ker: English
Rennie Rebe: Government
be left out.” vironment is much more open heir own companies. The h more accepted than it was 15 ut with Kickstarter and other can put your idea out there, ea recognized by the public. I se that [in the future] everybicle and you would only be een, but I think that human nature requires that sort of ith people face to face. I think r having those skills and being
at when you go into a job interd based on your resume. That’s Most of the time, I would say he interview just because of omeone you knew.” different in the business
ng as a high school student, go how to do you see our
to [be legalized.] If that’s still that’s just embarrassing. Why
of marijuana is coming and oming very soon. I feel like ing to gain momentum.” hool, you wouldn’t have seen a e in high school. You wouldn’t ion on the campus.” his, but I feel like our governlagging behind. You look at rage person, and they’re like mebody, enjoy.’ ‘If you want to ve them, awesome.’” ool, the issue was much more And I grew up in Houston and xactly like Westlake. Race was e anymore. Gender identity e issues now.” rk with during the summer, n, frankly, I think they’re a bit
Mark Misage: Physics
more accepting. I think that maybe it started in areas of people within a higher socioeconomic bracket, but I think it has definitely percolated through society and so you’re now sort of seeing a broad swell of support from very diverse communities trying to support these issues. And actually I’m not sure the race issue is over. I just think about Facebook, and the stuff that I see is shocking.” JB: “You’re always going to have ignorant people and it’s always going to seem like the most ignorant people are the loudest.” CC: “And I think it does make it seem like the issue is bigger than it is, because they are the loudest.” JB: “You have this video game culture where you have the ability to hide behind an avatar or just a voice behind a headset and say things that you wouldn’t ever say to anybody in front of you ever, and yet here you are. It becomes a social norm to act this way on a video game where you’re screaming at somebody.” FD: What do you think would have happened by now or would exist by now that doesn’t? MP: “Fusion.” CC: “Way to go physics [laughs].” RR: “Compromise.” NM: “We used to have compromise. Everyone [today] is too stuck in their opinions.” MM: “A background check bill.” NM: “I want the machine that you go up to and say ‘make me a bagel’ and then food appears. I also want the machine that you ride on a conveyor belt and it showers you and dresses you in the morning.” JB: “That seems creepy to me.” — Monica Tan, Ben Wallace and Caitlyn Kerbow
Nancy Misage: Physics
Principal discusses vision for new class structure
While Westlake’s tomorrow might not include personal student Segways or totally virtualized homework, Principal Dr. John Carter does have big plans for the future. He currently isn’t planning on introducing any new technology, rather opting to use the tools currently available to alter the school’s curricular structure. “If I had $1 billion I think I would continue to create an environment here that best prepares students for the work force, college and what they’re going to experience there,” Dr. Carter said. “That would involve allowing students to collaborate on some long term projects to demonstrate what they’ve learned and communicate what they know via alternative types of assessments, rather than standardized, paper-pencil tests.” Dr. Carter plans to help students experience courses and learning in a more interdisciplinary manner than what has traditionally presented. “I think one of the things we’re going to look at is how to help the next generation of students see the interconnectedness of learning,” Dr. Carter said. “Schools since the late 1800s have been organized around discrete disciplines such as mathematics, social sciences, physical sciences, biological sciences and languages, but really, when it all comes together, learning is much more interconnected than one particular discipline.” Dr. Carter, who considers himself a progressive thinker, said he envisions the future classroom as a very collaborative environment with teachers and students working together to create demonstrations of the curriculum in which students may truly apply what they’ve learned rather than repeat and reproduce textual information. Such projects and demonstrations would continuously answer the questions “Why am I learning this?” and “When am I ever going to use this in real life?” Dr. Carter also envisions a classroom in which teachers and technology collaborate to educate. “Teachers will always be relevant,” Dr. Carter said. “Technology just lets teachers provide students with learning opportunities like never before.” —Liam Gerrity