Standard Issue 5 2011-2012

Culture

FEATURES Jobs: Students embracing the entrepreneurial spirit discuss their lives in the real world. Pages 14-15

Yayoi Kusuma: A creative interpretation of the artist’s work in students’ daily lives. Page 19

standard.asl.org

THE STANDARD

The American School in London | 1 Waverley Place | London NW8 0NP UK

March 2012 | Volume XXXVII, Issue V

Admin abolishes third free period Thomas risinger

assistant news editor From the start of the next academic year, seniors will no longer be able to take three free periods. This year’s juniors will need to find an elective class instead.

“The reason for raising the senior minimum [of classes] is to reflect what the vast majority of seniors already do,” Assistant Principal Annie Leonard said. “There are only a handful of seniors who, this year and last year, actually took three free periods.” Leonard explained that seniors can still request a third free period if necessary. Such requests will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

This change has caused some confusion as to the necessity of a sixth credit. “If you have all of your credits filled, then I don’t see why it is necessary to not allow a student to take a third free period,” Charlotte Cowles (’13) said.

Removing a third free period was discussed with students who have taken three free periods in the past.

“There was not very much discussion with students regarding this decision, since about only 10 percent of students take a third free period. We did, however, discuss the idea with students who had taken three free periods,” Leonard said.

There are other changes to the graduation requirements for next year. These changes include a second semester of Physical Education for freshmen at some point in their High School careers. This can be substituted with either the Sports Leadership or Personal Fitness classes.

In another change, Digital Photography and Digital Music Creation will be counted as both an art and technology credit. “This will not affect many students because they fulfill their art requirements through the performing arts,” Leonard said.

“You want to think of these things like different kinds of cancers... Removing a fully metastasized cancer is very hard because every organ is exposed.”

K

areem Asfari’s (’13) then 23-year-old brother Hani spent a month in Syria in March 2011, before President Bashar al-Assad’s crackdown on the civil uprising and martial law was imposed. There, he witnessed an unforgettable scene of oppression. Running errands in a general store, he caught sight of a man offering bribes of $10 to join the rebels. When an unsuspecting passerby consented and brought his brothers back to negotiate, the briber went to fetch not money, but rather state secret police forces who subsequently abducted them.

“It’s akin to Stalinist Russia,” Kareem said.

While civil unrest mounts across Syria and Assad intensifies his “iron first” response, several High School students with close personal and political ties to the country have decided to shed light on the crisis ravaging their families’ native land. Though their experiences are numerous and varied, they have all rallied behind a common cause: that Bashar al-Assad’s time is up, and that the layers of corruption and oppression that have plagued the Middle Eastern nation must go down with him.

SYRIA continued on pages 12-13 (Please recycle after reading)

News

THE STANDARD VOLUME XXXVII ISSUE V MARCH 2012

Community questions Kony 2012 Invisible Children’s 2011 expense report Fundraising

$286,678

media and film creation

$699,617

Awareness products

$850,050

Awareness programs

$2,310,488

Central African Programs

$3,303,228

Fares Chehabi News Editor On March 5, non-profit organization Invisible Children released a 30-minute video documenting Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony’s rise to power and leadership of guerrilla group Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in an attempt to make him “famous” and bring him to justice.

“Kony 2012” has gone viral on YouTube and Vimeo, with more than 100 million views since its release. Since then, Jason Russell and Ben Keesey, co-founders of Invisible Children, have come under intense media scrutiny regarding their promotional techniques and financial practices. Like much of the world, voices at ASL have been similarly critical, with the exception of Invisible Children Club President Aboudi Qattan (’12).

“I stand firmly in what I believe in,” he said.

“Invisible Children is a great cause, and the fact that all these articles that are rapidly spreading are trying to take away from the fact that its cause is beneficial, is ridiculous.”

Although Qattan recognizes Invisible Children’s financial discrepancies, he believes: “That does not take away from the fact that these kids need recognition and that Kony must be stopped.”

Consultant for Global and Community Education Annabel Lucy Smith said that her initial reaction to the film was one of “deep concern.”

“My first contact with Invisible Children was seeing their first film in an auditorium of 600 kids, most of whom were crying. As I watched, I realized it was deeply misleading. I did a lot of research and got straight on to friends and contacts who are experts. They confirmed serious factual inaccuracies,” she said. “So when I read about their Kony 2012 mission, I was really worried. Watching the film confirmed my concerns.”

Media Services Coordinator Chris Clark, who has done charity work for the Ubuntu Education Fund, has a longstanding distaste for Invisible Children. “I’ve had a strong distaste for Invisible Children since I saw their first video shown here at ASL,” he said. “I feel that their style of advocacy is at best naive, at worst dangerously obfuscatory and always reductive.”

Clark was also critical of the film’s techniques, labeling them “cynical, distasteful and wrong.” “Their method of promotion seems more like self-promotion. They appear hugely arrogant in their productions, making themselves the center of the piece,” he said.

“It seems like profound narcissism, and is a cynical way to package the information to an audience which has an African Crisis Fatigue, which is my sense of what happens to viewers when they are shown only images of poor black Africans enduring appalling circumstances.

Add some suburban white folk in there and the piece seems a lot closer.”

K-12 Service Learning Coordinator Tamatha Bibbo criticized the video too. “There is no doubt that Joseph Kony has committed horrible acts and needs to be stopped and brought to justice; however, the video did not speak to the facts regarding the issue,” she said. “Sending funds to the Ugandan army or Invisible Children is not the course needed. It is concerning

Joseph Kony was indicted by the International Criminal Court in 2005, but remains an elusive figure. He is the subject of non-profit organization Invisible Children’s latest video, which the ASL community has staunchly criticized. Photo by katie lee when a video presents an issue and then asks for money to stop the issue without looking at action or awareness.”

Social Studies Teacher Michelle Gerken questioned the video’s celebrity backing. “It’s a shame you need celebrities to motivate the younger generation to try change. It needs to be the cool thing to do,” she said.

High School Technology Coordinator Mariam Mathew believes the speed at which flaws were found is indicative of the strength of social networks today. “There are things that are maybe flawed in their organization, and therein lies the power of the social network: In the same amount of time that we watched the video, we were also able to find criticism,” she said. “The Internet doesn’t let you lie or hide. It points out your flaws in so many different reactions, and that’s the power of social networks.”

Smith felt that the video reflected the strength of social networks too. “Facebook became a mine of information. It revealed how few people had any prior knowledge of this devastating conflict and its ongoing legacy, and how many smart people take information at face value without asking critical questions,” she said.

One point of discussion has been Invisible Children’s use of Russell’s son in a further attempt to strengthen their rallying call. “The use of his son was very inappropriate and that immediately put me off,” Gerken said.

Bibbo also disapproved of the use of Rus-

sell’s son. “I was very upset at the way he used his child. It seemed like a ploy or distasteful to have a white family in the states making decisions and statements about another country and its people from their safe homes,” she said.

Regardless, the production of the video has been, for the most part, acclaimed. “The video is very well scripted, produced and cut. It has high emotional impact, especially in the portion the film-maker speaks with his own child about his work,” Visual Arts Teacher Erik Niemi said. “Good film-making technique enhances the emotional impact of films, and these filmmakers use that to their advantage throughout the production with great compositions, good changes in pacing and in cutting the film to move with the high-energy soundtrack.”

Mathew was impressed by the video’s production too. “This video shows the power of electronic media. There are great cuts, effects, and Shepard Fairey, who has incredible clout, was involved,” she said. “They’re not afraid to use people with power and influence and to demonstrate that in their video.”

Bibbo, however, was critical of the video’s production. “I felt that the music and video effects were clouding the facts, and not all of the needed information was provided,” she said.

(Lead News Editor Evan Reilly and Assistant News Editor Thomas Risinger contributed to this report).

THE STANDARD | March 2012

Newsddd

Student opens investment account for club Walker Thompson Copy Editor Arjun Pundarika (’12) opened a bank account on February 1 through which he will be able to invest money for his project with microfinance club Change by Change. The club, now nearly six months old and consisting of almost 20 members, has already raised £103 in voluntary donations from its members to invest in entrepreneurs through international microfinance organizations Kiva and Rang De. At a meeting on February 23, the group invested in its first two entrepreneurs, a Mongolian grocer and an Indonesian tailor, contributing $50 to the former and $25 to the latter through Kiva.

“This idea, this project, is a great way to have a self-sustaining, selfrenewing way of assisting people around the world,” Pundarika said, addressing the cyclical nature of microfinance and the gratification he receives from it. “It is natural to show sympathy towards someone’s unfortunate situation, but to show empathy, acting upon sympathy, is another thing entirely.”

Pundarika received inspiration for the club from the book Creating a World Without Poverty by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus in 2010. Moved by the treatise, which showed how microfinance can alleviate poverty in Third World countries, Pundarika resolved to found a club at ASL to lend money to small businesses all over the world.

Member Alex Ericksen (’13) said that Change by Change’s biggest accomplishment has been surviving as a club. “Most of [the other clubs] have died or had one meeting and disappeared,” he said. “But ours is somehow still around.” He and fellow club member Maria Blesie (’13) attributed this accomplishment to

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the enthusiastic participation of all members, as well as Pundarika’s excellence as a leader.

Pundarika’s recent accomplishment of opening an account with the school represents a major step forward for the club; however, he cited difficulties in negotiating the matter with administrators that delayed progress. Although the administration readily embraced his proposal, it took him two months to finish setting up the account after he began working on it in October. “It’s taken up a lot of time just running around, getting to people and asking them to do stuff,” he said.

Although the process was long and difficult, Jonah Wolfson (’13), Pundarika’s probable successor as leader of the club next year, said that they are already enjoying the fruits of their labors. He explained that, now that the account has been set up, they are unlikely to be further hindered by the administration; their only remaining challenge should be organization.

“I think it’s less rules that are our problem, more just figuring out what we have to do for the fundraiser,” Wolfson said. “[It] can’t be hard, I just have to e-mail some people.”

Wolfson is excited about the prospect of taking over next year.

He said that he has enjoyed watching the club evolve and hopes it will reach new heights with the upcoming fundraiser. “At the beginning it was Arjun explaining to us how microfinance worked, and now we’re actually talking about raising money, donating and seeing results,” he said.

Wolfson said that projects like these represent, for him, a belief in humanity’s collective capacity to produce change for the better. “A little bit from everybody can make a big difference,” he said.

Arjun Pundarika (’12) (center) consults with fellow members of his Change by Change club. He recently opened an investment account for microfinance funding. Photo by Katie lee

FLASH

planning ahead: The new Master Plan includes conceptual diagrams depicting a revised construction of the Waverley Playground.

ILLUSTRATIONs COURTESY OF JIM HEYNDERICKX

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Grass playing fields

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Art center

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Underground fitness center includes changing rooms, dance studio and six-lane swimming pool

Master Plan includes new fitness, science and art centers 2

FARES Chehabi News Editor On behalf of ASL, architecture firms ORMS and Walters and Coen have been in weekly discussion with the Westminster Council about the planning for new fitness, science and art centers. In May 2011, both projects were presented to the Board of Trustees in the latest edition of the master plan, which is distributed about every 10 years and took two-anda-half years to compile.

Director of Operations and Technology Jim Heynderickx, Head of School Coreen Hester, Director of Finance and Operations Chris Almond and members

from the Board of Trustees have all been working on the project in conjunction with both architecture firms.

The new art center would be an entirely new building located near to Hester’s current residence on Grove End Road. The new fitness center would be entirely underground and would include a six-lane swimming pool.

The current art department and fitness center would be turned into a new science department. The current science department would be used as middle school class rooms.

The school intends to submit their latest planning application to the Westminster Council in the

first week of April. If the planning application is approved, then it will be up to the discretion of the Board of Trustees on whether or not to pursue the art or fitness project further.

Should the Board approve either of the two projects, a fundraising campaign will be initiated to sponsor the building process, similar to the procedure for the redevelopment of the theater.

Heynderickx estimates that the earliest time a brick could be laid is May 2014. He also said that the new art center would take about 20 months to complete, whereas the fitness center would take around 16 months.

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THE STANDARD | March 2012

News OUTSIDE THE BUBBLE

A cycle safety revolution The Times launches “Cities fit for cycling” campaign to push for reducing the risk on the road in Britain EVAN REILLY LEAD NEWS EDITOR After the deaths of 16 cyclists on the streets of London last year, cycle safety has developed into an issue that cannot be ignored. The UK government has come under intense pressure to improve cycling infrastructure in Britain and reduce the number of cyclist-related casualties.

The Times initiated its “Cities fit for cycling” campaign at the beginning of February, and has received an overwhelmingly positive response since the launch of their manifesto. There have been 32,000 written pledges of support on the campaign website and more than 2,000 letters sent to MPs calling for their personal backing.

The “Cities fit for cycling” campaign was born out of tragedy when Mary Bowers, a reporter at The Times, was seriously injured in an accident with a lorry on her way to work in November. Official figures and findings from independent studies have also revealed an alarming rise in the casualty toll and the number of serious injuries to cyclists as a result of road collisions.

The Times published an eight-point plan aimed at identifying practical solutions to reduce the risk on the road and change the urban landscape for cyclists. The campaign calls for a wide-ranging review of road safety for cyclists, including better education and awareness for drivers, 20 mph speed limits in residential areas, improvements to infrastructure and cycle routes, mandatory safety requirements for lorries and a national audit of cycling activity.

The impact of this campaign has been immediate, with the popular support of tens of thousands of readers, celebrities and sports personalities. This call to improve cycle safe-

ty in Britain is also gaining momentum in cyberspace. Within hours of the campaign’s launch seven weeks ago, six Olympic gold medalists had encouraged their followers on Twitter to sign up and back the manifesto.

In addition, Italy’s biggest sports newspaper, La Gazzetta dello Sport, has endorsed The Times’ safe cycling campaign in tribute to one of its own journalists who died riding his bike to work.

A growing number of politicians across all parties have also publicly backed the campaign, including the Prime Minister, the Transport Minister and the Minister for Sport. A Parliamentary debate was held on February 23 to discuss the pressing concerns of cycle safety raised by The Times campaign. It was concluded that reforms were urgently needed to improve the safety of cyclists and reduce the casualty toll.

About 2,000 cyclists took part in a “flash ride” through central London at night following the afternoon’s debate at Westminster Hall. The biggest so far of a series of protest rides will take place on April 28, with cyclists coming together to ride from Blackfriars Bridge to Hyde Park.

With a groundswell of both political and public support, The Times is still pushing for policy makers to ensure that they follow through on their verbal assurances and implement a concrete plan of action.

In addition to gaining traction across cycle safety groups, motoring organizations and media outlets, the campaign is a topic of discussion among cyclists and the Transport Office at ASL. Transport Manager Alan Clarke believes that more students and teachers would ride their bikes to school on a normal basis if more cycle lanes were available and if there was improved safety on the roads surround-

ing the school. In order to create a safer cycling environment, he would like to see the creation of more safe cycle routes to schools as well as free lessons on road safety.

Lower School Counselor Aerian Gray, a regular cyclist, approves of the idea of a cycle revolution at ASL and is eager to encourage fellow faculty members and students to start cycling to school more often. “It’s a great way to get a bit of exercise each day, it reduces the amount of traffic on the roads with its knock on pollution and it also saves money,” she said. Regarding her own ideas for inciting change to improve road safety in the UK, she jokingly made reference to the recent nude protests staged by cyclists in Lima, Peru, to raise awareness.

Science Teacher Jude Ruff ’s bicycle is her primary mode of transportation. She cycles to school every day – 2.7 miles from her house in North Kensington – and feels that her daily habit is a great form of physical exercise and a much “freer way” to get around London, as opposed to forms of public transport. At Munich International School (MIS), where she used to teach, all younger students had to go through a mandatory cycle safety course.

She said that she was thrilled to hear about The Times’ campaign for improved safety. “There is a lot of public support for people to start riding their bikes. There is also a lot of fear about safety on the roads.

People need to actually know that it is a safe way to get around London,” she said. “The awareness is definitely key.”

Ruff said that she feels safe most of the time while riding her bike in central London, but she is also concerned about future public support for the cause. “We’re moving in the right direction, but it’s very slow. The change is definitely possible,” she said.

UK CYCLISTS

ASL CYCLISTS

16 cyclists killed in London last year (up 60% from 2010) 111 cyclists killed in 2010 (up 7% from 2009) 2,660 seriously injured in 2010 (up 2% from 2009) 1 percent of all vehicle miles traveled by bicycle £3 billion generated by cycle industry each year 42 percent of British people own a bicycle 8 percent of people cycle three or more times a week

43 students rode bicycles to school in 2010 26 students ride bicycles to school in 2012 1.9 percent of students ride bicycles to school in 2012 (down 1.4% from 2010) 60 cycle bays available for students and employees

BY THE NUMBERS How do the numbers add up for cyclists in London and at ASL?

Source: Department for Transport, The Times.

Source: ASL Transportation Office, Hands Up Survey 2010 and 2012, Finance and Operations Office.

A regular cyclist: Science Teacher Jude Ruff cycles 2.7 miles to school everyday. She thinks riding her bike is a great form of exercise and a much “freer” way to get around the city. PHOTO BY KATIE LEE

Cafeteria moves to contain nut allergy risk ALEX CALVERT STAFF WRITER

Nearly a month ago, a Middle School student suffered an allergic reaction to peanuts in the cafeteria. The student did not go into anaphylactic shock, but did spend over half an hour calming herself and recovering from the unexpected reaction. “In all seven years I’ve been here, I’ve never seen a nut reaction that bad,” Catering Manager Christine Kent said.

The student was making a cream cheese bagel in the deli section of the cafeteria, where there are many items containing nuts, when she felt the allergic reaction coming on. The student was aware of her allergy to peanuts, but the policy of having

“It’s the individual’s job to be aware of their allergies, but it’s also the community’s job to make it easier for them.”

Christine Kent, Catering Manager

peanut butter and Nutella available for student use in the cafeteria meant that foods containing nuts were spread easily. People with nut allergies were at “serious risk” to having allergic reactions, Kent said.

The incident sparked a larger discussion that went all the way to senior administrators about whether or not ASL should go completely nut-free. The administrators concluded that going nut-free was impractical, but that more could be done in consideration of students and faculty members with severe nut allergies. “We decided to contain the danger,” Head of School Coreen Hester said. “Our goal is that everyone feels safe, both mentally and physically.”

All products containing nuts are now made and packaged by the cafeteria, and there are no foods or condiments containing nuts in the deli section. These measures have made the cafeteria a much safer place for students and faculty with allergies, but the lack of Nutella and peanut butter available for toasted sandwiches has caused a decline in interest in sandwiches in general, Kent said.

Before the incident, one toasted sandwich with peanut butter and Nutella cost 95p. As of now, one cold peanut butter and jelly sandwich costs £1.25, as does one cold sandwich with only Nutella.

“It’s the individual’s job to be aware of their allergies, but it’s also the community’s job to make it easier for them,” Kent said. Kent also said that the changes are permanent.

Opinions

THE STANDARD VOLUME XXXVII ISSUE V MARCH 2012

THE STANDARD

EDITORIAL

IAN ROBERTSON Editor-in-Chief PETER HUGHES Deputy Editor-in-Chief EVAN REILLY Lead News Editor FARES CHEHABI News Editor THOMAS RISINGER Assistant News Editor MATT BENTLEY Opinions Editor SHAHID MAHDI Assistant Opinions Editor WILL ROSENTHAL Lead Features Editor ANNA YOUNG Features Editor AMRITA MIGLANI Features Editor ALESSANDRO MAGLIONE Assistant Features Editor EMMA CONWAY Culture Editor CAMILLE CORIC Assistant Culture Editor ALEX MORRIS Lead Sports Editor CLAYTON MARSH Sports Editor CONOR FINN Assistant Sports Editor KATIE LEE Photo Editor and Illustrator EMILY MARK Assistant Photo Editor JESS HAGHANI Assistant Photo Editor SOPHIA JENNINGS Online Editor MINA OMAR Assistant Online Editor TYLER ZSCHACH Assistant Online Editor WALKER THOMPSON Copy Editor IAN SCOVILLE Copy Editor STAFF WRITERS Alec Ashley, Svena Bhasin, Alex Calvert, Patrick Collins, Kasey Craig, Katie Dillon, Henry Kremer, Andre Maman, Patrick Mayr, Stefan Nealis, Benjamin Spar SHANNON MILLER Adviser

ILLUSTRATION BY KATIE LEE

Armchair-ity “Slacktivism” and the “bake sale mentality” are the wrong ways to approach charity

T

he main problem with Invisible Children’s “Kony 2012” campaign was not a lack of noble intentions; it was that it was a flawed approach to charity. “Slacktivism,” alternately called “armchair activism,” is essentially the belief that setting your Facebook status to “Stop Joseph Kony” and buying an “action kit” will actually help bring the Ugandan militarist to justice. So much for active activism.

Unfortunately, this slacktivist culture has found a foothold at ASL in the form of a “bake sale mentality.” The table in Top Orange can regularly be found littered with various baked goods to raise funds for one of the many student-run clubs.

Though these bake sales are often tremendous successes, and a lot of money is likely to be donated to any club that holds one, they also distance students from the causes they’re supporting. For how exactly does buying a brownie help underprivileged children in Cambodia, or even those freezing at a nearby homeless shelter?

While any help is welcome, we need to realize that throwing money at a problem is simply not sustainable. Instead, we need to build connections, develop personal bonds and really get to know the people we’re trying to help. Service is about giving more than cash, and while the school-sponsored community partnerships do a wonderful job of this – as do some clubs like Right to Play with interactive, hands-on approaches – they are not the rule, but the exception.

Some groups have even used incentives like iPads and other gadgets to encourage students to contribute. Although this idea may attract more attention to fundraisers, it sends a deeply cynical, conflicted and contradictory message. Is it really necessary to receive in order to give? What about the milk of human kindness?

Philanthropy is wonderful if it’s done right. We just need to rethink how we’re going about things – and whether or not we’re truly caring for our community and our world.

MISSION STATEMENT The Standard staff and adviser are dedicated to publishing an exemplary student newspaper and website according to the strictest standards of journalistic integrity in writing, editing, coverage and production. We are an open forum that strives to promote productive dialogue among the student body, and within the greater school community.

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

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Send submissions to the journalism lab, room O-329, or to the_standard@asl.org. These must adhere to the same set of ethical guidelines that all staff content is held to, and will only be published at the discretion of the editorial board and the adviser. The Standard retains the right to edit letters for length and AP/Standard style. All letters must be signed in order to be considered for publication.

EDITORIALS Articles published with the word “Editorial” written above it and presented in the same location issue-to-issue represent the majority opinion of the editorial board. They are unsigned.

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

ENGAGEMENT WITH READERSHIP The Standard encourages all readers to submit their thoughts through letters to the editor, guest columns and story ideas.

Contact the appropriate section editor(s) for submissions.

ONLINE VIEWING The Standard can be viewed online at standard.asl.org; scan the QR code for a direct link.The Standard can also be viewed in PDF format on the high school page of the ASL website, www.asl.org.

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THE STANDARD | March 2011

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Opinions

A little rebellion is a good thing IAN ROBertson

ian_robertson@asl.org

We can’t wait for the administration to grant us what we believe is rightfully ours

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Across the High School, we must start asking ourselves what we can do to serve our school, and not what our school can do to serve us.

I

n John F. Kennedy’s 1961 inaugural address, the newly sworn in president called upon all Americans to reevaluate their understanding of civic duty. In one of the more stirring addresses ever given, Kennedy spoke of the privilege of citizenship and the responsibility that comes with being a defender of freedom. He said that he would not shrink from this responsibility, but welcome it, and he asked the same of his fellow citizens. “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country,” Kennedy said. “The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it – and the glow from that fire can truly light the world.”

In the coming weeks, the administration’s implementation of a mandatory, uniform teacher and course feedback mechanism will require a similar degree of civic duty from the student body. For the first time ever, we are being asked to have a direct voice about the education we receive. As members of this community, we owe it to ourselves to welcome this long-awaited responsibility and embrace it fully. Across the High School, we must start asking ourselves what we can do to serve our school, and not what our school can do to serve us.

As the struggle for student feedback of teachers and courses has proven, we cannot wait for the administration to grant us what we believe to be rightfully ours in the first place. It took several editorials, a student-wide petition, a student mandate and an ongoing discussion with the administration and teachers across many years to reach where we are today.

Unfortunately, we live in a world where the establishment can often be steadfast, stubborn and reluctant to change.

Therefore, we must not be afraid to shake things up a bit, to stir the pot and push for what we believe in. As Thomas Jefferson said, “A little rebellion now and then is a good thing” and a “medicine necessary for the sound health of government.”

Here at ASL, we are taught to be active citizens, think critically and to ask the big questions. If we want to make a change, we need to rise to the challenge and take responsibility for the school we attend and the education we deserve. School is for the students. It’s time to show that we care.

Illustration by Katie Lee

Progress Report Spring

march madness

FaceBOOK

Juniority

The countdown has started.

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500 followers on Twitter, 500 likes on Facebook

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Facebook

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Opinions Editor Matt Bentley, Photo Editor Katie Lee, Editor-in-Chief Ian Robertson and Deputy Editor-in-Chief Peter Hughes give ASL its Spring Progress Report.

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SPRINGTIME: (Like a G) The birds and the bees are coming out, and we all know what you’re thinking about. We have alternatives, AP exams, less clothing and a whole lot of PDA. Cheers, Dr. Gruber. Katie Lee and Ian Robertson

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JUNIORITY: (A-) Congrats guys, we did it. And the competition wasn’t rigged at all! Matt Bentley

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LIKE US ON FACEBOOK: (please?) We’re on Twitter!

And Facebook! And we have our own website!

Follow us! Be the 500th subscriber! Please. Matt Bentley

Twitter

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NEW SCHEDULE Suggestion: (A++) Who wouldn’t give up 15 minutes of lunch every day for a late start on Wednesdays? Bravo, Dr. Richards. Matt Bentley

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NICE WEATHER: (B) Even if you’re among the 99 percent of the population who can’t properly throw a frisbee, there’s nothing better than frisbee weather.

Enjoy it before the creepy, semi-naked people start taking over Primrose. Peter Hughes

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March Madness Brackets: (F) “I had Lehigh to beat Duke in my other bracket, I just didn’t submit it to this pool.” Yeah and you also called the ending of Lost when it was in the first season :/ Peter Hughes

Photo 1 from http://santafelead.org/. Photos 2 and 6 by Katie Lee. Photo 4 By Emily Mark. Photo 5 from flikr/ george_eastman_house.

THE STANDARD | March 2012

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Opinionsddd

A call to save Classics Walker Thompson

walker_thompson@asl.org

Classics’ absence at ASL leaves students without a wellrounded education

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Is the school unwilling to support Latin and Classics as official parts of the curriculum just to maintain a ‘global’ outlook?

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recently learned that Arabic is to be promoted from its DISLP status and added as a fourth standard, core language program next year.

Why Arabic? And more importantly, why not Latin? Or why not, instead of overhauling an existing language offering, begin to offer Greek as part of a standardized, comprehensive Classics program, especially with Classics again on the rise at many top American secondary schools Phillips Exeter Academy, Phillips Academy Andover, Deerfield Academy, Dalton School, Chapin School and Trinity School?

The school’s mission statement offers a viable explanation for this decision: “Our mission is to develop the intellect and character of each student by providing an outstanding American education with a global perspective.” Is the school, then, unwilling to support Latin and Classics as official parts of the curriculum just to maintain a global outlook?

Is this newfound preference for modern languages, especially Eastern ones, just a policy the school has adopted to avoid looking Eurocentric?

It’s hard to deny that Oriental languages are becoming trendier, as revealed in a 2010 New York Times article titled “Foreign Languages Fade in Class–Except Chinese,” in a time when nations like China are looking to become new world powers after centuries of subjugation

by Europe. In my opinion, this disheartening and unsettling mindset, which plagues many of today’s educators, has manifested itself at ASL in a most unfortunate way.

For it means that the Latin program is suffering in silence here. The school seems unable to funnel students into the Latin DISLP program simply because there is neither precedent nor opportunity to study Latin before ninth grade, for it places a premium on core modern language study both before and even after that point. It is therefore unsurprising

that three out of the four Latin students are new this year, having already taken or been recommended for Latin placement at their former schools.

Let me be clear: I find no fault with the current DISLP curriculum. Latin Tutor Judith Rice is a marvellous teacher, and the flexibility of the DISLP course has empowered me to move swiftly through the material. It has been a highlight of my academic year.

Instead, my concern is that the school endorses only modern languages (Spanish, French, Chinese and Arabic) while letting Classics fall through the cracks. Perhaps there should be a full Classics department in order to stem this decline. In this regard, the school ends up lagging behind some of the leading American private schools that have full-fledged Classics offerings or even requirements from middle school through high school.

My former school, which has Latin as a core subject beginning in the fifth grade, offers a wide range of Classical language and history courses, and teaches Latin and Greek to the same degree as it does its three modern language offerings (Spanish, French and Chinese). It even awards Classical diplomas to students who display a special commitment to the field and complete the department’s core requirements.

There are incredible advantages to studying Classics. On a purely intellectual level,

Illustration by Katie Lee

there is the thrill of discovering the etymologies of English words that derive from Latin and Greek, not to mention some of the richest and most important texts in the history of the world. Studying Latin has been proven to boost your SAT scores, and, according to an August 2010 Bloomberg article humorously titled “Lingua Latina Intro itum in Vnivers Harvard. Faciliorem Reddit” (“The Latin Language Makes Entry into Harvard Easier”), it can even help you get into a top-tier American university.

But here, Classics, a traditional pillar in Western education, long the standard for scientific writings and a source of inspiration for great authors, including William Shakespeare, has little or no standing. This saddens and discourages me. For while it’s fine to be trendy, I find this dogma hard to swallow if it comes at the expense of an educational standard that has proven its worth over thousands of years.

Tearing down the role model A Patrick Collins

patrick_collins@asl.org

How the idea of a “role model” ultimately leads to dissapointment

“

Blame, however, should not be placed on the role model, but instead on the idea of role models.

s a child, I was always told to find someone that I admire, and use them to model my actions after. So I did as I was told, and, true to my obsession with sports, I chose an athlete to be my role model.

Pedro Martinez, a former pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, was my first role model and I wanted to be exactly like him. Then, in 2003, in a brawl occurred during a playoff game between Boston and their rival, the New York Yankees, in which Martinez threw Don Zimmer, the 72-year-old coach of the Yankees, to the ground. The man whom I had emulated for so long had just assaulted an elderly man, and I thought that was okay. I may never have assaulted an elderly man, but the fact thar Martinez was my role model allowed me to think that because Martinez did it, it was okay to do.

I often hear children use the phrase, “I want to be like (blank) when I grow up,” most likely saying this because that person is their role model. However, just like I did, children can easily fall into a trap when they have a role model. They think that just because their role model did something, it’s okay to do. This can cause children to believe many immoral actions are perfectly okay. For this reason, the idea of role models should be eliminated.

Growing up, most children are encouraged by and seem to always have a role model. More often than not, these role models are figures of popular culture, whose lives are constantly being watched. Throughout childhood and into adolescence, children idolize their role models to varying extents. In some cases children attempt to model and mimic their actions after a role model’s. This system is destined to fail because many people constantly forget that these role models are people too, and people are not perfect.

People are bound to make mistakes; it is human nature, and a very important learning process humans go through. However, when a person is a role model and one is constantly in the public eye, he or she is held under the expectation of near flawlessness. Every move they make is watched by children who look up to them. So every time an idol missteps, their mistake can increase exponentially with each person watching them.

Blame, however, should not be placed on the role model, but instead on the idea of role models. Young people should never have a role model. Emulating a person’s actions will only cause youth to emulate mistakes. No one should be encouraged to make mistakes by

choice, for we should always strive to do the best we possibly can. So it is unacceptable to follow a system that inevitably will cause children to look up to a person who makes mistakes.

Instead, children should be encouraged to look more specifically into people. Instead of having role models, children should find specific qualities of people that they find admirable, and only focus on those qualities.

Children should only focus on the positive actions of the person; everything else about the person should be ignored. As a result, negative actions will never be looked up to. These people’s actions, however, should not be emulated or viewed as goals, because doing so wouldn’t allow a person to live their own life.

Another person’s actions should not act as a guide to anyone else, but should only act as a simple reminder about how to do something well. Anyone who looks up to a figure’s quality should personalize the quality, so they are not emulating exactly what is being done. Having a role model will only cause the idolization of mistakes and negative qualities. It is not the role model’s actions that are hurting youth looking up to them, but the fact that they have role models in the first place.

THE STANDARD | March 2012

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Diversity needed to fulfill mission

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Will Rosenthal

william_rosenthal@asl.org

Why ASL’s lack of socioeconomic diversity prevents us from achieving our mission

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If there is one common denominator of the students who attend ASL, it’s not academic excellence, but rather, financial stability.

f you’ve ever glossed through the Mission Statement – and by this point in your ASL career, you certainly have – you’ll notice it reads that students should graduate with a “global perspective” regarding life and worldly affairs. Unfortunately, the school’s continued confinement to a certain socio-economic realm, a realm in which the overwhelming majority of this school fall somewhere in the 1 percent continues to stunt student growth to the point where students do not, in fact, leave ASL having any semblance of a global perspective.

The observation is often referred to as the “ASL Bubble.” Although students, parents, and faculty alike have talked about the need for years to burst this bubble, few tangible actions have actually been made to change anything. After all, the student body remains overwhelmingly Caucasian, with a vast majority coming from the upper middle class or other elite, aristocratic backgrounds.

Moreover, if there is one common denominator of the students who attend ASL, it’s not academic excellence, but rather, financial stability.

Granted, at a school in which it costs more than £20,000 to attend each year, it’s unreasonable to get a full scope of students from varying socio-economic backgrounds.

However, the school should make a more concerted effort to proactively offer aid to students less well off. Instead of investing in needless plasma televisions and overpaying for pizza, the administration needs to start looking at the environment we are fostering for our students. While I recognise the administration is beginning to go to great lengths to bridge the vast socio-economic divide, the issue must be driven home.

Quite simply, the school has to devote

more resources and money to bring together a student body of more varied financial and social brackets.

We’ve explored this concept before in the past, but the problem remains ubiquitous.

Instead of actually investing in trying to build a central ethos with a clear character, the school remains a place where rich kids often use trivial yet expensive props that marginally enhance learning. Simply put, what students could learn from having a diverse student body is leaps and bounds more than what students currently learn from the flashy environment.

My question is simple. How can we truly develop global perspectives as students if we can’t experience an education anything like the global world? Sure, our student body comes from various countries, but doesn’t globalism span past the obvious geographic landscape? True globalism, and in turn, true diversity lies in pulling people from a broad breadth of worldly, socio-economic and racial backgrounds.

The facts speak for themselves. At universities and other higher level institutes of learning, the percentage of students on some sort of financial aid package often ranges from 45 to 70 percent. On a high school level, ASL trails behind other private schools in America of a similar caliber. In Los Angeles, the Harvard-Westlake School has a total budget of $7.8 million for financial aid and 18 percent of their student body is on some sort of financial aid package.

At Horace Mann and the Dalton School in New York City, both schools have 20-22 percent of their students using financial aid.

At the Philips Academy in Andover – an elite boarding school in Massachussets – 46 percent of their students are on a financial package, and 13 percent of their students are on full scholarships. Better yet, a large part

of the education they provide is contingent on the fact that they’re making a proactive effort to bring in students from diverse socio-economic backgrounds.

At ASL, only 8.5 percent of students are on financial aid. In the high school, that number rises to only 9.2 percent. Our total budget for financial aid is £1.9 million ($2,917,830) per year. That number is only 37 percent of the budget Harvard-Westlake budgets for financial aid.

But what do these numbers really tell?

The natural counter is that many ASL families get aid in other ways; embassy families get tuition fully comped and other families often have their employers pay a sizable amount of the tuition package.

Still, that does not vindicate ASL for not making a more proactive effort to bring in talented students from inner-city London.

While ASL is an international school that caters to an American demographic, the student body would only be enhanced if more students who couldn’t afford the opportunity otherwise were granted greater aid to attend the school.

Part of the appeal of heading off to university is having the opportunity to go to a place where students from all walks of life will come to coexist for four years. While it is unreasonable to expect that experience at a high school level – partly because of our much smaller student body – it is not unreasonable to campaign for a little more diversity at a school that remains largely Caucasian and in the upper financial bracket.

Correction: In the article “A life of security” from the January-February issue: Barak Favé initially left ASL to attend university, returning as the school’s Head of Security after three years.

Letter to the student body: A new year

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Julian Nebreda

julian_nebreda@asl.org

New Student Council President Julian Nebreda (‘13) outlines his plans, hopes and goals for his one year tenure

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I’d like to encourage anyone and everyone to communicate to us, Student Council, what you think.

he time of the year has come again for the passing of the presidency from one Student Council member to another. These don’t usually come with a bang; at the end of the day, school goes on and I wouldn’t even blame anyone for not feeling a big change in their lives.

Though it may not be obvious, these are exciting times. I’m incredibly excited to be Student Council President, but honestly, I still don’t really know what I’m doing.

Of course, I’m not coming into the presidency without any aspirations or ideas about what our Council could and should be: I think interactions between Student Council, SFDB, and The Standard should become more official and streamlined, as all three of us share a common interest in the student body. But mostly, I think that the Student Council can go a long way in opening itself more to all students and student opinions.

With these goals comes a request. Especially in this crucial time from now until the end of the year, I’d like to encourage anyone and everyone to communicate to us, Student Council, what you think.

What do we do that works? What do we do that doesn’t work? What should Student Council’s role be within the High School?

Julian Nebreda Addresses the Student Council in his campaign speech, outlining his plans for a more united student body. Photo by Katie Lee And, the question that I think people should ask us all the time: what is an issue in the High School?

Over the course of three years as a Student Council representative, I’ve become increasingly optimistic about our ability as a group

within the High School.

Time and time again the administration proves to be eager and keen to listen to us.

So, please, let’s have Student Council discussions be open conversations. If the student body talks, we’ll listen.

Features

THE STANDARD VOLUME XXXVII ISSUE V MARCH 2012

students called me by my first name,” Cooke said. “I don’t think respect is built on a name.”

Nevertheless, Sussman found the informal spirit at King Alfred somewhat conducive to laziness.

She said that the lack of structure in some of her classes was the culprit, saying that a less formal program could become too permissive. “I think it’s very important for teachers to structure their lessons,” she said. Still, she and Cooke agreed that over-planning can be restrictive and hard on students.

Sussman, like Cooke, is unsure about the Harkness method. She said that she believes it obstructs the natural course of conversation, and prefers when teachers chose not to track class discussions. “Although with that approach not everyone did speak in the discussions, I think that it was way more relaxed than if we had used the Harkness table system,” she said.

“It’s much more natural than if you’re being tracked with this little line each time you speak.”

Cooke went further, adding, “I think that as soon as you start taking away the natural flow of conversation, you lose the dynamic, the excitement in a discussion.”

WHAT’S IN A NAME? Copy Editor Walker Thompson looks at how formality affects student-teacher relationships photos by emily mark and katie lee

W

hen French teacher Morag Cooke began teaching at the University of Maryland, she was unsatisfied with the way she was told to run her courses. Instructed to deliver lectures in a rigid, formal environment, she felt distanced from students as she led her classes without truly facilitating them.

Then, she took an important step that forever changed the way she teaches. “I had to teach a class on non-literary translation, and that’s when I started to use a more student-propelled format with me as the facilitator,” she said. Ever since then, she has been putting students first and developing new ways to interact and build relationships with them.

But the road towards liberalism and informality in the classroom is never easy. It poses numerous dilemmas for teachers and students alike, such as how to avoid laziness and disrespect, and how exactly to walk the fine line between casualness and permissiveness.

“True respect comes from a mutual rapport.”

Cooke’s strong conviction that education is a “partnership” between student and teacher has

drawn her towards a more studentled class structure. She always tries to create a liberal environment that encourages deeper thinking and inquiry, which she believes builds students’ trust in their teachers.

“One really has to earn respect from students,” she said. “It’s not something that comes automatically, you can’t mandate it…I think true respect comes from a mutual rapport.”

Cooke has used a number of non-traditional means of assessment from student-directed films to multimedia presentations to achieve these ends. In the autumn, her French Literature class wrote and performed skits based on the modernist poem “Prose du transsibérien.” Having left a large element of choice in the assignment, she was pleased with her students’ creativity.

“I think [they] got more out of that poem than had I asked [them] to write an essay or to do a multiple choice [exam],” she said. “Some people chose letters, others chose an envoyé spécial [interview with characters]… I think that in each of those very, very different medias, they showed me how much they knew of the text, and I would hope that that’s a better form of assessment.”

Cooke also switched to a new discussion format in the class in the middle of the year. After students formulated their own discussion protocol, she began to arrange the desks in a circle each class. Although unwilling to use the English department’s Harkness method, she believes that her current setup facilitates free flowing conversation and positive student-teacher interaction.

“I think it’s very important for teachers to structure their lessons.”

Caitlan Sussman (’12) came to ASL in 2011 after attending King Alfred School in North London for nine years. King Alfred’s progressive and liberal ethos is embodied in its use of first names, a policy which raises important issues about informality in education.

The whole dilemma begs the question, “what is in a name?”

Although Sussman feared that she would not be as close to her teachers at ASL, she said she has enjoyed an equally intimate, if very different, relationship with her teachers here. “A respectful relationship between teachers and students doesn’t depend on what you’re calling them,” she said.

“I wouldn’t have a problem if

“‘Mr. Ingram’ is not ‘Jon’.”

As both a coach and an English teacher, Jonathan Ingram must confront a very different set of challenges: How to reconcile his relationships with students in class and in training.

Ingram listed various similarities between teaching and coaching. In both positions, he believes teachers and coaches alike must gain young people’s trust and respect through their own mastery of their respective specialties or domains. For this reason, he always runs with his athletes and informs them about his athletic background just as he does inclass writing assignments alongside his students.

He also thinks that teachers and students should be equals, and praises the Harkness method for being a “formal but equal setting.”

“I was a difficult student with teachers who I felt were condescending... but it’s impossible to be a condescending Harkness teacher,” he said.

Yet he thinks that traditional views of a model teacher represent a natural cutoff for informality in the classroom. “The need for students to behave formally with teachers has nothing to do with one teacher’s ego; it has to do with respecting the position that each teacher represents,” he said.

Thus, unlike Cooke and Sussman, he does not believe in the use of teachers’ first names. “There’s a codification, Mr. Ingram is not Jon; Jon doesn’t exist unless they happen to bump into me on the

weekends,” he said, remarking that socializing with a teacher also diminishes students’ esteem for him or her as a “figure.”

Nevertheless, he is convinced that the relationship between coaches and athletes should be less formal than that between teachers and students, and sees a camaraderie between athletes and coaches due to their shared interest and the extracurricular nature of sport. He also pointed out how, as a crosscountry coach, he interacts with students in an altogether different way than do the coaches who select starting line-ups. He does not need to judge his athletes personally: The stopwatch does all the work for him.

In his eyes, this is the key difference between teaching and coaching the sports that he does.

“I’m not assessing, whereas in a classroom, I both facilitate and assess...I think it’s the elephant in the room that grades can determine your future,” he said.

“I never felt disrespected.”

Moving from Redeemer International School in Thailand to ASL this year was a huge change for Grade 6 Math Teacher Rachel Kirchner. At Redeemer, which is much smaller than ASL, the largely nonnative English-speaking community is on a first-name basis.

Thanks to her former school’s radically different ethos, Kirchner said that students and teachers were like family to her. In the company of empathetic colleagues, she felt close to the Thai, Japanese and Korean students whom she taught from grades three to eight. She celebrated all their victories together with them, even the little moments like when they spoke their first full sentence in English.

Kirchner thinks that the use of first names never translated to lenience at Redeemer. “I never felt disrespected,” she said, citing the respect of teachers and value of education in Asian culture.

Nevertheless, she said that certain “students of privilege” were not quite as respectful to her. “In Thailand, you really had the extremes – people who were respectful and people who recognized that they would be successful regardless,” she said. Still, in her view, the use of first names did not contribute to any such disrespect that was present.

Though uncertain that a firstname basis would be right for the High School, she is in favor of switching to one in the Middle School. “I thought it was weird when I was first in Thailand, but I got used to it,” she said.

For the full interviews with Caitlan Sussman and Morag Cooke, visit standard.asl.org

THE STANDARD | March 2012

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Students’ daily spending revealed Breakfast £1.17

With various food options, places to go and things to do with friends, ASL students have many different things that they can spend their money on. Staff Writer Stefan Nealis and Online Editor Sophia Jennings gathered information from 30 students throughout the High School about how much they spend per day on breakfast, lunch, transport, social activities and any other purchases. The students, who were selected at random, recorded their spending after each purchase, and at the end of the week shared the information with Nealis and Jennings. The Standard is unable to give exact averages, but estimates with 90 percent accuracy that the figures represented in this graphic are true reflections of the average ASL student’s spending.

P

Transport £21.00 Other £20.79

Total £179.05

Lunch £29.06

Social Activities £40.14

How patriotic are we?

Assistant Features Editor Alessandro Maglione looks at how the expat community stays loyal to its roots atriotism – the star spangled banner, the call to duty, the drive that ties individuals to a a nation. Whether it be to the United States, or to countries all over the world, there is an undeniable allegiance many ASL students seem to feel towards their respective nations that they show in different ways.

The United States is renowned for the strong sense of patriotism and duty that many of its citizens feel, and moving to an international hub in London can have a variety of effects on that. “I’m more skeptical of American foreign policy and probably less caught up in domestic issues,” Kyle Dartnell-Steinberg (’13) said in reference to his more international viewpoint.

Many expats find living in London gives them an even stronger connection and appreciation for the values that their nation stands for.

However, others find that they have developed strong connections to the United Kingdom. “Seeing as I’m an American citizen living abroad, I have less of an American view than I would living in the US and more of a western view,” Dartnell-Steinberg said.

Many non-Americans also feel an intense sense of patriotism and

show it in different ways, as shown through the strong enthusiasm with which South Asia Night is hosted and advertised. “Patriotism is reflected in the community through clubs, events and even when people wear jerseys,” Alex Ruimy (’14) said.

“There is an international fair where individuals exhibit their patriotism by representing their countries.”

Others note that while non-American groups may have strong ties and a sense of patriotism, it is mainly prevalent among Americans. “Patriotism amongst people from other countries is virtually non-existent, although there are very strong ties between ethnic groups,” Daan Rozenbroek (’12) said.

Patriotism itself is a word open to multiple interpretations, and ASL students have some of their own specific ideas on what patriotism means to them. “What a lot of people consider to be patriotism – getting teary eyed at yellow ribbons – the flag and national anthems isn’t present at ASL because it isn’t real patriotism.

Respect for the legal rights given to us by our nation and other such important things is real patriotism, and that’s the kind of patriotism Americans have at this school,” Bret Silverglate (’13) said.

Going to a largely international school near the center of London can have diverse effects on students who meet people from all over the world and speak a variety of languages.

“I feel students want to adapt to London’s culture since they are surrounded by Americans at school,” Shannon Roney (’13) said. “Although we are an American school, I feel much more part of an international community.”

Some believe that due to the internationality of the community, American patriotism is not common among students. “Compared to my old school, patriotism at ASL is much less present, as everyone understands that although it is called an American school, it really is an international community,” Ruimy said.

Nabil Mahmud (’13) agreed. “I think people are less patriotic because of the vastly international community that we have at ASL,” he said. “[Students] want to be culturally sensitive to everyone and not rub anyone the wrong way about their countries.”

Others feel differently and recognize that while many students want to adapt and expand their nationalistic feelings, there is still a fervent

ASL’s international community has made it a hub for different forms of patriotism. photo by katie lee sense of patriotism students feel to their home countries. “I don’t think anyone really verbally publicizes their patriotic views or side, however I do think that people are far from being afraid of displaying love of country,” Carlo Marsaglia (’12) said.

Patriotism is something very personal to the individual; students each assign it their own personal definition. ASL’s student body hails from

all over the world, making it a cultural center full of different nationalities and personalities, and therefore a place where students express their patriotic sentiments in different ways. Some are less patriotic, some are more patriotic, and many have their own profoundly distinct views on what patriotism really means to them. “Most people like myself are quietly patriotic,” Silverglate said.

March 2011 Protests erupt in Damascus, prompting arrests and a violent crackdown by government security forces

TURKEY Aleppo Hama

July 2011 Governor of Hama fired; military sent in to crush protests erupting in the city

August 2011 President Barack Obama calls for Assad to step down from power

SYRIA

ar sta alte -p As RT re sa se Y d nt Ba ’at h

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SYRIA from page 1

hat caused this whole thing in Syria is the...[dis]connect between the government and the people,” Khaled Chehabi, father of Rami (’05), Omar (’08) and Fares (’14), said. “Citizens are treated as subjects [and] the government rules rather than governs.”

Mr. Chehabi, who has met with President Assad on several occasions, views the current situation as “the ultimate case of ‘taxation without representation.’”

Kareem’s cousins, all living in Latakia, Syria, at the beginning of the crisis, have since moved to Dubai. “It’s not safe to be a young man living in Syria at the moment because of all the suspicion,” Kareem said.

“At this point, I don’t think anybody would be willing to share their thoughts over the telephone…People are constantly living on a precipice.” His older, more distant family in Damascus and Aleppo have been less affected by the situation.

Everybody in his family is on the same page about the conflict, he said. “We all abhor the violence.” His father, Ayman Asfari, whose own father was the Syrian ambassador to Turkey and Czechoslovakia, has been active against the regime, Kareem said. Mr. Asfari has gone on diplomatic missions to bring humanitarian aid to Syria, which has been difficult despite some hard-found success by the Red Cross in the wartorn city of Homs. “It’s shocking that it’s so difficult for aid organizations to get in to help,” Kareem said.

Jad Mourad (’13), who has extended family in Syria and across the Middle East and whose grandmother is originally from Homs, expressed similar frustrations concerning the lack of aid sent to the embattled country. “They have to respond with more anger,” he said in reference to the international community and their response to the Assad regime’s crackdown. “I think they fail to recognize how bad the situation is.”

Although US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta recently warned against taking unilateral military action in Syria, Jad believes that foreign countries should assist the Syrians as they did to help topple the 34-year reign of Muammar al-Qaddafi in Libya. “There should be more pressure on Assad,” he said.

Danna Elmasry (’12), whose mother’s side of the family is Syrian and whose Egyptian-American father sits on the board of the NGO Human Rights Watch, is also in favor of foreign intervention, though she is much more tentative about military action. “I’m not advocating [for] the US to go in guns blazing,” she said. “But I think there needs to be a whole lot more done to pressure Assad and all of his cronies [to stop] killing their people.”

Tarek Masri (’13), whose maternal grandparents are from Syria and much of whose extended family still lives in the country, fears that if the United States were to intervene, Israel would dominate its interests.

“The strongest lobby in the world right now is AIPAC [American Israel Public Affairs Committee],” he said. “So I feel that [in] everything America will do...they’ll try to please the Israelis, who are [America’s] main interests in the region after oil.”

Tarek also believes that people have been silenced by fear and the widespread suspicion of government measures like phone-tapping.

“There’s always been paranoia about who’s listening there, especially after the constant torturing and abductions,” he said. “It’s common knowledge that it’s taboo to talk about [politics] because it’s such a delicate situation.”

LIBYA Hassan Elmasry ASL parent, Human Rights Watch board member “We need to be asking ourselves questions like, ‘Does the international community have a duty to protect?’”

SYRIA

EGYPT

TUNISIA

Danna, like Tarek and Kareem, expressed a similar awareness of the pressures felt by Syrian citizens. “There’s not much you can say...anywhere,” she said. “You have to understand: Politics in the Middle East is just not something people talk about.” She also said that openness about political views has been one of the most heralded results of the Egyptian revolution. She hopes for a similar future in Syria.

On the other hand, Danna’s mother, Rasha Elmasry, said that it will be more challenging to make the transition to an open society than it was in Egypt. She explained that Egypt always had a “decent opposition movement [with] free press [and] free radio,” even under the 30-year rule of Hosni Mubarak. “‘Controlled free,’ let’s call it,” she said. “Syria never had anything and still doesn’t have anything.”

She said that Assad and his Ba’ath Party’s anti-opposition policies are so much the norm in Syria that people would have difficulty adjusting to new freedoms were the regime to collapse. “I think it would take some time for people to feel a sense of safety and comfort before they’re willing to take on a full-force dialogue in politics,” she said. “They need to understand that there are other parties.” She added that the interests of the merchant class, which are deeply rooted in the stability of the Ba’ath Party government, might make progress difficult.

Mr. Chehabi also deplored how “the regime is parading [security and stability] as the victims of the current events.” Quoting Benjamin Franklin, who once said, “Those who give up their liberty for more security neither deserve liberty nor security,” he praised the Syrian demonstrators for “find[ing] more dignity and liberty in going out to the streets, [and] facing the tanks with their bare chests.”

Danna’s relatives, who live in the merchant-dominated and largely pro-Assad city of Aleppo, have been much closer to the fighting. “Recently there was shooting in Aleppo and they woke up early in the morning,” she said. In the aftermath of two explosions, Mrs. Elmasry’s relatives witnessed wounded protesters being ferried past her grandmother’s home. “One of the uncles I was speaking to said they had brought all of the wounded to the hospital which was around the corner to their house,” she said. “To hear a 60-year-old man be almost in tears because it was so ghastly was just shocking.”

Danna and Mrs. Elmasry added that the shocks from the conflict have rippled through the daily lives of her family in Aleppo. “No one leaves the house unless you’re going to work; you don’t just walk out in the streets,” Danna said. “I’d imagine that people are pretty freaked out.”

She added that many people, including members of her own family, are disinclined to take to the streets because of the imminent danger of abduction or torture by government security forces, and the greater number of open kidnappings.

Mr. Chehabi’s brother-in-law has lost two cousins in Homs to government snipers. “They were not part of any demonstration,” he said. “They were targeted randomly in this terror campaign. Some of my friends have lost relatives in the same fashion in other parts of Syria.”

“Continuous daily demonstrations are taking place in all parts of Syria despite the brutal crackdown,” he added. “The snipers on rooftops [are] picking them [off ] one by one, and [are] cutting off roads and services to their areas.”

Tarek’s extended family members, who live in Damascus, which is highly secured by government forces, have not felt quite as close to the fighting. Instead, they have found it “quiet” and have continued to lead

fairly normal lives. “My mom’s first cousin is actually having a wedding soon, so for them, it is a separate world,” he said.

However, fuel, food and kerosene shortages, as well as electricity cuts, are rampant across all of the country, afflicting even governmentheld cities like Damascus. “The price of everything that’s there has skyrocketed,” Mrs. Elmasry said.

Danna said, however, that Syrians rarely discuss this lack of resources within the country’s borders. “You hear about this from other sources, outside the country,” she said. “It’s all very through the grapevine, just because [talking is] really not safe.”

Currently, the situation in Syria does not look to be getting any better, and some have accused the international community of turning a blind eye to the country’s plight. As some have said, Russia and China’s veto of the UN Security Council’s resolution to condemn the Syrian government effectively gave Assad’s regime a green light to continue their crackdown.

Kareem thinks that international scrutiny will make it impossible for Assad to stay in power, and he “strongly condemns Iran, China and Russia” for vetoing the proposed Security Council action.

“It’s kind of disgusting,” Danna said. “Things like oil and countries’ securities do make a difference in how international policies are shaped, but from a moral and human rights perspective, [they] shouldn’t.” Appalled at the cost of life, she doesn’t think the situation is likely to improve for a while. “He [Assad] doesn’t seem like he’s going to go,” she said.

Although Mrs. Elmasry and her husband Hassan agree that the situation will take a while yet to improve, they are optimistic about the future pending certain actions are taken by foreign governments. They stressed three necessary measures: The acceleration of sanctions against the Assad government, forceful emphasis on humanitarian aid and a ceasefire. “In the absence of ceasefire, there has to be a very rapid move towards humanitarian corridors and safety zones for civilians to get out of harm’s way,” Mr. Elmasry said.

Mr. Elmasry also emphasized a difference between humanitarian aid and military intervention. “We need to be asking questions like, ‘Does the international community have a duty to protect?’” he said. “This concept of a duty to protect is a well-recognized but still evolving concept in international humanitarian law. It does not always mean military intervention.”

Tarek hopes that the conflict will end soon, but is not confident that it will. “The fact that the Free Syrian Army is so rag-tag and that there’s no organization, and the fact that the government has found it so easy to just slaughter thousands of people, is just not promising,” he said. “My heart goes to the people.”

Kareem is also concerned that the opposition is “too scattered.” He condemns the “disastrous visions of theocracy” of many “extreme rightwing Islamist groups,” and fears that “a dark period” might ensue if a new sectarian government were to form after Assad’s fall. He thinks an ideal end to the situation would be a “peaceful end to the conflict in which a somewhat banded-together opposition triumphs over [Assad’s regime].”

Despite the concerns that Kareem and others expressed about the opposition, Mr. Chehabi trusts in its power. “The opposition is a massive popular movement, and not a mere group of rebels as the government

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October 2011 Russia and China veto the UN Security Council’s vote to condemn Assad’s government

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May 2011 Protests continue; military tanks roll in to various Syrian cities to control the uprising

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April 2011 President Assad brings an end to the official state of emergency after 48 years, attempting to ease protests

December 2011 UN reports death toll of 5,000

JANuary 2012 Uprising confronts increasing hostility and violence as the Syrian government vows an “iron fist” response

would like to call them,” he said. february 2012 Ideally, most would like to see an immediate end to the Russia and China block a further UN violence sparked during the “Arab Spring” of 2011, followed resolution against the by a quick restoration of the key essentials to countries like Syria. Once that happens, many hold high hopes for Syrian government. Death toll a brighter, more democratic future. “In the end, [the Arab reaches 7,500 Spring] will produce states where citizens can live in the dignity and liberty that is their inalienable right,” Mr. Chehabi said.

Furthermore, Mr. Elmasry has hopes for “a speedy transition to a representative government that respects the rule MARCh 2012 of law and is accountable to its people, and [is] at peace Uprising continues to meet bloody with its neighbors.” resistance by the Syrian “But that’s a lot to hope for,” he said. In reality, how the country turns out at the end of the conflict will depend on government; Assad asserts that numerous variables. “What things will look like on the armed terrorists are to blame for other side will depend on how and why Assad leaves,” he the violence; UN envoy Kofi Annan said. “If it’s a full-blown civil war, if it’s a sectarian war, if he meets with Syrian government in leaves before things get worse...[that] will affect what the attempt to end the bloodshed place is like afterwards.”

Kareem finds that in the current international political *Source climate, “the regime cannot continue to exist” as is. “If it BBC does...society is completely flawed,” he said. **Sources “For some people, the Arab Spring will blur into one Libya: San Francisco Chronicle thing,” Kareem said. “But Syria is most like Iran in the desSyria: United Nations potism of the regime.” He said that “not all reform is posiEgypt: BBC tive reform,” and stressed that “self-proclaimed reformers” Tunisia: BBC like Assad have often become the worst dictators.

Danna, on the other hand, doesn’t like the term, “Arab Spring.” She said that “these movements are not moments, they’re continuous efforts. And people talk about the Khaled Chehabi Egyptian revolution, how it’s happened in the past ASL parent, tense, but it really hasn’t...When you call things the ‘Arab Spring,’ it just limits the connotations of the moveSyrian national ment.”

Indeed, the limits of this movement are wide-rang“The opposition ing, and have proven different in each country where it is a massive has taken hold. “You want to think of these things like different kinds of cancers,” Mr. Elmasry said of the conpopular move- tinuation of the Arab Spring. With regards to the removment, and not a al of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali from power in Tunisia, he mere group of said it was “more like cauterizing something and then rebels as the just ripping it off... That was a very discrete tumor and you could just excise it.” government In Egypt, however, the revolution failed to eliminate would like to all elements of the former regime, “in that a lot of the recall them.” gime’s infrastructure got left behind and all they did was take out the head guy and his family,” he said.

Likewise, in Syria, where the Ba’ath Party and the government are one and the same, the Assad regime has deep roots and has penetrated in all aspects of society.

“They have allies everywhere,” Mr. Elmasry said. “And removing a fully metastasized cancer is very hard because every organ is exposed.”

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THE STANDARD | March 2012 THE STANDARD | March 2012

Page 15

•••

Featuresddd

Features

JOBs

L

Entrepreneurs, Stock Gurus & Baristas The story of four students and their attempts to enter the working world

Peter Hughes Deputy Editor-in-Chief

O

The Entrepreneurs

n a fairly average Wednesday afternoon in September, Robby Doyle (’12) approached his friend Freddy Rading (’12) with a question: “Do you want to start a business?” That’s when the experiment started.

Rading’s answer was an emphatic “yes,” which is exactly what Doyle had anticipated. Doyle, a book fiend, is almost as passionate about business as his friend, Rading who was recently admitted to renowned business school Babson College, which is known for its entrepreneurial focus.

While Rading was enthusiastic about his friend’s offer, he had no idea what exactly he was signing up for, but neither did Doyle.

“We thought it would be a fun thing to do outside of school, but we weren’t sure what the business was going to be,” Doyle said. Neither of the two were participating in a sport or particularly tied down with extra curriculars when the project started. A stab at entrepreneurship was more than just something to do, however. “We were both really interested in being independent: To be your own boss and set up your own schedule,” Doyle said. The first order of business for the two co-CEOs was to get an idea, which came quite quickly.

Top to bottom: Freddy Rading (’12), Robby Doyle (’12), Josh Haghani (’12), Mike Hosken (’12).

PHOTOS BY KATIE LEE

ater that week, Doyle came to school with an idea. An experienced eBay user, he found what he believed to be “a niche market to tap into.” After he explained the idea to his partner, the two knew straight away that this was the avenue they wanted to go down. “In its most basic form, the app is a bargain hunter for eBay,” Rading said.

Rading and Doyle will be the first to tell you: A good idea is not enough, you need intelligent follow-through and research. This particularly concerned Rading, who suggested that they sit down together and draft a formal business plan.

“He was adamant about it. He wanted to do it right,” Doyle said.

Doyle and Rading wrote up a comprehensive business plan that included a description of the process of creating the app and the target consumers. They also got a clear understanding of the number of apps they would have to sell to turn a profit from their investment. Every detail had to be scrutinized before they could advance with the logistics of the operation. Doyle and Rading agreed to sell the app for $2.99. “There’s some psychology behind it,” Doyle said. “People tend to believe that a higher priced product is higher quality.”

The two then made a very important business decision when they decided to not try to write the program themselves, but seek outside assistance. Rading and Doyle had both studied computer science, but had only been exposed to Java programming. All Apple apps are programmed in a specific code that looks quite different from anything they would be used to. Furthermore, an App that grabs data from eBay and organizes it for the end-user would require complex formulas. “The algorithms we created could not be translated into code by someone with a basic knowledge of programming like ourselves; we needed a professional,” Doyle said.

To deal with this problem, Doyle and Rading used a 21st century method to create their 21st century product. Using money that they saved up from allowances and birthdays, they commissioned a programmer through the website eLance. com. The company acts as an intermediary between businesses and freelance workers. It would hold Doyle and Rading’s money and then pass it along to the programmer after the product was finished.

It seemed like the perfect solution, but when they searched for programmers, almost all the fees were four-figures; that is, until they found Rupen. A programmer from Bangalore, India, Rupen offered his services for just $650, almost half of what

his competitors were charging.

Doyle arranged their very first business meeting with Rupen via Skype. It was the first of many meetings in a relationship they both described as “unusual.”

“He calls us ‘sir’ and is very compliant,” Rading said. “I guess it’s just business, but it seems weird for us because we’re just 17.” Rupen is the head of a team of programmers who take in the requests of their clients and write code for Apps.

“There is definitely a language barrier to work around and that’s been difficult for us,” Rading said. Despite the difficulties, the App was eventually finished.

All that separated Rading and Doyle from launching their product was one final, unforeseen roadblock. “When we heard the news, I remember jokingly asking Fred: ‘So, do you have a spare 60 grand lying around your house?’” Doyle said.

In order to use eBay’s data for the App, Doyle and Rading would have needed to purchase a commercial App Programming Interface (API) which gives them

“He calls us ‘sir’ and is very compliant. I guess it’s just business, but it’s weird for us because we’re just 17.”

Freddy Rading (’12) the rights to use eBay’s information. All of eBay’s data is run by the Canadian data firm Terra Peak, which doesn’t charge cheap; a commercial API costs $6,000 a month or $60,000 a year.

After all the work that they had put in to that point, Doyle and Rading were not willing to cut the project, so they proposed to give Terra Peak 25 percent of their profit as opposed to the flat rate, which they were simply not able to afford.

Waiting to hear back from Terra Peak, Doyle and Rading continued to enhance the product and started to form a promotion strategy. Through several freelance websites such as eLance.com and Fiverr.com, the duo hired website programmers, graphic designers and even a rapper to give their product a website, logo and a promotional song.

After further talks with Terra Peak, it is looking less and less likely that they will accept their offer, which means that Doyle and Rading’s App may never see the App Store. Doyle and Rading don’t seemed phased by it though; they have taken a lot from the experience.

“It’s a bit of a cliché to say don’t be afraid to try something and pursue

a business,” Rading said. “But more specifically, what we learned is that you don’t need to be a programmer to make an iPhone App. If you have a good idea, just do it.”

The Stock Guru

I

t’s 2:10 p.m. on a Wednesday and Josh Haghani (’12) is walking a little faster than he usually would to get home. It’s not an essay that he has to write or a practice that he has to get to that speeds him up; he wants to get home before the stock market trading floor opens.

For most, the stock market is just a sidebar on the news or a page to skip in the newspaper, but for Haghani, it’s an obsession. And now, it’s making him money.

Finance is something that Haghani has been exposed to since an early age.

Haghani believes he inherited his father’s interest in the stock market, who is always talking to him about the subject.

“I’m surrounded by it,” Haghani said. “I like the idea of an instantly updated market that connects the whole world.”

For years, Haghani had only been an observer, keeping tabs on stocks that he took interest in and noting general trends in the market. It was only until his father presented him with an idea that he got involved himself.

Pointing out what Haghani calls a “quirk” in the market, his dad alerted him to an opportunity to make some money. A company that is making a partial acquisition of another company, by law, has to purchase the stock from the shareholders at a price above the market value. “When McDonald’s is trying to buy 50 percent of Burger King,” Haghani said. “The shareholders of Burger King can only sell 50 percent of their stock.” Unless, that is, they own 100 shares or less; this is where there is money to be made.

If Haghani buys 100 shares of Burger King at market price of $12.50, then sells them to McDonald’s at the acquisition price of $15, he can turn quite a significant profit. “It seemed too good to be true,” Haghani said. “So the first thing I had to do was check the legality of it.”

After spending hours searching through documents online, Haghani concluded that it was indeed a legitimate operation.

The hard part would be doing it.

Haghani decided to set up his own company to organize the money that he would be using to purchase the shares.

Luckily, Haghani’s family holds residence in the state with the lowest business start-up costs in America: Wyoming. After receiving a tax identification number from the government, he was able to set up a bank account for the fi-

nance business that he had essentially already started. Between Haghani and his goal, however, there still stood a sea of paperwork.

“The government is so slow,” Haghani said. Frustrated with the bureaucracy and red-tape of the whole operation, Haghani learnt how to become organized. “I have to have everything in order and filed correctly or else they send it back to me,” he said. He uses spreadsheets to document and organize his transactions.

Luckily for Haghani, all partial ac-

“The way I make the coffee and how I treat the people develops a reputation. That’s the identity of the store.”

Mike Hosken (’12)

quisitions are routed through a government website that he checks regularly.

Unfortunately, the offers are not up for long and to find an opportunity requires daily monitoring. “A lot of it is a waiting game,” Haghani said.

Haghani found the first partial acquisition in early January when he successfully bought and sold 100 shares of a shipping company called SeaSpan. “I have a few [acquisitions] that I’m interested in for the future,” Haghani said.

Despite the success of the operation thus far, Haghani does not see this continuing for much longer, as he has no plans of studying finance in college.

Haghani has also been involved in many other businesses outside of the stock market. Last year, he designed and sold several iPhone Apps. He has also bought and sold items on eBay to turn a profit.

“This project is more profitable, but less rewarding. Before, I was making something,” Haghani said.

The Barista

M

ike Hosken (’12) is the only one in the café. From turning on the coffee machines, to heating the soups, laying out the muffins, cleaning the tables, opening the door and serving the first customer, he is the only one doing the job. Every Sunday it’s the same; from 8:45 a.m. to 3 p.m. the Red Sky Café is his responsibility.

Hosken works as a barista at Red Sky Café, which is situated across the street

from Finchley Road Tube Station. The café is connected to the Holy Trinity Swiss Cottage Church and is more than just a place to get coffee – it’s a community.

Hosken’s older sister got a job at the café when it opened three years ago and after she graduated, he took the job for himself. “I didn’t expect to like it as much as I did,” Hosken said. What started as just a summer job carried into the school year, as Hosken consistently works on Sundays. “Working in a café is something I’m invested in and proud of,” Hosken said.

He has particularly taken a liking to his connection with his craft. “While I’m working there, the way I make the coffee and how I treat the people develops a reputation. That’s the identity of the store.”

His connection to his work is something that he feels a lot of his peers are missing.

“A lot of the times at internships at these big companies, your work disappears into the void,” he said.

The person serving a Starbucks latté is not going to make a significant impact on one’s impression of the place, but the Red Sky Café is different. Its partnership with the church means that Hosken isn’t just making lattés, he’s making friendships. “People like the combination of church and coffee,” Hosken said. A large part of the job is talking with the people who come in and making them feel welcome. “Lots of people tell me, the reason they come to the café is for the friendly service and sense of community. We are a friendly face to chat to.”

In his time at the café he has had the opportunity to talk to many interesting people. “It’s really about talking to people and how their lives have panned out,” Hosken said. He has recently been speaking to a recovering heroin addict who has become somewhat of a regular.

In the future, Hosken wants to work in a coffee shop, wherever that may be.

“In college, I want to go to a store and say ‘I know how to make coffee, hire me,’” Hosken said. “It’s something I want to continue.”

Page 16

THE STANDARD | March 2012

•••

Features

The next step: Life beyond High School

Features Editor Amrita Miglani talks to members of the class of 2011 to reveal what college life is actually like

What extracurriculars are you involved in?

I am currently involved in club soccer and running club, which take up most of my time, but I am also involved in a couple of non-sports related activities, such as the entrepreneurship club.

What advice would you give this year’s seniors on making the most of their last semester?

I would tell them to enjoy the low level of pressure that comes with being a second semester senior, but to try to keep active academically, because otherwise it will be hard to recover good study habits, and in some cases you can get credit for college.

What is your favorite part of college?

My favorite part of college has been meeting extremely interesting people that come from very different backgrounds.

Have you been able to maintain friendships with people from High School?

Yes, I have a couple friends who I continue to see because we go to the same college, and when I go back to London I try to meet up with as many people as possible.

What do you miss most about ASL? I guess the smaller community, which is at times nice since you get the feeling that you know everyone.

For the full interviews, visit standard.asl.org

What is your least favorite part about college?

My least favorite part about college is figuring out time management. I think it’s hard to figure out how you can use your time your first semester, but that’s what new experiences are all about.

Have you been able to maintain friendships with people from ASL? I have been able to maintain my friendships with people from ASL, but it’s harder than I thought. We’re all on different time zones and schedules but we all make sure to tell each other the funny things that have happened to us or if we’re going somewhere for a trip to see if anyone else is there.

What advice would you

give to this year’s seniors for making the most of their last semester of High School?

The advice I would give to this year’s seniors is to have fun with your friends and take advantage of living in London.

What extracurriculars are you involved in?

I am in a sorority, which was one of the best decisions I ever made. There are about 30,000 undergraduate students at my school which I thought would be a hard adjustment from ASL and was happily surprised to find out it wasn’t. I’ve made my best friends through my sorority and am able to continue dancing and singing like I did at ASL.

Tufts University What do you miss most about ASL? I miss the fact that everybody knew everybody. Tufts is a tightly knit place, but the familiarity that came with attending a relatively small high school was fantastic.

What is your least favorite part about college?

My least favourite part of college is having to share showers with so many people. There’s not much to complain about in Medford.

It’s an eclectic mix of people from pretty much everywhere.

How did ASL prepare you for college?

ASL instilled some very good study habits. Tests are more sparse here but

logo from tufts.edu

University of Wisconsin

Philippe Maman LOGO from wisc.edu

Princeton University

Liz Asher Logo from princeton.edu

Juan Albanell

they cover more than high school tests. I don’t think I would be surviving here without the study methods from AP US. What extracurriculars are you involved in?

I write for the Tufts Daily, I am a member of Sigma Nu fraternity, I am in a photo program called Exposure and I am a member of the Tufts financial group.

What advice would you give to this year’s seniors on making the most of their last semester of High Achool?

I would tell this year’s seniors one thing: Appreciate the time you have left with your classmates because you’ll miss them more than you think.

Students choose to go to boarding schools

Ian scoville copy editor

F

or many students, ASL is the perfect place to fulfill their High School aspirations, but for some, it leaves a lot to be desired.

Now, more and more students, particularly freshmen, are turning to boarding schools to satisfy their needs.

Students are now choosing to leave not only because of the opportunities of independence offered at these often foreign schools, but because ASL is failing to satisfy their social and extracurricular requirements.

Krsana Asnani (’15), who was going to apply to boarding school at the beginning of the school year until her parents told her she wasn’t allowed to apply, said the school is unable to offer her certain things she needs for an enjoyable high school experience. “ASL isn’t very good socially, and a lot of my friends were considering moving schools,” she said.

Likewise, Katja Kukielski (’15), who applied to three

boarding schools in the United States, including the Hotchkiss School in Connecticut and Cate School in California, said she had been at ASL long enough to know it didn’t have certain things she wanted, such as a more sports focused extra-curricular program. She also feels that the boarding schools she has applied to have better reputations with colleges.

Even though some students are choosing to go to boarding school because ASL doesn’t offer them a satisfactory high school experience, there are still some things that students will miss. Angie Kukielski (’15), who is planning to attend Brentwood College School in Canada next year, said that besides the ability to see her family every night, ASL has been able to offer her an impressive international perspective on education.

“I guess ASL tends to have a bigger focus on international, and not just American stuff. In other schools [I applied to] there’s a lot of Canadian history, but ASL has a more globalized view,” she said.

Next year, four students will leave ASL to attend boarding school in Canada, the United States and Switzerland.

Illustration by Katie Lee

For most students, getting their parents’ permission to go to boarding school was more of a challenge than deciding to go in the first place. “They [Kukielski’s parents] were always really professional about it; my sister made a whole elaborate presentation, and we gave them a couple of months to think about it. It took them a while to come around to it, and they let Angie go first, but then Emma [Kukielski (’15)] and I said we wanted to just look into it. They said that they would miss us, but we all have to make sacrifices,” Kukielski said.

Although boarding school is appealing to stu-

dents desirous of leaving ASL, making the decision and telling friends about leaving can be very challenging. Yusuf Sindi (’15), who is planning to attend Le Rosey in Switzerland said that even though he knew he wanted to go to boarding school, it was a challenge to tell his friends.

“They were shocked because I told them after I decided to go, rather than when I first thought about it or was going through the process,” he said.

“Some people went a little bit crazy; I’ve got some crying, some people have threatened to send emails to my schools with some bad

stuff, but they are joking.

I’ve got some excitement, but only from a friend who’s going to be in California next year,” Katja said.

Students who have left ASL believe that their choice to leave has been beneficial to their lives both in and out of school. Kristi Wertz (’14), who left ASL to attend Westminster School in Simsbury, Connecticut, said, “People had mentioned the idea of going to boarding school way before I actually applied and I cringed and turned away... even when my friends who went to Choate [Rosemary Hall] and Deerfield [Academy] told me it was the best experience. I have

made so many great friends at boarding school that I feel like I’m going to have for a really long time, it’s just a great experience that I love to have.”

Even though most students who choose to go to boarding school have made the decision themselves, it is difficult for any student to say goodbye to ASL for the last time. “When the time comes, it probably will be difficult, because it feels like such a long time since I’ve been here, and not to be in London, which I love, and not to have all the great teachers, but like I said you’ve got to make some sacrifices,” Kukielski said.

Culture

THE STANDARD VOLUME XXXVII ISSUE V MARCH 2012

Students explore musical passions

Music is an “instrument” in everyday life, no matter a person’s age. As our world progresses technologically, so do the ways we find, obtain and listen to music. Many students at ASL spend their time listening to, creating and producing their own music. Staff Writer Alex Calvert investigates.

Tamara Masri (’15)

Issy Kelly (’14)

photo by emily mark

Tamara Masri (’15) listens to music basically all day every day. “My iPod is like my baby – I always have it with me,” she said. Masri said that one song that she can’t stop playing right now is “Eyes On Fire” by Blue Foundation.

“I’m usually the one giving music to all my friends,” she said. Masri has been playing piano since she was 5, guitar since she was 8, and has taught herself to play the drums. She also writes songs on her guitar. Masri enjoys listening to music without lyrics. “It allows you to feel the emotion that the music is giving you, instead of needing the lyrics to tell you what to feel,” she said.

Masri added that “every aspect of my life revolves around music,” and she’s been aspiring towards the idea of producing music for her whole life. “I picked up music originally because my mom sings,” she said. “It’s something I just love.” Masri said that as a performer, “the effect that artists have on me, I want to have on other people.” Masri has even spent time in the Middle East teaching basic music theory to kids, and it made her think about how to become fully involved in music creation and production.

“It’s is my thing,” she said.

Issy Kelly (’14) has been to more than 100 concerts. Kelly said there’s a massive difference between American and British concertgoers and said, “The British are a far more aggressive audience.”

While Kelly spends a lot of time at concerts, she also spends time discovering her own music at home. “I’ve listened to so much music on my computer, that the speakers are pretty much blown out now,” Kelly said. “Usually I stream radio stations, like 1077 the END, online and find songs I like from that.”

After that, Kelly may spend more time searching through artists and albums she particularly likes. “I don’t think of music as different genres,” Kelly said. She defines music by the songs she likes and dislikes; her tastes vary from “dubstep to country.” Kelly also spends a great deal of time taking lessons, and playing the guitar. For Kelly, playing guitar is “something I use to turn my mind off, and focus on something less complicated... it’s something I do for myself,” Kelly said. “Where I’m from [Seattle, Washington] probably influences me and my music choices: I definitely have a greater appreciation for grunge music because of it.”

photo courtesy of issy kelly

Hugh Sullivan (’12)

Tate Sedar (’13)

photo by emily mark

Tate Sedar (’13) has been making music on GarageBand since middle school, and estimates he has made 90 songs. Sedar spends time DJ-ing at parties and said, “It’s a performance for me as a musician – it’s giving my music to the people.” The best advice he received about DJ-ing was to “always look at the crowd, it’s all about communicating with your audience.”

“There are little moments in each of my performances that are highlights,” he said. He has DJ-ed winter formals, parties, and his sister’s Bat Mitzvah with Chris D’Angelo (’13). “I like making dance music, but I appreciate hip hop/rap music more,” he said.

His idol is Michael Jackson because he made his music in his own way and “it was his way of escaping the world.” Sedar continues to make new music and remixes but said, “Sometimes, it’s hard to be original, we’re all influenced by artists and your music may start to sound similar to your influences. Music is tough.”

Despite these challenges, Sedar said that he wants to continue his music career for the rest of his life. “It’s my personal expression. It’s what I am, and what I want to do,” he said.

Hugh Sullivan (’12) labels the music he listens to as “bass music.” Sullivan likes old style dubstep, “space and bass.” “You really feel it as much as you hear it,” he said. Sulilvan also likes future garage, which is off-beat, funky drums.

He also includes hip-hop, classic rock, and Irish rock as music genres that he prefers, and attended a Flogging Molly Concert on St. Patrick’s day in Boston.

He usually finds his music from record stores like Sounds of the Universe in Soho. “It’s got a lot of world ethnic and bass music, also got crazy stuff like Jamaican trance and Japanese rock,” he said.

Sullivan also spends some of his time DJ-ing.

He said he got into DJ-ing by “looking for a new way to experience music.” Sullivan is set to DJ at prom with Tate Sedar (‘13) and is going on a radio station called Sub FM sometime in April.

Sullivan has also released a track of his original dubstep work. “It’s not very good,” he said, “but we’ll see if it sells.”

Yet despite these successes, Sullivan said that he’s not really looking for a future in music.

“I’m looking for a way to experience it more.”

photo courtesy of hugh sullivan

Catching up with ASL Radio Anna Young

Features Editor

A

SL Radio has taken the school by storm this year, becoming a well-listened to broadcast and well-loved part of the ASL community. Under the leadership of Julian Nebreda (’13), Kareem Asfari (’13), Josh Frydman (’13), Clement Gelly (’13) and Riley Craig (’13), the group has been producing more episodes on a regular basis, and has been published on iTunes as a podcast.

The group credits Nebreda for motivating the members of the show to reform their production process. However, “We didn’t think that doing more episodes is a chore,” Frydman said. “It’s not easy because we have to get a lot of people together, but when we do get everyone together, it’s a lot of fun.”

The fact that the members of the show are all friends outside of the recording studio makes it easier for the group to come up with good ideas for the show. “We don’t like people to hold back, and if we laugh, basically, we try to pursue it, and whoever comes up with the best [idea] goes off and writes a draft, and comes back and we see

ASL Radio meet for lively brainstorming sessions. Photo by Emily Mark. if it works,” Frydman said. Much of the creative content ends up in the final show.

“The ideas are just thrown out there,” Craig said. “Very few are actually cut out of the show.”

After having produced a few shows , the current writers and broadcasters found themselves falling into a rhythm with their work. “People just kind of find themselves doing the same

things,” Nebreda said. “And they become sort of running segments.”

The show was transformed again this year when Nebreda came up with the idea of putting it up on iTunes. Despite initial concerns over copyrighting laws and publishing the podcast for profit, iTunes has actually been beneficial for the show. “iTunes is just a medium to put out

free content,” Frydman said. It allows the radio show to see how many individual listeners it has, and even to create a fan base in other countries, as well: Nebreda has friends in Panama who listen to it, as does Craig in Canada.

Despite all of their success, the members of the show are still working on tackling some problems. “We allow each other to be lazy.

Sometimes our meetings get nowhere,” Frydman said. The group feels that though these challenges hinder their work, at the end of the day, everything turns out as they want it to.

Another goal of the group is making sure listeners can understand the jokes being passed around. “One of the biggest challenges is keeping the atmosphere of the show cordial and smooth while at the same time not alienating the listener,” Asfari said.

However, the group feels that their close relationship enhances the content of the show. “I think people enjoy listening to people who enjoy each other’s company,” Frydman said. They combine that strength into its goal for the future.

“We also want to be recognized as a consistent base for news and current events,” Craig said.

“And a place to listen to good people.”

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THE STANDARD | March 2012

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Culture

A professional experience The Advanced Acting class gets the opportunity to work with Shakespeare expert and theater professional, Mark Leipacher Emma Conway Culture Editor

T

he Advanced Acting Play Production class is getting a taste of the professional acting world as they prepare for the spring production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Acting Teacher Buck Herron decided to hire an outside director, Mark Leipacher, to direct the play, while Herron is working as the producer. Never having worked with these students before, Leipacher ran the casting as if for a professional production. “I think it was a good challenge for students to have this experience that mirrors the outside world,” Herron said.

The decision to work with an outside director has received positive feedback from the students so far. “It’s been really interesting to hear direction from a different voice. It’s good for us to be able to adapt to different styles, and to prove ourselves,” Adam Kelly-Penso (’12), who plays Lysander, said.

Molly Cielinski (’12), who plays Titania, Queen of the Fairies in the play, said that “working with [Leipacher] has allowed many of us to receive direction from somebody besides [Herron] for the first time.

While it is definitely different to not be under the familiar direction of [Herron], it has been useful working with a new director, especially for those of us going into other drama programs in the next couple of years.”

In addition to working with a professional director, the students have been tested by the rich language of the play itself. Timmy Ryan (’12), who acts the part of Puck, said, “With Shakespeare, our main goal becomes making sure that the information within the text is clear to

the audience. It’s hard to remember that we have precisely analyzed the piece and that the audience hasn’t.”

He said that, “Learning lines is more difficult because it’s challenging to comprehend a train of thought in [Shakespearean] English.”

Kelly-Penso agrees. Never having performed Shakespeare before, he said there has “been a steep learning curve.”

That said, one of Herron’s motives for selecting this piece to work with is the fact that the ninth grade is studying “A Midsummer Night’s

Dream.” “It’s great to be able to use the talents that we possess to support the curriculum,” he said.

Leipacher is an expert when it comes to Shakespeare. When he isn’t working at ASL, his primary job is with the Faction Theatre Company, which has also put on productions of “Macbeth” and “The Odyssey” for ASL students.

The play will be performed the weekend of April 26, and Herron is also hoping to have one out of school performance that weekend for the London public.

Leipacher works at school with the Advanced Acting students several days a week. photos by katie lee

British artists rock the music world

T

KASEY CRAIG kasey_craig@asl.org

Exploring the success of British rock and alternative rock bands in the music scene

“

Britain’s music scene is alive and well.

he British music scene has flourished in recent years, bringing to light bands from all corners of the country, like Alternative Rockers Twin Atlantic.

Formed in 2007 this band from Glasgow has managed to release two studio albums in just over four years. Blending light rock and catchy, radio-friendly choruses, their newest album Free was released in 2011 and reached the fifth spot on the UK Rock Chart. Listen to “Free” and “Make a Beast of Myself ” to find out more. You can see the band live on their headlining tour in April, and as support for Blink 182 later this year.

Also playing later this year are alternative rockers Kids in Glass Houses. Formed in 2003 in Cardiff, Wales this quintet have released three studio albums. Their newest album, In Gold Blood (2011), has helped propel them towards the mainstream, with title track “Gold

Blood” causing their website to crash hours after they announced it as a free download in May. Check out their videos for “Matters at All” and “Give Me What I Want,” or see them around the UK in March with headliners You Me At Six. You Me At Six are a Pop Punk band from Weybridge, Surrey.

Starting in 2004, they recently won the award for “Best British Band in 2011” at the Kerrang! Awards. The band have released three studio albums, and in their newest, Sinners Never Sleep (2011), they have transitioned into harder rock territory.

With Oli Sykes of Bring Me the Horizon providing guest vocals on the single “Bite My Tongue,” it seems that goal has been achieved.

Currently finishing up their tour of America with Twin Atlantic and We Are the Ocean, the band will hit UK shores in March.

We Are the Ocean from Loughton, Essex have been making their mark on the British music

scene since they emerged in 2007.

They are a post hardcore band with two singers Dan Brown (screaming vocals) and Liam Cromby (clean vocals), who blend metal with rock to create a sound all their own.

Their single “Nothing Good has Happened Yet” has over 5 million plays on YouTube and their recently-released album Go Now and Live (2011) placed at number three on the UK Rock Chart.

Fellow newcomers Deaf Havana started playing music in 2005 in Norfolk, and currently have a new album called Fools and Worthless Liars (2011). The album reached number one on the BBC Rock Album Chart and the single “Leeches” is currently cycling on popular music stations around the UK. Playing Alternative Rock, their lyrics focus heavily on their current situation as a type of underdog group. However, after listening to songs like “I’m a Bore Mostly,” one can only assume their days of be-

ing underdogs are numbered.

The same story goes for Marmozets, a band that’s interesting for two reasons. One, they are lead

by Becca Macintyre – the only female in this list – and two, their average age is just 17. Formed in 2007 in Bingley, West Yorkshire this band have just released their new EP (“Extended Play”; in simple terms it is an album made up of only three or four songs) called Vexed in February to much acclaim. Blending metal with hokey pop choruses, Marmozets are a band about to take the British music scene by storm.

From the young to the old, Britain’s music scene is constantly changing and expanding. It is becoming a real force to be reckoned with, and showcases huge amounts of talent, from those with international recognition to those playing at the local venue. Britain’s music scene, it seems, is alive and well.

THE STANDARD | March 2012

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Cultureddd

Yayoi Kusama drowns in dots Photo Editors Katie Lee, Emily Mark and Jess Haghani attempt to connect to the themes of obsession, trauma and experiencing a different dimension as demonstrated by Yayoi Kusama in her latest exhibit at the Tate Modern Sitting in the lounge of the Tate Modern, the photo editors of The Standard were approached by an 18-year-old boy from High Barnet. Claiming his mother was in the bathroom and he was in need of company, he asked us where we were from. When we told him we were from ASL, he took a few seconds to think of his next line.

Five seconds of silence later, he mentioned he took the SAT there once. We then moved onto his next question about the Yayoi Kusama exhibit we had just seen.

The boy asked if it was worth

seeing. We had a hard time answering.

Kusama succeeds in creating an exotic experience, drawing from her own traumatizing adventures. To share the emotional distress of her adolescence, she employs continued patterns and surreal images in paintings, sculptures and installations. We commend the artist’s experimental quality, which truly conveys her psychological instability. The dotted rooms with back-lights or her surrealist collages were a few pieces that caught our atten-

tion. The last room consisted of mirrors and infinite Christmas lights, creating an endless image suspended within time and space.

Although there were pieces we enjoyed, the overly sexual and schizophrenic nature of Kusama’s work left us feeling unsettled.

But we believe that art should be beyond the simple question of whether we liked it or not. It should be about forming personal connections, and frankly, the exhibit did trigger us. Even though it wasn’t pleasant, the small elements in every room reminded us

of things in our daily lives.

We levelled the exhibit down to our daily high school experiences.

What are we obsessed with? What has been traumatic and how have we dealt with it?

Like the poor boy from High Barnet who desperately tried (but failed) to connect himself to the three girls enjoying a sunny day at the Tate, we too sought a relationship with the exhibit.

We saw, we felt. Here’s our interpretation.

The exhibit runs until June 5, 2012.

1. Trauma: Bombarded by mail

2. Escape to a different world

Kusama is lost in her own world of repetition. In her piece “Air Mail Stickers,” she puts together air mail stickers to show her obsessive persona.

This reminded us of the emails we receive via Zimbra.

At a rate of an email an hour, I

Kusama seeks to escape from her psychological traumas.

Through her artwork, she creates different worlds with her surreal drawings usually obsessed with patterns.

Similarly, math has always been a different dimension. Not only is

think all students can agree that Dean of Students Joe Chodl is a little excessive. Coming out of class and looking to my phone to find six impersonal e-mails, my heart always skips a beat in fear that one might be personal.

- Emily Mark

“AIR MAIL STICKERS”

by Yayoi kusama, 1962

it theoretical, but AP Calculus BC has put me in a world of my own.

Kusama’s most recent works reminded me of my doodles I would make in that class when I felt disconnected from the wise lullabies of Math Teacher Joey Sinreich.

- Katie Lee

KUSAMA WITH HER MOST RECENT works

CONTINUED ON STANDARD.ASL.ORG IMAGES FROM IDOLMAG.CO.UK ILLUSTRATIONS BY KATIE LEE, EMILY MARK AND JESS HAGHANI

Page 20

THE STANDARD | March 2012

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Sports

TRUE FAN

with Besiktas football fan Can Ozturk (’14) How did you become a supporter of Besiktas?

I have been a Besiktas supporter from birth. In Turkey, you support the same team as your father does and there are no two ways about it.

I would never have supported any other team.

What do you think are the main differences that currently exist between English and Turkish football?

In Turkey, the game is less technical than in England. Technically, English teams are far better, but what I love about Turkish football is the incredible will to win that the players have. The team who wants it more will almost always win the match.

What is the atmosphere like at Besiktas’s Inonu Stadium in Istanbul?

The atmosphere at the stadium is the best I have ever experienced.

Once you go to watch Besiktas, you will never want to go to a match anywhere else. The noise is incredible and the energy of the fans is amazing. From whistle to whistle, the fans do not stop singing. The Çarsı group is the supporters club of Besiktas. In their section of the stadium, no one is allowed to sit down or stop singing for the duration of the match. It is really wild.

Why do you think Turkey attracts

Why do you think Turkish football has often been overlooked?

I think that people underestimate the qualities that the Turkish teams have. Generally, our team is very physical and never stops running. We also have an incredible will to win. These qualities are often underestimated in modern day football and that is why we are overlooked as a team. We finished third at the World Cup in 2002 and fourth at the Euro 2008. This is proof that our team can be very hard to beat.

Photo BY KATIE LEE

Born and raised in Istanbul, Can Ozturk (’14), posing with his arms raised forming the Besiktas black eagles sign, has been a loyal Besiktas fan and a connoisseur of Turkish football for years. Assistant Sports Editor Conor Finn sat down with Ozturk to discuss Besiktas, the Süper Lig and the Turkish national team. many players, such as Simao Sabrosa and Ricardo Quaresma, from the top European leagues as they near the end of their careers?

Firstly, I think it is because Turkish teams pay these players a lot of money. Turkey also appeals to these players because the tax in Turkey is quite low compared to British taxes, for example. The second reason that players choose the

Süper Lig is because it represents a new challenge. The top teams in the Süper Lig are very ambitious and have big plans for the future.

Players want to be a part of an advancing club.

The Turkish national football team didn’t qualify for the European Championship 2012. What was the reaction to this in Turkey?

Everyone in Turkey was very disappointed with this news, but not with the players. I know, we all know, that we have the talent to qualify for any of these tournaments. The problem was the coaching. Guus Hiddink is one of the best coaches in the world, but he didn’t know the players well enough to get the best out of them. It is frustrating because our players are very talented.

What do you see in the future for Turkish football?

Recently, Turkish football has gone through a bad phase. Hopefully now with the [2011 Turkish sports corruption scandal] in the past, we can continue to advance.

There is a new president of the Turkish Football Federation, Yıldırım Demirören, and I am sure that he will make the right decisions going forward. We have a new, young and very talented national team and more and more money is being invested in the Süper Lig. The league is growing every day and the quality of play is getting better and better. The top scorer in the Super Lig, Burak Yılmaz (Trabzonspor), has 30 goals at this point in the season.

That tally is one less than that of Lionel Messi.

Lacrosse moves from club to varsity sport Alex Calvert Staff Writer

Lacrosse has been a club level sport for the past few years, but has finally made the jump up to being a varsity sport. “I think it’s great,” Austin Brush (’13) said. “We will attract a lot more students who have an interest in playing a varsity sport.”

Twenty-three students expressed an interest in playing lacrosse this season and approximately 20 players are expected to actually play, compared to the 10 students who played last year.

This jump in interest was one of the reasons why lacrosse was changed to a varsity sport.

Athletics Director Sandy Lloyd had previously said that if there

was enough interest in the sport this year, then she would put in place the switch from club to varsity.

Being a varsity sport brings changes to the team’s schedule. Lacrosse now has an official schedule, and will be invited to the sports awards ceremony at the end of the season. “Being a varsity sport gives them more credibility, and a travel opportunity,” Lloyd said.

Lacrosse will play in a tournament in Brussels, where they will face teams from across Europe, and also will play in a tournament hosted by TASIS. The competition in Brussels will include five teams from the UK, four from Germany, one from Brussels, and one from the Czech Republic. The Ameri-

can School in Milan will also send players to fill the rosters of teams without enough players to participate. “That should be the highlight of the season,” Lacrosse team Coach David Brush said regarding the tournament.

“Lacrosse is actually increas-

“We can beat a lot of teams. We’re actually good this season.”

Nick Canavan (’14)

ing in popularity, not only in England, but in all of Europe,” Austin said. England’s national team is ranked within the top five in the world, and there is an active

lacrosse club network in Great Britain. This increasing level of interest in Europe and Great Britain is expected to affect the level of interest at the student level in the future.

The lacrosse team has always practiced at Primrose Hill for the convenience of the students and the coaches. This season, however, the team will be hosting a home game at Canons Park. The Athletics Department is looking into the possibility of the lacrosse team practicing full-time at Canons Park.

“We can beat a lot of teams,” Nick Canavan (’14) said. “We’re actually good this season.”

Mr. Brush said that the main requirement to make the move was to “demonstrate enough interest

to prove that lacrosse would be sustainable as a varsity sport, not just for this year, but for the years ahead.”

With the Middle School program in its fourth year, and lacrosse now a varsity sport in the High School, many students may begin to play lacrosse. “The most important aspect of establishing the varsity program at ASL, is to provide more opportunities at the grass roots level for greater participation,” Mr. Brush said.

“It’s going to attract a lot of good players who might not have wanted to play at a club level,” Canavan added. “I think that there’s nowhere [to go] but up for the lacrosse program at ASL...I’m really excited about this season,” he said.

THE STANDARD | March 2012

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Sportsddd

Qattan to take post graduate year for basketball QATTAN from page 24 “I first met the coach at KUA during spring break of my junior year, while dropping off a teammate [Jesse Chuku] from a club team I played for at the time, London Pioneers, because he was going to play there for his senior year,” Qattan said. “I did a brief workout with the coach and he showed immediate interest [in me].”

At that time, Qattan was unsure as to what a post-graduate year actually was, but after discussions with the KUA coach and his parents, he realized this was a realistic option for the future. After looking more extensively into this opportunity, Qattan made his decision and began looking at potential schools.

During the recruiting process, he learned that if a player doesn’t act quickly and stay in touch, coaches move on. “The player is the one that has to make an effort,” he said. KUA was always Qattan’s first choice, and committing there was an easy decision following his acceptance.

“Going to KUA, I knew I could trust the coach after everything he did with [Chuku],” he said. Chuku will be playing Division I basketball at Lehigh University next fall after being in a situation similar to Qattan’s. “In terms of environment, the school is in the middle of nowhere,

so it’s going to be extremely different from ASL. I’m probably going to have no friends or social life which is absolutely fine, because I am going there for one reason, and that is to excel at basketball and enhance my chances of playing at a Division I school,” he said. “The fact that KUA is in the middle of nowhere and all that I can really do is play basketball is only a benefit.”

Qattan knows he won’t be able to come out immediately, be vocal and have his teammates trust him right away on his new team. “On the court, I always talk. Whether it’s talking trash or encouraging my teammates, I’m always talking. It’s going to be a major adjustment,” he said. “Basketball will definitely ease the transition to a new school though. I’ll meet kids right away, and hopefully they will respect me for my game, for what I bring to the team and see me as a valuable asset.”

Qattan also believes the exposure to college coaches he will get from playing one year in the US will help his college recruiting process, as well as playing against such a high level of competition before going away to play in college.

For Qattan, it was easier to be noticed by scouts in the States because once they saw him playing, they instantly knew he was an internation-

al player. “Players in Europe have a very different game and they could see different aspects in my skill set right away, making me stand out,” he said.

A turning point in Qattan’s career was after the ISST his sophomore year, when Head Coach Joe Chodl made him read the first chapter of The Book Of Basketball, by Bill Simmons, called “The Secret.”

After reading it and talking with Chodl, Qattan’s mentality towards basketball dramatically changed.

“Prior to that, I had a terrible attitude. If I didn’t play well, I let it take over the world. Even if we won, if I didn’t play well, I didn’t care about the win. Now, I don’t care about individual achievements or accolades if the team doesn’t succeed,” he said.

Qattan believes his improvement as a leader, and his eagerness to have the ball late in games when it is all on the line is what makes him a special player.

After college, Qattan sees himself potentially playing in Europe for a few years, and would love to return after being back in the US for college. “I have to start realizing that basketball isn’t going to be my life and I’m never going to play in the NBA, but it wouldn’t be crazy to see myself playing for a living in Europe,” he said.

“Listen up, you nine guys have been the best nine brothers I’ve had in my entire life on a basketball team. I appreciate everything you’ve done for me.

Let’s end it with a bang.”

In the huddle with his teammates for the last time ever in the middle of the Farmer Family Gym, Qattan had one simple message for his team. Photos by jess haghani

shot charts from Two of Qattan’s highest scoring games of the season vs Ealing, March 2nd

vs ROTA, January 6th

shots charts coutesy of scott phillips

Who can we look up to?

As I watched Liverpool player Luis Suarez refuse to shake the hand of Manchester United player Patrice Evra on February 11, the man he Alex Morris had allegedly racially abused, I could only look alexandra_morris@asl.org on in disgust. I was ashamed to be a Liverpool fan. I was let down by a club and player that I We worship the ground had idolized. most athletes walk upon, but Sporting role models are a funny thing.

Why do we hold men who can dunk a ball or are often let down by their score a goal in such high regard? I’m guilty of actions both on and off the it myself and I’m still not really sure what the is. Athletes seem to live in a vacuum, field or court answer separate from the normal moral standards we hold ourselves to.

Everyone is allowed mistakes, but with great power comes great responsibility. How come we excuse the inexcusable simply because he plays for the team we support?

Because of Suarez’s actions, my fellow supporters and I were accused of being racist. I felt my pride was trampled on by the deeds of one man. I wanted to defend him simply to defend myself, and so begins the endless cycle of letting our heroes off easily. Athletes need to realize that wearing the badge on the shirt means so much more than the money you make or your performance in a game. For people who don’t have much else, their team is their life, and most expect dignity and integHow come we excuse the rity from their players.

I’m sure it’s hard to live your life in the inexcusable simply because public eye, often with so many peoples expeche plays for the team we tations weighing on your shoulders. But life is support? all about choices, and if you want glory, you

“

should be willing to make the sacrifices for it, not just use super-injunctions and fistfuls of money to cover up your trail. Any job expects you to be professional both in and out of the workplace, so why should it be any different for athletes?

The media tends to dictate how we view an athletes’ actions. When it comes right down to it though, it’s little more than a sound byte, and a way to make money. The player might be subjected to humiliation and maybe even have a few sponsors pull out, but he’ll soon be offered a cover of People or OK magazine to tell the world he’s truly sorry for whatever he did wrong this time. Jose Mourinho was caught on tape making a homophobic remark. His punishment? A €7,000 fine, a minuscule fraction of his salary. He’s still “The Special One.” We can also dwell on an athlete’s mistakes for the wrong reasons. Sport has become so tribalistic that we condemn the actions of a rival player with great ferocity while defending similar actions of one of the players on a team we support. This false moral indignation can only make matters worse; we can get so rooted in our own ways that we simply refuse to accept that we might be wrong. No matter what people say they would do, when put in a situation like Liverpool fans have been put in, most supporters would rush to defend their sporting heroes because of the joy they bring us on the pitch or court in spite of what they do off it.

At almost 18, I can take an athlete’s offenses

with a grain of salt. I’d like to think that I was brought up to know right from wrong, and not be influenced by the actions of others. But what about the little boys and girls who watch players intentionally hurt others on the pitch, or read about their heroes’ womanizing? It’s a concept that’s been argued to death, but never really addressed. Athletes don’t change their actions simply for the boy who never stops wearing his LeBron shirt or the girl who kisses her Derek Jeter poster every night before she goes to sleep.

Athletes aren’t the enemy. In fact, some even go on to inspire greatness. Jeremy Lin was told he would never be anything more than a Division III college basketball player. He’s now the starting point-guard for the New York Knicks who dropped 38 points against the Los Angeles Lakers. Dai Greene never thought he would ever be able to fulfill his dream of being a professional hurdler because of his epilepsy. He won gold in the 400 meter hurdles at the Athletics World Championships and at the European Championships.

Positive role models do exist in sport, but they’re a lot harder to find than they should be. There’s a lot of facades you have to break through first, the contrived charity work and mindless support of blanket causes is what really gets me, but the truly inspirational leaders are the ones who lead with their actions on and off the field or court without even saying a word. Those are the athletes that make me proud to love sports.

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THE STANDARD | March 2012

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Sports

The line-up: varsity rugby Winter season Review

Coming into the winter season with only four players from last year’s ISST squad, the team looked at this season as a developmental one. They never viewed themselves as gold medal contenders for this year, but throughout the season, they displayed the potential to go for gold next year. ASL didn’t really

play with one or two superstars, but rather used a team-focused game plan in which every player needed to pull his own weight.

Throughout the season, the varsity team practiced together with JV. Head Coach Mathew Jones believes it created a much better team ethos and developed the JV players more quickly. It also pushed the varsity players to improve so the JV players wouldn’t overtake them

in the pecking order for selection next year.

Going into the ISST, Jones believed a top three finish would be outstanding, and top four would be good. After losing their opening four matches, they faced off against Vienna International School, the other 0-4 team, and pulled out a 17-0 victory, earning fifth place, but more importantly, a spot at next year’s Division I ISST.

Bret Silverglate (’13)

Faisal shour (’13)

alex epstein (’13)

Paul rozenbroek (’14)

Leland swift (’13)

Silverglate returned to rugby this season after taking most of last year off. His season started well, but a broken collarbone ruled him out for three months. He came back from injury with the desire to be a top performer. He is a good scrummager, understands the game well and is driven to help the team succeed.

Shour returned this season with improved fitness and a much higher work rate. His transition to the varsity level was relatively smooth. He has great hands for a front row forward and his line-out throws are always improving. He was one of the more experienced players this season after going to the ISST last year.

One word to describe Epstein would be solid. Solid in the scrum, solid in the line-out and solid with the ball in hand. Returning for his second season as a starting varsity prop, Epstein was very motivated to improve and made great strides again this year.

Rozenbroek has outstanding athleticism for someone so tall, and is one of the workhorses on the team.

Rozenbroek never gives up in any training sessions and is intent to learn, develop and succeed. A reliable line-out jumper, his relationship with Shour and his lifters was paramount to ASL winning the ball.

Returning as one of three starting varsity players from last year, Swift became a leader within a very young team. He scored possibly one of the best tries this season with an outstanding 80 meter run. Swift is quick, powerful and aggressive, and sinks his teeth into everything he does.

Erik bergeson (’14)

phillip janelle (’12)

Thomas Risinger (’14)

Patrick Carmody (’13)

Patch hudson (’12)

A reliable and solid tackler. If any player comes towards him, the player is stopped and sent backwards.

He is a great defensive player and throws himself into the contact area to win the ball. Bergeson listens and will do anything for the team. This was his first and last ISST, as he is moving away after this school year.

This was Janelle’s first season playing rugby, and after originally playing center, he moved to flanker, where he flourished into a very solid player. He will tackle anything and run into anyone. He gives 110 percent and has improved with every game.

This year’s varsity captain and another starter from last year’s ISST squad. Risinger is strong, quick and his catching and passing ability improved greatly throughout the season. His ability to win the ball in the tackle area is a great asset and he leads the team by example.

Carmody is another player from last year’s ISST squad. His new position of scrum half was initially only for a trial period, but he grew into the role and was also named vicecaptain. He does a great job on the pitch when organizing the attack and defense, and is a very aggressive player in contact.

Hudson started playing rugby this year in the winter season and stepped into the fly-half role. His understanding of the game improved dramatically over the season, and his awareness of the game allows others to play well around him. Hudson has a massive boot and can kick from around 50 meters.

Nick canavan (’14)

cole declaris (’14)

tristan burke (’15) Position: Outside Center Years On Varsity: 1

zach ashley (’15)

kyle boynton (’14)

Canavan is very, very quick. So much so that the team has a play for him to run one-on-one against his opposite player. He is new to rugby this year and has improved a great deal since starting in the fall. A concussion put the brakes on his development, but with another two years at ASL, Canavan is a player to watch out for in the future.

DeClaris is the most consistent player on the team, and has stepped up from JV and handled his new position of inside center very well.

His defense is solid, he is a strong runner and although he continually seems laid back, it’s clear that he will put his body on the line for his team mates. His safe hands and speed add to his good all-around game.

Burke has come out of nowhere this season. After playing soccer in the fall, he began playing rugby for the first time in the winter season.

Despite being a freshan, Burke has speed, power and a natural rugby brain, which is only going to develop further through his high school rugby career.

Ashley is one of the youngest players on the team, but is also one of the most committed. He always works as hard as possible. Ashley is young enough to play JV as well, and has done so on quite a few occasions this year as a forward player, but started at wing for varsity at the ISST.

During his first year playing rugby, Boynton developed into a solid fullback. He always avoids the first tackler and is strong with the ball and also in the tackle. He is the last defender back and with more experience he will learn better positioning and become a key part of next year’s team.

Clayton Marsh SPORTS EDITOR

Position: Prop Years On Varsity: 1

Position: Flanker Years On Varsity: 1

Position: Winger Years On Varsity: 1

Position: Hooker Years On Varsity: 2

Position: Flanker Years On Varsity: 1

Position: Inside Center Years On Varsity: 1

Position: Prop Years On Varsity: 2

Position: Number 8 Years On Varsity: 2

Photos by lori fields, Scot silverglate, thomas bergeson and nick canavan

Position: Lock Years On Varsity: 1

Position: Scrum Half Years On Varsity: 2

Position: Winger Years On Varsity: 1

Position: Lock Years On Varsity: 2

Position: Fly Half Years On Varsity: 1

Position: Fullback Years On Varsity: 1

Page 8

THE STANDARD | March 2012

•••

Opinions

poin coun erpoint

Ben Spar

STEM should be our first priority.

I

n the UK, the studies of math and science numbers are down. In a 2010 study done by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, in which students take numeracy, literacy and science exams, students from the United Kingdom were ranked 28th in math and 16th in science out of 65 countries, down from 25th and 14th in 2009, respectively.

Clearly, this is not a good sign, whether it is because of Britain’s downfall or other nation’s successes. Without these skills, engineers and inventors will be unable to come up with the inventions necessary for the future. New problems will arise and no one will have the skills or creativity to solve them. If the UK lags behind in science, technology, engineering, math (STEM) education, then its citizens shall lag behind professionally.

Here at ASL, we are required to have four English credits and three social studies credits. We are also only required to have two math and two science credits, although students are recommended to take more classes.

What sort of message is the school sending to students? That math and science are not as important as social studies and English? Furthermore, why is only half a tech credit needed? Being able to understand technology will be a necessary skill for anyone, regardless of profession. As much as I enjoy studying history and English, focusing on those skills does not lead to a successful society with all jobs being fulfilled.

For a balanced education, all subjects need to be stressed.

Math and science are generally thought of as difficult subjects relative to the humanities, especially at the university level. When I tell people I plan to study physics, their most common response is that it will be really hard and require a lot more work than other majors. There is no particular reason for this, it just happens to be the view of society. This can push interested students away from the subjects just because of what they hear from other students. By learning about STEM-based subjects in high school, I shall be more readily prepared for advancement in college, and then go on to a career in them.

As a member of most STEMrelated clubs at this school, I’ve noticed that it is essentially the same group of people at all the meetings. These people are usually the type who have usually been exposed to STEM from a young age. The main purpose of all these clubs is to enhance the education in specific areas, or to compete in STEM competitions which use skills learned in school. I think that another goal for the clubs should be to get those who may shy away from STEM by the “amount” or “level” of the work required.

These clubs are the best way for interested students to start to think outside the box and become creative, which are necessary skills.

Imagine a world with no phones, no computers, even no water fountains. Technology

Walker Thompson

benjamin_spar@asl.org

walker_thompson@asl.org

STEM isn’t the only priority. is the future, and science and math are the main forces behind it. If we don’t teach students about and stress the importance of STEM, who is going to come up with cures for cancer and AIDS? Who is going to invent a new fuel that doesn’t pollute? Who is going to solve all the other problems in the world?

I

magine a world with just scientists, mathematicians, engineers and programmers. A world where everyone went around thinking and talking about derivatives and integrals, hydrocarbons and polymers, Java and C++.

There would be no more philosophical or

Science, technology, engineering and mathematics are part of the core curriculum at ASL. But should they be prioritized over other subjects in the Internet age?

Graphic by Katie Lee

political debates. No more great literature. It would be the end of all music, art and historiography, the death of what is collectively called “culture.”

I know that computer science and engineering are part of what makes the world go round. I am always stunned by the extent of the innovation to which we are entitled, all thanks to some of the greatest minds of our age. Moreover, I have an enormous respect for those with gifts in maths and science, in addition to getting much enjoyment and mental stimulation out of those branches of study myself.

But I think it’s a cliché, and a false one, that a solid modern education begins and ends with “STEM.” Those are not, and never have been, the only keys to success in the world, even though modernity clearly demands more and more great minds with talent in these fields.

Take, for example, the assertion that only engineers and software programmers – or those who have otherwise received formal training in STEM subjects – can triumph in life. Writing in particular is an extremely important skill. What might successful literary agents like Andrew Wiley have to say about the purported superiority of STEM? Consider this instead: What will be more remembered in fifty years, the bibliography of an author like David Foster Wallace, or the nearly invisible work of a senior software designer who worked on the back end of Apple’s iPhone? The answer, in my mind, is clear: While few have even heard of the latter, the former has already gone down in history as one of the greatest American writers of an age.

I think that some of the contemporary fascination and fixation on STEM comes from the ideas of the 19th century pragmatist philosophers like John Dewey, William James and Charles Sanders Pierce. Collectively, they mused that the worth of an idea is ultimately proven only through its applicability, a belief that drove the founders of top research institutions in 19th and 20th century America.

That being said, modern support of STEM is aplenty: We elevate and glorify engineering and computer science simply because they have more practical – and monetary – value and potential in our society. Yet does this not undermine the very base of intellectualism? Learning for learning’s sake does not mean you care about whether your idea is marketable or profitable, or even whether it can help someone. And do we not, after all, go to school – especially a private school like ASL – simply because we like to learn?

I don’t agree that STEM courses are often seen as being uniquely difficult. AP US History has been my most work-intensive class this year, with massive reading assignments.

Still, let’s not forget about STEM. True, it’s very important. All I ask is that we calm down about it a bit and stop giving it special treatment that, in my mind, it falls far short of deserving.