MAGAZINE WINTER 2013
EXCLUSIVE
Introducing the Man Behind the Madness! SLA’s Principle answers some questions
Letter From Our Teacher
When I started teaching this amazing group of students at SLA, I knew that we'd do some great work together. I wanted to make sure that my students had authentic experiences as readers and writers. So this quarter, we have worked together to create this teen magazine. Our hope is that this project will inspire other classes to create similar work. If you like our work, please share it widely and leave us comments because we are eager to hear from you. Thank you for checking out our work.
At the beginning of our first quarter Ms. Rami explained to us how she wanted us to do “real” learning instead of “fake” learning. A common theme in high school english is that the teachers will assign their students a book to read and a large portion of the students will only read a little of the book but pretend that they did. If there is no real reading than classroom discussions become fake and mundane. We as a class wanted to be real readers. The kind of readers that challenge ourselves and motivate others to do the same. Another aspect of “real learning” is writing. This quarter we have focussed on making our writing real and relevant which is where this magazine comes into play. At first the magazine was just an idea but then it turned into this amazing project. During one of our first classes of the 2nd Quarter Ms. Rami introduced the project to us. She had us brainstorm different ideas that we would want to write our articles on. The following week we sat around in a circle and had a class discussion on ideas. Some of the braver more confident people jumped at the chance to share their ideas. Meanwhile the more hesitant listened from the side. When someone shared their idea either Ms. Rami or other students would recommend other things that they could add to their idea making it something more specific or letting it go a little deeper. Eventually the shy bystanders started to share their ideas and there began to be a sense of what this magazine would end up looking like. It was great to see the ideas float around and begin to form into their full glory. Our assignment at the end of the class was to decide the final topic that we wanted to work on and if their were other people we could work with. Once each of us had come up with our solid ideas and figured out if it was going to be a partner article or not we started to learn how to write articles in an appealing way. We read “Saying No to College” at our tables in class and took out parts that stood out to us. Then as a group we talked about those parts and how we can implicate them in our articles. We also talked about what parts we didn’t like which is an important part of a discussion. A really interesting thing that we did was we got the opportunity to skype in with Kristen Graham, a Pulitzer Prize winner, about her experience as a journalist. We all got the opportunity to ask her questions about how she gets the stories, what it is like to have a career as a journalist. From her we were able to get the advice we needed to really get started.
A big part of any magazine is making it turn into a well written, visually appealing piece of work. In order to make that possible a couple of people needed to volunteer to do some extra work. There were a couple different roles that needed to be filled. We needed someone to make a name for the magazine, copy editors, photo and art editors, visual layout designer, and someone to get the word out to everyone. Lastly we needed a couple people to oversee all of those roles. It was surprisingly easy to get all of those rolls filled. The simplicity of that showed how interested and excited everyone is about this project. In the last stages we have a deadline for the rough draft to be due. The classes leading up to the deadline have been fully work periods in which the different people can work together to get the article ready for edits. As a part of the editing process we were given a sheet to fill out. The sheet needed to be filled out by the lit lab that we have during lunch periods. The Lit Lab is a place where a couple of stellar students can help out other students by proof reading their writing work.
The Man Behind The Madness Words By: Jordan Hairston & Lexus Forman
Christopher Lehmann, father of two young sons, is known around the world as an award- winning educator, but to his students, he is an amazing high school principal. Mr. Lehmann has a special connection with his students and is able to inspire their young minds to succeed. He refers to Science Leadership Academy as home and brings warmth into the building. Most people spend their entire lifetime trying to achieve at least half of what he already has accomplished. We wanted to pose some questions to Mr. Lehmann and learn more about the man behind the madness. We used the Proust questionnaire to inspire these questions.
1. What is your motto?
there are moments for example, I think
“No one ever regretted giving their best
sometimes you know more information
effort.”
when you are given with people there
2. If you weren’t our wonderful
are times when you know more
principal, what would be your
information than you are leading on
occupation?
because you have to help someone get
“I would coach women’s basketball.”
to some place. So you may not say ‘I
3. Which talent would you most like to
know this’ because you want them to be
have?
the one to tell you. But that is probably it.
“I wish I could play guitar better.”
“
4. Who are your favorite writers?
10. What is your most treasured
“F. Scott Fitzgerald, Dick Francis, and
possession?
bell hooks. “
“The frisbee that all the kids who were
5. Who is your hero of fiction?
on the team that went to the
“Jed Bartlet, from the West Wing.”
Quarterfinals in Nationals signed.”
6. What is your idea of perfect
11. What do you most dislike about
happiness?
your appearance?
“Balance, doing the things that you love
“I’m getting a bald spot.”
in your life, across all aspects of your
12. What do you regard as the lowest
life.”
depth of misery?
7. What do you consider your greatest
“Loneliness”
achievement?
13. What is your current state of
“Well, the students of SLA. What they
mind?
accomplish everyday. That, and being a
“Pretty good, I’m sure like the rest of
dad.”
SLA, I’m ready for the Christmas break. I
8. What or who is the greatest love of
love coming to work everyday and I love
your life?
going home to my family everyday. All in
“My wife.”
all I think my state of mind is usually
9. On what occasions do you lie?
pretty good.”
“I’m a really, really bad liar. So I try to lie as rarely as humanly possible. I think
SLA: the SLA basketball team has several games left in the season, that the must win in order to go to the playoffs. Their league record is 3-6. the next game will be against new media tech. This will be a big challenge that the team will have to over come. The team big three, Sterling, Jakobi, and Roger have to score big from them to win.
SPORTS UPDATE Words By: Brandon Mangum
NBA: East and West will go at it hard in the all-star game. Kobe, CP3, KD, D Howard, Blake Griffin. vs King James, D-wade, Melo, Rondo. and KG. this will be a tough game. but a very entertaining one. Lets see who comes out on top
NFL: Ravens beat the patriots 28-13. 49ers beat the falcons 28-24. this means the ravens and 49ers will be playing each other in 2 week at the Super Bowl. Ray Lewis will have a chance to get a ring before retirement. This will place a lot of pressure on him, i expect to see him in the super bowl putting on his A game.
This
Class is So Pointless!
Words By: Sarena Shuman
I hate this class! I hate this class! I swear I hate this damn class!
we stand on the shoulders of the people who came before us.”
Teens in high school complain all the time about why a class is relevant. Many teens feel like there is no point in learning some of the things they learn if they are never going to apply it in life on a regular basis. Teens say school is suppose to teach them things to prepare them for the rest of their lives. How many teens actually believe this happens in their school?
This is a bright answer, and is very clarifying. When I interviewed her, this statement made me think. Maybe she is right, I am a great citizen of America because I know about America. I know exactly what this country did, and why I am proud to be an American.
I sometimes wonder why am I in this class or even being graded on something so irrelevant to my life. That's why students zone out and don't participate, yet teachers don't understand why. This article contains intricate research and interviews to figure out why exactly we learn the things we do. Why put kids through so many years of school, only to teach things that cannot be applied outside of the classroom? I interviewed Ms. Pearl Jonas, an American History teacher at Science Leadership Academy high school. I asked her the critical question that all teens are wondering, “Why do we learn things that we eventually don’t apply in life on a regular basis?” I gave Ms. Jonas an example which applied to her class. I asked her why we learn about history if its knowledge cannot be applied to daily life. Why do we need to memorize dates, wars, and what someone did in the past? She answered, “Well, I find that history helps us be better citizens, for me personally history was very inspiring on how I act in the world... History gives us power, we can act in the world as informed citizens as opposed to not really being aware of what came before us because
So I went to a couple of juniors at Science Leadership Academy, I told the two juniors what Ms. Jonas said and one of the junior claimed otherwise. “ Some classes in school are definitely irrelevant, American History is one of them. The class is filled with lies, they don’t tell you the full truth, they make America out to be astonishing. America usually were the backstabbers in the situation.” Then together the two juniors started to sing, Back Stabbers by the O’Jays. “They smile in your face, all the time they wanna take your place the back stabbers (back stabbers).” Once the off-key singing ended the other junior stated,” everything past Algebra 2 is irrelevant!” She started to talk very angrily and said, “no one is going to sit at a bus stop to calculate the where the tangent line hits a pole or something, you know? It’s so freaking stupid!” I shook my head in agreement, and even though they can’t sing, they made a very valid point. Why do we need to know trigonometry and geometry? I’m not going sit in my bed wondering what the angle of my bedpost is, but then I thought, I do sit in my bed wondering what occupation I want, when I grow up. Am I sure I want to be a doctor? What am I going to college for?
The notion entered my head as quickly as a cheetah running for it’s prey. The reason we learn a variety of things is because high school students have a lot of choice about their future occupation. The subjects and ideas provide the student with a wide variety of possibility. I asked Aunjah Turnbull a freshman of the Indiana University of Pennsylvania if the multiple subjects in high school helped her determine her career and what she want to be. She stared at me for a long time, her eyes started to pierce my skin. Then she rolled them to the back of her head. Then she said in a grumpy voice, “I STILL DON’T KNOW WHAT I WANT TO BE! High school gave me subjects that I hate, that I feel is stupid, and anything to do with that I don’t want to do. I changed my major so many times, and I’m going change next semester.” So what could it be! Why do we learn the things we learn? Why burden us with so much knowledge? That’s it! Knowledge is power. I swear knowledge is the damn power! Teens will continue to question why we must learn things that are irrelevant in the future. However, the fact remains that having enough information to make the correct decisions is an alluring thing. From it, we are able to hold conversations with a variety of people, complete tasks that were previously beyond our reach. Knowledge gives all the opportunity to do what we never thought we would. Why not put kids through so many years of school? Hopefully we apply what we learn outside of the classroom.
GRAFFITI IS IN PHILLY Words By: Branden Hall & Ryan Doyle
HAVE YOU EVER
walked threw the city wondering, how people are able to create such odd and tantalizing art works? Why would a person climb six stories high, risking life and limb, to put their work out? The best graffiti artists are willing to go onto train tracks and climb high buildings. To some artists the best spots to get are worth risking their lives. They will watch a spot for days, trying to find out a good time to start a “piece” or a “tag” in that spot. Graffiti became popular in Philadelphia by a native named Darryl Mccray better known as “cornbread” in the late 60’s. He is best known for breaking into the Philadelphia Zoo and writing his name on everything including a live elephant. Acts like this makes graffiti seen as an act of vandalism to others, artists see it as an act of a genius and inspiration to become a writer.
Graffiti can be seen on objects such as train windows, high buildings, and any other place that can be seen by the public. Graffiti artists try to find spots that are public enough for their art to be seen, yet in places that are abandoned or rarely used so that there artwork is not covered up. Even though graffiti is so popular in Philadelphia, it is seen as a serious act of vandalism by some people others see it as beautiful art, meshing together urban art and classic art. To prevent things seen as vandalism in some states there are legal spots to “tag”. In philadelphia There seems to be no where legal to tag so artists have to take it to the streets and break the laws to get their name out there. The city should spend a smaller amount of money to make legal places to graffiti instead of spending close to 12 billion dollars each year to clean graffiti off of the streets and buildings that artists have been using as their canvases. Below is an interview with a local up and coming Graffiti artist who has just started tagging. Interview: (B)- Is there anything you would love to graffiti on?
graffiti artist? (K)- i was always into art. and never really did much to show off what i could do so when i thought about graffiti i saw it as an easy way to get my name out there. (B)- What elements contribute to your art? (K)- there are a lot of things, most of them are just my own thoughts and how to be creative and have my own new style that i made from other writers styles that i’ve seen. (B) - How did you learn? (K)- friends did it and i just learned to do it on my own. (B)- what are the main challenges? (K)-Finding good new places that will not get painted over or buffed away (B)Are you considering the consequences? (K)-Yes always but i really don’t care because they won’t catch me i have been chased a lot and never been caught so i probably never will. (B)What age did you start?
(K)- High buildings, anything by train. (B)- what do you gain from graffiting? (K)- I get to show my artwork to the public. I like the feeling of creating something that other people appreciate. (B) - What inspired you to become a
(K)-About 15 (B) what are your boundaries? (K)- Cars and houses are off limits to me because that’s just disrespectful to do to someone .
Memories are born with us, they grow and change overtime as we do, depending on how we live our lives. The city of Philadelphia is one such place where many memories can be made. It’s filled with excitement and plenty of places where teens can meet up at and hang out.
The are endless possibilities around and within this city, but these places especially were the most
popular among the juniors at Science Leadership Academy. Here they share a few of their stories and memories on ten unique and special locations in the city of Philadelphia.
Franklin D. Roosevelt Park “I've been skating in FDR park since I was 10...I remember loving the sketchiness of the skatepark–it's so authentically Philly. People lighting off firecrackers, empty beer bottles, dudes with their shirts off that have been skateboarding for 6 hours straight.”-Jacob
“My experiences and favorite memories here is when I was little,
my dad would bring my older brother and I so we could sled down the hills after it would snow.” -Daniel
What we’re wearing in... SLA
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Gayborhood “While here, I feel a sense of freedom. The only times I'm actually here is during the Gay Pride Parade and Outfest. I feel like there is no judgement in my life when I’m in the area, and I don't have to worry about anything.”-Daniel
Imagine
Words By: Jasmin Hussain and Daniel Tuveson Youth groups- Imagine growing up in a country at war with its neighbor. Envision spending your childhood growing up under the fear of mortar attacks and missile strikes. Picture yourself not being able to go to college, but immediately having to serve in the military at the age of 18 with no exceptions. “I can’t believe that so many people have to live in fear. It really gets you thinking about how lucky we are to live in such a safe environment” said Owen Gerwinski, a student at Science Leadership Academy. Unfortunately, for many young Israelis and Palestinians this is their reality. “In Israel, teenagers have mandatory military service starting at age 18.” said Rachel Steinberg, the OneVoice youth group director. “Its mandatory by law, people do not have a choice if the want or not, they must go,” said Adva the director of OneVoice youth group from Israel in a very serious and matter of fact tone. Even if they return to school afterwards, they have very little chances of pursuing a career afterwards. “Young people have very limited job opportunities, even if they go to college.” said Steinberg. “Its crazy how they have to serve in the military no matter
what, putting education aside. It makes me feel really fortunate that I live in a country that prioritizes education” said Lexus Forman a student at Science Leadership Academy. As a part of the youth in America, we feel it is our duty to learn more about the different conflicts and the different things that the youth is doing to promote peace instead of violence. When asked how we can help raise awareness Rachel Steinberg replied “Participate in the One Voice tour in Philly, in March” and “Raise awareness about the situation with your friends and family.” The conflict between Israel and Palestine has been in the news recently due to the bombing of a few areas of Israel. It was done by Palestinians from Gaza and the Israeli defense strikes back at Gaza with America as their backbone. There are many youth groups that work together with organization like OneVoice to start promoting peace and helping heal the broken state of their countries. One example of this in Palestine was when 700 people of all ages and gender came together to plant 1000 trees in an undeveloped idea. This for the Palestinians was an opportunity to come together as a community and take advantage of a situation and put a deserted area to good use by creating Peace park.
While political problems continue to have negative effects on the citizens, there is still hope; the two state solution. “We try to engage them to talk about the two state solution and to act," said Adva. While overseas there are people working on the problems, people in the United States haven't done so much. We urge you to contact your congressman urging them to support the two state solution of Israel and Palestine. Perhaps if enough people reach out, some real change could be accomplished. While the media has been mainly focussing on the political aspects of the conflicts, there has been very little coverage on the struggles of the youth in the area, and the peace activism taking place.“I think the media needs to concentrate more on the positive media and not always the negative.” said Adva.
Reading Terminal Market “Some of the best food I have ever eaten has been at reading terminal.”-Robbie “I love Reading Terminal. All of the food and people there just make me feel so awesome. Looking around at every kind of food place they have there, made me feel like I was somewhere other than just in the city.” -Gabby
Penn’s Landing
“It has a great view of the Benjamin
Franklin bridge and the Walt Whitman bridge. Penn's landing also has great firework displays on New years Eve and Fourth of July. Something else that I really like about Penn's Landing is that it annually hosts great events for families and friends.” -Jasmin
“My friend and I would go down and sit
by the river to hang out after school, and I've also loved going to the ice rink and skating around.”-Rose
TheMovies We’veWaited For
Manayunk “Main Street Manayunk: An awesome place that the inner-neighborhoods overlook. It has so much character and is a lot more low key than Chestnut and Walnut.”-Jacob
“Main Street is a nice place to hang out at. You can never go wrong with the great restaurants, and small shops. It’s close to my house, and you’ll never be bored there.”-Anthony
Latest and Greatest Books Words By: Daniel Varnis and Briana Hicks
Hungry for the top five, books of 2012? Well, here they are! In the (whatever the magazine name is), this article will tell you what the top five books of 2012 based on the popularity of the book and how many people enjoyed it. This is for the people who don’t enjoy reading and those who go into a completely different world when reading. The Hunger Games: Although The Hunger Games came out in 2008 and barely received any buzz at first, it sold a whopping 36.5 million copies since then. This book may seem a bit barbaric from the start, there are definitely more ways this book could spread out and justify itself with various different types of readers that enjoy genres other than violence. The Hunger Games is a book that infuses the more feminine genres of romance and love while still containing the pretty masculine genres of violence and action. This book is definitely one of a kind, and totally worth reading. The caliber of the author’s intellect is so advanced, her way of writing definitely compliments the interests of all different types of readers. Naruto: Naruto is classified as a “manga” (Japanese Comic), which reads from right to left. The basic plot behind Naruto is that a twelve year old boy named Naruto had a dangerous creature called the Nine tailed fox sealed inside him by the Fourth Hokage when he was a baby. After being judged and pushed away by others during most of his childhood, Naruto vowed to become the best hokage the Leaf Village ever had. He wanted to prove to everyone who judged him wrong, and to show them he can do anything if he put his mind to it. Along the way, both good and bad things happen and he has to find a way to make it through all the obstacles to finally be recognized of his strength so he can finally become a suitable Hokage. Of Mice and Men: Of Mice and Men is a book written by the Nobel Prize Winner John Steinbeck. This one of a kind book was produced back in the 1930s and Steinbeck spent most of his life trying to deal with hardships economically and sociologically affecting him and his areas surrounding him. Steinbeck reflects all of those themes into Of Mice and Men, while trying to lighten up the situation by including characters to do so. Of Mice and Men is a somewhat melancholy novella that takes place during the 1930s, revolving around the life of the lives George Milton and Lennie Small as they try to get through life and its hardships during the Great Depression. The two characters spend most of the time throughout their life jumping from one job to the next and trying to find what’s right for them. As the story goes on, Lennie and George find them coming across many obstacles, some being of morals, others being of emotion. For anyone that is interested in old American history that revolves mainly around those three general themes should definitely give Of Mine and Men a try. It is very evident that Steinbeck spent much time and introduced a lot of thoughts and emotions surrounding the whole idea of being needy, making this story very personal a great way to learn a lot about Steinbeck, while also enjoying an amazing classic. The Complete Poems: The Complete Poems is a really old book though the poems in the book speak true heartfelt words. Emily Dickinson writing style in this book had a familiar sadness to them. The book itself has a mixture of different poems that give off different emotions. Though the book is full of poems, the book itself doesn’t really fit conveniently into just one genre. Because of the things that triggered in her life to lead to the different poems, not all the poems contain the same structure. Not one poem in the book would or will ever be the same as another because of the different stages they’ve been in. Maus: This book specifically targets the Polish/Jewish lives during the Holocaust. In the book, Art Spiegelman drew the Jews as mice, the Germans as cats, and the Polish as pigs. Instead of just talking about the holocaust, the author made it more of an interview type thing. The book was based on his father’s life when he was an young-adult. It’s not everyday where you can pick up a book and see that it’s not just an interview type of thing, but that’s what it is about. The steps he took to talk to his father to get the information all the while showing the experience his father had to go through. Maus has not only taught people about the holocaust experience, but it also made people want to learn more.
t o
Learning Words By: Diamond Blenman, Seamus Kirby The majority of teenagers today are not informed on many major issues that happen in the world around them. We would like to inform other teenagers about some current events in the world that they have probably heard of, but may not know much about. Part of the reason that many teens are not informed on current events is either because they are not interested in current events, or that they solely use social media sites like Facebook or Twitter as their source for news and information. It is important that people be informed on current events for a variety of reasons. As citizens of a democracy, it is our right to vote. However, at the same time it is our responsibility to make informed votes. When voting for a candidate, you should make your decision based on whether or not you agree with them on a variety of issues. However, it is impossible to determine whether or not you agree with them if you don’t understand the issue itself. We, as teenagers, are the future of the country, and the future voters in our country. A lot of teens see a lot of problems in the world around them, and the best way we can act to stop those problems is to vote on the issues we care about. In this article, we have chosen two major current events that you have most likely heard about, but may not actually know the details of. We are going to summarize so that you can understand them better. Gaza Conflict: At the beginning of the 19th century, the land of Palestine was peacefully inhabited by a population that was about 85 percent Muslim, 10 percent Christian, and 5 percent Jewish.
In the late 1800’s, a group of people called Zionists, a minority of the Jewish population, started immigrating to Palestine in the hopes of creating a Jewish state. At first, the immigration caused no problems, but as more and more Zionists came to Palestine, and the goal of creating a Jewish state became clear, the indigenous population started to fight back against the Zionists. Zionists attempts to increase Jewish immigration to Palestine, along with Hitler’s rise to power caused more and more Jewish immigrants to come to Palestine, which only served to escalate the conflict. In 1947, the United Nations decided to intervene in a hope to end the conflict. The UN decided to give 55% of the land to a Jewish state, even though they made up 30% of the population, and had previously owned 7% of the land. After this decision was made, the war of 1947-1949 began between the Arabs and the Zionists. The war began after Zionist forces committed 16 massacres, including a massacre of over 100 men, women, and children. Throughout the war, the Zionist army outnumbered that of the Palestinians by a factor of 2 or 3, and there was never any fighting on Israeli soil. After the war ended, Israel had conquered almost 80 percent of Palestine, and 3 quarters of a million Palestinians were made refugees. Currently, one of the main causes of conflict in Israel and Palestine, is that Israel is trying to make a Jewish state, despite the fact the original population of Palestine was mostly Muslim. This combined with Israel’s occupation of
b e
AWARE
Palestine, and areas of Gaza, where the Palestinians have minimal control over their lives. 10,000 Palestinians are in Israeli prisons, with few of them receiving a legitimate trial. Israeli forces created a humanitarian conflict in Gaza by stopping food and medicine from entering the area. In 2008, the Gaza War started when Israel attacked Palestine with the stated goal of stopping Palestinian rocket attacks and arms smuggling into Gaza. The event is also known as the “Gaza Massacre” in the Arab world; an estimated 1,147-1,166 Palestinians and 13 Israelis died in the conflict. Both Palestine and Israel were accused of committing war crimes during the Conflict. Since then there have been multiple bombings of Gaza by Israel, and attacks against Israel by Palestine. Western countries like the United States, and Canada have declared their support for Israel’s right to defend itself, while many Arab and Muslim countries have condemned Israel’s military operations. The most recent attack was in late October of 2012, when Israel bombed Gaza as a response to ongoing missile attacks against Israel by Palestine. An estimated 158-177 Palestinians and 5 Israelis were killed during the conflict.
Sandy Hook Shooting: Would you want to walk into a school knowing everything is safe with metal detectors, but still have to go through the hassle of taking things off and letting people run through your personal property? Most student would even say that this is unethical coming from a school like SLA with no metal detectors. So why would you want to do such? To be safe? You are still being stripped of your freedom in some way. You should be treated as a student, not as a prisoner. With the Sandy Hook elementary school shooting in Connecticut happening not so long ago, people started taking school and safety more seriously. People want to pay more attention about schools and their personal safety with the Sandy Hook shooting as a haze of the near past. According to CNN the story behind the school shooting is that the alleged shooter Adam Lanza, age 20, shot and killed 20 school children, fatally wounded 6 staff members and wounded 2 others on December 14th 2012. Before the shooting happened, Lanza shot and killed his mother and then drove off to school. After the entire massacre, Lanza shot himself in the head committing suicide as the police, paramedics and parents of the victims arrived. This topic can be very sensitive and serious to most people. This can very much impact your everyday safety, and how safe you feel, in school and out of school. People are taking action to implement gun safety, mental care, and violence protection. I conducted a survey with my classmates in my 11th grade english class about school safety. The results are very stunning. I asked a maximum of 5 questions. The questions are as follows, “Have you heard of the Sandy Hook School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut?Knowing about other school shootings, do you think it can happen to your school?-Do you think your safety in school can impact your learning and focus?-Do you think your school should be required to have metal detectors?-Do you feel safe as a student at Science Leadership Academy? The results of each question are Posted as a slide show (Click here). With this said, what does this mean to you as high school teenagers? Well your safety should be a main priority by not only you, but the teachers and your own parents. This can
well affect every single student, not only for your well being, but for your own self. Schools without metal detectors can have your safety at a 50/50. You want to be treated like a student, not a prisoner. Can you trust everyone, even random people out in the street? Advanced security is the best way to go for your safety and education. One of the best ways to stay informed is, not surprisingly, to read a newspaper, or news site. Just going online to look at the headlines at nytimes.com for a minute everyday and looking into what catches your eye or seems important/interesting is enough to stay informed, but most people do not even take the time to do that. It is also important to look up an issue or topic you hear about but don’t understand, or would like to understand better. While this might seem like a lot of work, it doesn’t take long to do, and is essential to be a member of our democracy.
Night or day is safe your way? Words By: Viet Le
K
could completely turn around the
meant to look cool or awesome.
situation to your favor.
Its meant to get you out of a
Finding a type of self
dangerous situation as safely and
defense that suits you well
quickly as possible. Running away
depends on your strengths and
from situations could be
weaknesses. Learning how to fight
advantageous for you but what
and learning self defense are two
happens when the attacker chases
different things. One is just
after you and grabs you? At that
how to defend yourself can be
learning how to protect yourself
point, self defense would have be
very useful in today’s society.
while the other is learning how to
something you regretted not doing.
According to Masonichip, 350,000
attack. Self defense is not about
It may seem that certain
abductions are made by relatives
retaliating, its about thinking about
techniques would never work but
of the abductees. Knowing how to
how you can escape an attacker.
they actually do. In the heat of the
prevent these situations can also
Self defense is also about being
moment they will work if you’re
help prevent grief. Not everyone is
able to react fast enough if you’re
fast enough. Its not something that
built the same, so not everyone
too slow it, could be the end for
you just learn and then go on with
will be able to defend themselves
you. Being able to react quickly is
your life. Its something you
the same way. An advantage is
only half the fight, the other half
should practice with your teacher
that there is not one self defense
is learning techniques that one
or some friends you trust. It’s
technique that is designed for only
could do comfortably in any
something that has to be practiced.
one person. Self defense could
situation.
nowing
mean the difference between life and death. Having that knowledge
Self defense is something that requires you to be fast. It isn’t about showing off, or
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FOOD ON THE STREETS Great Food, Great Prices Words By: Kenny Le, Robbie McCormac
D
on’t know
where to eat with your friends? Don’t have enough money to eat at fancy restaurants? We made a list of restaurants that are cheap, delicious, and easy to get to. Today, most teenagers eat out at fast-food places like McDonalds, because they don’t know where else they can get cheap and delicious food. However, there are many other nice places that teenagers can go to eat. We went to several restaurants to try out their food, and to see if the place had a nice atmosphere where teenagers could have a good time with their friends. We know that every person has different preferences of kinds of food, so we added restaurants with many different types of foods; like vegetarian or Mexican food. This list will convince you for sure that you have to pay a visit to these restaurants.
Five Guys - Five Guys is one of the best places for teenagers to get cheap and delicious burgers. Five Guys is a very good place to pick up lunch with your friends. It’s cheap, delicious, and simple. Five Guys was founded in 1986 with a father and
four sons. Years later, they are whipping up some of the best burger’s a person can have for under 5 dollars. The simplicity in their menu is what makes Five Guys what it is: burgers, fries, and hotdogs are the main foods people got to get at Five Guys. While there, you can eat the free peanuts they give you while you wait for your food. One of the best items on the menu is their bacon cheeseburger with grilled onions. This amazing five dollar burger will fill you up any time of the day!
Telephone number: 215-972-1375 Location: 1527 Chestnut St. Type of cuisine: American Hours: Monday - Sunday 11AM 10PM Wendy’s- Wendy’s is a fast food place, but their food is better than a typical fast-food place. Wendy’s was founded by Dave Thomas. Why do we love Wendy’s so much? Wendy’s is a very good place to eat if you are on the go. It’s cheap, fast, simple, and delicious. All you have to do is stop by, place your order and enjoy the food. It is hands down one of the best fast food restaurants you will eat at. The best part about Wendy’s is that it is cheap. You can get hamburgers, chicken, and even soup, and it is all amazing and very cheap. You and your friend’s can eat like kings just with ten dollars.
Telephone number: 215-627-4648 Location: 1101 Walnut St. Type of cuisine: American Hours: Monday - Sunday 8AM - 2AM
Bobby’s Burger Palace - Though a bit on the expensive side, Bobby’s Burger Palace is one damn good place to get a burger. It is a great place to get lunch or a late night dinner. The menu has some of the most inventive burgers around, from a Philly cheese steak burger to a super hot pepper burger that will make you beg for a glass of milk. The menu has many different burgers you have probably never tasted. They even have a “crunchified” option to every burger, allowing you to add potato chips inside of your burger. Bobby’s Burger Palace not only has burgers and fries but also sandwiches, salads, onion rings, and milkshakes. If you want something more than just a simple burger and fries, Bobby’s Burger Palace is the perfect place. World famous chef Bobby Flay took his culinary skills and has given us the crown gem of the burger world. Telephone number: 215-387-0378 Location: 3925 Walnut St. Type of cuisine: American Hours: Sunday-Thursday 11AM to 10PM Friday- Saturday 11AM to 11PM
Guacamole Mex - Guacamole Mexican Grill is a great place for Mexican food. They provide everything from tacos to soups. Even though it is a tad bit expensive for tacos, nachos, burritos, etc., it is still a great place to get Mexican food. One of their most popular items is the enchiladas platter. The environment and atmosphere of Guacamole Mex makes it a chill place to eat, talk, and have fun with whoever you’re going there with. Telephone number: 215-307-3162 Location: 4612 Woodland Ave. Type of cuisine: Mexican Hours: Monday - Saturday 11AM 10PM
Hip City Veg- Hip City Veg is something different than the other restaurants. All the food is 100% plant based! At first, hearing the word vegetarian people assume that their food is not tasty because it’s all salads and vegetables, but they have way more than salads. Hip City Veg has burgers, fries, wraps, and even drinks and desserts. The best part is that it’s healthy food! Telephone number: 1-215-278-7605 Location: 127 S.18th Street Type of cuisine: American (Vegetarian) Hours: Monday - Sunday 10AM to 10PM Munchies Cafe- Munchies Cafe may be one of the best places to get a sandwich in all of Philadelphia. They have an amazing menu and amazing sandwiches. They sell everything
from smoothies, salads, burgers to even paninis! This amazing restaurant has done one of the smartest thing’s possible, having sides of bacon for two dollars. What else do you need from a sandwich place? Telephone number: 215-629-1844 Location: 728 Chestnut St. Type of cuisine: American Hours: Monday - Friday 10AM to 5PM Saturday 10AM to 4PM
Shake Shack- What can we say about Shake Shack you ask? This is the best restaurant to go to for a hamburger hands down. Everything is delicious from the fries to the toppings. Shake Shack even sells ice cream! Shake Shack opened up there very first burger stand in 2004, in Madison square park, New York. They even name their ice cream. For example: “The Shark Attack”, and “The Urban Lumbershack” are different ice creams you can buy there. Where else can you find ice cream that’s not just called ice cream? Shake Shack is very unique. Shake Shack even sells dog biscuits for dog owners who love Shake Shack! Shake Shack has a wide variety of great tasting foods and drinks which makes this an obvious pick for our number one spot. Telephone number: 215.809.1742 Location: 2000 Sansom street (20th Street) Type of cuisine: American Hours: Monday - Sunday 11am-11pm
SEX
GIRLS VS. BOY S Words By: Sidney Williamson and Tyanna Pleasant Let’s get real, we all talk about it, but what do you honestly know about it? That’s what this article is for, to answer the questions some of us are too embarrassed or shy to ask, but in reality need to know the answers to.
Sex is everywhere, but only on a certain level. It’s intertwined into the media, the jokes on family sitcoms, billboard advertisements, music, and movies alike. The issue is the media puts it out there, but in an indirect way. Beating around the bush, placing it in front of younger eyes that want to understand what everyone else is laughing at and talking about. Unfortunately not giving them the important insight that comes along with sex and all that’s related to it. We’re just..open to talking...or more so writing about it.
Does a connection matter (friendships, relationships, etc.)? Boys: No, because you can have sex and not care about them if they aren’t someone close to you./ Yes, if you don't connect with someone then you will never fully understand them. Girls: I think a connection does matter between the person you are having sex with. I'm personally not in favor of having sex with a complete stranger. That's nasty and disgusting, and I feel as though you need some type of relationship with that person. How comfortable are you talking about sex with parents/ other adults? Boys: I am completely comfortable. They know about everything I have done and we have talked about it. Girls: I am kind of comfortable talking to parents/ other adults about sex, but not fully comfortable. How comfortable are you talking about sex with your friends? Boys: Yeah, I talk to everyone about sex. Girls:100% comfortable with talking about sex to my friends. They are going through the same things I am and they're easier to go too.
On a scale of 1-10 how much do you think you know about methods of / keeping yourself and your partner safe during sexual activity? Boys: I think that I would give myself a 7, because I know a lot about how to protect myself and my partner but sometimes in the moment you choose not to use protection, because it feels better. Girls: 9.5, because I know how to prevent some STDs, I know that you have to use protection, etc. In the case of coming into contact with an STD, pregnancy, etc. (something you’d look to a doctor for advice for) would you know where to go? If yes, where? Boys: Yeah, a health clinic or a hospital. Girls: Yes, Planned Parenthood. If not, do you have someone you’re comfortable asking for advice/help? Boys: No and yes, I know plenty of people to ask if I ever get in that situation. Girls: Not really. I wouldn't know what to do. I'm too scared to talk to my parents. I would probably go to my sisters, and they probably would snitch. The age of consent is 16, do you feel there is an appropriate age for teens to become sexually active? Boys: I think that that is up to the person and how the person was raised to make that decision, because the age doesn't matter in our generation you can began to get exposed to sexual activity as early as 12. Girls: Yes, I feel as though that's an appropriate time to start and or anything closely around that time. (15 maybe) I believe that anything earlier than that is a lil drastic and you really don't know what the f*** you're doing anyway. And you're not ready at all for the possible consequences that could follow.
Do you think teens are too sexualized in the media? Boys: No, I think it’s more of a separate thing, they do it their own way. Girls: Yes!, Everywhere you look is sex, sex, sex. It's what people see therefore it’s what people believe is suppose to happen around that time.
What’s the turning point between sexy and too sexy? Boys: Too sexy is when your body is too exposed, in inappropriate places, like school. Girls: Too sexy is when you actually look like you trying to damn hard. You can see everything through your skirt, or hanging out ya shorts, ya chest is all out almost showing, and etc. If it's too much it's too sexy a.k.a trashy./ Being sexy is something your just born with. Being too sexy is showing off all your assets and thinking it's not trashy. Biggest turn ons vs. Biggest turn offs? Boys: Grinding, good kisser, smarts, a good heart, back dimples. Girls: Too much Aggression (aggressiveness is nice but don't get abusive with it (-_-) , always asking to have sex and never want to go out anywhere, wanting to penetrate without even getting the girl wet first. Virgins vs. Experienced : What’s your opinion? (If a person is experienced does that make them a “whore” vs. If they’re a virgin does it take being with them off the table, like do you automatically assume they’re going to be terrible in bed?) Boys: I think that if you are experienced it is not a bad thing unless you had sex with multiple guys/girls, therefore the person is a whore. Virgins can be just as freaky and knowledgeable of sex, and not be so innocent. But I still always pick the virgin. Girls: I do think that when you hear that someone is a virgin you do automatically think inexperienced, but that's because they are lol. And when you hear someone is not a
virgin it doesn't pop up that they're a whore unless they portray themselves that way. Do you think having sex with someone you love is/feels different than having sex with someone you just find attractive? Boys: Yes, because the person that you love you want to make sure that she is happy with what is happening and you want to impress her and always make her remember. As for someone you just want to have sex with you’re just trying to impress them and have a story. Girls: Yes, I think having sex with someone you love feels different than having sex with someone you just find attractive, because there won’t be any feelings behind it.
Is there a limit of people a person should be talking to? (For example when a boy talks to a lot of different girls, no one really says anything bad about it, like it’s something to brag about, but with girls if a girl talks to say 3 guys she’s automatically considered/referred to as a “whore.”)? Boys: I think that a guy should talk to as many girls as he wants until he falls in love. When the right girl comes along you should eliminate all of the other girls and just talk to that one special someone and only her. As for a girl, the girl should always talk to only one guy because if she is viewed with a lot of guys not only are the guys going to talk bad about her but as well as the females. Girls: I think that if you talk to someone that you should be able to talk to as many people as you want, unless it goes further than just talking, then you should only be talking to that one person it went further with.
Teen Depression A Guide for Parents and Teens
Words By: Niyala Brownlee The Information in this article was gathered from an experienced Psychologist. (Her information is listed below) Name: Dr. Wendy Galson Occupation: School Psychologist Number of years worked: School Psychologist for about 10 years, Therapist for longer years. Obtained Doctorate Degree in 1981, 31 years as a Psychologist. About: Works at Science Leadership Academy (SLA) as a school psychiatrist. Had a private practice of psychotherapy doctoral degree, knows a lot about depression. - “Frankly when I was 19 I was depressed and saw a therapist and that was a transformative experience. I wanted to really listen to people and decided to major in psychology.” --The following is a helpful guide with questions and answers that will help inform teens and their parents about depression. Parents worry all of the time. Mulling over the possibility of their teenagers coming home drunk after a drive. Often teenagers run rampant in our current society. There is a plethora of things that kids can be exposed to. However one of the biggest concerns that is well overlooked, is the possibility of teens falling into a really deep sadness that leads to depression. Well beyond drunk driving, depression is a serious mental illness that is one of the main causes of suicide among teens today.
What is depression? Depression is a high-priority mental illness. It is a disorder that interrupts a person’s thinking, feelings and mood. Depression is also currently one of the main causes in suicide and suicidal attempts in teens today. Can lack of sleep cause depression? Sometimes a serious lack of sleep can cause any number of things including depression if thats what a person is prone to. It would most likely be a combination of a lack of sleep and other factors that tend to get a persons system overwhelmed, which results in depression. How many types of depression is common through teens? Teens can have any kind of depression. There is a continuum of depression. Everyone feels low or blue now and then. Though when it is serious enough to consider it depression, it can be mild ranging up to severe. Why do people with depression commit suicide? Teenagers with depression who are suicidal feel as if they have no other choice. To put it to the point, they feel really bad. Teenagers with depression have low self esteem and are very diffident. Eventually they lose control of their inner emotions they can’t contain it which leads to suicide. Some
people may say that their sense of time functions differently than others, not literally but mentally. They feel that how they feel like is they are always going to feel. People who commit suicide are trying to feel a situation that feels really improbable to change. Will someone with depression get it again? It is common to be in a phase depression more than once. It is a recurring illness. If the first time a person get depression, it is treated professionally, there is less of a chance that they will get it again. If it is not treated professionally, not to mention correctly, then it is deemed more likely to repeat. Where do those with depression usually turn to get help? One of the first places that an individual with depression would turn to get help would be an adult that they trusted. For example a counselor or a teacher. The person they go to will then (hopefully) help to get a therapist or a doctor to talk to the depressed individual about what’s going on in their life or describe medication.
How to Spot Depression: Look for the following signs. If a person cries a lot ◦ and/or looks very sad. Sometimes what you do not see is sadness. Sometimes what you see is irritability/short fuse. Insomnia (if a person ◦ can not sleep). Falling asleep but waking up earlier that you want to, but can not go back to sleep. Disturbed sleep. Sleep for more than 12 hours. Short attention span. ◦ Concentration is unbalanced. When a person is ◦ seeing rejection around them, that is sometimes a symptom. Anhedonia - The loss or ◦ inability to experience pleasure and joy. Not being able to enjoy things usually pleasurable. Eating too much food, ◦ food doesn’t taste good anymore, no interest in food. Sudden loss of weight with no planned weight loss
How Parents Can Spot It Failing grades ◦ Moodiness, short ◦ temper Personal hygiene is less ◦ cared for May be easier to spot if ◦ the person is feeling sad and vulnerable Before admitting to how ◦ miserable they feel, they might snap at a parent. Especially if they feel more vulnerable than usual. Anhedonia. Stops ◦ participating and doesn’t want to see their friends. Stop enjoying (doing) things that they used to find enjoyable. Drugs fully involved; a ◦ lot of times the purpose of that is to self medicate. If a teenager is abusing a drug, then there is some kind of underlying depression.
What can a parent can do to help if the teenager is refusing to get any help? How should they act around their kids? The most important thing that a parent can do -might be hard to hear- is to very honestly say ‘son/ daughter, “I’m worried about you. I’m really concerned because you are not enjoying the things you used to and I want to get you the help you need.” Say they have a problem. Constantly tell and remind them that you love them and that they are a very important member if the family. Tell them that if they really do not want to discuss the specifics with you, then you are still there to help them when they need it. Tell them that you want them to at least have a few people that they can talk to. Where to get help ◦
◦ ◦
First start with regular medical check-ups. Make sure they are getting their regular medical checkups at least once a year. For things they do not feel comfortable like talking about with a parent, talk about it with your doctor. Community mental help centers. Mental Health specialist (psychiatrist, psychologist, mental health counselors).
Logan Square
“Logan Square is a nice place to be especially in the summer, but a little in the fall as well. I remember when I was young I used to splash my mom with the water.”Jovan
“It’s really peaceful around here, but also kind of touristy
Does Age Influence Positive Thinking? Words By: Merrik Saunders,Kristi Bezhani & Maryam Biuibrahim
Have you ever been in a position of inferior status? Did your age have any influence on that status? Young adults have limited authority in society. This absence of legal qualification may cause a shortfall in their maturity. Teenagers face the stereotype of being incapable and irresponsible. They are stuck between childhood and adulthood, and by default many of the adults in society find that they have not completely developed yet. Due to a lack of maturity, teens don’t always feel fulfilled, and therefore do not always have a positive outlook on life. A survey was conducted to understand what a teenager thinks and how their thoughts affects them. The results showed that teenagers have a pessimistic out life. Approximately 70 teenagers filled out a survey of ten multiple choice questions that asked them how confident they are in everyday life. When asked the question, "What surroundings are you most comfortable around?” about 29% of both genders answered “The Public” and 43% said “School.” The remaining teens felt that they were most comfortable around their homes. The responses to the ten questions show that adolescents are not quite confident out in the open. With an insecure attitude towards the public, teenagers are unable to carry out certain tasks until they are of legal age. Since society has only authorized people who are eighteen years of age, people who are younger than eighteen are unable to pursue mature ventures, and are therefore susceptible to negativity. However, people who are under the age of eighteen years that have a despondent mind don’t have the ability to control their mentality. Teenagers spend their lives observing and interacting with others. This would logically give them enough background to understand how to act. A person’s self-assurance is based off of their mindset, however some find that it is also possible for their mentality to be influenced by their intelligence. Following the trail of intellectual capacity means that a person had to start somewhere. It can be difficult for young adults to start somewhere because the intelligence of a young mind is not as developed as an adult’s. Additionally, a person may not have a great intelligence due to their genes or influences of their surroundings. This bares the question: is intelligence based off of genetics? David Shenk, author of “The Genius In All Of Us,” does not have faith in the concept of genes determining a person’s intelligence. “The old nature/nurture paradigm suggests that control over our lives is divided between genes (nature) and our own decisions (nurture),” he stated. “In fact, we have far more control over our genes—and far less control over our environment—than we think.” (pg. 93)
Shenk proposes that while genes can be held responsible for how a person may appear and behave, there are more reasons that pertain to the existence of a person. Whether people are genetically coded of intelligence, or impacted by their surroundings, a person will always be inclined to choose how they think, therefore its in their power to decide how to handle a situation. At the end of the day a person chooses how to act, meaning they can choose how to go about their mentality. Yet, how one handles situations makes a person. While we cannot control how the environment could impact or influence us, the impact that genes have on a person is controllable. Shenk argues that intelligence does not only depend on genetics. People would have to be intelligent in some way to practice a good mindset, and such things include the greatest marvels of history. Albert Einstein once said, “A clever person solves a problem. A wise person avoids it.” Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart stated, “People make a great mistake who think that my art has come easily to me,” to his father. These are two of the most successful people to come before our time. They strived — Einstein theorizing, Mozart practicing — and eventually, their goals were achieved through practice not “great intelligence”. Despite their crumbling surroundings, the struggles that teenagers will endure are just that of any regular human, no matter the age. Whether a person is clever or wise is debatable. Intelligence can or cannot play a role in a person’s mentality. However, the art of practicing will directly impact their lives and while everyone cannot reach the same status as these two great composers, there should be no obstacle to hold them back.
South Street “There's a little different things there but you're never bored. My favorite memory on South Street, was in October actually and one of my favorite bands was playing at the TLA. I didn't have tickets...I just stood outside of the bus and then left notes in the door. Even though we didn't get to meet them it was still fun!” -Drue “South Street still has that old feel to it because it’s so near to Old City and the stores are really fun and cool.”-Goldie
Rittenhouse “This is one of the parks in Philly that can be peaceful in some spots, and lively in others. My greatest memories are reading in the grass with Mr. Chase, going to the summer festivities, and walking around the perimeter with my mom.”-Karly “Rittenhouse is a very peaceful and respectable place where you can also go to hang out. The best time to go is during the summertime when they have the fountain on.”-Tyanna
Just A
Struggle Helping teens who are struggling through life
Words By: Danielle Little, Laura De Jesus, Dakota Foster, and Kilah Kemp
Teenagers go through many different social situations as they grow up and go through high school. Not all the moments are happy, not all of them are special, and sometimes it is just a struggle. Adults think it is an easy life and our problems are just petty, but it can get very difficult for some teenagers. The best thing is to seek some advice. Here are some questions that we have gathered from a survey that we sent out to teenagers and we do the best to give the best advice to them. Here is our best attempt to try and answer these challenging questions.
Who are some of the best people I could turn to when I want to talk about my problems? The best people to talk about your problems with are your close friends or someone you trust with your personal issues. A family member is a good option as well because they know you and 9 out of 10 times, they will not betray you. Someone you trust that is an adult, because they could have been through the same things you are going through.
How to deal with overbearing/overprotective parents? Why do people chose to be in unhealthy relationships? Start off with a contract, agreeing to terms which both parties are willing to accept. Include privileges. In discussion, remember and understand that your elders view you as a child. Therefore show some respect for their elderness. How can we make our relationship stronger and how can we deal with jealousy and trust issues? Within every relationship there will be issues such as cheating, lying, and anything of that sort. The only thing you want to avoid is accusations because that will not resolve anything. If you aren't sure of something, ask or wait it out and see what happens next. Accusing can cause a lot of issues, the person being accused might feel like there is a lack of trust in order to willingly open up. It is healthy in a relationship to communicate with each other, communication is key. Getting loud and getting violent only makes the issues worse and causes more problems. Bringing other people into your relationship issues isn't a good idea.
Although we are highly intelligent and we know when we are being mistreated but we can get blinded by those we like/love. It also is a sense of self confidence and self wealth. If you know that you are being mistreated then you should immediately get out of that relationship. If you respect and love yourself then so will your partner. How do you expect someone else to treat you right and you can’t even do that for yourself. We only accept the love we THINK we deserve.
Choose Carefully or Risk It All
social things on it. Once students have this, they should look at it often so they know what they have to do and can better manage their time each day. This is the first big step that will greatly push teens in the right direction. Another method teens should consider is shortening their party time. If teens stop partying every weekend and do it every other weekend, it will make a significant change in students’ academics. Students should spend their weekends studying, reading, or doing homework instead of partying. All of those extra hours of studying will make student smart and could make them very successful in the future.
Words By: Brandon Mangum Students in today’s day and age can only handle two of the three important factors on the college triangle. For those not familiar with the college triangle, it consists of social life, academics, sleep. When students try to manage all three at once it frequently backfires.
Sleep
According to studies, managing all of these things can be very difficult for most Americans. Time management is also the biggest problem that teens have a hard time mastering, according to Estelle E. Price. Numerous amounts of students in high school and college have many things to manage on top of their academic and social life. They do sports, prep classes, and other personal responsibilities. This seems to overwhelm most students. In order to better understand the situation, we had to take a poll and ask students how they balance the college triangle. After review of the results from the poll, we noticed that there is a trend in their responses. It seem to be that most student either choose academic and sleep or social and academic. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it would better if we could find a way to manage all three factors. From my studies I know that managing social and academic could at times be a problem because a lack of sleep causes students to sleep during class, or anywhere else for that matter. This can all be prevented with some easy steps. According to Estelle E. Price teens should try to work better on their time management. To do this correctly a student would have to properly organize his or her schedule. It should be very detailed and have everything from school to
Social Life
Academics
WINTER 2013