ROR Magazine: Lifestyles of the Global Educationist - Spring/Summer 2023 by Dartmouth Associates

3 PUBLISHER Thomas Schenck, President Dartmouth Associates EDITOR Rhodora O COVER & CREATIVE DIRECTION Hagan Schenck ART DIRECTION Rhodora O TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE Inam ul Haq APPROACH US: Website: www.rormagazine.com LinkedIn: RORMagazine CONTRIBUTE/ COLLABORATE: submit@rormagazine.com

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Meet the Team Meet the Team Founder/CEO/President/Publisher Founder/CEO/President/Publisher Founder/CEO/President/Publisher Dartmouth Associates and ROR Magazine,and ROR Magazine, Dartmouth Associates Dartmouth Associates and ROR Magazine, A Division of Schenck Enterprises Corporation A Division of Schenck Enterprises Corporation

A Division of Schenck Enterprises Corporation

Tom founded Schenck Enterprises Corporation in 2020 and created Tom founded Enterprises Corporation in 2020 Tom founded Schenck Schenck Enterprises Corporation in 2020 and cre- and created Dartmouth Associates as a global consulting, training and Dartmouth Associates as a global consulting, ated Dartmouth Associates as a global consulting, training andtraining and promotional company that empowers independent schools and promotional company that independent empowers independent promotional company that empowers schools and schools and colleges. Other than issuing the ROR Magazine, the first of its kind colleges. issuing the RORthe Magazine, first of its kind colleges. Other thanOther issuingthan the ROR Magazine, first of itsthe kind lifestyle publication for Admissions Professionals, there are plenty lifestyle publication for Admissions Professionals, there are plenty lifestyle publication for Admissions Professionals, there are plenty of well-established offerings by the company. Our flagship of well-established offerings by the company. Our flagship product of well-established offerings by the company. Our flagship product is ROR, The Results Oriented Recruiting System™, the is ROR, The ResultsisOriented Recruiting world’s first product ROR, The ResultsSystem™, Orientedthe Recruiting System™, the world’s first sales Training Curriculum curated exclusively for sales Training Curriculum curated exclusively for Admission world’s first sales Training Curriculum curatedProexclusively for Admission Professionals. We also develop national technology fessionals.Admission We also develop national technology summits and proProfessionals. develop national technology summits and promotional podcasts, givingWe key also admissions leaders motional podcasts, giving key admissions leaders precious summits and promotional podcasts, giving keyairtime. admissions leaders precious airtime. Additionally, Tom has pioneered the concept of Additionally, Tom has pioneered the concept of “Dynamic Brand airtime. Tom has pioneered “Dynamic Brandprecious Enthusiasm” thatAdditionally, introduces best-in class vendors the concept of Enthusiasm” that introduces best-in classthat vendors to schools and “Dynamic Brand Enthusiasm” introduces best-in class vendors to schools and colleges. colleges. to schools and colleges. For 25 years, previously, Thomas held leadership positions For 25 years, previously, Thomas held leadership positions such assuch ofFor School, and Director of Admissions, Development, and 25 years, previously, ThomasDevelopment, held leadership such as Headas ofHead School, and Director of Admissions, andpositions Placement. He awas a also founding trustee for Sisu Academy, a ofalso School, and trustee Director Admissions, Development, and Placement. He Head was founding forofSisu Academy, a tuition-free school that promoted entrepreneurship to underprivPlacement. a also founding trustee fortoSisu Academy, a tuition-free school thatHe was promoted entrepreneurship ileged students. He established Villain Crusher Marketing helping tuition-free school that promoted entrepreneurship to underprivileged students. He established Villain Crusher Marketing early-stage entrepreneurs find venture capital. While providing his underprivileged students. established Villain Crusher Marketing helping early-stage entrepreneurs find He venture capital. While various services, Thomas attained Presidents Club status and helpingservices, early-stage entrepreneurs find venture capital. While providing his various Thomas attained Presidents Club the top 1% national sales position for Yellow Book Media. He holds a status and theproviding top 1% national sales positionThomas for Yellow Book Presidents his various services, attained Club bachelor’s degree in Political Science from San Diego State UniverMedia. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from San status and the top 1% national sales position for Yellow Book and a University master’s degree Philosophy from Dartmouth Diegosity State and in aaUtopian master’s degree in Political Utopian Media. He holds bachelor’s degree in Science from San College. As the first actor to portray Spider-Man for Marvel Comics Philosophy from Dartmouth As the firsta actor to portray Diego State College. University and master’s degree in Utopian in New YorkMarvel City, he has highly developed skills for vanquishing Spider-Man forPhilosophy Comics in New York City, he has highly from Dartmouth College. As the first actor to portray evil! developed skillsSpider-Man for vanquishing for evil! Marvel Comics in New York City, he has highly developed skills for vanquishing evil!

Thomas k c n e h c S

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CEO & Founder

Sadat Jabeen aka Rhodora O CHIEF EDITOR & DIRECTOR After her M.Sc. in Psychology from the University of Karachi, Sadat was in the middle of postgraduate studies in Educational Psychology, when she had to settle for a freelance career for the sake of her family. She helps fiction and nonfiction authors through most of the stages of self-publishing, mentors manuscripts, and lays out final drafts in attractive book formats. She has helped many entrepreneurs, non-profit projects, self-help gurus, and self-publishing authors and poets translate their visions on the page. Rhodora is a writer herself and dabbles in short stories, poetry, screenplays, and essays exploring the interface of technology and society. As a POC, at-home mom, Sadat envisions the ROR Magazine as a springboard for highlighting challenges, obstacles and achievements of independent schools admission professionals, while creating a flagship reading mix of lifestyle and culture.

Ceci Guzman ASSISTANT TO THE CEO

Meet the T

Like the rest of the team, Ceci brings an entrepreneurial approach and an eclectic and dynamic mix of talents and passions to the job. Being incredibly organized (she even loves color coding for fun), her chief role is to essentially help organize Mr. Schenck’s professional life to make sure that his time is best spent on 10,000 ft tasks and out of the weeds, as he manages the company’s explosive growth. Additionally, she will work on special projects as they are needed.

Besides her role at Dartmouth Associates, Ceci stays focused in the gym with her powerlifting routines. She loves anything outdoors and Founder/CEO/President/Publisher never turns down a new place Dartmouth to hike. SheAssociates continuesand to challenge herROR Magazine, self by learning coding in her spare time. One fun fact about her is that A Division of Schenck Enterprises Corporation when she was little she wanted to race for Nascar and that passion remains as she tries to keep her muscle car under 100 mph.

Tom founded Schenck Enterprises Corporation in 2020 and created Dartmouth Associates as a global consulting, training and promotional company that empowers independent schools and colleges. Other than issuing the ROR Magazine, the first of its kind lifestyle publication for Admissions Professionals, there are plenty

Hagan Schenck VICE PRESIDENT AND ARTISTIC DIRECTOR FOR WORLD BRANDING He supervises all critical brand visual and content aesthetics for both ROR Publications as well as the universe of Schenck Enterprises including Dartmouth Associates Family of Services, such as ROR Training, ROR Consulting, and ROR Promotions. He also reviews and stabilizes the aesthetic consistency of websites, social media, and all collateral promotional campaigns. A New York trained artist and entrepreneur, he has contributed his talents to a broad range of creative and business endeavors including The Aware Wolf Collective, a branding and promotional agency, as well as developing a motivational and fitness system that promotes the All I Know Is Go training system.

Binte Noor

WEBSITE & SOCIAL MEDIA ADMINISTRATOR

Born in Sharjah, UAE, Binte Noor grew up to be a Bachelors in Computer Science and Information Technology from one of the most prestigious universities of Pakistan. She can create any website from scratch, and loves to use pre-fabricated templates from state-of-theart website creation platforms to her advantage. She has done an excellent job carving and maintaining an online presence for the ROR Magazine in the past year. Her website is professional, functional, aesthetically pleasing, and of great value for the recurrent and prospective patrons of the magazine alike. In her free time she remains a doting mother of two lovely daughters, apart from pursuing other personal interests.

Trey Pray

DIRECTOR OF GLOBAL MEDIA AND OUTREACH Trey manages the production of the podcast aligned with the ROR Magazine, the Admissions Entrepreneur, A Day in the Life, across all audio and visual platforms. He has created a ground-breaking podcasting system allowing our admission professionals to be featured in sound and print around the world. Previously he founded Hype Music Network in 2013 with the start of his first podcast “The G-List Show.” Trey set out to give musicians and up & coming creatives and entrepreneurs an opportunity to share their talent globally, all the while creating high-quality content.

Publisher’s Message

Dear ROR Magazine family, Happy Terrific Spring! More sun on all of our faces always brings a sense of hope and rejuvenation. My wife, Nancy and I, as well as the ROR staff, wish you an incredible new season! As communication becomes faster, informing all of us on the issues of the world, I believe that this allows us to truly understand we are far more alike than we are different. To that end, ROR Magazine continues to expand not only our subject matter but our audience. Initially, our focus was on the network of the admissions world but we have seen that with the broad scope of our articles and features, our brand not only touches the breadth of educators worldwide but also those who embrace the journey of knowledge from any perspective. Hence, moving forward our new title will be: ROR Magazine, Lifestyles of the Global Educationalist. Consequently, we are very excited to bring you our current edition under the new name. Using this new name, we hope to broaden our scope to include advocating for underserved populations around the world. It is our hope that we all seek to embrace each other despite all our differences so that we can not only appreciate but use each others’ strategies and skills to become more empowered as we continue to make the world a more cohesive community. I personally start with the premise that there is a unique genius in every human being. If tapped correctly, we can not only do great things in this world but enhance our genius by learning from others. Take for example someone who is blind… they have compensated by growing their other senses such as hearing, smell, and touch. If we take the time to understand their strategies we can become stronger. This too applies to someone who has lost an arm… how they compensate with their other limbs can give us other strategic insights for our own lives… they have shown us another approach to the world. Similarly, consider someone neurodiverse who experiences dyslexia. Suppose they find it difficult to read and comprehend easily. But they too, have developed strategies that we can learn from as they are able to comprehend and organize multiple ideas simultaneously. My brother, Mark, never learned to read until the age of 20, but he could construct model cars without reading the instructions. Later in life, he used that ability to visually construct pieces of puzzles in his head to design and build beautiful tiled bathrooms. Embracing diversity in all forms of humanity will make us better human beings throughout our lives. The richness of our differences is what we will continue to explore in ROR magazine. That said, we encourage all of you to please continue to submit your genius projects and articles for the benefit of our readers from around the world. As always I thank our advertisers and sponsors to allow us to bring unique insights from across all continents. May your days continue to be filled with gratitude and love as we all appreciate the gift of daily life.

Thomas Schenck Tom Schenck Publisher

“French riviera, vintage illustration by János Vaszary on transparent background. Remixed by rawpixel. Original public domain image from Web umenia”

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Edi ial

15 time of the year comes with its own sequence of seasons, festivals, flavors, and cultural Every expressions. The onward march of the months reminds us of the cyclic nature of life and history!

Still, every march, flow, and stream, natural, metaphorical, or man-made, leaves the morass of wisdom gleaned painstakingly from the foliage of experience.

What we gain and lose depends as much on our tenacity through the ups and downs in life as on our ability to keep our sights on the fruits that lie ahead in the future. Everyone of us has a right to seek out our guilty pleasures, to reach for support, relaxation and things that keep us happy and help us feel content and relaxed. And yet, all of us are required to give up immediate leisure to grab the reins of tomorrow. We can’t only catch fruit to derive nutrients from its flesh. We also dig and save the seeds and sow them to grow a future out of them. This is what the age-old adage, “You can’t have a cake and eat it too,” means. The wish to keep only the immediate rewards in our sights will leave us unable to reap long-term advantages that can only be obtained through a patient, time-consuming sequence of plowing, sowing, watering, and harvesting at long last. In today’s tech-heavy climate, everything runs on immediate rewards. Point systems, gamer coins, reward credit, and so on. All of these are the glitter and paper stars in such heavy, twinkling intensity that the real stars far off in space can hardly be seen anymore. The challenge of today’s educator is to train the learners’ sights one more time on those far sights. The destinations that can only be conquered after weathering storms and whales, ships that break, and a crew that defaults. The lone captain must dig deep into the reserves of their own souls to find strength. Their hearts must beat unflustered in the face of gales and high tides. Their brains must be equipped in resolving conflict, solving problems, and figuring out what’s hurting their ship, without needing to depend on anyone else. Allies are allies only when the wisdom and foresight of the captain’s mind draw them in. Let us think about the new leaders we are preparing inside the walls of a classroom. How are we equipping them with the kind of tools that are timeless, no matter what the era and its problems? Are we empowering minority leaders inside and outside the classroom to have wisdom in taking everyone together with fortitude, confidence, and the right that’s written in the constitution for them? Are we augmenting the majority elders of our future in keeping open not just the borders of a country, a workplace, a classroom or a living room, but also the invisible barricades of subtle hate and in-group and out-group toxicity? Are we capitalizing on the wonders of nature, of science, of art, of philosophy, of culture to unify talents, skills, and leadership across the board on common goals of humanity’s conquest and achievement? Are we watering hearts, souls, and minds with enough tenderness and care for those whose responsibility befalls our adult lives? From the soil under our feet to the air round our heads, every breathing animate or inanimate particle of life on earth and beyond is waiting. Waiting for our gaze. Not to be conquered in the name of dominion, but to become our ally in the conquest of our Future.

Rhodora O 31 MAY, 2023

Edgar Wulf

Jude Mire

Jude Mire is a Nova Scotia author who writes strange fiction. In addition to books, he’s been published in a wide variety of formats, from afro-futuristic comics for Griot Enterprises to creepy radio plays for Wildclaw Theater and more. Across genres, his work has an emphasis on creatively exploring the atypical, expanding inclusivity, and shaping meaningful visions.

Our Contributers

is a UK-based freelance writer with a passion for tech and video games. His work appears on sites like CyberPunks.com and TheXboxHub, and he also runs his own blog: Made in Arcade. When he grows up, Edgar hopes to become Hank Moody.

Dr. Barbara Harris

is a licensed medical doctor who loves educating the public on preventable medical conditions and diseases. She has chosen Public Health as her field of specialization. She has made her writing services available on Fiverr @dr_barbara.

Evangeline W

discovered her true passion was writing and editing at a young age when she was introduced to magazines, literature, and songwriting. She specializes in reviewing a variety of creative projects including music and movies of all genres. Evangeline was editor-in-chief of her college newspaper and has had many articles nationally syndicated. She has also contributed as a background writer and editor to various published articles and books.

Aaron Dishno

is the founder and CEO of HTTP3D Inc. WalkTheWeb. Aaron held the position of Webmaster and Programmer Analyst III for over 10 years for the County of San Bernardino. He has worked as a computer programmer, mentor, teacher, analyst, electronic repair, network consultant / installer, systems / server integrator, enterprise architect, and cloud architect for over 25 years.

Erin Slow

is a trained archivist with excellent research and writing skills. Thanks to a B.A. in Anthropology and 25+ years of living in another culture, she has expertise in Intercultural Communication as well. She participated in a theatrical project, Amicorum, designed to help young immigrants integrate into Swedish society. For the past 18 months, she has worked for a Swedish company, creating online content in Swedish. She also creates AI art, and specializes in transferring to sustainable economies as well as ecological alternatives to heal our plants.

Brittne Erios

is a professional writer, She has 9 years of experience in this field and I provide you with the best-written content you can find on Fiverr. She graduated from the University of Mississippi with a BA in English Language Arts.

Max

who calls himself an “acclaimed writer” is based in London, UK. He has a B.A. in English and creative writing from King College. He likes to exercise his writing prowess for a number of different functions such as writing for websites and blogs, reviewing food, movies, and culture, and covering sports.

Ozant Luiky

is a self-made vector illustrator who hails from Indonesia. He combines his skills and vision with the unique capabilities and facilities that come with various graphic design software such as Blender and Inkscape to produce his elegant creations. Displaying both a sense of humor and genuine artistry, Ozant avails his art samples on Pixabay and Instagram.

Zenkova Olga

is a professional illustrator who works in classical watercolor, Chinese painting, and Japanese painting since 2017. Olga has worked in an association of traditions and culture of China as well as Non-governmental organizations / NGO. Olga was born in Ukraine; she now lives in France.

Peter Hermann

loves to explore urban landscapes, architecture, and abandoned places through his camera lens. He generously shares his work on several prominent platforms such as Pixabay, Unsplash, and Instagram. His repertoire of stills is huge, breathtaking, and awe-inspiring.

Justin Wolff

is a young, self-taught photography out of New Braunfels, Texas. At only 22 years old, he has been honing the craft of photography for the past 8 years. He avails his work on Unsplash and his website www.justinwolffphoto.com, and is looking to move into the big leagues by winning real life events, company and other avenues of functional photography. He works with state of the art equipment and is available for consultation via his website. His work has already been featured by big online outlets such as Google and Buzzfeed.

Timothy Svoboda

lives in Chesapeake, Va. He is an avid runner, and enjoy taking photos along the way of his daily miles. He uses his phone camera presently, but intends to buy something with more capabilities in the near future. You can check out his output on Twitter @t_ photojunkie.

Mariam Iftikhar

is a self-taught graphic designer who can expertly handle a variety of graphic design needs such as flyers, posters, diagrams, infographics, and covers for magazines and books. She also has a history of teaching after her M.Sc. in mathematics from the University of Karachi.

Thomas Hawk

Featured Artists

Luis González

is a 34-year-old cartoonist from Venezuela. Through his drawings he has been able to cope with the deep problems of living there. He has loved drawing cartoons since he can remember and he really likes what he does. Luis is a prowrestling fan and also specializes in wrestling cartoons. Professionally, he is an expert in editorial, political, fanart, vector design, and comics.

Sumy Sarfaraz

is a Sharjah-born self-taught graphic designer who received her B.Sc. Degree from the University of Karachi. She designs artful posters and social media posts and self-publishes children’s books via Amazon KDP.

like to think of himself as a photography factory. He is trying to publish a library of 1,000,000 hand crafted, lovingly created, individually finished and processed photographs before he dies. Mostly he focuses on America. He already has around a million photos on his various Flickr albums as well as on his website www. thomashawk.smugmug.com, as well as on Stocksy. You can approach him via Flickr.

56 ROR INTRODUCTION Life Quest Academy for Girls

120 Excellence in Private Education

AUSTRALIA

focus

82 ROR INTRODUCTION LewerMark Insurance for Students

140 BLACK

148 ROR PLAYBOOK AMERICANS’ Foundational Skills: Funnel ECONOMIC STATE Vision (Module II: Step IV) by Thomas Schenck EQUITY By Brittne Erios TECHNOLOGY MULTI- 166 By Aaron Dishno

160

VERSE, ROR RESEARCH WATCH Funding for Private META Public Schools VERSE OECD Study

THE ERA OF DAM DECONSTRUCTION By Erin Slow

108

170 WHAT’S HAPPENING, ROR? Upcoming Events in the Independent Schools Sphere 191 ROR INTRODUCTION Cascade Academy

48 ROR POETRY: Ballad of the War Chariots By classic poet Du Fu 52 ROR STORY Cracking Daydreams By Jude Mire 76 ROR RECIPES CHO rich meals for Diabetics 104 ROR CARTOON “ChatGPT” “Modern Real Estate.“ 132 ROR ART: Mystic Moments Photography by HA 172ROR SCREEN REVIEWS Air & Beau is Afraid Reviewed by Max

24 By ROR FOLK MUSIC Evangeline W. Introduction

By Dr. Barbara Harris

Diabetics Food Therapy

CRACK I NG dayd reams 52 By Jude Mire

By Edgar Wulf

The Makioka 88 Sisters

Public domain, via Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid.

“The Woods at Marly,” 1871, by Camille Pissarro “This early painting of The Woods at Marly shows a path in the forest of the Château of Marly [England] viewed from Porte du Phare, with Marly-le-Roi in the background and featuring several small figures. It is painted using a technique of light touches of the brush that capture the vibrating light between the leaves of the trees in the same forest that Corot painted a year later.”

At ROR, we have always brought you choice reviews of both contemporary and classic selections. This time, however, we are broadening our scope with a spotlight on folk music from around the world. -- Editor. olk music is attributed stateside to the Americana genre with a lively blend of banjos, guitars, and instruments that inflect a positive attitude on the listener. When one thinks of folk, they generally remember songs such as Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Our Land” and Southern banjo anthems. However, the global influence of folk music is what makes the genre so diverse and beautiful. Folk can be traditional or alternative, as well as emotional and political. Today, we take a look at both national and international folk acts and some of the history behind this music.

The birth of African folk music that

we know and love today is attributed to its tragic roots in slavery when native tribes used song to communicate with one another. The slaves actually brought back percussion and string instruments (especially banjo) from Africa. In America, both solemn and spirited folk songs spurred the birth of rock n’ roll and paved the way for jazz and blues with legends like Billie Holiday and Robert Johnson sharing their life stories in their lyrics.

ROR FOLK Some popular African folk acts that resonate with an international audience in the continent today, include master drummer Mustapha Tettey Addy from Ghana and South African activist and singer/songwriter, Simphiwe Dana. Through their definitive storytelling talents, the people of Africa tell their compelling history through song. Other traditional styles of Africa’s folk music available for education and enjoyment include Marabi from South Africa, Gnawa from the Sahara desert region, Chimurenga from Zimbabwe, Apala from the Muslim Yoruba diaspora, Juju from Nigeria and western Africa, Mbaqanga with Zulu roots, and Kwela from the southern regions of Africa, and Makossa from sub-Saharan Africa. Truth is that the list of folk musical instruments and the music generated from them over the centuries is long and strong. Scholars have shown how influences from all over Africa are directly traceable through the colonization era to contemporary inflections and melodies from all over Europe. African folk music has been in flux for centuries, and has incorporated influences from the various cultures and traditions which have affected its history in modern times. The sound ranges through as many varieties as there are colors on a tapestry or emotions in a receptive human being. There are comprehensive archives of tunes, symphonies, and songs on the internet for your sampling as well.

MUSIC Introduction Dance Along To Latin and South American Folk Thanks to its African roots, folk songs from South America share Africa’s intricate percussion and groove. Most traditional South American folk music is conjoined to special dances, the most popular types being the lively “cumbia” and the Argentinian tradition called the “zamba.” Latin and South America are also known for political folk rock genres and flagship bands. In Chile, the genre of Nueva cancion was born in the 60s, and became so popular and widespread that it even became the focal point of Catalan nationalism in Spain in its heyday. It revived Andean folk music throughout the continent and began from a commitment to social good to representing the left and resisting Pinochet’s rule in Chile.

Prototype by Laurent Guidali 10 Brian Kay - Epitaph of Seikolos [Oldest Complete Song] The Seikilos epitaph is the oldest surviving complete musical composition, including musical notation, from anywhere in the world. The epitaph has been variously dated, but seems to be either from the 1st or the 2nd century CE. The song, the melody of which is recorded, alongside its lyrics, in the ancient Greek musical notation, was found engraved on a tombstone (a stele) from the Hellenistic town of Tralles near present-day Aydın, Turkey, not far from Ephesus. It is a Hellenistic Ionic song in either the Phrygian octave species or Iastian tonos. While older music with notation exists (for example the Hurrian songs), all of it is in fragments; the Seikilos epitaph is unique in that it is a complete, though short, composition. The following is the Greek text found on the tombstone (in the later polytonic script; the original is in majuscule), along with a transliteration of the words which are sung to the melody, and a somewhat free English translation thereof; this excludes the musical notation: “Ὅσον ζῇς φαίνου μηδὲν ὅλως σὺ λυποῦ πρὸς ὀλίγον ἔστι τὸ ζῆν τὸ τέλος ὁ χρόνος ἀπαιτεῖ.” “hóson zêis, phaínou mēdèn hólōs sỳ lypoû pròs olígon ésti tò zên tò télos ho khrónos apaiteî.” “While you live, shine have no grief at all life exists only for a short while and Time demands his due.” By the Etoille App; Flickr; CC BY 2.0

Facing Page. “African tradtional music,” art by Shoushy Kojayan; Wikimedia Commons; CC BY-SA 4.0

By Evangeline W

In Argentina, Rock nacional musicians were initially under rock influences from the USA in the 50s but they soon became a huge resistance movement all its own to internal war. Rockers and bands from this genre were consistently hunted and jailed by military governments in the country for enlightening the common folk against militarism. Other traditional folk genres include Vallenato from Columbia, Bambuco from aboriginal South Americans, Joropo from Venzuela, Huayno from Peru and Bolivia, Milonga from Uruguay and Brazil, and Chacarera from Argentina. Some classic folk groups include Argentinian supergroup Serú Girán and Aterciopelados from Columbia that are sure to get you off your feet. For fans of modern folk rock, you can check out the alternative sounds of energetic bands such as Onda Vaga and Baleia to enhance your cultural knowledge of all things folk.

“Cover to Banjo Paterson's seminal 1905 collection of bush ballads, entitled The Old Bush Songs.” Public Domain via Project Gutenberg.

The Melting Pot of Australian Folk Originally referred to as “bush music,” Australian folk songs were widely sung by convicts sent to Australia from Europe during British colonization in the 18th century. These tunes were inspired by both English sea shanties and the Australian outback, where they were made to work in harsh conditions and used music to lift their spirits. One example of this is “Waltzing Matilda,” Australia’s unofficial anthem: a jovial tune still performed and sung daily in the country today. However, all folk can be traced back to the Aboriginal Australians, the First Nations who have lived on the mainland for thousands of years and celebrated their culture through song and dance. The didgeridoo, the Aussie folk wind instrument, was invented about 1,000 years ago by these native inhabitants. Other, less well-known instruments and sounds invented by the aboriginals include the wooden clapsticks struck together to produce rhythm in chanting; the leaf of the Eucalyptus gum tree, used as a hand-held, free reed instrument; the bull roarer, consisting of a flat wood piece rotated by a cord attached to it to produce a humming sound; and rasp, a serrated club along which the edge of a boomerang piece is dragged to create a trill. In modern times, folk rock group Yothu Yindi have incorporated the bass sounds of the digeridoo in their music since the 1980s. Some of the aboriginal music genres that flavor today’s Australian folk landscape include the Djanba, a type of chorus music from in Murrinh-Patha language.

Wangga, from the South Alligator River, are ceremonial songs starting with a high note, accompanied by rhythmic percussion, and end in low notes. Kun-borrk (Adelaide River), bunggul (Mann River), yiri (Walpiri people), emeba (Anindilyakwa people), and manikay (Arnham Land) all have modern aboriginal traditions today with distinct influences on the Australian folk scene. Today, Aussie folk also blends the sounds of each continent with their own unique history. If you’re looking for popular and contemporary Australian bands, Tame Impala and Angus and Julia Stone pay homage to their homeland with groovy and folky songs.

Facing Page: Original poster on folk music by Sumy Sarfaraz.

Asia: Ancient Traditions Meet Modern Movements Asian traditional, folk music cannot be pinned under a single description because of the huge palette of cultures in one continent as far from each other in complexion and tradition as possible. Every region in Asia: Asia Minor, Far East, South and Southeast, Middle East, and, of course, Russia, have traditions with great depths and variety. Much of Asian folklore is a major influence on Western culture with Chinese zodiac and Buddhist teachings serving as global inspirations. Middle East folk music also deserves the spotlight as a major influence on the folk genre. American bands such as Beirut include Lebanese folk inspiration with upright violins and droning vocals that inspire much of Balkan traditional music as well from historical, cross-cultural interactions. Common ancient instruments include rabab, harps, chimes, and the singer’s own vocal chants played by ancient travelers who told their folk stories from land to land. Pentatonic scales are popular in Japanese folk, while gong and bowed string instruments are popular in China. Central Asia shares many common instruments with East Europe such as duotar. Asian dynasties also included “court music” for special ceremonies as early as 600 AD while keeping their parties private for the royal audience. Several folk music genres have left their mark in international music circles. These include the famous Punjabi bhangra, qawali from Pakistan, rag from India, jeongak from Korea, Bandung from Indonesia, maqam, sufi, and Andalusi nubah from the Arab world,

Bali folk music group from Indonesia. Pxfuel stock photo.

29 Irish and Celtic Folk Music: Then and Now Celtic folk music has deep roots in the 18th century with the Celtic people of Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. These lively tunes are generally showcased by a band of both women and men singers with beautiful melodies and historic ballads to share. These bands use a “call and response” style of singing, or “kan ha diskan,” with a vocal lead and joined harmonies. Popular modern Celtic bands include Celtic Woman and the long-running ensemble, Gaelic Storm. Irish-American folk punk bands such as Flogging Molly and Dropkick Murphys deserve honorable mentions in this subgenre of folk. These rockers are internationally enjoyed for their alternative and acoustic versions of classic Celtic songs and are #1 on St. Patrick’s Day party playlists.

Top Right. Saimisen, Kokiu and Biwa (1888) by William Gibb (1839-1929), a chromolithograph of a traditional musical instruments. Rawpixel. Public Domain. Below. Irish folk instruments. Adobe stock photo.

Europe and The United Kingdom: Songs of the Sea Sea shanties, or “chantys,” originated as work songs for sailors and captains to maintain worklife balance aboard ships in the 19th century. These chants and ballads were said to maximize the crew’s effort with a driving rhythm when loading the boat of cargo and keeping the vessel afloat on the ocean. These shanties were also inspired by African workers who sang while aboard the ships to keep their spirits positive. Sea shanties were also inspired by and an influence to famous authors and poets including Herman Melville, writer of Moby Dick, and Rudyard Kipling, famous for The Jungle Book. You can find renditions of sea shanties by 1970s folk music duo, The Silly Sisters, and Celtic punk rockers, The Pogues, when you’re in need of your own motivation.

“The Musician,” oil on panel, by Rudolf Ernst (1854-1932); via Wikimedia Commons. Public Domain.

31 A sea shanty illustration by Gustave Dore (1832-1883), probably published in one of the many Sea Shanty classics from Ireland. Public domain, via Pixabay.

“Illustration of sailors hauling on halyard, from an article on sailor chanteys,” by W. Symons, in Patterson, J.E. “Sailors’ Work Songs.” Good Words 41(28) (June 1900): 391-397. Public domain, via Wikipedia Commons.

North America’s Diverse Folk Sounds Americana folk music saw a great revival in the 1960s and 70s with classic rockers like Bob Dylan and Simon & Garfunkel paving the way for new artists. To this day, influential artists such as James Taylor and Joni Mitchell play live for crowds of all ages at festivals including The Newport Folk Fest, as well as their own solo shows. The 80s and 90s saw folk music continue to flourish and the introduction of folk punk bands including Violent Femmes to the mix. The 2000s were a booming time for Bright Eyes and other Midwest emo folk artists that focus on songwriting and unique vocals. The blend of rock and

“Woody Guthrie’s guitar: ‘This machine kills fascists’ American singer-songwriter Woody Guthrie thought fascism was the ultimate evil. His anti-fascist guitar and songs showed it.” Mural photo by Don Sniegowski, 10 Sep 2020; Flickr; CC BY NC-SA 2.0

folk remain popular to this day; award-winning bands such as Mumford and Sons and The Lumineers rule the radio and the top music charts. Each note from coast to coast demonstrates the diversity in the genre. Gogol Bordello from New York City is a prime example of the louder side of folk. Listeners can check out their famous soundtrack in the movie Wristcutters: A Love Story, also featuring rock legend and folk icon Tom Waits. Those seeking out gothic folk rock might enjoy unique artists like Vudu Sister from Rhode Island who blend horror stories with harmonies and haunting string melodies.

33 What’s Next For The Future of Folk Rock? From ancient times to the present, it is clear that folk music will remain a popular genre in all corners of the globe. There’s a subgenre for everyone, whether you like punk, dance, or traditional music with classic instruments. There’s an aspiring musician learning how to play the guitar and a songwriter working on the next folk hit every day! The internet makes it easier than ever before to learn how to create a folk song or find a compelling sea shanty to cover as a vocalist. In fact, during the pandemic, many artists collaborated with one another virtually to create entire albums without ever being in the same room. This gave musicians and listeners the opportunity to hear something completely new and unique, compared to the same five songs on the radio. As we advance further into the 21st century, many are concerned that technology (especially AI) will take over the world. A computer can technically write its own Celtic ballad, musicians are starting to take advantage of AI to enhance their own music. One can loop an African drum rhythm and a Midwestern guitar riff to create a new experience for fans of eccentric folk. In conclusion, folk music is universal and can be enjoyed by all listeners, young and old. Your favorite artist is sure to have a folk band in their list of influences. It’s important to understand the global diversity of the genre and respect the talent and craft that goes into each song. We hope this essay inspired you to check out a few international artists. Who knows, you might find a new favorite... Viva la folk!

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Disclaimer: All school photos have been taken from schools’ official websites / social media.

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focus 1800+ private schools 37

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DIVERSITY AWARD 1,547 strong student body

46% colored students

7:1 Studentteacher ratio $59,800 ANNUAL TUITION

262 advanced degree-holder teachers

Horace Mann School in New York is the kind of school that remains superlative in most traditional criteria of a school’s success and distinction year after year. This school maintains a very high enrollment roster with excellent faculty numbers and qualifications. And it does so at a whopping 43% minority ratio, higher than the state average of 40%. The school started developing its diversity and inclusion policy in 1990. Recently, the Office of Identity, Culture, and Institutional Equity (ICIE) has been consistently active in making sure both existing and prospective students feel accepted, seen, encouraged, and safe on campus. The school trains its faculty and other employees in anti-racism through professional development activities, including workshops, speaking events, and parent engagements. The school also requires that qualified candidates of color be in the final round of hiring for all openings at the school. There are student and administration led initiatives and projects to increase awareness and engagement with Latinx and Black diasporas. All these policies have made this school a leader in the successful attraction and retention of colored families in the enrollment register.

SPORTS AWARD 1,200 strong student body

$12,800 YEARLY TUITION

99% faculty with advanced degrees

30+ Sports offered

St. John was founded in 1966 and since then has built up an enviable legacy in sports. Today, the school boasts more than 30 team sports on offer. In 18 of these, men’s and women’s teams compete at freshman, JV, and varsity levels, both regionally and at the state level. The school’s YouTube channel boasts several montages of its annual sporting achievers. The school has also produced several professional athletes in professional sports. The sports on offer include Badminton, Baseball, Basketball, Bowling, Cheering, Crew, Cross Country, Dance, Diving, Equestrian, Field Hockey, Football, Golf, Gymnastics, Ice Hockey, Lacrosse, Paddle Tennis, Sailing, Soccer, Softball, Swimming, Tennis, Track and Field, Ultimate Frisbee, Volleyball, Winter Track, Wrestling, and more. St. John is not just high-achieving in athletics. It ranks high on the top enrollment list for New York State and has an exceptionally qualified teaching body with a ratio of 13:1, the same as the state average. The SAT scores are also typically high, with the class of 2022 averaging 1250.

ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

1458 Average SAT score, Class of 2022 87% Acceptance rate to world’s Top 50 colleges.

95% BASIS exam pass rate

$35,700 ANNUAL TUITION

BASIS Independent is a network of schools across the USA that pride in following the international style of private education over the national style, focusing on daily workloads, learning, effort, and application. The outcomes seem to pay off as the BASIS Independent School, Brooklyn campus in New York State, boasts an exceptionally high SAT average score for its recently graduated class. In international, OECD testing (PISA), BASIS students typically beat one of the world’s best academically performing nations at the school level, including China, Japan, and Singapore. All BASIS schools require their students to take Advanced Placement (AP) courses and exams in all disciplines. Their students, including Brooklyn’s, regularly pass the exams with 47.5% greater likelihood than the national average passing rate. Not only 60% of Brooklyn’s last class earn the AP Scholar distinction, seven won the National AP Scholar Award in Grade 10. The BASIS school system uses a uniquely designed curriculum system that is unmatched in breadth and depth in order to compete at the international level, with an intense focus on “content knowledge, critical thinking, and self-advocacy skills.”

EXTRACURRICULAR AWARD 79 Extracurriculars offered

$9,550 ANNUAL TUITION

22 Sports offered 83% advanced degree-holder teachers

2,464 students

St. Francis Prep is one of New York State’s biggest Christian private schools with enviable enrollment and an impressive minority representation at 44%. The school also happens to be one of the oldest institutions in New York’s history, having originated in the 19th century. St. Francis Prep boasts an extraordinary range of extracurricular activities on offer. Apart from its sports clubs, the non-scholastic options range from cultural groups such as Egyptian and West Indian, to literary, such as The Seraph, to clubs and activities focusing on various real-world engagement with various disciplines and social progress issues. Examples include Drug & Alcohol Prevention Team, Model UN, iPalette Club, Liturgy societies, Lectors, Extraordinary Ministers, Save Our Planet, Rock & Roll Club, Science Olympiad, Trial of the Century, and Urban Challenge. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2019, the school started #TerrierSTARProgram, or Student Tuition Assistance and Relief, in a bid to make sure that none of its families affected by the lockdown conditions were forced to leave the school. The school also allowed deferred payments for the next calendar year in order to ease the burden of the families affected. In the first year, nearly $2 million in fee payment was deferred, with the school preparing to deal with the deferments with either intervention or underwriting the fees.

BOARDING AWARD

1370 Average SAT score, Class of 2022

840 strong student body

$48,925 ANNUAL TUITION

7:1 Studentteacher ratio 87% advanced degree-holder teachers

16 sports 16 extracirriculars

Hackley School is exceptional in more than one way. It is the only boarding school that performs consistently high on a number of criteria for private school success, beginning with its annual enrollment numbers. The way the school deploys its co-ed day plus 5-day boarding school structure is impressive, maintaining a 7:1 student-teacher ratio with 87% advanced degree teachers, and a range of non-scholastic athletic and other activities on offer. Even though its current minority ratio is 22%, the school was founded in 1899 by Mrs. Francis Hackley with a strong focus on welcoming students from various ethnic, cultural, and religious backgrounds. The school recently launched its health and wellness center, receiving awards attention from regional engineering and architectural bodies. The center has allowed the school to expand its para-scholastic roster of offerings to even more choices. The cake of distinction, however, goes to the strong academic success of this school. Its Class of 2022 obtained an average of 1370 in SAT. The school offers 14 Advanced Preparation courses to its students on track to college.

SPECIAL AWARD TUITION COVERED by STATE

309 strong student body

4 sports 99% advanced 15 extracirriculars degree-holder teachers

The Child School is a special education school that offers K12 education and accommodates both state-funded IEP students and privately funded students. It has strong enrollment numbers and meets the needs of its student body with a strong curriculum and a full range of extracurricular activities. The school employs a slate of highly qualified teachers, as well as uses the services of highly qualified psychologists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, and reading specialists. According to the official mission statement, this school is a “learning community that focuses on the total child. Teachers, administrators, and staff collaborate with parents to accommodate each student’s learning style so that all of our students experience success. We embrace each child’s unique set of skills in order to enhance his or her self-image, motivation, and social skills - all of which are critical to a child’s success.” The school is co-educational with 12% minority representation. There are four sports on offer, including basketball, soccer, softball, and track and field. Extracurricular activities include arts and music programs, recreational athletics such as skiing, swimming, ice-skating, and cycling. In addition to a school newspaper and a student council, students help run an awareness and activism group called New York Cares. Other groups focus on the children’s future with SAT Prep and College Now.

COLLEGE PREP AWARD $50,000 ANNUAL TUITION

7:1 Studentteacher ratio

85% advanced degree-holder teachers

950 strong student body

25 AP courses

1424 Average SAT score, Class of 2022

Rye Country Day School excels in more than one criterion and ranks strongly in the top 20% of NYS private schools for most of the criteria reviewed by PrivateSchoolReview.com. The school is very well known for its extensive offerings of Advanced College Prep courses in nearly all the disciplines available. The Rye Country Day students regularly go on to win scholarships from ivy league colleges and commend their school on the strength of its curriculum. According to the school’s mission, “The purpose of a Rye Country Day education has always been, and will always be, to provide students with the experiences they need to uncover their maximum potential so that they can contribute most meaningfully to the world. Our commitments to academic rigor, personal development, and a strong community based on integrity and service to others extend back to our founding a century and a half ago.” The school promotes values as much as future college success. It counts several signature programs among its extracurricular offerings, such as Diversity & Inclusion, Public Purpose, Sustainability, and Global Studies.

INTERNATIONAL AWARD

95 clubs & activities 7:1 Studentteacher ratio $51,000 ANNUAL TUITION

955 strong student body 30% colored students

90% advanced degree-holder teachers

One of 6 global Dwight Schools in the world, the Dwight School in New York, was the first to offer the International Baccalaureate curriculum on American soil. The educational philosophy is simple: to spark the genius inside every child. The school has taken advantage of its global connections to arrange 18 trips & exchanges so far across the USA and abroad. The school covers students from more than 40 nationalities. The school is known for starting its “Spark Tank Program” with weekly episodes where students are allowed to come up with application of academic ideas in the real world. Currently, there are 70 different student projects in the tank. The school’s strong academic performance results from a number of strategies including its Quest Program. Designed to emulate Oxford University’s tutorial mentorship model, the program supports students with learning differences navigate the tough IB curriculum. The school also boasts a resourceful Design, Engineering and Technology Program bringing the world’s latest tech possibilities to its students’ fingertips to explore.

“Spring Bird Folk Art Illustration: Scandinavian art featuring a bird within a circle of abstract shapes, a heart and florals on a muted pink background.” By Linnaea Mallette via PublicDomainPictures.net

“Magnoliakvist/Magnolia branches,” illustration by Anna Wolf. Public domain, via Flickr.

Original illustration by Zenkova Olga, commissioned by the ROR Magazine, and depicting the themes of “Ballad of the War Chariots”

The Tang Dynasty era is considered the golden age of poetry in China’s history. One of the major poets of this age was Du Fu. He was a Confucian, and a politician, and his poetry serves as a great record of the era’s history and his personal life and times.

Du Fu was unable to carry his dreams of public life and lived through much adversity. That is why his language and lyricism are a timeless mix of erudition with compassion for the downtrodden. This eloquent painting of the common man’s life is beautifully illustrated in the poem we feature here.

49 The jingle of war chariots, Horses neighing, men marching, Bows and arrows slung over hips; Beside them stumbling, running The mass of parents, wives and children Clogging up the read, their rising dust Obscuring the great bridge at Hsienyang; Stamping their feet, weeping In utter desperation with cries That seem to reach the clouds; Ask a soldier: Why do you go? Would simply bring the answer: Today men are conscripted often; Fifteen-year-olds sent up the Yellow River To fight; men of forty marched away To colonize the western frontier; Village elders take young boys, Do up their hair like adults To get them off; if they return It will be white with age, but even then They may be sent off to the frontier again;

BALLAD OF THE WAR CHARIOTS

Frontiers on which enough blood has flowed To make a sea, yet our Emperor still would Expand his authority! Have you not heard How east of Huashan many counties Are desolate with weeds and thorns? The strongest women till the fields, Yet crops come not as well as before;

Lads from around here are well known For their bravery, but hate to be driven Like dogs or chickens; only because You kindly ask me do I dare give vent To grievances; now for instance With the men from the western frontier Still not returned, the government Demands immediate payment of taxes, But how can we pay when so little Has been produced? Now, we peasants have learnt one thing: To have a son is not so good as having A daughter who can marry a neighbor And still be near us, while a son Will be taken away to die in some Wild place, his bones joining those That lie bleached white on the shores Of Lake Kokonor, where voices of new spirits Join with the old, heard sadly through The murmur of falling rain.

“A beautiful panoramic view of a lake.” Timothy Svoboda generously shares an original photograph from his backyard with the ROR Magazine.

Facing Pages. Original AI-generated art made by Shutterstock engine using prompts from Jude Mire’s ROR Story for the Spring/Summer 2023 issue.

CRACKING daydreams BY JUDE MIRE

53 It was metal and rivets and magic. And it was leaving. The great sloppy rocket shuddered and wobbled its way up into the night sky, headed for who-knows-where. Someplace better. Julia didn’t feel sad because she wasn’t on-board and wasn’t going with them. She was confident she’d be on one eventually. She’d been working hard on her imagination. Her older brother, Trevor said it was almost there. No, Julia was a little sad because it was Becky rising up into the speckled darkness. Her good, big sister-style, always there when she needed her, Becky. They’d spent their whole life next door to each other. Becky always was the most fun to play with and had such wonderful ideas all the time. She’d miss her terribly. She watched the spaceship until nothing but a smear of smoke remained, streaked in a curve across the starlit heavens. “C’mon, Dinger. She’s gone. Let’s go home now.” The black cat at her side blinked but didn’t move. Julia gathered up her multiple sketchbooks, filled with pictures of strange creatures, silly poems, and over two hundred types of madeup flowers she’d sketched, named, and cataloged. She shoved them into her bag along with her action figures, yarn, and polished glass. Trusting that Dinger would follow at his own pace, she headed across the roof to the ladder down. She needed to get back soon. She’d already taken too long. If she was lucky, Trevor may not have noticed she’d gone out to see Becky’s departure. But it was a thin hope. Her older brother was pretty good at keeping an eye on her. Even better than Dinger was. Trevor was a good brother, for the most part. He helped decorate her room and was always eager to join in any game she came up with. He brought her toys and tidbits, paints, and craft supplies. Mostly things he got from a fantastic marketplace on the far side of town that he called Trash. She’d never been there, but it had all sorts of amazing little things. He was quick with a smile and could make her laugh by just pointing his finger at her. She knew he loved her very much.

But Trevor never wanted her to leave their tiny apartment. She wasn’t allowed to look outside, even though they were really high up, and she could have probably seen the whole city. He’d covered them with a painting of ships sailing on clouds, like mock stained glass. He said the world was “spirit crushing” and the less she saw of it, the better. He said it had happened to him. “I was just like you, Julia,” he’d say. “It was my daydreams that were going to guide one of those ships up. To help take people to amazing new places. But I spent too much time looking around here. Too focused on the world. You can’t do that, Julia. It’s not good for you. Earth is a cage and it’ll trap you if you think about it. If you must go out, try to ignore it. You don’t want any cracks in that imagination of yours, do you?”

Just last week, when she’d snuck out in search of fairies, she’d smelled something that made her stomach growl and her mouth water. Certain that it was some magnificent feast, she’d resisted the urge to look. When they got home, it was the first thing she’d asked Dinger to describe. As he curled on the end of her bed, licking his hindquarters, he’d explained to her that it was, in fact, the aroma produced by a fish in a robotic suit. He went on to spin a fantastic tale about how this particular fish normally lived on the bottom of a lake, but the lake was near a strange sandwich factory. The sandwich factory only made perfect sandwiches and, whenever one wasn’t just right, they’d toss it into the lake. There, it would settle to the bottom, and, by amazing coincidence, made the fish smell wonderful!

And Julia did her best to try and ignore it. Even now, she kept her eyes on the ground, only occasionally peeking up, so as to not bump into anybody. It was tricky, with serpentine streets so thin between the domino-stacked buildings. It was harder, at night, to keep her bearings in the maze of shops and neon signage. She did her best, glancing as little as necessary. Some of it was interesting, but she was good at keeping her eyes off the things she shouldn’t see. After all, she didn’t need to look at them for herself. Dinger would describe it all to her when they got home. Dinger could watch all of it, of course. He wasn’t learning to help with the imagin-ometry calculations. He could look around as much as he pleased. He never spoke, per se, but she understood him anyway. He was a great describer. Dinger was an expert. She always had the most interesting conversations with her cat. She crowded into an elevator with about forty other people and went up three levels. She had to shove to get off with all the new passengers trying to get on. She tried to imagine they had good reason for pushing a little girl and almost trampling a cat. Perhaps, they were mind controlled by evil puppies, tired of little girls, and ancient enemies of cats.

The fish had rented the robot suit so that it could come out of the water on holiday, so it could sight-see the Vast, and maybe try one of the perfect sandwiches. When she asked about the sort of squealing, hissing noises that had gone with the aroma, Dinger told her it was a family of origami worms, obviously excited to see such a sight.

Or, maybe their heads were on backward, and they couldn’t see properly. Whatever it was, she didn’t look up to see. Dinger would explain it to her later. Just like he always did. She was only three blocks and a nexus point away from the Insparium Slums when she smelled it. That wonderful smell. Or, maybe their heads were on backward, and they couldn’t see properly. Whatever it was, she didn’t look up to see. Dinger would explain it to her later. Just like he always did.

55 She was only three blocks and a nexus point away from the Insparium Slums when she smelled it. That wonderful smell. The fish. She was kind of surprised to smell him again. After all, according to Dinger, vacations weren’t something the fish could easily afford. Why was he out here again? Whatever the reason, she licked her lips at the smell. She shouldn’t even be here. She was only out because she’d wanted to see Becky off. To watch her rocketship float up on fire and daydreams. She’d done that, and she should get right home, but, well, couldn’t she take just one peek? The delicious scent came from a vendor stall, not a fish in a robotic suit. The grubby counter was equipped with a grill, deep-fryer, and was manned by an overweight fellow in a stained apron. He had squinted eyes and a scowl on his face. The area was piled high with cages of live rats. Squealing rats, not adorable origami worms.

He took one out, held it by the tail, and swung it so its neck snapped on the counter-top. With a bored expression, he swiftly removed the head, limbs, and guts, skinned it, and dropped the rest into the deep fryer. Several already cooked rats, impaled on sticks, were spread out on a greasy towel next to a sign that said $10.00.

Julia gawped. It was nothing like what she’d imagined. It was brutal and horrible and... “Dinger, why did you lie to me?” The cat sat there and gazed at her silently. If this had been a lie, then what about the rest? She lifted her face to look up, but before she could make any sense of things, a figure burst in front of her, blocking off the marketplace spectacle. “Julia! You shouldn’t be out here. You know this!” Trevor took her by the arm and turned her away. “Come on. We’ve got to get you back inside.” Caught in the act, she immediately dropped her eyes to the ground and let him lead her. “I’m sorry Trevor, I just wanted to say goodbye to Becky. My Becky.” Trevor sighed heavily. “I know. I thought you might. I’ve been looking for you for an hour.” She felt the tension in her sibling and had some idea of what was at stake. It was only dreams, random imagination, and unfiltered creativity that completed the inter-planetary drive calculations. She was the one who could do it, get them on a ship, up, up, and away. He’d failed at it. Her best Becky hadn’t. Julia wished more than ever Becky was still here to tell her what to do. “You didn’t see much did you?” “No,” she lied. “Good,” he said.

Apocalyptic city. Stock photo.

Discover a curriculum that helps girls develop the skills needed to thrive in today’s world!

Empowering Young Women Through Self-Improvement A Holistic Approach to Personal Development So, what exactly does a “Holistic approach” look like at Life Quest Girls Academy? We strive to provide support that looks at the whole person, and not just one area of focus. We fully understand that each student who comes to Life Quest contains unique, individual traits that make them who they are. We fully support each student as they strive to develop their physical, emotional, social, and spiritual well-being to become well-rounded students who can reach their full potential.

Photos by Life Quest School

Life Quest Girls Academy challenges each student to become leaders in their respective communities as well as leaders in their own homes as they eventually raise families of their own. In a world where personal and professional growth is essential for success, Life Quest Girls Academy is dedicated to assisting and encouraging their students to become something rather than simply knowing something. Life Quest challenges its students to become self-reliant, dependable, confident, honest, and employable. Providing young women with the tools they need to develop their full potential; our proprietary self-improvement course is designed to empower girls with the skills and mindset necessary for a bright future. Here, we dive into the details of this transformative program. Life Quest Girls Academy provides young women with the tools needed to face life’s challenges head-on. The course is based on a holistic approach that emphasizes personal growth in an area of personal interest, personal accountability when it comes to daily behavior choices, and self-awareness as it pertains to building confidence and developing practical life skills that can be implemented throughout their lifetime.

Stress Management and Coping Strategies Life Quest’s self-improvement course teaches students how to identify stressors and implement healthy and appropriate coping strategies to maintain emotional well-being. This includes mindfulness techniques, relaxation exercises, and healthy lifestyle habits. We have found that keeping our students active and busy in wholesome activities helps them with their stress management and other anxieties they may be experiencing.

Emotional Intelligence The curriculum emphasizes emotional intelligence, as it is crucial for building healthy relationships and effectively managing one’s own emotions. Students learn to recognize, understand, and manage their emotions, as well as empathize with others.

57 Communication Skills Effective communication is essential for personal and professional success. The course teaches students the art of active listening, expressing themselves clearly, and navigating difficult conversations with confidence. Effective, clear communication is expected at Life Quest. Being able to communicate clearly with peers and staff is crucial to a student’s success while enrolled at Life Quest. Clear communication opens doors for opportunities when it comes to academics and everyday life as each student has specific needs and desires. Without effective communication, our fear is that a student may miss out on certain opportunities afforded to them such as off-campus outings and employment opportunities.

Financial Literacy Understanding personal finance is critical for future independence. The curriculum covers essential financial topics such as budgeting, saving, investing, and credit management. Our students have the unique opportunity to gain employment while enrolled at Life Quest Girls Academy at our soda shop named Soda Fix which is located on our campus. This of course brings in income for the students. They get to learn valuable budgeting and saving principles that will serve them well when they reach adulthood.

Time Management and Organization Students learn to manage their time effectively, prioritize tasks, and maintain a healthy work-life balance. This skill set enables them to be more productive and successful in their academic and personal lives.

Goal Setting and Achievement The self-improvement course helps students establish SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) and develop the strategies required to accomplish them. This process fosters a sense of achievement and motivation.

Development of a Personal Passion Each student will have the opportunity to identify and develop a personal interest or passion. Through our Self-Improvement Course, each student is given ample time to practice and develop their skills in an area of choice. Whether it be music, art, theater, sports, or any other interest or passion, our students are given time to develop their skills in a particular focus and ultimately develop more confidence in a specific interest. We encourage them to push the limits of their abilities and learn all they can about themselves in the process.

Health and Wellness Students learn about the importance of physical and mental health, exploring topics such as nutrition, exercise, and self-care. This enables them to make informed choices and develop healthy habits for a balanced lifestyle.

Capstone Project The self-improvement capstone project serves as the culmination of Life Quest Girls Academy’s comprehensive self-improvement course, challenging students to synthesize and apply the skills they’ve acquired throughout the program. Each student embarks on a personal journey, identifying an area of growth or a specific goal they’d like to achieve. Drawing on their emotional intelligence, communication skills, time management, goal-setting strategies, stress management techniques, financial literacy, and health and wellness knowledge, the students develop and execute a Capstone project that gives them the opportunity to showcase their talents, skills, and abilities. As they progress, they document their experiences, challenges, and triumphs in a reflective journal, fostering self-awareness and resilience. At the end of the capstone project, students present their achievements and insights to their peers and mentors, showcasing their personal growth and the practical application of their newly acquired skills. While it is not required, we also encourage each student to display their capstone project within the community. This empowering experience not only celebrates their accomplishments but also inspires them to continue their self-improvement journey throughout their lives.

A Bright Future Awaits Life Quest Girls Academy helps young women with the essential skills needed to navigate the complexities of modern life. By investing in their personal growth and development, these students are empowered to become confident, resilient, and successful individuals, ready to take on the world. With a solid foundation in emotional intelligence, communication, time management, goal setting, stress management, financial literacy, and health and wellness, the future is bright for the students of Life Quest Girls Academy. By fostering self-awareness and personal growth, this innovative program is truly transforming lives and shaping the leaders of tomorrow.

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“Coast near Antibes,” 1891/1892, oil on canvas, by Henri Edmond Cross. National Art Gallery. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Vault shaped ceiling of the courtyard of a monastery in Dresden, Germany. Peter Hermann, via Pixabay

Stock photo.

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F OO

An overview by Dr. Barbara Harris

T H E R for the A diabetics P

The American Diabetes Association cites the following diet-related goals, therefore all meal planning must be tailored around these: To achieve and maintain body weight goals To attain individualized glycemic, blood pressure, and lipid goals To delay or prevent complications of diabetes In order to keep things simple in our guide, all guidelines and use of diabetes-related words will only refer to those with Type I diabetes or those taking insulin. Before we take up detailed guidelines under different food groups, let us first look at some general strategies:

Timing Your Meals It is imperative to balance the timing of both your meals and drinks intake with your insulin injections. Your well-being depends on physiological processes such as insulin to carbohydrate (CHO) ratio and maintaining your blood glucose levels. If you are a busy professional, you are juggling several balls around adding your busy routines and constraints of your workplace and commuting arrangements to the food and physiology. It will be necessary to experiment with a routine that allows you to place meals, drinks, and insulin intakes at times that keeps your glucose levels in range at all times. Your planning should include having food portions available at work and during commute for both emergency situations and whenever a regular, proper meal is not possible in the day’s schedule.

Carbohydrate (CHO) Counting This is an important tool in maintaining your blood glucose levels. It involves knowing food amounts with their CHO yield. Note

we are talking about only the healthy sources of food here; sweets and processed foods are out of the question for you. Check the CHO page in this article for a refresher on which foods count as CHO for you. • • • •

Each serving of CHO-rich food yields approx. 15 gms of CHO. An average woman needs 45-60 gms (3-4 choices of different foods) per meal. An average man needs 4-5 choices per meal (total 60-75 gms). Needs vary depending on your body mass, and other conditions such as pregnancy, nursing, and sickness.

Glycemic Index (GI) and Load (GL) A problem with CHO counting done by itself is that there are around 600 different foods but they have different effects on blood sugar levels. That is some CHO foods raise blood sugar levels faster as they have a high GI, while others with low GI do it slower. There are some low GI foods that are also high in fiber and these even help control the blood sugar level by slowing down the absorption of glucose into the blood. Refined grains and potatoes are in the high category, whole grains are moderate, while non-starchy fruits and vegetables are the controllers.

71 When you work out with your physician or dietary technician, they will guide you how to use Glycemic Load (GL) to plan your foods. GL combines the index information of each food (GI) with the portion of the food eaten at a meal to determine the effect on blood sugar level from that food in that meal. Use the printable Glycemic Load Guide on the next page to find out how much a regular meal portion of common CHO foods raises your blood sugar levels. Having gotten the basics out of the way, let’s move on to the macronutrients first and consider food-specific guidelines for diabetic people.

The ROR Health Guide would return with a diabetes focus on other food groups.

Carbohydrate Foods ADA Recommendations Low CHO Regimen for all Type I Diabetics:

Low CHO Meals NOT Recommended:

• •

• • • • •

• •

Nutrient-dense CHO foods High in fiber: • Vegetables & fruits • Legumes & whole grains • Dairy products Minimize high-CHO, low fiber/nutrient foods. Avoid drinks with sugar.

For Fixed-Dosage Insulin Patients: •

Consistent pattern of CHO intake amounts and timings.

For Flexible Insulin Patients: • •

Learn CHO counting. Learn to include fat and protein content to determine mealtime insulin dosage.

Too severe or prolonged regimen. Pregnant and lactating women. Those at-risk for eating disorders. In renal disease. Doctor’s consultation/supervision necessary for meal planning.

Natural Sugars: • • •

Free fructose (natural part of fruits) is best at glycemic control. Sucrose (table sugar) equivalent to natural starch in CHO food, but leads to more weight gain. Sweet drinks are unhealthy regardless of type of sugar present.

Artificial Sweeteners: •

• • •

Seven FDA approved non-nutritive sweeteners: • Sucralose (Splenda®) • Saccharine (Sweet ‘N Low®, Sugar Twin®) • Acesulfame (Ace K, Sunette) • Neotame • Aspartame (NutraSweet®, Equal®) • Stevia (Truvia®) • Luo han guo Generally, not absorbed in blood or without any impact on blood sugar levels. Between 200-13,000 times sweeter than sucrose. A review of 29 randomized controlled trials showed that artificial sweeteners did not affect blood glucose levels of diabetics. Where glucose level was affected, it was due to the contents of the food eaten.

“Still Life with Fruit and Champagne,” 1869, by Helen Searle, Smithsonian American Art Museum. Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Tips on CHO intake in Diabetes:

•

A good source of fiber with every meal or snack.

•

Add whole grain to morning meals. Whole grains or oats must be the first item in the ingredient lists of hot or cold cereal, with no added sugars.

•

Only whole grain breads.

•

Add legumes and beans as a rich source of slowly digested CHOs to every meal.

•

Fresh fruits and vegetables everyday.

•

Replace white rice with brown rice, bulgur, wheat berries, millet, hulled barley, faro, or quinoa.

•

Replace regular pasta with whole grains, brown rice, legume, or other whole-grain-based pasta.

•

Fewer potatoes.

75 Physiology of Type II Diabetes.

All illustrations created for the ROR Magazine by Mariam Iftikhar. All recipe photos in the subsequent pages are from Shutterstock.

Effects of Therapeutic Insulin

USE: 1 chicken breast, skinned and boned. 1 oz low-fat mozzarella 1 artichoke heart, or 1/4 cup diced cabbage, spinach, broccoli florets, or green beans. 2 tsp sun-dried tomatoes 1 garlic clove, diced 5-6 leaves of basil, mint, cilantro, or parsley. salt & pepper to taste 4-5 drops of fresh lemon juice or white vinegar 1/2 tsp each of ground ginger & garlic 4-5 drops of olive oil. 1 small yam 1/4 cup each of diced asparagus, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, and bell pepper.

STUFFED CHICKEN BREASTS 1. Prepare the chicken.

a. You will need your chicken breast fillet cut in a butterfly shape, with two outgoing fillets joined in the middle. b. Marinate ahead of time using a few drops of freshly squeezed lemon juice or vinegar with black peppers, salt, drops of olive oil, and ground ginger or garlic, or both. c. Grind some fresh herbs such as basil, mint, cilantro or parsley leaves together in a blender for a wet paste and add to the marinate for extra flavor and color.

2. Prepare the stuffing.

a. There are as many options with stuffing as there are healthy, low-carb, high fiber, and high nutrient vegetables out there. b. Vegetables that go well as stuffing inside the breasts include: artichoke hearts, green cabbages, broccoli, green beans, spinach and other green and leafy veggies. c. Mix up the sliced or shredded vegetables with low-fat mozzarella strips and sliced sun-dried tomatoes. Season with tastemakers of your choice (salt, pepper, garlic powder, etc.).

3. Bake the stuffed breasts.

a. Now all you got to do is spoon the stuffing mixture across one side of the chicken breast fillets, thick. b. Fold one half of the breast fillet over the other and secure the stuffed sandwich by threading toothpicks along the open edges. . c. Bake on an oil-brushed baking sheet in a preheated oven at 300F or less for 20 min, after adding additional, optional spices and herbs seasoning. Broil lightly until golden brown. Pierce the breast with a chicken knife to check if cooked through. Remove when done and let rest for 5 min.

4. Prepare veggies to go with.

a. Peel boiled yam and saute them lightly after cutting it into cubes. b. Lightly boil asparagus, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower, then saute their diced chunks. c. Dice cabbage and bell pepper to preferred size and saute them lightly. d. Throw the veggies together and lightly season them with herbs, spices, and a drizzle of olive oil.

USE:

3 bell peppers 2 tbsp olive oil 1 onion, medium-sized 3 garlic cloves 1 lb ground beef 2 cups riced cauliflower 5 oz mushrooms 1 cup marinara sauce 1 tsp fresh thyme 1 cup mozzarella shredded salt & pepper to taste

HEARTY BELL PEPPER BOATS 1. Pick your peppers.

a. Any bell-pepper-based dish makes for a show of color. My advice is to pick one large or medium size from each available color. b. Wash the peppers and cut them lengthwise. c. Rid the cut peppers of seeds and extra membranes inside. d. Lay the boat-like bell pepper halves on your baking casserole and lightly season with salt and pepper.

2. Cook the mince.

a. Fry 2 diced onions into 2 tablespoons olive oil in a heated frying pan or medium-sized wok. b. Add diced garlic cloves and cook until the onions are translucent. c. Add ground beef and cook for 10 minutes. Stir well to make sure all the pinkness of raw meat turns to a healthy brown. d. Take out the cooked mince into a bowl and set aside.

3. Ready the stuffing.

a. Saute riced cauliflower in the same pan until soft and set aside. b. In a separate pan cook 4 diced (or 1 can) tomatoes in olive oil. Throw in one large onion half, half a teaspoon crushed red chillis, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, and a few garlic cloves while cooking. c. Crush softened tomatoes and garlic cloves with a wooden spoon and let simmer for a further 5 min. Add salt to taste, then set aside. Marinara sauce is ready for the stuffing! d. Mix marinara sauce with the cauliflowers along with salt, pepper, and fresh thyme. Heat on medium to low flame for 3 min. e. Combine the minced meat and mix in shredded mozzarella.

4. Bake your boats.

a. Fill the bell pepper boats with the mince plus sauce mixture. b. Sprinkle more shredded cheese on top. c. Bake in a pre-heated oven for 30 minutes at 350F, covered with foil. d. Remove foil and bake for a further 5 min to melt the cheese. d. Throw some sliced raw onions and cilantro if preferred.

USE:

2-3 zucchinis 16 oz ground beef 4 oz onions 2 garlic cloves 1 serrano chilli 3 tomatoes 5 oz mushrooms 3.4 chicken broth 1/2 cup low-fat mozzarella 1 tsp paprika 1 tsp dried thyme 1 tsp dried basil salt & pepper to taste

ZUCCHINI BEEF LASAGNA 1. Ready your zucchinis.

a. Zucchini’s shape allows you the choice of making a traditional, casserole-baked lasagna, or in the form of separated mini-lasagna pieces. b. Wash and peel the zucchinis and then cut julienne slice lengthwise. c. For mini-lasagna pieces cut each julienne slices into 3 equal pieces, otherwise keep whole. d. You may lightly broil or grill the zucchini slices. Dry extra juices with towel paper, if you do. e. Lightly sprinkle zucchini slices with salt. Set aside.

2. Make the filling.

a. Peel boiled tomatoes if you are not using canned ones. b. Chop or finely dice onions, garlic cloves, boiled/canned tomatoes, chilli peppers, and mushrooms. c. Lightly fry onions, garlic, and chilli in a skillet with a few tablespoons of olive oil for one minute. d. Add tomatoes and mushrooms and keep frying for four more minutes. e. Take out the veggies and cook ground beef with paprika in the same skillet. f. When beef is fully browned, add back the veggies along with 3/4 cup chicken broth and 1 teaspoon each of thyme and basil, both in dried form. g. Let the sauce simmer for 25 min over low heat.

4. Bake the lasagna.

a. Prepare a baking tray with parchment paper and preheat to the oven 375F. b. Prepare a traditional lasagna tray by covering the paper with uncut, lengthwise julienne slices of the zucchini. c. Spread the beef filling evenly over the zucchini as the next lasagna layer. d. Alternately add 2 more layers each of zucchini and beef filling. e. If you are making separate, mini-lasagna treats, finger-food style, keep each 6-layered lasagna sandwich separated on paper. f. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on the top layer of the lasagna tray, whether full-tray lasagna or several separates. g. Bake for 35 min. After taking it out of the oven, allow to rest for 10 min before serving.

Since our launch in 1991, LewerMark Student Insurance’s guiding principle has been ’Do the right thing’. Thirty years later, and with the second and third generations of Lewer family leadership now at the helm, this principle continues to drive us. We administer health insurance for international students because we believe those students and their institutions need better options—options that do right by the schools and students. We listen to our clients, adapt to their changing needs (and the changing times), and ultimately, help them protect the dreams and goals of our nation’s international student body. Similar to the K-12 schools we partner with, our level of service and care is holistic.

Client Advocacy The cornerstone of LewerMark's commitment to student care is our Client Advocacy Team. No matter the benefits we offer, if the student can’t understand or access their benefits easily or can’t get questions answered or provider billing problems resolved, we haven’t brought the student any value. That’s why our team is available by phone or web chat to provide solutions. They make claims processing and payment, billing and enrollment, and program management a breeze for you, for your international office, and for your students.

“We have been working with LewerMark for more than seven years,” said Kim Fiala, Assistant to the Head of School and Registrar at Thomas Jefferson School. “The team is always professional, friendly, and helpful. Annual renewals are simple and easy to complete. The claims folks are always helpful and quick to resolve any issues that crop up. We really value their partnership.” Simply put, we know you already have more than enough on your plate, so it’s our pleasure to handle the insurance administration duties for you. Speaking of insurance administration, have you ever tried to explain American health insurance to anyone? It’s confusing! The jargon can be intimidating, especially when it directly impacts both the student’s health and wallet. This is why our Client Advocacy Team hosts orientations for students and families. We’ll help navigate the complexities of the US healthcare system and even have a little fun while we’re at it—because we all know the topic of health insurance can be tedious.

Trusted Basics Our approach is to cover all the expected basics by providing a robust PPO network and low out-of-pocket cost immunizations, annual health checkups, sports physicals and coverage, and tuberculosis testing, to name a few. “We’ve yet to find a company that can match LewerMark’s product and customer service,” said Gay Bennett, High School Vice Principal, and International Program Director at Linfield Christian School. “Truly, the personalized website, knowledgeable staff, and immediate

Photo Credit (all on spread): LewerMark Insurance

83 response to questions set LewerMark apart from all the others. They are consistently outstanding and provide peace of mind to families that the medical needs of students will be met.”

Beyond Basics Like we said earlier, we want to build better options for students — using the global benchmark for features and design. That’s why we don’t stop at the basics. We go beyond the expected coverage to provide care that is directly applicable to the needs of international students. For example, LewerMark offers Interscholastic sports coverage. We know students in your schools like playing sports, — that it leads to a sense of community and builds character. So whether they hit it off with the tennis team or decide to kick it with the soccer team, we have the coverage that’s just right for them. They will be able to access care from anywhere, because we’ve brought telemedicine to international student care. We’ve partnered with Teladoc, the global leader in virtual care. They provide both general medical and complex care by web, phone, or mobile app. It is a convenient and affordable option that allows students to talk to a doctor who can diagnose, recommend treatment, and prescribe medication. But we didn’t stop there.

Adapting to Current Needs Even further beyond the basics, we are constantly adapting to meet new needs. We listen to our clients and students, and explore new options and opportunities to provide a product that students will actually use. After two years of quarantining, masking, and vaccinating, the coronavirus still hasn’t gone away. But we’re taking the panic out of the pandemic with a little common sense. COVID-19 treatment is covered under the LewerMark plan and medically necessary diagnostic testing is covered at no charge to your students.

The pandemic has also accelerated the concerning trend of emotional well-being among students, especially international students. Our plan offers outpatient and inpatient mental coverage if prevention and intervention methods at your school are not meeting your student’s needs. We believe our commitment to meeting the unique and changing needs of international students is why we hear such positive comments from our clients, like this one from Joelle Williams, International Student Program Advisor at Grand Rapids Christian Schools: "The strong desire for both rigorous insurance coverage for our students and efficient and professional customer service—for both our students and us as program administrators—led us to LewerMark Student Insurance. From the very beginning of our involvement with LewerMark we have been truly impressed by their knowledge of the needs associated with working for students in the secondary education market, their attention to details their quick responses to our questions, and their genuine desire to see students well cared for. Our switch to LewerMark has so far been an excellent move!”

“City Hall at Thorn, 1848,” oil on canvas, by Eduard Gaertner. National Art Gallery. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

“Penn’s Treaty with the Indians,” c. 1840-1844, by Edward Hicks. National Art Gallery. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Illustration depicting Japanese Geisha. Photo by Jojo (@fendermama10) via Pixabay.

The Makioka Sisters A CLASSICS ANALYSIS

By EDGAR WULF

.Wood; Ishiguro’s Klara and the Sun, and The Remains of the Day; these are the books you’ll find lining store shelves. Every now and then, you might come across something profound, like Miyamoto Musashi’s written martial arts doctrine in The Book of Five Rings. Though his writing has more in common with the former than the latter, Tanizaki’s name doesn’t come up often enough. Born in 1886, Junichiro Tanizaki wrote and published over two dozen books,

Facing Pages. Stock photos. 1. Book cover image of Tanizaki’s The Makioka Sisters. 2. Geisha in Kyoto, Japan.

Words often only have the meaning that we attribute to them. For instance, did you know that the word “gay” can mean cheerful and lively? Gay is how Tanizaki described one of the scenes in his book, The Makioka Sisters. And while it would probably puzzle most readers today, it wouldn’t have been out of place back in 1943, when the book was published. That’s nearly a thousand years after the world saw the publication of Murasaki Shikibu’s The Tale of Genji at the dawn of the 11th century — one of the first novels ever written. Despite this crowning achievement, most readers are more likely to be familiar with modern writers like Haruki Murakami and Kazuo Ishig uro Murakami’s Kafka on the Shore, and Norwegian

91 along with numerous noteworthy poems. He penned his final one, The Maids, just a few years before his death in 1965. Tanizaki lived through both world wars and the turmoils that unfolded on his own home soil. He’s considered amongst the most prominent Japanese authors, right up there with the likes of Murasaki Shikibu and Haruki Murakami. Had it not been for some of his later works, however, Tanizaki’s endeavors as a writer could have

gone well under the radar. Known as Sasameyuki in Japanese, and translated literally as “falling snow,” The Makioka Sisters is one of the key novels to solidify Tanizaki’s status in the pantheon of great writers of the world. It centers on a once noble family who lost their fortunes after the passing of the father. Now, their greatest predicament lies in the hope of wedding the second youngest sister, Yukiko, to hopefully improve their societal standing.

“Painting of Chinese landscape by generative AI” Stock photo by Freepik.

While arranged marriage is shunned in most of western civilization, the practice is still prevalent in many cultures. It’s commonplace in Asia, the Middle East, and various regions in Africa. Tanizaki’s story sets the stage with the so-called miai, an arrangement between two families to introduce the prospective husband and wife. Think of it as a blind date, but in the end, you must marry the other person. Both families meet over food and drink and discuss the prospects of them joining forces, so to speak. It’s more so a business arrangement, rather than a relationship based on feelings. One side would improve its financial standing, while the other would have the honor of adding the still-relevant Makioka name to their family tree. However, at no point is Yukiko forced to agree to a marriage, and the decision to do so rests entirely on her. Though she comes off as timid, Yukiko doesn’t hold back her disinterest, or disdain, for potential partners. Her resolute character gives the book a lighter tone during moments of utmost seriousness. But Yukiko’s hesitancy to marry leaves room for rebellious acts by her younger sister, Taeko. Custom demands that women may only marry in order of age. Meaning, Taeko is stuck with secretive relationships for as long as Yukiko remains single. As you can probably imagine, Taeko does everything in her power to go against tradition. She indulges in constant affairs that more often than not put her and the family in hot water. Her character brings a dose of harmless youthful rebellion to the story as her actions often clash with Japanese tradition at the time.

Said tradition is represented by the eldest Makioka sister, Tsuruko, and her husband, Tatsuo, both of whom seldom make an appearance in the story. Instead, they’re more of a nagging reminder for Yukiko, as well as Taeko, that they should behave in the best interest of their family. While the book’s premise centers around Yukiko, the story doesn’t give any one character too much of a spotlight. Initially, it comes as a detriment because many characters are introduced all at once and it’s difficult to evaluate the importance of the role they play. Thankfully, as the story progresses, Tanizaki constantly juggles between characters, giving each one a well-deserved chapter. Soon enough, you come to understand their motivations, their character and, more importantly, their intentions. Torn between duty to her family and love for her siblings, Sachiko, the second eldest sister, acts as a kind of liaison. Many events are conveyed from her perspective. She understands and respects tradition, yet often comes at odds with it due to her almost motherly demeanor toward her younger siblings. The story takes place over five years, between 1936 and 1941. Yukiko attends multiple miai during this time, all the while being jeopardized by Taeko’s irresponsibility. Understandably, Yukiko also grows increasingly weary as time goes by without a suitable groom. She’s getting older and her “market value” in the eyes of the opposite gender is decreasing. It’s a relatable story, one that gives weight to each character’s actions and decisions. Do you sacrifice your own integrity for the sake of tradition? Or ignore tradition to maintain your sense of self?

Call Mark Blackman Office of Scattergood Enrollment Management main 319.519.1860 direct 319.519.1856 www.scattergood.org

Top and Center. “Japanese Military PostCards of the Second World War.” Public domain via PICRYL.

It is easy to dismiss The Makioka Sisters as a nostalgic depiction of pre-WWII Japanese empire, celebrating the world of its females. Tanizaki’s elaborately painted details of their activities, their outfits, cooking, and hobbies would tend to suggest that. But at another level, the novel can also be taken as a political statement. Anthony Hood Chambers, a scholar and translator of Japanese literature, finds ample protest against new Japan’s militancy in the novel. The scarecly mentioned “rustic samurai” become conspicuous by their absence. More so when other major events of the time, such as The Great Hanshin Flood of 1938, are liberally featured by Tanizaki. This goes with the sheen of nostalgic remembrance in the novel’s lush descriptions, and the theme of hanging on to, well, the hangings and leavings of a past from which his world is moving on. Tanizaki’s detestation of the samurai is also mirrored in his open denigration of Tokyo in the novel. Instead, he finds the Kansai, Japan’s historical cultural center in the prewar era, much more attractive. Similarly, the world created around the four Makioka sisters is completely divorced from the ultranationalism that was encouraged, expected and even forcefully imposed during the time Tanizaki wrote the novel.

A delightful illustration of this is when one of the sisters is reading the newspaper at breakfast in what is wartime chronologically. But she merely looks up from the paper and says, “It is autumn.” The novel is full of such clever dismissals of everything the new Tokyo and Japan’s military were supposed to represent, so much that it did not escape the disapproval of military censors. According to their report, the novel “goes on and on detailing the very thing we are most supposed to be on our guard against during this period of wartime emergency: the soft, effeminate, and grossly individualistic lives of women.”

97 In this way, the novel takes an important slot in Japan’s literature, serving as the country’s secret history between 1936 and 1941. It devises the Makioka microcosm as that cozy place undisturbed by the flood and the bigger city’s dirt and grime, a place where you can hold on to all that we best about the emperor era while also welcoming the good from the new era’s updated value system represented by Yukiko and Taeko’s personal defiances of the old system’s caginess.

“Naval mine warfare map of Imperial Japan during World War Two Naval mine warfare map of Imperial Japan during World War Two, Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force Museum, Kure, Hiroshima Prefecture, July 2015: The U.S. laid 10,703 mines (coded yellow) mostly in the Inland Sea and on the Japan Sea coast; while Japan laid 55,347 (coded gray) around its core empire (Japan, Korea, Taiwan).” Image shared by Joel Abroad, Flickr, CC BY SA NC 2.0

Chiba Shunji, Professor Emeritus in Japanese literature at Waseda University, finds the novel structurally similar to emaki, the scroll paintings from China and Japan. Emaki, traditionally viewed, create a sense of time and episode since the panels are revealed as you roll open the scroll. Apart from a similar sense of flow of time, The Makioka Sisters is also more concerned with the episodic nature of the slowly changing lives of these sisters. There is no overarching plot leading to a particular ending here. Predicaments last only as long as the characters are prepared to endure them. And brief moments of joy are interspersed to give them a well-deserved reprieve from whatever life might be preparing them later. Using the unique features of his language, Tanizaki creates a fluid sense of perspective, with the shadow narrator able to close in or distance from any character at whim, or shift perspectives even in a single line. Another structural similarity is to the drawing technique that shows both the interiors and exteriors of a room at the same time. Tanizaki’s able to capture a character’s interior and exterior in the same way, creating a pictorial sense of time. He began writing this novel right after his translation of The Tale of Genji, which was first noticed for employing this drawing technique. This ties the novel deeply with that prototype for novels of the world, completing the cycle of the good of the new merging with the good of the past.

98 “Firestorm” de Yoshio Takahara” By Thejk1994; CC BY SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Journey of Narihira to the East (Edo, 1780), ink and colours on silk, by Maruyama Ōkyo. Musée National des Arts Asiatiques - Guimet, Paris. By Jean-Pierre Dalbéra from Paris, France, via Wikimedia Commons.”

100

Stock Photo.

“Utagawa Kuniyoshi 1797-1862 was one of the last great masters of the Japanese ukiyo-e style of woodblock prints he is associated with the Utagawa school. This print 1820 circa is the right hand side of a diptych of Actors Onoe Kikugoro (R) and Ichikawa Ebizo (L)aA aAVertical A’ban diptych; 36.5 x 50.7 cm. There is a copy in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston”

101

In The Libyan Amazons and the Conquest of Continents, nonfiction author Craig A. Candelore turns back time to bring the real Amazon women warriors of antiquity to life. Often regaled as myth, he unravels accounts of ancient civilizations to portray the actual flesh-and-blood Amazon women warriors. From their rise to their downfall, embark on a journey like no other in this exciting debut of this emerging author. What began as a book on ancient military history evolved into a thirty-year quest to unravel the ancient world's texts to prove they existed.

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103 What followed is a literary journey that crosses continents and millennia and combines writings and clues left behind by their ancestors - fueled by his passion for history. With his extensive history and military background, he recounts campaigns with vivid detail and the events surrounding them with tactical expertise. Long before the written word, the existence of this powerful tribe would be preserved through oral tradition. Not until 3,500 years later, to preserve itinerant tribal cultures from being consumed by the spread of Roman occupation, were the events surrounding these tribes put into writing. Mr. Candelore tells an extraordinary story of Myrina, Queen of the Libyan Amazons, and her conquests - not just of local tribes but across continents. This female-dominated society emerged from Western North Africa many generations before the Carthaginian and Roman occupation. Their conquests stretched from the Atlantic deep into Europe and beyond. The female version of Alexander the Great, she led an army of 33,000 female warriors across the Mediterranean world and beyond. A fierce warrior, and brilliant commander, Myrina destroyed her enemies with the combined arms of infantry, cavalry, and archery protected by impenetrable armor fashioned from the skin of giant pythons. His extensive research covering the entire phenomena led him to conclude that they existed in multiple historical periods, half a world apart. From Morocco to the eastern Kazakhstan border near China, in three distinct waves of occupation, painstakingly recreated in a literary trilogy. The Libyan Amazons and the Conquest of Continents, The Thermadon Amazons, and the Attack on Athens and The Scythian Amazons and the Amazon Nation. Drawing from ancient texts and modern discoveries, Craig Candelore takes you on a fascinating journey into the world of the Libyan Amazons - considered by many to be the original society of “wonder women.” Answering the questions of where they originated from, how they lived, and how they became so feared, so fierce, and so powerful. Throughout history, accounts of events” vary widely based on the societies reporting them. Therefore, what makes writing about history challenging--also makes it rewarding. Extensive research and translations of texts and accounts of ancient civilizations in both content and context are key Since his early youth, Mr. Candelore has been fascinated with history and military history. Uncovering the untold story and proving the existence of the Amazon women warriors of antiquity played to his strength and quickly became his passion. He spent the better part of the last 30 years diving deep into the ancient world on a personal quest to prove the existence of one of the most dynamic groups of female warriors ever to walk the face of the earth. He feels privileged to be able to bring this story to light. Mr. Candelore is the son of a US senior foreign-service officer. Raised in Europe, he attended French schools for most of his childhood. At sixteen, Craig became an interpreter for the United States at the United Nations convention in Geneva, Switzerland, translating into French, German, and English. Mr. Candelore graduated from the United States Military Academy with a bachelor’s in science and engineering. After serving his active-duty obligation, he entered the Army Reserves, where he achieved the rank of colonel. One of his assignments in the Army Reserve was teaching military history. He currently lives in San Diego, CA, where he practices family law.

Ghost writers and lazy scholars, your Holy Grail cometh!!!

Original illustration from Luis Gonzalez, commissioned by the ROR Magazine.

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ale: S r o F , room

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Digital illustration by Ozant Luiky. The Pixabay License.

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DECONSTRUCTING DAMS Krasnoyarsk Dam, Yenisey River, Divnogorsk, Russia. Stock Photo from Shutterstock by Evgeny_V.

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A FESTERING PROBLEM OF OUR ERA by Erin Slow

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In the latter part of the 20th century, a growing number of urban planners began to express disapproval of America's obsession with cars. Furthermore, the construction of too many roads and highways contributed to the transformation of our cities into uninviting and dreary landscapes. The combination of escalating gas prices and worries about carbon emissions has resulted in many average Americans echoing these concerns and looking for alternative solutions. As a result, we are now reconsidering the concept of decentralized and pedestrian-friendly cities.

Mumford’s Ideas on Urban Planning Luis Mumford was an esteemed American thinker, historian, and philosopher who left valuable critiques of the increasing trends of consumerism in technology that he observed in the last century. In his award-winning book, The City in History, he harshly criticizes the phenomenon of urban sprawl and spends much time detailing how its opposite, decentralized ur-

Mumford writes that urban planners must see the neighborhood as the primary unit of a city. He argued that planning cities around freeways, downtown architecture, and other infrastructure was not sustainable in the long run and would lead to other unpleasant repercussions as well. We can see an exemplification of Mumford’s ideas in Robert Moses, the premier mid-century urban planner of America.

ban architecture would work and what would it mean. Mumford became disillusioned with the myth of Western progress at the outbreak of WWI. He came to the conclusion that desired social change can only be a result of human agency rather than inevitable “historical forces” which may not lead us on the right path.

“Bigger is better syndrome” extended to other forms of infrastructure in addition to city planning. One example is dams many of which were designed for flood control rather than power generation. Major hydroelectric power plants were a centerpiece of 20th-century infrastructure all over the world. This was the case in communist China and the USSR, as well as the United States.

A Dam Hard Problem... Mumford must have loathed these megastructures. Dams today are reaching the end of their life expectancies and need to be rebuilt or replaced entirely. In the US, only a few large dams provide most of the power generation capacity and none of those have been replaced. Instead, most dam removal projects have removed the smaller flood control dams.

However, as the present hydroelectric dams are at the end of their lifespans, they must be replaced or removed entirely. In the latter case, an entirely new option must be found. 100 years is the average life-expectancy of a hydroelectric dam, so time is running short.

One of the problems with traditional hydroelectric plants is that they need

large reservoirs to function properly.

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Clementine Dam or North Fork Dam near Forest Hill, Aurora, California. Photo by Justin Wolff; Unsplash License.

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Aerial photograph of Hoover Dam, Nevada, USA, by Nathan Roser. The Unsplash License.

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Dams, the Climate Damagers Entire valleys have been flooded to create these reservoirs with an enormous impact on the local, and even regional, environment. Dams and reservoirs disrupt river ecosystems and surrounding habitats. Reservoirs emit carbon dioxide and methane, sometimes in substantial amounts. Also, accumulated sediments in reservoirs contain noticeable levels of carbon, which may be released to the atmo-

sphere when the dam is decommissioned. Restoring the natural environment is a complex process. Dam removal requires more than simply taking away the old structures. It must include restoration of the local environment, such as river channels, as well as the reintroduction of native species. The goal isn’t only to restore the river’s natural flow, it is to restore the ecosystem.

Decentralized Power Grid In a centralized system power is generated at a major central station, a nuclear power plant for example, and then transmitted long distances over the power lines. Inevitably, some is lost along the way. Transformers, transmission lines, and local distribution losses are generally between 8 and 15%. In decentralized or distributive generation systems, electricity is generated closer to the point of consumption. There is less waste since there are fewer transmission and distribution losses. Renewable energy sources, like wind turbines and solar panels, are particularly suitable for small scale usage, especially if the local grid includes storage batteries. Excess energy can be stored in batteries or transferred to other areas experiencing a shortfall. This flexibility allows organizations to choose the power generation technology that best meets their needs, and to adjust their energy mix as their needs change.

There are many advantages to a decentralized power grid. If there is a malfunction of one part of the grid, then it is relatively easy for operators to shift production. Other components take up the slack then while the damaged sections are being repaired or replaced. The same is true for cases of deliberate sabotage like that recently experienced in several American states. A decentralized power grid can combine many forms: wind turbines, hydroelectric, solar, etc. None of these are sufficient on their own. But together they can form a system that does produce enough electricity to meet human needs. Of course, like all systems, distributed generation systems require regular maintenance and upkeep to ensure reliable and efficient operation. Between maintenance and capacity upgrades, there is an ongoing need to invest in our existing power grid. But a decentralized system spreads and defrays those costs significantly.

Run-of-the-River As Alternative Run-of-the-river is a new application of old principles to generate low-head hydroelectric power. As in previous centuries, water is diverted from a river to the water turbines and then flows back into the river instead of being held in a reservoir. There may be a small weir, but the river is not completely blocked. In a run-ofthe-river system, the water is normally delivered via a canal, or conduit diverting the water from upstream of the power plant. Of course, there must be enough of a drop in height for the water to have sufficient kinetic energy to power the turbines. And the river must have a steady flow throughout the year. Run-of-the-river hydroelectric power facilities have minimal or no water storage, thus reducing the environmental impact. However, low-impact is not the same as no-impact. Water temperature changes and dissolved gasses downstream may impact fish. And in some instances, a ladder may be required for fish to help them swim upstream. Because the water is only diverted instead of dammed, there are many more suitable locations worldwide than with traditional hydropower. Run-of-the-river systems cost less than traditional hydroelectric systems to construct and may be completed in less time.

A disadvantage of run-of-the-river hydroelectric systems is that they have little or no energy storage capacity. All rivers have fluctuations in their flow. For example, the flow is relatively high in the spring but becomes low during the warm summers. And some rivers freeze in the winter. So run-of-the-river plants should be used in conjunction with other power generation sources in order to secure a steady supply of electricity. Simply removing traditional dams and replacing them with run-of-the-river isn’t a magic solution, of course. As with all power generation technologies, there are both pros and cons. And using new technology in old ways is often very inefficient. However, reinventing our power grid has the potential to be transformative. Small run-of-the-river projects in the right locations can be created with relatively little influence on the environment. Environmental issues are greater in larger projects. This includes projects where several smaller plants are clustered within a few miles of each other. Additionally, some adjustments must be made for the local flora and fauna, so as not to disrupt their life cycles.

Social Justice Aspect Many of the flooded lands are important to Native peoples. This includes both modern and ancient religious and cultural sites, many of which were destroyed in the process. Compare this to the Aswan Dam in Egypt. Many ancient Egyptian monuments were painstakingly disassembled and reassembled on higher ground. Yet the late 20th century superpowers, USSR, China, and the United States consistently disregarded the rights of their Indigenous peoples when planning their large hydropower projects. Decentralized or distributed generation often is touted as a new idea but Lewis Mumford presented this concept as far back as the 1930s. Mumford stated that technology must subject

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be subject to social democracy and wise regional planning. Otherwise, it could easily be misused, such as when Indigenous peoples are forced off their lands in order to build large projects. There must be prior, informed consent. Relatively small, local projects with more local control on the other hand can lead to more grassroots democracy. Indeed, by 1970, Mumford had concluded that the combination of smaller scales and community authority could counter the centralized power of the industrial megamachine. In his book, The Pentagon of Power, for instance, Mumford wrote: “The changes that have so far been effective, and that give promise of further success, are

115 Signboard announcing Millbrook Dam reconstruction, Millbrook, Ontario, Canada. By Lester Balajadia. A Shutterstock stock photo.

View of the remains of the Glines Canyon Dam after it was removed from Elwha river, Washington State. By J. Daracunas. A Shutterstock stock photo.

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those that have been initiated by animated individual minds, small groups, and local communities nibbling at the edges of the power structure by breaking routines and defying regulations. Such an attack seeks, not to capture the citadel of power, but to withdraw from it and quietly paralyze it. Once such initiatives become widespread, as they at last show signs of becoming, it will restore power and confident authority to its proper source: the human personality and the small face-to-face community.” Local efforts to reverse some of the damaging effects of dams and to return the land to its former glory still continue to this day. One glorious example comes from Washington State when the Elwha Dam was decommissioned in 2012 shortly followed by the decommissioning of the Glines Canyon Dam in 2014. Since then the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe along with the National Park Service played a major role in regenerating those former dam sites by planting native plants. In addition to the workers from the tribe and the Service, many volunteers joined hands to help. Now the natural environment is regenerating and salmon and waterfowl are returning to the river.

Conclusion There are several aspects of dam removal and some of them also tie to the loss of water supply to the communities who were getting their water through it. As researchers from the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment, and Health concluded in 2021: “the dam removal process should be incorporated as a critical component in a dam’s planning phase. The process should include all stakeholders who are positively and negatively impacted by an existing dam and consist of up-and-down-stream communities, engineers, dam managers, and policymakers.” Components of an effective dam removal plan include: identifying and rectifying negative impacts of the dam removal process, and “synchronize the environment and the communities” with a focus on restoring the land to its former glory without compromising existing benefits to the community. Given the significance and large-scale impacts of this process, it is a topic that remains criminally neglected in mainstream media and rarely talked about in think tanks and other media responsible for dispensing insight and awareness of festering issues in society. There are several dams both locally in the United States and globally in nearly every continent, that are now approaching the end of their life cycle. These issues will be faced by many more communities and will need to be tackled in a balanced and responsible way from all angles.

A night view of Sydney Opera House by Patty Jansen. Pixabay License.

Aerial photo of the Indian ocean from a beach in Australia. A Freepik stock photo.

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Downtown Sydney skyline in Australia; view at sunset. A Freepik stock photo.

ROR 1,200 private schools approx. 1,435,092 enrollments 13:1 student teacher ratio 175 special needs schools 33% rise in enrollment in the past decade

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AWARDS

focus

BEST SCHOOL AWARD 4,440 strong student body

$35,920 ANNUAL TUITION

Australian School of the Year Best Remote Learning

Best Student Well-being

Haileybury College, Melbourne, had a vision of being recognized as one of the world’s great school and they have achieved that, as their list of distinctions shows that. Other than excellence, the college places a high premium on global cultural awareness, respect and integrity, and connectedness and compassion. It treats its primary section with the same rigor as the secondary level hence it even has the distinction of being awarded the Best Primary School recently. These efforts are clearly paying off, judging by the school’s recent Best Student Well-being award. The school’s parallel education model adapts the teaching and learning targets of every year to the changing social and emotional needs of its classrooms. Its Explicit Teaching methodology focuses on critical thinking and problem-solving. Referring to national testing results, the school’s academic success page reports “a 100% pass rate, seven highest possible ATAR scores of 99.95, and 97% of students placed in the top 40% in Australia.” Maintaining such high standards is no easy task with a student body as huge as Haileybury, hence the college gets our Best School Award.

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Architecturally, one of the most beautiful private schools in Australia: Brisbaine Grammar School.

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BEST BOYS-ONLY AWARD $38,709 ANNUAL TUITION

Best National Test Performance 2022

100 student placements in top ranked results

Sydney Grammar School in Darlinghurst, New South Wales is all around the best boys-only private school in Australia on the strength of its academic and general excellence. The school maintains strong academic achievement figures year after year in various exams including national testing. The school is well-known for its Academic Extension program, something different from a regular pursuit of excellence. The extension means the students are motivated and inspired to pursue more than what the curriculum demands in the areas of their special interest. To provide the extra support and attention this needs, the school may employ its subject-matter teachers and several Senior Masters, and even invites notable scholars and artists from different disciplines to interact with Extension groups at a time. In addition to extension opportunities, each student is afforded the one on one pastoral care approach applied as a Tutorial system at the school. The school is not affiliated with any denomination and its arms are open to students from all backgrounds and religious upbringings.

BEST GIRLS-ONLY AWARD 52% students achieved 90% ATAR rank

22 All-Around Achievers Being state leaders in academic excellence is a distinction the Meriden School, NSW, Australia wears with pride. They have consistently ranked near the top of All-Australia national testing results in HSC exams and the Class of 2022 was no different judging by their achievements noted above. All learning takes place in the context of a strong pastoral care program created by specialists in all-girls education. The school cites “healthy relationships; developing self-awareness, ethical responsibility and meaning and purpose; achieving the conditions for deep learning; and making positive connections with the community” as being key components of well-being woven together with the strong academic program.

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14 Top-10 placings

360 Distinguished Achievers

Meriden School strikes that perfect balance between enrollment numbers and class size that allows teachers a one-to-one holistic approach for the development of every single student. The structure allows each girl to discover and pursue her interests with devotion in addition to the regular curriculum. Finally, Meriden takes full advantage of the all-girls environment and ensures leadership and STEAM-excelling roles and opportunities for every single student.

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INTERNATIONAL AWARD $39,900 ANNUAL TUITION

70%+ marks in 564 our of 598 exams. 13 students from 2022 in All-round Achievers list

930 strong student body

57% students obtained 90+ on ATAR.

Ascham School in Sydney, New South Wales is always near the top of the listings and rankings of the best private schools in Australia for a reason. The school places a premium on academic excellence as evidenced by the outstanding performance of its class of 2022. Not only that, the aspiring towards excellence applies as much to the arts as any other field. Students from the school have been nominated for awards in multiple disciplines of arts, and some of them have won. According to the school, “Our teaching philosophy embraces the four principles of the Dalton Plan—collaboration, responsibility, reflection, and independence. Together, these ‘pillars’ inspire classroom learning and individual development, and present personal challenges that develop academic potential.” It is the only school in Australia that employs the Daltan Plan. In addition, the school employs an equally effective Vi et Animo, a strong well-being framework. This shows the school’s belief that true education takes care of the emotional and psychosocial side of its students as much as the academics. Ascham is accredited by the Council of British International Schools.

SPORTS AWARD 740 strong student body

K-12 education with 8 specialty sports programs

$7,900 ANNUAL TUITION

This New South Wales college is the rare K-12 private institution that merges a strong specialty athletic focus with a regular mandatory curriculum. The specialty sports programs include rugby union, rugby league, football, tennis, netball, dance, basketball, and academy sport. The last is a general category where athletes develop strength and prowess in a range of sports they choose, rather than focusing on one sport. K-2 grade levels have a separate, general sports program helping them on their way to become future athletes.

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Special Team Builder programs focus on forging a team spirit and mindset among the sporting students. The state-mandated curriculum is followed for the academic side under the supervision of qualified teachers trained to serve as tutors and supporters beyond an ordinary teaching role. The average class size is 22. The college hires separate specialty staff to attend to the different subject matters and different sports. Therefore, the teaching and coaching duties are completely separate and mutually exclusive with every member of staff only dealing with their area of expertise. The school strives to round off the dual academic-sporting focus of the school by focusing on character development as well. According to the school, “Leader in Me (LIM) is a K-12 program that empowers students to make choices to lead and to set an example for others to follow. LIM is a program that develops every student to be life-ready leaders and to make a difference within their community.”

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ARTS AWARD

$18,819 ANNUAL TUITION

K-12 education with 4 specialty arts programs

The Victorian College of the Arts believes that students shouldn’t have to choose between education and special interest training. The school takes pride in its highly artistic and close-knit community. Formative years have a strong but general arts focus. Music and Dance become two advanced, specialty focus choices as students advance in middle school. Finally, higher year students can specialize in Visual Arts or Theatre as well. The arts focus is carried side by side with an exceptionally strong academic environment which sees the school consistently ranked among some of the best private schools in Victoria on the strength of its academic and national testing results. So much so that the school also acts as the academic host to two neighboring specialty academies, catering to gifted ballet and gymnastics students. Alumni from this school tend to lead significant lives and careers both inside and outside Australia after graduating from here. The school’s staff is highly qualified for the various subject matter and arts specialties on offer. Together with the artistic students, they build a community that expects high excellence in both academics and arts without compromising personal well-being and betterment.

ALTERNATIVE AWARD Well-being precedes academics

Alternative option for at-risk students

$30/WEEK MONTHLY TUITION

3 exam options

Trauma informed approach

This may well be the only private school in Australia providing an option for students who find themselves misfits in a traditional school structure and are at risk for failing or dropping out. The school places a premium on well-being on par with academic performance and believes that “if a person’s social and emotional needs are met, they will be capable of realising their full potential.” The holistic model in operation at the college focuses on the resilience of their at-risk student body, empowering and enabling them to make positive choices in order to see through their education with reasonable success. The school uses a trauma-informed approach in order to stay attuned to the emotional and therapeutic needs of students. Sensitivity to students’ psychosocial needs allows them to overcome their trauma and focus their energies on laying a foundation for their futures. The school runs three programs with different needs and levels so students can tailor their choices to their acumen. There is a full, mandatory Record of School Achievement program. The Higher School Certificate is available optionally to students when they feel emotionally free to take it on. There is also a Life Skills program for students who may need it.

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AFFORDABLE AWARD $27,150 ANNUAL TUITION

It’s very easy to settle on Canberra Grammar School as the most affordable one among Australia’s top private schools. Best school ranking and criteria for this country are typically dominated by schools from New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria (VIC) but those schools are also pricey when it comes to annual tuition. This school, in the Canberra capital city region not only falls outside the pricier regions it also consistently ranks high among the Top 50 schools which aren’t from the two dominant states. In short, not only its the best private Australian high school outside of NSW and VIC, but it’s also affordable compared to those regions. The school aims to produce for the world curious, confident, creative, and compassionate Citizens of the World. They have a distinctive P-12 curriculum designed to achieve these goals and place a premium on embedding all learning and achievement in an inclusive and caring culture. The school also stands out in the sense that it is aware of its positions as a dynamic workplace that should be fulfilling and rewarding, a global innovator, a promoter of Indigenous and global cultural perspectives, and, last but not least, as a thriving enterprise that is sustainable both financially and economically.

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c i t s y m

“Spring Snow I”

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moments

PHOTOGRAPHY BY H.A.

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“Spring Snow II”

“Toronto Breeze I”

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“Toronto Breeze II”

“The advent of summer”

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“Lake clarity”

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“Streets of New York” Harlem, Manhattan Photo by Maria Eklind Flickr; CC BY SA 2.0

ECONOMIC STATE 140

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BLACK BY BRITTNE ERIOS

AMERICANS

After independence, the American vision was written down with a claim of equality in justice for all. However, two centuries later, inequality still roams freely in the country, with all economic, social, and political activities controlled through racial and ethnic lines. Brittne Erios’s brief essay mainly focuses on the racial injustice incessantly faced by the Black Community in the USA. While we all get to hear about police stops and killings without cause at the hands of law enforcement, one of the most pervasive ways the injustice manifests is the economic disparity and inequality between Black Americans and the majority population. Infographics created by the ROR Magazine.

T H E E X T E N T O F T H E D I S PA R I T Y !!!!

220 ty B $ an 10,0 00 nua diffel averag renc e e

Black wages today

Earnings for participating people of color in the labor force

Labor force participation for people of color

9.6%

12.9%

disparity

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What fair wages would look like

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dispa

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The figures on page 142 really tell a story. They tell the story, even decades after such an organized movement like the Civil Rights Movement under such a powerful leader like Martin Luther King, Jr., racial injustice still reigns supreme in this country. The difference between annual earnings of a white person vs a black person in America amounts to $10,000 annually. It’s a whopping figure and sometimes it proves the key difference between living in comfort vs stretched out to the max. Similarly, that much savings per year would be minimally required if a person is to get his family ahead in terms of any of the usual advantages of modern society: another car, owning a house, private schooling, family vacation, and so forth. When you look at the total loss of earnings for the black labor force as a whole, compared to what should have been if systemic and other forms of discrimination were absent, the figure amounts to a mind-blowing 220 billions. That’s a huge, huge gap and one that I must admit, also applies in case of other personas of color especially Hispanics and Natives, to a similar degree. This gap arises well before the paycheck day arrives, of course. In our country, even regions that are high in people of color representation find colored prospects struggling to land jobs, or worse, even find any jobs to apply to. For these reasons, a person of color is far more likely than a white person to settle with a low-paying, low-benefits job.

The McKinsey Institute for Black Economic Mobility conducts detailed analysis of data from the US Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. It finds stubborn and large gaps in both representation and wages at various levels of white-collar occupations. At the lower tier, jobs such as supervisors, school and postsecondary teachers, marketing managers, construction managers, accountants and auditors, computers and IT managers, etc. the representation gaps remain slightly larger than the wage gaps for the employed workforce.

Aggregate gaps 20 Occupations with largest gap Other 510 occupations

20%

40%

At the higher occupation tier, such as lawyers, magistrates, software developers, physicians, public and private executives, and other high-level managers, the gaps increase to unconscionable levels. In general, the more you move

upward to better-paying jobs, the greater the gaps in both representation and wages.

The graph below puts this in further context by comparing these gaps to other, lower-tier occupations in the survey: As we can see, the aggregate representation and wage gaps are already huge (40%) in most regular jobs. However, as soon as we enter higher-paying job tiers, the gaps only increase, with the highest gap found at the top executive and managerial levels. The overall, aggregate gap at the white collar level amounting to 60% is outrageous and should be unthinkable in a country touted as “the land of opportunity.” But here we are...

Various forms of systemic discrimination and microaggression explain and add to the already existing economic burden both before securing and while holding the position. For instance, in an analysis of the field of law, McKinsey Institute finds regular and increasing drop-off between black figures relative to whites at increasing levels of the ladder from law school to positions in the field. Far more black students apply to get into law school, for instance, than the students who get in. The pattern repeats for graduating, then applying and getting into jobs, and then all over again for promotion and advancement at the job. Again, the drop-off increases the more you rise up the ladder. Another way the gap machine operates at the higher occupation tier is through fewer opportunities to get in. While the majority population has other channels to acquire jobs. such as recommendations or internship routes, less number of blacks are afforded these channels. These gaps become even larger when you take intersectionality into account. For instance, most of the black women who work in managerial positions today were directly hired for the job. The percentage of black women who reached that spot through the regular promotion and advancement ladder is extremely low. Similar gaps exist for lower-level jobs. Drop-offs start at the application stage and magnify at the advancement stage, where many workers starting from entry-level finally advance to managerial positions. Attrition rates are high for blacks in these jobs. For one or more reasons, not the least of them being harsher and oblique treatment at the job, no doubt, blacks find themselves letting go of their position and off the advancement ladder. Some of the pressures faced on job that Black surveys have revealed included trust deficit and lack of sponsorships and allyship at work.

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A lot of the status quo is to do with lack of representation in the United States legislative bodies. Voter suppression has become a real scourge and people of color, in general, but black Americans in particular, are being systematically kept out of the voting system. That, however, is a topic worth it’s own spotlight in a separate essay.

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From the start, so many of this country’s laws and public policies, which should serve as the scaffolding that guides progress, were instead designed explicitly to prevent people of color from fully participating. Moreover, these legal constructs are not some relic of antebellum or Jim Crow past but rather remain part of the fabric of American policymaking. Danyelle Solomon, Connor Maxwell, and Abril Castro writing for American Progress, August 7, 2019.

Stock Photo.

The Taj Mahal, c. 1860-1880, oil on canvas, by Erastus Salisbury Field. National Art Gallery. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

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RESULTS ORIENTED RECRUITMENT ENROL System INTERVENTIONAL PLAYBOOK

The new blueprint to save your school By Tom Schenck, President

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MODULE II MODULE II New Foundational Skills

New Found Skills

MODULE II New 17 Foundational Skills STEP 04

STEP 04

Funnel Vision By now you are starting to feel the limitless approaches you may take as an entrepreneur and why it is crucial to know every angle from which to approach a family. The ROR solution simultaneously helps you see both the ‘10,000 view’ as well as the granular details of the admission process. Now we are going to present the big picture as it relates to the complete landscape. In the heat of enrollment, many times you can develop a tunnel vision that makes you miss other important issues. Funnel Vision is the approach you must adopt. The admission funnel is frequently obsessed over as you worry about moving families from the top to the bottom, but actually there are three funnels: The Sales Funnel, Admissions Funnel, and the Re-enrollment Funnel that you must control daily. The two great fears of any admission professional are that we won’t have enough Inquiries in our funnel, and if they are in our funnel, how can we keep them in long enough to matriculate? In both these areas, admission professionals have done a lot of hand ringing…as many times your recruiting strategy could be described as “the hope approach”. You hope that your marketing will bring you enough inquiries, and you hope that those inquiries will turn into matriculations. As you have probably heard many times before, hope is not a strategy and you should never use it again! You now have control! The focus here is moving your perspective from ‘Tunnel Vision’, where you focus on one cohort at a time, to Funnel Vision, where you review multiple funnels daily. But let’s talk first, about getting enough people into your Sales funnel, and the difference between the sales funnel and the admissions funnel.

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Remember that Sales is the approach that takes the whole universe of prospective parents who could potentially apply to your school. If sales and your school marketing has done its job, it will put those people in at Sales is the approach that takes the whole universe of and through your Sales funnel so they can enter into the top of your arents who could potentially apply to your school. If sales admission funnel as inquiries. ool marketing has done its job, it will put those people in “soft”can approach of inbound your Sales funnelThe so they enter into the topmarketing of your campaigns creates awareness nel as inquiries. with prospective families using social media, blogs, and search engine optimization (SEO). Outbound marketing is also known as “interruptive proach of inbound marketing campaigns creates awareness advertising” such as paid ads on Google or virtual billboards on LinkedIn. ive families using social media, blogs, and search engine Essentially, what the Sales funnel does is to take people from a position SEO). Outbound marketing is also known as “interruptive of never having heard about your school to have enough information and uch as paid ads on Google or virtual billboards on LinkedIn. interest to contact you and then become an inquiry. hat the Sales funnel does is to take people from a position g heard about your school to have enough information and tact you and then become an inquiry.

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Sales Funnel

Remember, This funnel is the potential universe of families and referral sources you can control. They are both current referral sources who are already in your database, and may have already referred students, or prospective referral sources who are not yet in your active database and are likely not aware of your school, but should be.

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Consequently, your office must commit to making proactive calls to introduce yourself and the school, and immediately try to take individuals from the top of the sales funnel (of ignorance… to awareness of the school, to interest in the school for themselves or their employees… all in one phone call.) Regardless of what you achieve on that first phone call, you then continue to build the relationship by constantly following up. Don’t be deterred. It may take you 10 calls to finally reach and then engage the person.

As these charts show, all three funnels are active at once. Your job, as an admissions professional, is to move current families, prospective families, and referral sources down applicable funnels every day. When you realize the three major processes of your job as continuously functioning and fully open funnels, only then do you see how much round-the-clock work is required. This constant awareness and working the families toward the bottom of their funnels is the crux of Results Oriented Recruiting.

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Obviously, if you do not make contact with a decision maker, you must at least get a person’s email and even a cell number that you can use to text a follow up message or even a 15 second video. Remember you will not get what you want… if you do not ask for the information you need.

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The global movement towards Web 3.0 and the Metaverse is well underway. Businesses, Banks, Institutions and even Governments are all establishing their presence. Schools and Colleges are already teaching some of the skills necessary for the advent of Web 3.0, and many of the top universities have already added virtual metaverse campuses.

GmetaOne will guide you towards understanding and establishing a presence in the Metaverse. We are a full service organization, with Metaverse Education at our core and we’ll help you to understand the “how” as well as the “why”. Here are just some of the services we can offer:

“Multiverse The multiverse is a hypothetical group of multiple universes in quantum physics. Together, these universes comprise everything that exists: the entirety of space, time, matter, energy, information, and the physical laws and constants that describe them. No one knows for certain if they actually exist or not but if they do I imagine they might look something like this.” Art by Arbyreed Flickr; CC BY NC SA 2.0

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A Leo Villareal installation at the National Art Gallery. A complex rhytm of LED lights, representing pixels and binary code and recalling the metaverse. Captured by Thomas Hawk. Flickr, CC BY NC 2.0

MULTIVERSE, META VERSE OR 3D INTERNET FREEDOM

By Aaron Dishno Ed.D. FOUNDER AND CEO OF HTTP3D INC. – WALKTHEWEB

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161 To the education world, I ask you, would the Internet have been a success if it had one owner or company that fully controlled the content, advertising, censorship, and the way we display information? I say no. The success and acceptance of the Internet come from the limitless boundaries with the lack of controls and censorship, namely, freedom. Then why would we hand something as important as creating the Multiverse or Metaverse to a single company?

If you watch the latest Marvel movies, the Multiverse is shown as another dimension or instance of what we know to be our existence, yet our alternate decisions ultimately lead to alternate realities. It is like taking our storyline and testing the possibilities where we make critical decisions. Google defines the Metaverse as, ”a virtual-reality space in which users can interact

Photo provided by author.

with a computer-generated environment and other users.” Any web page can produce a 3D gaming experience, but in my opinion, it takes much more to be 3D Internet. I visualized 3D game scenes or Internet cities where 3D buildings, 3D games, and 3D shopping stores are loaded. They are unloaded, as you, the digital shoppers represented by avatars, walk near and then unloaded as you walk away.

Walking near would be like clicking an invisible proximity link. The 3D building information is fetched from the internet, then added to the 3D scene. You literally and virtually Walk the Web from one 3D website to another, while spanning the globe from one server to another. This concept allows us to create endless internet cities because we unload content from your view as we load the new content as you walk along and approach a new location. It provides a bubble of the finest details closest to you. Mind-blowing yet confusing? Read on... I would say there are many gaming and social media companies trying to be the dominant Metaverse and possibly demonstrating the use of Multiverse. But the one major ingredient missing is Freedom which only 3D Internet can provide. The Internet as we know it, provides freedom because it is authored by anyone and for everyone. There are numerous companies that make it easy to get started from hosting a website to providing tools that simplify website design. Let’s face it - with a little effort, you can even learn the basics and create your own traditional website from scratch. We need this same root level of freedom in the 3D Internet to allow anyone to create and display anything we want, how we want, and where we want. Instead of web pages and websites, we are creating 3D buildings or 3D stores and connecting them to 3D internet cities. Today, only gaming and social media companies are working to develop such 3D internet cities because the learning curve is much higher, and takes a combination of many programmers and many hours to create a good flowing 3D Game. This hurdle blocks most

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most people from the all-inclusive freedom needed for 3D Internet to fully thrive. We need a simple way for anyone to get started for free.

The path to Freedom is paved with Open-Source Code and 3D CMS. In 1998, Eric Raymond and Bruce Perens started the Open Source Initiative. When a programmer or company releases code as Open-Source, it means that the code is publicly available. It can then be changed or redistributed by anyone, and it usually includes licensing terms to protect the original author. The importance of OpenSource when developing the 3D Internet is that everyone has the freedom to see how it works and expand its capabilities and usage. The ideal Open-Source solution for 3D Internet would then incorporate the basic components. For example, using a 3D game engine to produce a 3D game-based website with features like animated doors and interactive 3D Avatars. 3D Internet should work in all major browsers without special browser add-ins, settings, or modifications.

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You should also be able to choose how you view it: with a Virtual Reality headset, computer screens, or mobile devices. If the Multiverse or Metaverse you choose is not Open-Source, know that you are just playing their game, under their terms, and you will have to pay their price. Open-Source software sounds great if you are a programmer, but this still does not solve 3D Internet Hosting for the masses; hence we need a 3D CMS. CMS or Content Management System is a software used to make it simple for anyone with or without programming experience to create a traditional website, start a blog, share information, or open an online store in minutes. CMS is responsible for the majority of new websites in the past decade

and provides freedom and availability for everyone to easily add feature-rich websites to the Internet. We need a 3D CMS that takes these same principles and applies them to create 3D game scenes. It can be as simple as selecting a 3D scene, a 3D building, then pick your 3D avatar and you are up and running with a 3D website. From there you can edit the 3D scene and add more 3D buildings and streets to grow your a 3D internet city. With an Open-Source 3D CMS everyone can have the freedom to create, host, and own a piece of the 3D internet. So I created that content management system! Let’s all make it better! Go find out more at https://github. com/HTTP3D/WalkTheWeb.

Stock Photo

Availability of Public Funding for Private Schools The diversion of public funds for private schools to afford greater choice in education sectors for low-affordability families has become a touchy topic, a moot point between public and private sectors in the USA. A European research study on OECD countries shows how it can be done. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development is an alliance formed by governments of countries from Europe, Africa, Asia, South America, and Oceania which came together in 1961 to stimulate economic progress and trade. Today the organization boasts 38 member countries. OECD member countries have generally encouraged public subsidization of private sector schools due to the benefits introduced to the schooling market. As private schools enter the fray with fee structures manageable by families from a range of social economic tiers, there is naturally more competition. This places direct and positive pressure on the public sector schools to raise their standards and performance up to par with the private sector. Researchers from the University of Glasgow and the University of Barcelona conducted a thorough review of literature on the subject and identified:

Four models of private subsidized education Freedom of Instruction: Per this model, public subsidies ensure the financial viability of an already existing private education institution provided the private school conforms to basic quality education. This typically happened in the case of some religion-based schools that had been suffering from a lack of resources. Once the schools have demonstrated both a period of self-sufficiency and adherence to basic, state-mandated standards of curriculums, they become eligible to apply for public subsidies. The funds only partially cover the operational expenses of the school, and the institute is expected to charge some fees guaranteeing a minimum level of parental commitment to the school. Beyond that, the schools are free to further adapt or add to the basic curricular requirements, in addition to other managerial and pedagogical freedoms. Among the schools surveyed in this research, these schools typically developed internal evaluation systems of school performance instead of applying state level measures and testing. Equivalence: In a model of equivalence, once a private school receives public funding, it also gives up autonomy in areas such as enrollment, curriculum, pedagogy, testing, and accountability. Typically the level of public funding for private and public schools is essentially the same in such cases, though it may be tailored to the socioeconomic composition of the families covered

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167 in a given school. That said, there are enough variations in this model despite the goal of equivalence. Full funding may be given only to private schools not charging fees. Conversely, some schools are forced to charge fees when full funding is not approved for them. Autonomy levels granted may also vary. When new, subsidized schools are approved in this model, a factor is whether the new school will provide enough pedagogical diversity in the area, and how much social demand exists for that type of school. The lack of a particular type faith-supported school in an area can also be a factor in approval. Market Competition: The major goal in this model of state subsidization of private schools is to stimulate healthy market competition and thereby encourage public schools to compete for students in the area by holding their academics and management to higher standards. The funding strategy is accordingly per capita for both public and private sectors per this model for true competition to materialize between schools in the area regardless of their private and public status. These schools work hard to keep up or excel in standards in a bid to win more students, and with them more funding. This funding model is commonly known as a voucher scheme and is very common in Sweden and Chile. Some regions allowed charging additional fees to private school families in this model, subsequently followed by reduced fund amounts. However, it led to a far greater segmentation across social class than would be healthy, prompting bans of public-subsidized private schools to charge additional fees. New schools are often approved only when there is low supply and enough demand in a given market. For-profit, fee-charging new schools are also prohibited from state funding. Freed oms in admissions and other school operations such as pedagogy, translation of the curriculum, and evaluation, etc have varied over time and region under this model, with governments often responding to complaints of exclusivity in private school admissions. Educational Diversification: This model is similar to the market competition model in both autonomy and the purpose of subsidies. The only difference is that this model was employed in some countries with the view of large-scale reform of the school market through radical diversification of school choice offerings. The reform attempts were meant to bring great upgrades in the quality of education on offer in both public schools (via market competition forces) and private schools (via funding support). The reform did stimulate a positive change but not quite to the extent the programs were “planned” for. Of particular note was the bid to bring diversified, high-quality school offerings to disadvantaged families, which has happened with more or less success. Typical examples of this model would be Academies in England and Charter schools in the USA.

Challenges and Policy Responses Segregation: When schools diversify and reach disadvantaged communities with help from public funding, an unintended outcome is the concentration of ethnic or immigrant minority students in certain schools. This segregation has also sparked a lot of protests and controversy on the issue of public funding of private schools. It was this outcry that has sometimes led to the equivalence models requiring sameness of procedures across public and private public-funded schools in some regions in order to avoid segregation in any form. Selection, Discrimination: Another problem often protested in public-private partnerships is allowing schools to select their students. Such criteria are often discriminatory since higher performing students also tend to come from more advantaged backgrounds while disadvantaged populations struggle to keep up similar performances at the same scale. For-profit: Public funding makes it easier for private schools allowed to charge fees to turn a profit, which then encourages selectiveness in admissions. The policy response has been to generally prohibit public subsidies in fee-charging schools.

Recent Private-Public Reforms Needs-based formulas: Targeted schemes or formula funding is the policy answer to the selection problem. Subsidized private schools receive more funding as they enroll more students from disadvantaged backgrounds and less funding for being too selective against such students. Such an enrollment policy, making less elite students more attractive to private schools, may help reduce segregation of students across the public-private checkerboard in school districts. These policies have been put into practice in two different ways in Europe. Some countries have indeed made funding allocations reflect the equity (or inclusiveness) in enrollment. Some other countries provide additional funds on top of regular subsidies contingent on the number of disadvantaged students in a school. Recentralization: Another policy answer is to take away the school’s authority in choosing their own admissions applications. Rather, in the recentralizes system, school districts ask specific school preferences from all applicants and consider those when allocating students to different public and subsidized private schools.

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169 “Tree in the shape of a brain, AI generated” By Glen Kelp, PixTreats, via Pixabay License.

What’s Happening, ROR? 170

NAIS Online Inclusive Schools Network Institute 13-16 JUN 2023 “NAIS is pleased to present its highly successful Inclusive Schools Network Institute (ISNI) in partnership with Gender Spectrum, a national leader in creating gender-sensitive and positively responsive environments for all children and teens.” “Administrators and teachers are being called on to engage, educate, and support all students and families in understanding gender identity and expression, and to respond when gender-nonconforming students are teased, bullied, or harassed.”

SAIS 2023 Summer Conference 26-28 JUN 2023 Sarasota, FL, USA “Connect with regional peers, learn from experts, and develop new skills as you focus on the environment, experiences, and programming vital to the growth and well-being of your school. Content is geared to division leaders, deans of students, counselors, heads/assistant heads, and others who engage in student support. Participating together as a team is encouraged.”

AISAP Annual Institute 2023 25-28 JUN 2023 La Jolla, CA, USA “The AISAP Annual Institute remains the only gathering focused solely on cultivating world-class Admission and Enrollment Professionals. You’ll hear the latest from the independent and private school admission and enrollment community, participate in tactical training, and network with organizations and colleagues from around the world.”

ISACS Annual Conference 2023

2-3 NOV, 2023 | Columbus, OH, USA The Independent Schools Association of the Central States will announce program details of the conference soon on their website.

TABS Annual Conference 2023

15-17 NOV, 2023 | Boston, NY, USA “Join your friends and colleagues from across the boarding school industry to connect and recharge, gather expertise from thought leaders, and find inspiration from passionate leaders and educators. TABS Annual Conference is the premier boarding school event of the year, featuring over 50 sessions, keynotes, pre-cons, awards presentations, and countless opportunities to network.”

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What’s Happening, ROR?

“The conference provides a platform for professionals involved in Education and New Learning Technologies to exchange knowledge and gain an insight into the state of the art in the current technology, techniques and solutions in Education and New Learning Technologies as they have been developed and applied in different countries. Participants include a wide variety of stakeholders from research and academia, to industrial sectors as well as government organizations.”

International Conference on Education and New Learning 21-22 JUL, 2023 | Natal, BRAZIL Technologies 2023

22-25 AUG, 2023 Durban, SOUTH AFRICA

International Education Association of South America (IEASA) “This year’s theme is Looking Back – Looking Forward. The 25th Annual IEASA Conference will bring together internationalisation leaders, experts, academics and researchers, professional practitioners, educators, students and innovators as well as organisations and individuals interested in higher education internationalisation to share thoughts, research findings, lived experiences and good practice examples.”

10th World Congress on Education 2023 25-28 JUN, 2023 | Toronto, CANADA

“[D]edicated to the advancement of the theory and practices in education. The WCE-2023 promotes collaborative excellence between academicians and professionals from education. The WCE-2023 main theme is Global Issues in Education.”

28 NOV - 02 DEC, 2023 | Tokyo, Japan IAFOR’s unique global platform facilitates discussion around specific subject areas, with the goal of generating new knowledge and understanding, forging and expanding new international, intercultural and interdisciplinary research networks and partnerships.

REVIEWS BY MAX

Renfield is an action-horror-comedy about toxic relationships and codependency that never manages to unify the subgenres that fight against one another within it, but still entertains thanks to an ensemble cast having too much fun. -- Matt Donato, IGN The titular Renfield (Nicholas Hoult) is the tortured aide to his master, Nicolas Cage’s Dracula. For centuries, Dracula has forced Renfield to do his bidding, but now the lackey seeks to discover a life outside this monstrous shadow. Set in the early 20th century, the film follows Renfield's journey to end his codependency and break free from Dracula's control. Renfield finds a self-help group for codependency and forms an unlikely alliance with Rebecca Quincy, a second-generation police officer (Awkwafina) who is on the hunt for a high-level criminal, Teddy Lobo. Renfield and Quincy work together to bring down the Lobo crime family, while attempting to evade Dracula's wrath. Dracula soon learns of Renfield's betrayal and sets out to destroy him and his allies. As Renfield and Quincy face off against both the Lobo crime family and Dracula, they discover that Dracula has empowered several gang members with supernatural abilities, making their fight for justice even more challenging. The biggest strength of the film remains the scene-chewing devilishness with which the masterful Cage throws himself into this role. His hypnotizing lothario ways aiming for kills and blood, the insane and abusive relationship he has with his aide that he is not ready to give up at any cost, and his villainous ways

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are a stronghold on the viewers whenever he appears on screen in this supporting role. Nicholas Hoult also entertains riding the line between an action figure slaying bad guys here and there and the helpless, depressed, laconic aide trying to get ahead in life and branch out with something new. Other supporting characters provide much entertainment in their roles with production design, costumes, and make-up, etc full adding to the entertainment value of the movie. What ultimately brings down the movie is the Rebecca-related subplots involving the crime family. The movie begins with a promise to show a psychiatrist’s eye view of the Dracula figure with Renfield serving as our way into the lives and mindsets of these fantastical characters. If the movie had kept its focus on Renfield’s honest attempts at ending his Dracula connection, either by developing a conscience or through his love for Rebecca, the film could have been a unique analysis piece dissecting an abusive relationship and the struggles of the guilty and dependent aide in finding redemption and freedom. Despite the shortcomings, the movie remains a boon for all lovers of the horror-comedy-action genre and fanboys of Nicholas Cage’s spectacular and rousing list of madmen portrayals.

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Ari Aster, known for his classic horror films “Hereditary” and “Midsommar,” takes audiences on an extensive odyssey of hipster non-horror with his latest film, “Beau Is Afraid.” Clocking in at over three hours, the film centers on Beau (Joaquin Phoenix), a middle-aged man suffering from depression and living in squalor. The film's surrealism and urban dystopia, which may be a product of Beau's medicated state, combines its striking visuals with derivative influences from the works of Charlie Kaufman, Darren Aronofsky, and Richard Kelly. Beau is afraid of his mother. Throughout the film, he is forced to confront her as well as his own past. This journey is riddled with bizarre events and encounters with various characters, such as a well-meaning couple grieving the loss of their soldier son and a traveling woodland theatre troupe. The film's most engaging moments are the flashback scenes featuring a younger Beau and his mother, played by Armen Nahapetian and Zoe Lister-Jones, where the drama truly comes to life. The movie explores themes of deception, control, and the struggle for identity in a world filled with chaos and uncertainty. The surreal nature of the story leaves the audience questioning the true nature of the events that unfold. Overall, it offers a wealth of material for educators and admissions professionals to explore. Beau navigates a series of challenges and personal growth experiences. His journey threads through numerous character development moments, ethical dilemmas, and social and emotional issues people face in real life. The story also highlights the importance of empathy and understanding in dealing with the emotional struggles of others. This movie depicts the potential harm that can result from a breach of trust, as evidenced by Beau’s therapist sharing confidential information with his overbearing mother, Mona. The film encourages professionals to engage in discussions surrounding ethical boundaries, confidentiality, and the importance of maintaining trust in their relationships with students.

This movie depicts the potential harm that can result from a breach of trust, as evidenced by Beau’s therapist sharing confidential information with his overbearing mother, Mona. The film encourages professionals to engage in discussions surrounding ethical boundaries, confidentiality, and the importance of maintaining trust in their relationships with students. Through the interactions between Beau and the various characters he encounters, the film explores the complexities of relationships in educational settings and the potential for growth and change. The portrayal of parents, guardians, and the local community in the film spotlights parental and community involvement in personal trauma and tragedy. As Beau navigates various challenges, the film emphasizes the importance of developing resilience, empathy, and communication skills, and exploring one’s creativity through engaging life experiences (such as the theater troupe depicted). In fact, Beau’s exploration of alternate life paths becomes his biggest resource and it doesn’t matter at the end what details from which path were real or imagined, surreal or live-through. Additionally, “Beau is Afraid” serves as a springboard for discussions surrounding ethical considerations, as it addresses breaches of trust and confidentiality.

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“Refugee Woman’s Journey.” Digital panels art by Maliha Abidi; Adobe Stock.

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Young Woman with Peonies, 1870, by Fédéric Bazille, National Gallery of Art. Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.

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PARENTS WHO DREAM OF PRIVATE SCHOOLING SUREFIRE

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Looking ahead…

SCHOOLS LOSING FALL1 ENROLLMENT

56.5%

PARENTS WHO We stride into the magazine’s third year, marchACTUALLY FULFILL LIVING TO THEIR DREAM ing in step with the new era of greater inclusiveIN THNUMBER E OF OWNING ness, citizenship, and more innovative technolo-

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PERSONAL

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POWER Our features highlight the complex and alarming SEATS FILLED

issues of the world ranging from the politics be/SCHOOL hind the war to the economic woes of our times and environmental digressions against the planet. We round up the issue with culture reviews, 573 food and health, travel, fashion, and literature for your pleasure! OUT OF

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183 The following are certain terms and conditions governing advertising published by Schenck EnterTERMS & prises (“Publisher”) in the U.S. virtual edition of ROR Magazine (the “Magazine”). These terms and conditions may be revised by Publisher from time to time. CONDITIONS Submission of insertion order for placement of advertising in the Magazine, and/or delivery of advertising materials to Publisher for inclusion in the Magazine, constitutes acceptance of the following terms and conditions by both the advertiser (“Advertiser”) and any agency or other representative acting for or on behalf of Advertiser (“Agency”). No terms or conditions in any insertion orders, reservation orders, blanket contracts, instructions or documents that are submitted or maintained by Agency or Advertiser will be binding on Publisher, unless expressly authorized in a writing signed by a senior executive of Publisher. AGENCY COMMISSION AND PAYMENT 1. 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As part of the consideration and to induce Publisher to publish such advertisement, Agency and Advertiser jointly and severally shall indemnify and hold harmless Publisher from and against any loss, liability, damages, fines, penalties, and related costs and expenses (including attorneys’ fees) (collectively, “Losses”) arising from publication of such Ad Materials in any applicable editions, formats or derivations of the Magazine, including, but not limited to: (a) claims of invasion of privacy, violation of rights of privacy or publicity, trademark infringement, copyright infringement, libel, misrepresentation, false advertising, or any other claims against Publisher; or (b) the failure of such Ad Materials to be in compliance and conformity with any and all laws, orders, ordinances and statutes of the United States or any of the states or subdivisions thereof; or (c) any products, goods, services, programs, events, offers and promotions that are promoted by or referenced in the Ad Materials (and the fulfillment or non-fulfillment thereof). 2. Publisher may, in Publisher’s sole and exclusive discretion and without penalty to Publisher, reject and refuse to run any Ad Materials that Publisher believes: (a) do or may violate Agency’s and Advertiser’s representations and warranties set forth above; (b) are reasonably likely to be considered objectionable by a reasonable person; and/or (c) are likely to expose Publisher, Agency and/or Advertiser to heightened legal or reputational liability or risk for any reason. 3. As part of the consideration and to induce Publisher to provide such services, Agency and Advertiser jointly and severally shall indemnify and hold harmless Publisher from and against any Losses arising from such materials, products or services, including, but not limited to, those arising from any such claims. 4. Publisher’s acceptance of an advertisement for publication in the Magazine does not constitute an endorsement of the product or service advertised. No Advertiser or Agency may use the Magazine’s name or logo without Publisher’s prior written permission for each such use. 5. The word “advertisement” will be placed above all advertisements that, in Publisher’s opinion, resemble editorial matter. 6. All terms and conditions of this Rate Card and associated insertion orders, including but not limited to pricing information, shall be the confidential information of Publisher, and neither Agency nor Advertiser may disclose any such information without obtaining Publisher’s prior written consent. 7. This agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of California without regard to its conflicts of laws provisions. Any civil action or proceeding arising out of or related to this agreement shall be brought in the courts of record of the State of California. Advertiser and Agency each hereby consents to the jurisdiction of such courts and waives any objection to the laying of venue of any such civil action or proceeding in such courts. ALL PARTIES WAIVE ALL RIGHTS TO TRIAL BY JURY. ADDITIONAL COPY AND CONTRACT REGULATIONS 1. Orders and schedules are accepted for the advertising by brand of product or service only and may not be re-assigned to other products or services or to affiliated companies without the consent of Publisher.