message

ter London or even New York, after Paris, symbolically as well, would be extremely powerful,” Rose said.

On December 5 during a stabbing in the Leytonstone tube station, the lone aggressor was reported in The Guardian to have shouted “this is for Syria.” The in-

take risks, but I do not think you should change your entire lifestyle,” Gallagher said. “Overall, I have not changed that much.”

Others said that their mindset has changed, but they do not want their behaviors to change. Social Studies Teacher Natalie Jaworski visited the Lumiere outdoor light installation in Piccadilly in January, where there were large crowds of people. Jaworski felt very conscious of how many people were around her, and what her escape route would be if necessary.

Regardless of being more aware of her surroundings, Jaworski is determined not to let terrorism change her life. “I am not changing my behavior in that way,” Jaworski said. “I will not let [terrorists] dictate my life.”

Kendal Fass (’19) rarely takes the tube and rarely goes to crowded places or places she deems ‘scary’ because of terrorism limited her freedom; most of her friends from soccer travel to practice by Tube and the rest of her family still enjoys going to their favorite concerts. It has taken Fass longer than her family to feel safe again after the incident, but she attempts to ease her anxiety by asking her parents questions about what to do

her that they were alright.

Rose fears for further terrorist attacks, especially in London, where a higher terrorist alert has been announced. According to CNN, London was the number one most visited city during 2015. “I am worried for London. Paris is a big city because of tourism and so is London. I feel like [terrorists] going af-

cident was treated as a terrorist incident by the Metropolitan Police.

Three people were injured, but no one was killed.

Despite the threats of terrorism, many believe they will not let the fear control their lives. Matt Gallagher (’16) does not agree with changing his life on account of terrorism. “I don’t think you should

Difference in education systems

American Freshman

Biology World Civ

Transition

Sophomore

pSATS Algebra II Chemistry

“[It is] flexible to change subject as you learn what you're interested in.”

- Dani Swanson (’17)

Junior

SAT and ACT

APs U S H i s t o r y Physics

Senior college APs

apps

Martha Duff | Staff Writer

Age

14 15

Vs. 16 17

English Year 10

Geography Religious Education

GCSE’s

Year 11

10 GCSE Subject Exams

“The English system is only based on your GCSE’s, no retakes.”

- Ray Bakali (’19)

Year 12

A-Level Subjects

Sixth Form

Personal Statement GSCE’s A-Level Results

THE STANDARD | March 2016

•••

Page 15

The Harkness

Features

Method I think it helps to foster better conversations because it means you have to be involved and actually be an active participant.

A brief history of Harkness, the philosophy and its impact on classroom discussions Christina Leonard | Staff Writer

About 10 years ago, the English Department was looking for a way to reGareth Rees (’16) new their focus. The teachers wanted a method that would prompt students to become independent thinkers, readers and writers, and they found it at Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire.

The Harkness method “teaches students to take responsibility for their own work, to develop their confidence in their own voices – both spoken and written, and to understand at a deeper level how to work together as a group,” English Teacher Miles Dunmore explained.

The Harkness table was developed at Phillips Exeter Academy in the 1930’s after alumnus Edward Harkness made a large donation to the school. According to Phillips Exeter website, Harkness donated money and suggested the money be used for a classroom where students “could sit around a table with a teacher who would talk with them and instruct them by a sort of conference method, where [each student] would feel encouraged to speak up.” The Harkness table is now used at many secondary schools and colleges around the world.

The Harkness method is the philosophy that through class discussions, students will come to a more meaningful understanding of the reading than they would otherwise if the teacher had just announced what the reading meant.

Instead of having a conversation confined between the teacher and the few students in the front of the classroom, the Harkness table requires everyone to be involved in the discussion. “If students are willing to engage with it, there is no more powerful tool than the oval table,” English Teacher Kim Zeineddine said.

Dunmore agrees. “This is really a revolutionary move in education,” he said.

Many students, such as Gareth Rees (’16), see the benefits of the Harkness method in their own learning. “Personally, I think it helps to foster better conversations because it means you have to be involved and actually be an active participant,” Rees said.

Echoing Rees’ thoughts, Maya Hariri (’16) believes it makes students take a different viewpoint of the reading. “I do like the Harkness table, as I feel it forces us to consider other people’s viewpoints and to really understand the material given to us,” Hariri said.

However, not all students have the same experiences at the

table, in particular some Grade 9 students who are new to the concept of the table find it difficult. “A lot of people dominate the conversation and then certain people who are more shy don’t talk as much and then it affects your grade,” Caroline Bradford (’19) said.

Zeineddine both agrees and disagrees with the above statement. “If people are dominant in a conversation then they are not going to do very well on the rubric where it says: ‘Do you dominate?’

Often times people self moderate; the problem comes when there are some people who are stronger and some people who are quieter,” she said. “It’s trying to find the balance, which is not easy.”

If everything else seems to fail to help the quiet ones speak and the dominant ones be more reserved, English teachers have tools that will help shift the dynamic, such as the popsicle sticks system. “You get three, and you can only contribute three times, that sort of holds back the [dominant] students,” Zeineddine said.

Feeling pressure to talk can distract some students from absorbing the conversation as it unfolds. Sam Holzman (’19) finds it stressful to figure out what to say quickly as the conversation goes on rapidly.

Meher Deol (’19) finds speaking at the table challenging at times. “I don’t like talking in public, and I don’t like talking in front of people who I’m not comfortable with,” she said.

She feels that the current grading system is very unfair to shy students like herself.

Similar to Deol, Hariri didn’t love the Harkness method at first but grew to appreciate it. “When I first came to ASL, I found the Harkness table a little intimidating as I am a little shy, however once I got past the initial nervousness I came to prefer Harkness based English classes,” she said.

“Working around the Harkness table teaches us to be responsible in our reading preparation and to practice at a quite deep level, the skills of listening to one another and speaking in a way that can build on the work of a group,” Dunmore said.

Students now studying in college have also reported the benefits of the work at the table I don’t like talking in beyond the walls of ASL. “I know students public, and I don’t like who have come back from university talking in front of and have gone through Harkness have said that it has been one of people who I’m not the strongest tools they’ve comfortable with. had going into university,” Zeineddine Mehor Deol (’19) said.

•••

Page 16

Culture Still playing dress up

THE STANDARD | March 2016

Band Aid Lite Diversity in arts industry

Martha Collins | Opinions Editor

AA

3-year-old Ruba Nadar (’17) is bawling to her mother. Is she tired or hungry? No. She’s beside herself because her sister is wearing a pink and red outfit.

“I started weeping and crying and I was like ‘it doesn’t match’,” Nadar said. “I think it was an early appreciation for color and combinations that started [my interest in fashion]. From then on it kept snowballing, because I never really lost interest.”

When Nadar first began designing clothing, she was “obsessed with just the dress.” Yet, over time, she has begun to mix art techniques and fashion more.

Nadar describes her work as “a weird combination, sort of eclectic, but disorganized,” she said.

“It’s messy, but I think it works out that way.”

Nadar is passionate about art and fashion, as she designs and creates her own pieces at home. She creates a multitude of works, rang-

and painting. Sometimes she will stop her work on a piece after creating a sketch, yet other times, she will take that preliminary sketch and create a finished piece of clothing. But before putting her pencil to her sketchbook or needle to fabric, she seeks inspiration.

Recently, she has taken a liking to the designers Roksanda Ilincic and Erdem. “I’m going through this phase in my designs where I’m combining old and new.

That’s what [these designers] specialize in,” Nadar said. “It’s all these beautiful fabrics that are so contemporary and the lines are so clean cut, but the execution and the concepts are all very vintagey and are all inspired by whatever era they came from.”

Additionally, Nadar has based some her work on Stephen Shore’s photography. “I’ve always been obsessed with his photos, and that sort of grainy image that he gets has inspired me for a few [pieces],” she said.

house completely filled with Islamic art. Seeing things like that ignite part of me. That culture’s definitely a part of me, so it definitely shows up in a few of my [pieces],” she said. “It plays a part, but it’s never the driving force.” Additionally, Nadar has used Islamic calligraphy in her sketches and fashion-art hybrid pieces.

The time it takes Nadar to complete her works varies. If she is working on creating a piece of clothing based on her sketch, it can take many hours to reach the actual finished product.

She recently worked on a collared shirt that took her three hours because of the intensive pinning and sewing that was involved. Yet, Nadar never considers her pieces to be

It was an early appreciation for color and combinations that started it... From then on it kept snowballing, because I never really lost interest RUBA NADAR (’17) ing from 2-dimensional collage pieces to entire dresses made from scratch.

Nadar’s works are often hybrid pieces that combine aspects of art and aspects of fashion, such as collages that involve b o t h h a n d stitchi n g

Nadar also frequents art galleries and exhibitions, visiting them at least once a week. She picks up a postcard from every show she attends, and keeps all the cards in a book together. She’ll jot down a note about what sparked her interest and sometimes even create a “doodle” of a preliminary design inspired by the art she saw.

Alongside techniques and art inspirations, cultural influences also play a role in her designs. Although Nadar is Egyptian and Lebanese by background, she considers London home. Nadar feels her cultural background “have more of an effect than I thought they would,” and manifest themselves in the art and fashion she creates.

For instance, Nadar recently visited the Honolulu home of the late Doris Duke, American socialite and art collector, and was blown away by what she saw. “It’s this entire hidden

completely finished. “It’s very ongoing,” she said. “I definitely take my time. I keep building.”

Nadar uses art and fashion as a creative outlet. After she joined the crew team at the start of her freshmen year, her work in fashion consequently took a backseat. However, “this year my passions have started to come out more dramatically in what I do,” she said. She has found that it is a way to de-stress herself from other aspects of her life, especially the pressure of her junior year class load. “This is something I enjoy doing, that will take pressure off whatever else I’m doing,” she said. “I just forget about whatever the stress is or the pressure, because I know that I’m doing this for me, it’s not that anyone is expecting me to.”

Although Nadar exclusively works alone, she often shares her

final products with her family for their input and feedback. “They’re just so bored [with me] at this point because I’ve done that for the past 10 years now,” she joked.

Nadar has also taken her love of fashion and design to the internet with her blog called “Young and Chic.” Her interest in fashion journalism caused her to begin writing magazine-style articles on fashion to post online.

Before fashion journalism, “my heart was set on being a designer,” Nadar said. “I’ve kind of let that go.”

However, she has still not definitively chosen a career path to follow in the future. “I feel like whatever I do I’ll end up combining everything, so it’s definitely going to be in the creative arts.”

A COLLECTION OF NADAR’S SKETCHES AND PHOTO BY YARRA ELMASRY

•••

THE STANDARD | March 2016

Page 17

Culture

RIPPING OFF THE BAND AID

ar Kh

Electronic Musician Khari Brandes (’16) talks about his recent EP release and what being a DJ means to him

um

lb

)a ar tw k or

West, Brandes honed his craft further by looking at work from black EDM artists such as KSHMR. These artists, although rare in the industry, provided him with sources of inspiration. “A lot of it for me has been black EDM DJs because there aren’t a lot of them, so I look up to guys like Afrojack, DJ Carnage, Chuckie, even if I don’t like their music much anymore,” Brandes said.

Brandes describes the creative process behind the EP as “truncated.”

6 (’1

S

itting in his father’s studio, experimenting with various instruments, Khari Brandes (’16) learned to love music. Part of his life from a young age, the love of music manifested itself in January with the release of an extended play (EP) titled Band Aid Lite, an Electronic Dance Music (EDM) album, which was a long term goal of his. Band Aid Lite is available for download on Bandcamp.

For most, the name Band Aid Lite is striking due to its relative mystification for the listener.

For Brandes however, the title has a strong personal connection. Brandes now identifies as pansexual, but “over the summer I came out to my parents as bisexual so making the song Band Aid was the way I processed and dealt with it. I called the EP Band Aid Lite because all I had to do was rip it off and tell my parents.”

Taking inspiration from more mainstream artists such as Kanye

s’

e nd

ra iB

Ankit Mehra | Online Editor

beginning of him having visions of an EP when production began.

Reload began as a way for Brandes to confront his travel anxiety. “I was about to leave Califor-

partly based on the TV show I was watching at the time because I just heard some violins on it and I wanted to reproduce it. From there it was just getting drums and other synth sounds to add

At the beginning it was all finding a reason to DJ, so I tentatively made my own music so I could try to get more DJ jobs, but later on it became artistic expression Khari Brandes ('16) The project as a whole began in 2014, leading to a release date in January of 2016. Brandes cites his remix of the song, “Reload,” as the

Khari Brandes (’16) has released an EP, titled Band Aid Lite.

nia to come back to London at the time, so I came up with something to help me cope with that,” Brandes said.”I wrote violin cords that were

PHOTO BY YARRA ELMASRY

onto it and flesh it out.”

Beyond of citing his family as an influencer in the path to releasing Band Aid Lite, Brandes utilized those around him over his time at ASL to gain inspiration as well as help work on the EP. “I’ve worked with Performing Arts Teacher David Pappenhagen because he is my independent studies teacher for Digital Music Creation,” Brandes said. “In Grade 8 I met my friend Manu Gualandri and he got me into DJing. At the beginning it was all finding a reason to DJ, so I tentatively made my own music so I could try to get more DJ jobs.

But later on it became [an] artistic expression in itself and just as important to me. So DJing was the spark that got me into it in the first place.”

Priding himself in creating a niche, Brandes believes his “desire to tell my stories and make music that isn’t around yet,” is what drives him.

With Band Aid Lite acting as a prelude to Brandes’ album Band Aid, he believes it is a “microcosm” of the album itself and it is meant to represent the “main trends of the album.”

Looking forward, Brandes has two things on his mind: Band Aid and his gap year. In regards to Band Aid the album, it is slated for a May release with the main concept being it’s irreconcilable organization. “It might not make a lot of sense musically, but I have to find the balance between making things I really like and making things people like. Having said that, there should be something on there that will please everyone,” Brandes said. “It will be a lot different from anything out there, as well as being quite personal.”

Brandes aims to utilize his gap year as a way to hone in on his talent and see what he can craft prior to going to college. Throughout the year, he plans to “work on music, be in studio environments and work with people in internships.”

From there, the plan is to develop his interest and skills in college. “I am going to apply to some music schools and see what production programs I can get into, because for me I see that as the next step,” Brandes said. “College for me is about learning the technical side of things I am a bit weaker on now, and then using that and making connections to get into the industry.”

•••

Page 18

Demographic Disconnect Since the beginning of racial tensions in the U.S., propaganda has fueled the conflict, manipulating the image of those of color since the 1960s. “[People] were no longer trying to justify that slavery should exist, [they] were trying to justify that the people who are no longer enslaved are brutes, they're hypersexualized, too many stereotypes to name, and it was to justify the criminalization of a group of people,” Fine said.

Of the heads of the 20 largest literary publishing companies, another 18 are white.

FILM INDUSTRY Film and theater producer and father of Angelica Zollo (’10) Fred Zollo, responsible for producing the Oscar nominated Mississippi Burning, has explored the story of racial inequality throughout his career.

Zollo, unlike many other Americans

It is up to all of us to make films of conscious doesn’t] control the means of production...

FILM AND THEATER RACIAL INEQUALITY The longstanding racial inequality in the U.S. that Fine discerns has been responsible for unlawful incarceration and economic inequality, but also an imbalance in popular culture. Of the music industry’s 20 most successful producers, 19 are white.

growing up in the 1960’s, was taught forbearance early on in his childhood. “I was brought up with this idea that was slightly different than the kids I knew around me in Boston, which was a reasonably conservative, racist place, and so I was quite aware, even though I was reasonably young in the height of the civil rights movement,” Zollo said. “I was 15 when Martin Luther King Jr. was murdered, and quite capable of realizing the world around me.”

Zollo produced the film Mississippi Burning with

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acial tensions are not a new or profound issue for Grade 7 English Teacher Darnell Fine. Although most recently brought to light through the Black Lives Matter movement, Fine assures that racial tension has been an age-old source of conflict. “Race is predicated on equality and power… and that’s going to cause tension in itself. As long as race has been a concept, that tension has always been there in the United States,” Fine said.

Recent tension in the U.S. has been encapsulated in the Black Lives Matter movement, stemming from police brutality. Emerging from protests in Ferguson, Missouri, following the 2014 shooting death of Michael Brown, a young black man by a white police officer, the movement is an assurance of existence for citizens of color in the U.S..

“It is just affirming that we should have the right to exist, whether it is walking down the street, whether it is driving a car, whether it is simply just playing in the park, that our lives should matter and they don’t seem to matter when kids are being shot,” Fine said.

sa hingto

T oward, Forest W e H r e c e n

Names of colored actors and actress who have won Academy Awards for the following categories over the last five years: Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Actor in a Supporting Role and Best Actress in a Supporting Role.

PHOTO FROM PIXABAY.COM

e m lW e a z n n , e D

Culture

THE STANDARD | March 2016

Viola

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n, Chiwetel Ejiofor, oG n Houn s a o b o u M r , e h i t a k e r , Will Smith y Sidibeu, , Eddi e M u r p hy,

•••

THE STANDARD | March 2016

Page 19

Culture Straight Outta Compton– one of 2015’s highest-grossing films– only received one Oscar nomination; and that nomination went to the two white screenplay writers. The director, F. Gary Gray, and young cast– nearly all of whom were black– received no recognition.

Straight Outta Compton, just like Creed, Beasts of No Nations and the Hateful Eight, all experienced a strikingly similar pattern in their various Academy Awards recognition: No black members of their casts received nominations.

The diversity fiasco that took place at the 2016 Oscars hardly scratches the surface of the deeply intertwined racial exclusion that exists within the arts industry. While the statistics are staggering (only 31 of 2,900 Oscars ever awarded have gone to people of color) the issues at hand extend far deeper than just the awards.

Tyler Skow | Deputy Editor-in-Chief

the intention of addressing “a real national problem.”

While Zollo hardly sees the film as a solution to racial tension in the U.S., he believes a film’s capability to shape the opinions of scores of viewers is immeasurable. “[Mississippi Burning] has stood the test of time and people still talk about it today.” Six months ago, in fact, the title of a New York Times article read “Baltimore Burning” in light of riots over the death of Freddie Gray, another

Michaela Towfighi | Culture Editor

very uncomfortable with movies about the civil rights movement, very little has been made about that. These stories need to be told but there is very little interest in telling them.”

Co-owner of Eon Productions, responsible for the James Bond franchise, and Angelica’s mother, Barbara Broccoli echoes the sentiment of Zollo, in that not enough “films are being made by diverse people with diverse subject matter.”

and consequence because [Hollywood but you have it in your pocket

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Broccoli’s father, Cubby Broccoli, who developed the Bond Franchise, was at the forefront of integrating diversity into the film industry. In the 1976 Live and Let Die film, Broccoli’s father chose a black woman as the female lead, making it one of the first interracial relationships in a blockbuster film.

“There were lots of places in the South where the film would not be played, and you know that was 1974, we are not talking about that long ago,” Broccoli said.

Broccoli believes one of the reasons the film industry remains homogenized is the notion that movies dealing with race, or other controversial topics, will not profit internationally. “[But] that was proved wrong with Straight Outta Compton, which actually did pretty well internationally,” Broccoli said. “The fact is the world is changing and we have to change with it. We need to make films that people want to see.”

The power to truly change the industry, however, comes from the viewers. “[Every-

ng’o

young black man who died from a spinal cord injury suffered while in police custody.

While Zollo has largely made a career producing movies regarding civil rights issues in the U.S., he firmly believes “there are so few films made about race in America.”

Zollo is convinced that the only successful genre of films dealing with racial tension are those centered around slavery. “Americans are very comfortable with movies about slavery somehow because they say ‘oh, that was then, it was horrible, but at least people don't do that any more’,” he s a i d .

“But they are

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one] is as a part of Hollywood as I am, or any kid who takes his cell phone out and wants to make a movie. So it is up to all of us to make films of conscious and consequence because [Hollywood doesn’t] control the means of production, they think they do, but you have it in your pocket,” Zollo said.

An aspiring filmmaker, Gabriel Perez (’16) has been pursuing making movies since he started high school. Perez has known for some time that movies that hit the big screen can do far more than just entertain.

Indeed the narrow variety of Hollywood films has been apparent to Perez ,and in some respects, he understands the dilemma.

“I know everyone says as an artist you should make what you feel like expressing and not worry about what other people want to see, but it's hard to truly indulge in that because you still want people to look at what you produce,” Perez said.

Nonetheless, Perez certainly does not target large audiences, rather he draws from his own experiences– primarily youthful escapade– which is pertinent with viewers experiencing similar things. “My movies, the ones I write and the ones I work on tend to appeal to that [teenage] demographic just because that's the voice I have, and the people like me can relate to more so than older or younger people,” Perez said.

Perez sees the power to change the industry largely within independent film producers like himself. He believes if more people create and share movies and share them on mediums like Netflix as “opposed to trying to follow that traditional rout and fulfil those shoes that Hollywood wants them to fill,” they may be forced to change.

Yet, Zollo fears that the drive to seek change may not exist within the average American. “I don’t think people care, if we cared, why would have black teenagers getting shot in the street,” Zollo said. “The average American wants it to go away.”

by the numbers The number of nominees or winners of color from the Academy Awards over the last 87 years.

3

DATA FROM COLORLINES.COM PHOTO FROM WIKIPEDIA.COM

Best Director

1 7

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Best Actress WiNNER

Best Actor W I N N E R S

•••

Page 20

Sports

THE STANDARD | March 2016

Pursuing

After breaking five ISST swimming records in two years, Anne Tavierne (’19) reflects on her ambitions and career beyond the pool

I

PHOTO BY STEPHANIE BRENDSEL

t’s 5:20 a.m. on a Tuesday and most ASL students, with the exception of Anne Tavierne (’19), are still fast asleep.

In contrast to her peers, Tavierne has already been up preparing for morning practice. Such early waking hours have become standard for her, part of the many sacrifices she has had to dedicate to her swimming career.

Despite Tavierne’s unwavering commitment, it’s times like these where she idly considers the possibility of giving up swimming and returning to normality, something she hasn’t fully experienced for some time.

But, the prospect of swimming in Division I at university quickly makes her forget about her travails, and instead reshifts her focus to the long and arduous journey ahead.

“I know I want to swim in college, so that’s what keeps me going... Sometimes I wish I wasn’t as committed, but then again if I wasn’t, I wouldn’t be as good,” she said.

A quick breakfast and then off to practice, which usually starts around 6 a.m., and ends at 7:30 a.m. This process repeats itself three times a week with, ironically, the school day providing a brief respite from training before Tavierne resumes in the afternoon.

With little time to complete assignments, consult teachers and socialize with family and friends, Tavierne acknowledges the growing importance of selfdiscipline. The gruelling demands of her training regimen, coupled with a more rigorous academic schedule, require perennial focus when working, and have forced Tavierne to adapt considerably. “I used to procrastinate so much because I wouldn’t have that much work, but this year... I’ve had to focus my time... and that defi-

Sebastian Mayr | Sports Editor

Anne Tavierne (’19) dives into the pool during her 200m freestyle relay at ISSTs on March 11. At ISSTs, Tavierne broke three individual race records. PHOTO BY STEPHANIE BRENDSEL nitely made me more disciplined,” she said.

Winning three individual gold medals and breaking as many records in the process at ISSTs this year were not solely the results of raw talent. Rather, they were a manifestation of the hard work Tavierne has put into the sport since starting in her early childhood.

Growing up in Illinois, Tavierne was practically born into a swimming culture, with all three of her older siblings already having been involved in the sport. It took little

It’s also during the summer that she’s made the greatest strides in her swimming career, winning the 100m backstroke and 200m freestyle events at the Illinois Age Group Championships in 2015.

Such moments reaffirm her continual progress and sense of purpose.

Coping with the mental struggles of swimming has tested her resolve and overall commitment.

“It’s one of those sports that’s really mentally hard on you. You kind of hate it most of the time. The biggest struggle is if I want to con-

“

I want to keep on swimming, but sometimes I really hate it, where I’m like, I can’t do this anymore. I just have to get over it and continue on.

Anne Tavierne (’19)

time for her to acclimate, and she recalls an instant obsession with it.

That obsession does not come without its own set of consequences, though. Tavierne has dedicated the majority of her summers to competing in statewide Illinois meets. She spends the rest of her “vacation” on perfecting her technique and performing extensive weight circuits.

tinue. Obviously, I want to keep on swimming, but sometimes I really hate it, where I’m like, I can’t do this anymore. I just have to get over it and continue on,” she said.

Tavierne will move back to the U.S. following the culmination of the school year, in part to accommodate her swimming aspirations.

She believes her new school will

provide her with more opportunities to progress, as it will be less academically challenging and more athletically-oriented.

In addition to the consistent help of her family and friends, Tavierne cites her coaches at ASL, specifically Head Varsity Swim Coach Rod Anderson, as the greatest sources of support. “Mr. Anderson has been really supportive because his daughter, [Sissel Anderson (’19)], swims on my team. He knows me and he knows my swimming. He always helps me with technique in practice,” she said.

Anderson remains very optimistic about Tavierne’s future, despite losing her next year. “Anne has a whole lot of potential. She has the drive to win, she has an extremely efficient stroke and she still has a large amount of room to work on,” Anderson said. “If she can continue to be able to challenge herself... the sky’s the limit for how far she will go.”

As of right now, Tavierne’s eyes are set on achieving a place at the U.K. Olympic Trials team. While she will never be able to actively participate on the U.K. team – due to her U.S. citizenship – earning a spot on the provisional team would be another fulfilled goal to tick off her ever-widening list.

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THE STANDARD | March 2016

Page 21

the dream

Sports

Aspiring Gaelic footballer Andrew Gilroy (’19) discusses his passion for Irish sports and imminent move to Dublin to pursue them professionally

G

aelic football and hurling are sports that are traditionally played in Ireland and small Irish communities around the world.

The sports are relatively amateurish when it comes to competition. Professionals are not paid huge sums of money – people do it because it’s enjoyable and part of their culture. “That’s what makes it so great, people aren’t playing it to earn money, this isn’t a job for people,” Andrew Gilroy (’19) said. “So many people in Ireland love and enjoy playing.”

Gaelic football uses rugby posts with a net attached like a goal in soccer. Hurling uses the same goal set-up however it is more like a mixture of lacrosse, field hockey and baseball.

Gilroy believes that if they did grow out of being amateur sports, “it would take a lot from the game.”

He has been playing Gaelic football and hurling since he was 3 years old. “I find it hard to explain the game because when you grow up playing it your whole life, it’s not something you explain, it’s something that you know,” he said.

Gaelic football is predominantly a town-based sport. “It’s more kind of a community that comes together,” Gilroy explained. His family is part of St. Vincent’s, a club in Dublin, Ireland.

At the time when Gilroy started playing, his father was playing at the top level of Gaelic Football, representing Dublin in the AllIreland Championship. Reaching the top level of the sport had a major influence on Gilroy’s ambitions. “I suppose it’s because he was always doing it I [thought] ‘Why can’t I do it’?” Gilroy said.

As Gilroy attended his father’s training sessions, he familiarized himself with the sport and developed a greater appreciation for it.

His father and he both attended the same school in Ireland.

They both played Gaelic football

Anna Costello | Staff Writer

Andrew Gilroy (’19) runs with the ball while playing Gaelic football in Dublin, Ireland. PHOTO COURTESY OF ANDREW GILROY and hurling there. It even became competitive between Gilroy and his father, comparing the various trophies they have both won.

Gilroy has played a significant role in the development of his younger brother, Paddy Gilroy (’22), who has been similarly exposed to both Irish sports through the family, and regularly plays with his older brother.

Currently, Gilroy plays both sports at the U-16 and U-18 levels in Ireland. At a professional level,

I’d go home every week to play,” Gilroy said.

He views moving to London as a “two-year holiday,” and when he moves back to Dublin at the end of this school year, he plans on returning to the activities just as he participated in before – playing Gaelic football and hurling with his friends.

Matthew McCrudden, a teammate and a cousin of Gilroy, describes him as an industrial player.

“He’s able to shoulder someone and

“

I find it hard to explain the game because when you grow up playing it, your whole life, it’s not something you explain, it’s something you know.

Andrew Gilroy (’19)

there hasn’t been a dual star in over 20 years. “Games have become so much more physically enduring,” Gilroy said.

Although Gilroy and his family moved to London two years ago for his dad’s job, his passion for these sports never faltered. “If it was my choice,

they’d fall,” McCrudden said.

Beyond his skills as a player, Gilroy’s abilities elsewhere helped St. Vincent’s, McCrudden believes, “[Gilroy’s] a good leader on the pitch,” he said.

After Gilroy moved to London, St. Vincent’s was relegated to the second division. However, moving

didn’t just affect St. Vincent’s as McCrudden was affected off the pitch. “Me and Andrew are very close,” McCrudden said. “It’s a whole part of your family gone.”

Even though playing professionally is still a long way away, he is still looking forward to the prospect of following his boyhood dream. “It’s in my mind because that’s all I’ve wanted since I was 5 or 6,” Gilroy said.

He loves both sports equally, but he would rather play Gaelic football professionally. The rankings in Ireland show that Gaelic football has a higher level of competition. An athlete must be playing at their finest in order to be successful. “It’s more of a challenge in a way, because you’re playing with the best, [so] you want to be at your best,” Gilroy said.

PHOTO BY STEPHANIE BRENDSEL

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Page 22

THE STANDARD | March 2016

Sports

Un

balanced

support

From fan support to trophies received, the inequality in recognition for girls and boys sports remains apparent Sourna Daneshvar, Jr. | Sports Editor

I

f there is an obvious example of gender inequality in the high school it is the imbalance of spectators between the varsity girls and boys basketball teams.

While for many the issue has become redundant, varsity girls basketball player Courtney Welch (’16) and the rest of her team watch fans fill the bleachers, like clockwork, after each of their games. “It is quite clear that after the girls game the crowds are suddenly filled with all these fans. It’s honestly something we’re used to,” Welch said.

Evaluating the merits of a high school sporting event on score, intensity, or other competitive measures seems enigmatic for Welch.

“At ASL, it’s something that surprises me more because I would think people are there more to support their peers than to watch an entertaining sport,” Welch said.

Empty bleachers don’t necessarily diminish her game, but Welch believes an energetic atmosphere would add to it “I don’t think it hurts my performance, but more support would definitely help it, and you see how fired up the guys get and a lot of their intensity is fueled off the support they get,” Welch said.

Certain effects of a loud crowd, including difficulty communicating with teammates, are clear. The benefits of an energetic crowd, like Momo Steele (’16) and the varsity girls volleyball team experienced when they hosted ISSTs in the fall season, remain more subtle. “It is that satisfaction of when you go up for a hit, maybe you hit a little bit harder,” Steele said.

Varsity Girls Basketball Coach Jessica Mazzenga appreciates the support her team receives. “I think the girls varsity basketball team is well-supported,” Mazzenga said.

Despite what Mazzenga finds ample support on a general level, she admits that certain games lack crowds. She attributes the dearth of fans to factors such as opponent, what day of the week the game is being played, or any notable event surrounding the game, such as

Homecoming. “For other games where there may not be as much of a rally behind it, there might be more numbers at a boys game than a girls game, or vice versa,” she said. “But I don’t necessarily see that as a gender issue.”

During such games with few fans, a greater onus is placed on bench players. “You have to, as a team, pump yourself up. You’re not going to draw on the energy of the

Tyler Skow | Deputy Editor-in-Chief

for us, but it didn’t seem very relevant for everyone else, and I know our team was a bit annoyed how it seemed like the boys were getting more attention for winning second,” she said.

The polarity in support for boys and girls extends to administrative support as well. After the boys varsity soccer team hosted ISSTs at Canons Park last year, the school day was cut short, encouraging

ments. Both teams won their tournaments, but initially, only the boys received a trophy. The girls trophy was ordered after the tournament, which Athletics Director John Farmer attributed to disorganization. “I can honestly [say] it was a mistake that we did not have a trophy in place,” he said. “We had every intention of having it there, and whether or not we ordered it before or after is purely something

Go Eagles!

Go Eagles!

crowd, so it just takes a different type of energy from the team than it does when there’s a big crowd giving you some of that energy,” Mazzenga said.

Some students feel the inequality of girls versus boys sports extends beyond crowd support.

Varsity girls soccer player Haley Kopfler (’17) felt the varsity boys loss in the finals last year overshadowed the recognition her team received after ISSTs. “Last year we won gold, which is a pretty big deal

students to support their peers during a semi-final game. During the spring season of the same year, the girls softball team hosted ISSTs at the same location. Varsity softball player Cammie Rosen (’16) hoped for similar treatment. “I know it is hard to cut school short, but it didn’t seem fair that one team got that and we did not,” Rosen said.

Another discrepancy between gender occurred between the treatment of JV boys and girls basketball after their respective LSSA tourna-

I was unaware of.”

Farmer also attributes the mistake to lack of communication within LSSA tournament organizers. Different schools hosted the two tournaments, and no formal process for awards exists. Farmer is looking to try and streamline the organization of tournament in the future.

Steele appreciated the support received when girls volleyball hosted ISSTs, though she believes the energy she and

teammates spent to advertise the event through posters and announcements would not be an investment necessary of the varsity boys basketball team if they were hosting ISSTs. The gender divide varsity boys basketball captain Jack Glen (’16) feels, transcends high school athletics, with the difference in popularity between the National Basketball Association (NBA) versus the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) proving prevalent examples. “It’s sad that people compare womens sports to mens sports. They are exciting in their own worlds, I don’t think we should be putting the two against each other,” he said.

While the popularity of female athletics increased with the rise of the U.S. womens soccer national team, the discrepancy of support remains concerning for Welch in terms of fixing this issue. “It’s a problem that goes beyond ASL. Basketball always draws a lot of fans, but boys basketball always draws a lot [more] fans,” she said.

Farmer has taken the issue of inequality in fan support to the Captains’ Council, but he has not “put any direct measures in place to try and solve the problem.”

Farmer believes the athletics department’s job is “the sports side of things, and while I like a good atmosphere, I don’t concern myself quite as much with making sure that people are in the stands watching,” Farmer said.

From the administrative perspective, Farmer sees the opportunities and treatment of boys and girls as equal. “I would like to think there isn’t [inequality] in that we have an equal number of sports and are trying to give the girls opportunity to play sports and, giving the boys opportunities to play sports,” he said.

Nonetheless Farmer still acknowledges the imbalance of support. “I went here and it’s an unfortunate reality that nothing has changed in almost 20 years,” Farmer said.

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THE STANDARD | March 2016

Page 23

Sports

SPORTS COMMENTARY

BPL: Business prevails league

CAMERON CAMPILI STAFF WRITER

Although ticket prices have been a pivotal element of soccer over the years, instead of rewarding fans for their gratitude and loyalty, prominent soccer clubs have instead raised ticket prices again.

Since the early 2000s, ticket prices in the Barclays Premier League (BPL) have only risen, even though Premier League clubs are now gaining more money than ever from TV deals, advertising and sponsorships. This influx of money now means I have to sit at matches with businessmen and tourists, rather than other passionate fans.

The British Broadcasting Company (BBC) proportionately distributes winnings based on where BPL teams place in the 2015-2016 league table. That combined with the new TV deal struck between broadcasting channels such as Sky Sports in the U.K and the

National Broadcasting Company (NBC) in the U.S. allows certain clubs to bring in excess of £100 million in profit just for placing around in the mediocre ranks that are the middle of the table.

In total, the TV deal is worth in excess of £5.1 billion. Clubs also gain more or less depending on how often they’re broadcasted.

Approximately 95 percent of the new deal’s money is going directly to BPL clubs. That equates to £4.9 billion.

The atmosphere and matchday experience have been hindered by the introduction of increased ticket prices. So now, along with dull atmospheres, fans have to pay extremely high prices for tickets.

However, the BPL’s implementation of a £30 cap on all away tickets is a massive step in the right direction. The cap allows working-class fans to attend more matches. I look forward to going to away matches now more than home matches as the away matches create a more authentic matchday experience with more

committed fans.

The BPL should implement this cap on home tickets to replicate the authenticity in the home match days as well. As I, along with other soccer fans, don’t always have the time to attend away matches.

This money contributes to most of what BPL teams earn, yet, sponsorships and advertising with companies, such as Barclays, contribute millions of pounds to the league each year. In fact, the amount of money companies have to pay to sponsor the league has become so enormous that Barclays are cancelling their contract with the league due to the fear of how much they may have to spend in the coming year. The BBC has also pledged to increase their total quota from £270 million to £330 million pounds a year.

However, even with all this money hurled towards BPL clubs, they still give into raising ticket prices. Barcelona's cheapest season ticket is £74, whereas the BPL’s cheapest average season

ticket price is around £489.

The self-proclaimed “best league in the world” is now becoming the most expensive league in the world, too. This is seen as match day revenue, in-

“

The atmosphere and matchday experience have been hindered by the introduction of increased ticket prices... along with dull atmospheres, fans have to pay extremely high prices for tickets. cluding ticket prices, only contribute to around 20 percent of a club's profit and yet clubs still believing raising ticket prices is a beneficial idea. Soccer’s essential working class nature has flipped on itself, showing soccer’s shift from a sport to business.

Going to a soccer match shouldn’t be a luxury, we are soccer fans, not customers.

Even Bayern Munich’s President, Uli Hoeness, has publicly slated Premier League ticket prices commenting that the league is “milking their fans like cows.”

The philosophy of foreign soccer presidents treating fans as fans, not customers, is something all BPL presidents should admire and replicate.

The atmosphere at certain stadiums has been hindered as a result of the inflated ticket prices.

Stadiums such as the Emirates and Anfield, whose atmospheres used to rivals those of Barcelona or Bayern Munich, have now become an upscale tourist attraction.

Luckily, I and many others who attend ASL are fortunate enough, financially, to be able to afford these increased ticket prices. However, soccer is a working class game, and if stadiums don’t decrease their ticket prices, their fans will decrease with it.

Spring season projections

Spring sports coaches share their thoughts on their season, including projections for their end of season tournaments and any notable players, positions, or news for the team Varsity baseball:

ISST finish: “Cautiously optimistic,” Varsity Baseball Coach Terry Gladis said.

News: With 10 returning players and five “strong” additions, the team is poised for a powerful season if their talent level matches the team’s camaraderie.

JV baseball:

LSSA finish: 1st, although JV Baseball Coach Euan Shields believes that repeating as champions will prove more challenging than claiming the title last year.

Group to watch: An outfield composed of Spencer Rosen (’18), Hans Bareihs (’18) and Crawford Asman (’18) should show as a strength of the team this season. All members of last year’s outfield are no longer on the team and the three returning sophomores moved from the infield. Their defensive versatility will benefit the team throughout the season.

Performance crew:

Girls lacrosse:

Qualifications at National Schools Regatta: Crew Head Coach Stuart Heap predicts three boats will progress to the semi-final stage and one will advance to the final.

News: Before the season the team planned to finish their season with a tournament at ISB, however the tournament was cancelled. The team will play most, if not all, of their games against TASIS.

Athlete to watch: Sarah Brunsberg (’17). Brunsberg placed fourth last year at National Schools Regatta and seeks a better finish this season.

Players to watch: Haley Kopfler (’17) and Taegan Kopfler (’17). The Kopfler twins should contribute to the team’s attack immensely.

Developmental crew:

Qualifications at Ball Cup Regatta: Developmental Crew coach Huw Jones anticipates two crews will finish in the finals.

Athletes to watch: Eloise Lambden (’19) and Nick Manhardt (’18). Lambden’s commitment throughout the year has seen her stroke and erg (indoor rowing machine) time improve. Manhardt shows his strength on the erg.

Boys lacrosse:

News: The team only consists of six players and will need to borrow players from the teams they face during games. The hybrid team will compete against TASIS and in English tournaments.

Track & Field:

ISST finish: Top 3.

Group to watch: Five boys return to the varsity boys group, which could translate to an impressive ISST performance from the varsity boys.

Varsity tennis:

ISST finish: “We’re looking to win gold and that’s a reasonable expectation looking at the team that we have,” Head Tennis Coach Latham Cameron said.

News: The combination of senior leadership and younger talent means a varied, dynamic team.

JV tennis:

LSSA finish: JV Tennis Coach Whitney Nuchereno predicts a competitive LSSA tournament for the team.

Group to watch: The experienced girls doubles team of Lulu Rajguru (’19) and Martha Duff (’19) should challenge their opponents.

Varsity golf:

ISST finish: “I think we’ll be competitive and if we play well, we just might have a chance,” Varsity Golf Coach James Perry said.

Player to watch: Andrew Franz (’16). A combination of talent and

devotion to the sport should mean a successful season for Franz. “He has wonderful natural abilities and he’s also worked really hard on his game. If he can get some confidence in his putter, I think he could have a breakout year and help lead the golf team to another successful season,” Perry said.

Varsity softball:

ISST finish: “Hopefully playing for some medal,” Varsity Softball Coach Greg Cole said.

Group to watch: An infield featuring Courtney Welch (’16), EV Vann (’16) and Abbie Dillion (’16).

JV softball:

LSSA finish: JV Softball Coach Julia Harrison gives the team “a good chance of winning” LSSAs. Aspect to watch: Harrison expects the team to be strong hitters and produce a potent offense.

•••

Page 24

Sports

Spring season outlooks Gender divide

Girls varsity basketball team huddles after the ISST final against TASIS on March 12. The girls won the game 30-20.

For the second consecutive girls basketball ISST, ASL and TASIS met in the final, with ASL finishing second last season and claiming gold this year. Kat Boachie-Yiadom (’18), Caroline Dibble (’16) and Courtney Welch (’16) earned all-tournament honors.

PHOTO BY LISA NOEL

THE STANDARD | March 2016