The UltraViolet 2019-2020 -- Issue 1

ultraviolet

@theUV @UVpaper

the

Marlborough School's

Volume #49 | Issue #1 | Los Angeles, CA

Monday, August 26, 2019

@UVpaper facebook.com/UVpaper

www.theUltraViolet.com

Sands commits to 100 percent renewable energy by 2030 ber of the Student Climate Emergency Coalition, an environmental activist group.

Last August, Cohen attended the Climate Reality Leadership Corps training, a three-day conference held in Downtown Los Angeles for climate change activists. The conference, led

by Gore, hosted delegates from across the globe, MIRA CHASKES STAFF ILLUSTRATOR including a limited number of passionate high SOPHIE DORF-KAMIENNY AND TALIA ABRAHAMSON school students.

UV STAFF “[The conference] showed Marlborough paces ahead to mess this up and contin- me how many people are alon reducing their carbon foot- ues to do so,” Sands said. “I ready involved and all of the print. Head of School Dr. Pris- am a climate crisis advocate. ways I could get involved,” cilla Sands signed a pledge on It was an easy, easy thing to Cohen said. “I think actions June 28 committing to use 100 get the School behind. My that I have taken since then percent renewable energy by role is to put the effort and have been inspired by that 2030. the resources of the School conference.”

The School is the first high behind something that many Cohen also attended a local school to sign the pledge with of you believe in and I be- Climate Reality meeting folthe Climate Reality Project, a lieve in.” lowing the conference, where non-profit organization comThe initiative was brought she discovered the “100% bating climate change founded to the School’s attention by Committed” campaign. She by former U.S.Vice President Al senior Gaby Cohen. Cohen is proposed it to senior MarlborGore. the co-president of Marlbor- ough administrators at the start “My generation was able ough’s ECO Club and a mem- of the 2018-2019 school year.

She first arranged a meeting between Climate Reality Leadership Corps volunteers Michael Zelnicker and Sylvie Abrams, Marlborough’s Campus Environmental Council Adviser Lisa Ellis and former Science Department Head Jennifer Garrison-Ross. Zelnicker is the co-chair of the Los Angeles chapter of the Climate Reality Project. Ellis and Garrison Ross then contacted Sands.

To reach its renewable energy goals, the School plans to transition exclusively to LED lighting. The gym and parking garage have already been switched to LEDs. Sands said they also hope to install more solar panels on campus. Some solar panels were already installed on the roof of the gym during the Arden Project, providing 70 percent of the energy required to heat the pool.

Sands said Marlborough needs ten years to fulfill the pledge because they have to balance budget restrictions, neighbors’ concerns and their conditional use policy, a permit that regulates land use.

“You look at your budget as your mission statement,” Sands said. “Projects that move forward will be part of this [initiative].” 

College Board adversity score An adversity index now accompanies SAT scores.

Marlborough college counselors share their thoughts.

p. 3

“Outside Us” art show opens Seaver Gallery hosts the first of two annual guest art shows.The show is curated by artist Arezoo Bharthania.

p. 5

Activism or hypocrisy?

Cameron Lange '20 argues that outrage against Yulin Dog Meat Festival is misguided and culturally insensitive.

p. 8

No. 6 Collaborations Project Pop star Ed Sheeran released a 15-track album this summer. Avery Crystal ’20 tries to make sense of it.

p. 9

Four teachers assumed new leadership roles for 2019-2020 CATHERINE MALANGA

UV STAFF Four faculty members have obtained new leadership positions on campus.

History & social sciences instructor Kendall Beeman is the new 7th Grade Dean. Hstory & social sciences instructor and English instructor Anna Robinson has become the new 9th Grade Dean. Science instructor and STEM Co-Advisor Lee Hamill is serving as the 11th Grade Dean for one quarter while history & social sciences instructor Jenna Corliss is on maternity leave. Lastly, science instructor Lisa Ellis earned the title of Science Department Head.

Beeman said in an email that she is looking forward to help shape a new class of Marlborough girls.

CATHERINE MALANGA STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

7th Grade Dean Kendall Beeman

“The incoming class is energetic, thoughtful and spirited,” Beeman said. “I am excited to get to know the girls outside of the classroom and help them find themselves in Marlborough.”

She said she applied for the position because she enjoys helping students have a better experience at school. She added that she hopes to support 7th graders with the difficulties that arise in the year.

“I am always looking out for girls, and I like to be proactive about helping them manage some of the challenges of 7th Grade,” Beeman said.

Beeman has already begun implementing changes to ensure the transition into Marlborough is as smooth as possible. Starting with Violets 101, an introduction to Marlborough, Beeman designed workshops focused on preparing

CATHERINE MALANGA STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

9th Grade Dean Anna Robinson

students for the year ahead.

“In one workshop, they learned organization tactics and organized their binders for the first day,” Beeman said. “They also did a schoolwide scavenger hunt where they got to know many of the people on campus and found their classes and other important locations.”

Robinson said her compassion, energy and organizational abilities suit the demands of being the 9th Grade Dean.

“I approach each day armed with a planner and a sense of humor, which I know will help me as I learn the ins and outs of being a Marlborough dean,” Robinson said.

9th Grade is the last year before entering the upper school, which Robinson said makes it a pivotal year.

Freshman year is packed with Marlborough traditions: choos-

CATHERINE MALANGA STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Science Department Head Lisa Ellis

ing a class song and colors, Casino Night and Pin Ceremony.

“This year we will be choosing the song and the colors that best represent this class––decisions that will be an important part of our identity in these years at Marlborough,” Robinson said.

Hamill was the 8th Grade Dean two years ago, which she said made her familiar with the responsibilities of being a dean.

“11th Grade is entirely different from 8th Grade, so there are a lot of new things to learn such as the Explore LA trips, semi-formal and ring ceremony, but Mrs. Corliss and I spent a lot of time together during the summer preparing for the school year,” Hamill said. “She made sure that I had everything I needed before she left.”

Hamill said she hopes to

CATHERINE MALANGA STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Temp. 11th Grade Dean Lee Hamill

work with 11th Grade student council to find ways to check in with 11th graders and offer her support. Also, as an 11th Grade advisor, Hamill said she will be able to spend more time with students outside of her advisory group.

When former Science Department Head Jennifer Garrison Ross announced she was leaving, Ellis stepped in to fill the position.

“At this point in my teaching career, I think I can provide guidance to other teachers and also lead the department to mutually agreed upon decisions that put the focus where it belongs: on student learning,” Ellis said.

Ellis said that change is in the near future for the science department.

“Any changes will come about through discussion and consensus, with input from the administration,” Ellis said.

“Nonetheless, change will happen, because science is dynamic.

What we teach and how we teach it evolves as scientific knowledge evolves.” 

the

ultraviolet

NEWS

www.theUltraViolet.com

Monday, August 26, 2019

Page 2

Mira Kwon ’21 starts a Korean Branch of EAST KAELYN PARK UV STAFF

COURTES Y OF KAELYN PARK '20

Kaelyn Park '20 and Allie Kim '19, center, with Facts First volunteers.

Students start “Facts First” FAYE RAAD UV STAFF

Kaelyn Park ’20 and alumna Allie Kim ’19 created a summer program called “Facts First,” where they taught middle school students about ethical journalism. They also introduced the students to the fundamentals of newsmaking, journalism and communication skills.

Kim applied for the fellowship through the Dragon Kim Foundation and approached Park with the idea for the program. The Foundation said it provides young people with access to a bright future and annually grants $5,000 to 20 groups throughout California to run a project that betters their community. Park and Kim worked together to teach middle schoolers about ethical journalism because they said it was a such a concern in today’s news.

“It is very difficult to differentiate fake news from the truth in the media, so we wanted to help cultivate the next generation to become better consumers of news,” Park said.

Park and Kim held two sessions of Facts First this summer. The first, with 15 students enrolled and four volunteers, was held at Marlborough in visual arts instructor Joshua Deu’s classroom for three weeks. The second, which had 21 students enrolled and three volunteers, was held at the Koreatown Youth and Community Center. It lasted two weeks and took place three days a week.

Kim and Park taught lessons and had a variety of interactive activities to introduce students to different parts of the newspaper process, including researching, interviewing, writing and designing. As they built the curriculum and program on their own, they said they had to learn many new skills themselves.

“I had never dealt with or been exposed to many of the tasks we needed to accomplish, but luckily the foundation leaders were extremely helpful throughout the process and gave us a large amount of guidance,” Park said.

“It was a very rewarding experience that was ultimately very successful.”

By the end of the program, the students had a physical newsletter and an online newspaper that showcased their newly developed journalism skills. Additionally, The Los Angeles Times High School Insider branch posted many of the students’ articles online.

“The highlight of our program was definitely seeing our students' increased interest in journalism and how proud they felt of their own work,” Park said. “Seeing the students flip through the pamphlets and talk amongst one another about all of the articles made every difficulty and challenge completely worth it. The feeling of pride and accomplishment radiating off of every student felt incredible, as I feel like we truly made an impact.” p

A new Korean branch of the EAST Asian affinity group is in the works and is set to be introduced to the Marlborough community within the first few weeks of this school year. The new branch, spearheaded by Mira Kwon ’21, will focus on Korean history, culture and language and will hold workshops similar to Pushing Perspective events throughout the year.

Kwon said she hopes this branch will provide students with the opportunity to learn about both North and South Korea. Students will meet separate from EAST meetings and discuss topics decided by club members. Additionally, Kwon plans to invite teachers or Korean experts from outside of the school to teach parts of the Korean culture to the greater student body.

Kwon hopes to focus on cultural aspects of Korean society, such as the globalization of K-Beauty and the ubiquity of K-Pop, and hopes to include lessons on the Korean language itself.

COURTESY OF MIRA KWON '21

She hopes the branch will be inclusive of the entire student body, regardless of ethnicity.

“What I’m hoping out of this [branch] is to have people feel connected to their own cultural identity, whether they’re Korean American, and also have other people who are nonKoreans feel like they can be connected to the Korean culture as well… hopefully that can inspire greater diversity and awareness at Marlborough,” Kwon said.

Kwon came up with the idea to form a Korean branch of EAST when she and her friends discussed a shared desire to learn more of the Korean language. Kwon received the support of other EAST club members who expressed interest in joining her program.

One of these members is JuJu No ’20, who believes the new Korean branch of EAST would be a starting point to teach students in Marlborough about Asian culture in greater depth.

“I would definitely join the club!

EAST does a great job of introducing eastern countries and their cultures to people, but this new branch of EAST teaches about Korean culture in depth… people can get a much closer look into what Asian culture consists of,” No said.

Kwon has already been in contact with volunteers from LINK (Liberty in North Korea), a nonprofit that rescues North Korean refugees and brings them to the United States. They plan to speak to Marlborough students this fall.

Moving forward, Kwon hopes her formation of a new Korean branch of EAST will inspire the introduction of a variety of other cultures to the Marlborough community.

“I think it’s a really cool opportunity to learn more… Hopefully this [will] branch off into different languages and different cultures, not just Korea,” Kwon said. “That’s my ultimate goal to pass on.” p

English Department offers new semester electives CHLOE HUTCHENS UV STAFF While the Asian American Literature English elective has been dropped, Latinx Literature will be added for the 2019-2020 school year.

The Class of 2020 is smaller than previous senior classes, so the number of senior electives has been reduced. Asian American Literature will no longer be offered, as English teacher and longtime instructor of that course, Kyanh Tonnu, left Marlborough. The 21st Century Novel elective will also no longer be offered because English Department Co-Head David Long, who previously taught the course, will instead be teaching more 9th and 10th Grade classes.

The new English elective is Latinx Literature and will be taught by Marilu Medrano Utomi. English Department Co-Head Deborah Banner said she believes adding this elective will add more diversity into the English curriculum.

“We added Latinx Literature to the curriculum because it's been requested by students several times over the past few years and it offers the opportunity to add

authors and texts into our curriculum that we haven't studied in depth,” Banner said.

“I hope students are able to gain a deeper understanding of the broad history of Latinx people in the U.S.“

—Marilu Medrano Utomi

Utomi is excited to teach students Latinx history and its blend influence on American history.

“I hope that students develop a greater awareness of the difference between terms like Latinx/Latina/o, Hispanic, Chicanx/o/a, Tejana/o, Mexican-American, etc.,” Utomi said. “I also hope students are able to gain a deeper understanding of the broader history of Latinx people in the U.S. as well as the difference between Latin American Literature versus Latinx/Latina/o Literature.”

Bella Birch ’20 said she decided to sign up for Latinx Literature because of short stories she had enjoyed in previous English classes.

“When we read short stories in 9th Grade, I really enjoyed the stories by Latin American writers, and I thought taking Latin American Literature would be a good way to be exposed to writing in similar genres, while also getting the chance to read books I have never seen before,” Birch said.

Decisions about cutting and adding electives are made

by Long and Banner, with help from Director of Upper School Laura Hotchkiss. Banner makes sure to take student and teacher feedback into account when choosing new English electives.

“We have several goals that are consistent from year to year: we want to respond to student interests and needs; we want to give teachers the chance to try new things and pursue their passions; we want to… build upon but not repeat the skills and ideas we cover throughout all six years; and we are always trying to make each year better than the one before,” Banner said. p

the

ultraviolet

www.theUltraViolet.com

NEWS Monday, August 26, 2019

Page 3

The College Board adds SAT “adversity score” AUDREY LOO UV STAFF

The College Board officially announced a new component to their standardized testing protocols in May 2019: the Environmental Context Index (ECD).

The ECD is what the College Board calls a measure of “disadvantage,” according to the New York Times.

The College Board said the score will allow colleges to gauge applicants’ privilege when they report their SAT scores.

The SAT has been highly criticized because, on average, wealthier students tend to earn higher scores than middle-to lower-class students. More access to private tutors, better schools and extra resources contribute to the disparity.

“I don’t know how effective the score will be in the college admissions process.“

—Dr. Jawaan Wallace

The adversity score is the College Board’s attempt to correct this problem. A spokeswoman for the College Board said that the score “puts a student’s SAT score and other academic accomplishments included in their college application in the context of where they live and learn,” according to Insider Higher Ed. A student’s adversity score is rated on a scale between one and 100, with a score of 50 as the average level of disadvantage.

A higher score indicates more adversity, whereas a lower score indicates more privilege.

The scoring process includes 31 factors, which are divided into three categories: neighborhood environment, family environment and high school environment.

Some factors that fall under “neighborhood environment,” for example, include median house value, poverty rate and crime rate. Some “family environment” factors are a family’s median yearly income, parents’ educational status and adults in the household with professional jobs.

Some states “prohibit the use of race as a factor in admissions,” said Connie Betterton, vice president of Access and Diversity Collaborative, a partner of the College Board. Because the College Board is a national organization, race therefore cannot be used as an explicit factor in the determination of a student’s score.

A student’s adversity score will not affect his or her SAT test scores. Instead, the score will be handed to college admissions officers along with “a bigger package of data about the student,” according to the New York Times. The student will not be able to access or view their own adversity score.

Marlborough’s college counselors, Monica DePriest, Brian K. Smith and Jawaan Wallace said they believe the adversity score is a trivial addition in the admissions process. “[The idea]’s been around for a while, believe it or not, but it’s just come to light,” Smith said. “People are paying attention to it, but how they’re using it in the admissions process is unknown. I don’t think it’s going to change anything.”

The counselors said they do not think the adversity score is either positive or negative.

“It is a good step on the College Board’s part to try to capture some of this information, but I don’t know how effective it will be in the admissions process,” Wallace said. “I’ve had the opportunity to talk with different deans and directors, and a lot of schools are not sure how they’re going to use that information.”

The counselors said colleges may weigh the adversity scores more heavily for kids from larger schools. DePriest said the adversity score will not have much effect on Marlborough students, in particular.

“The way that the score can be most helpful would be to provide contextual information for students who, quite frankly, don’t have the level of support in the college admissions process that students at Marlborough have,” DePriest said. “Colleges, historically, have relied on counselors to provide that context.” p

PRIYA KARUMANCHI STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

New 7th graders Caroline Carr '25, Scarlett Hartstein '25 and Fernie Kimball '25 participate in a bonding activity.

Students participate in a new Violets 101 program PRIYA KARUMANCHI UV STAFF Every year before school starts, Marlborough hosts new student orientations to acclimate incoming 7th graders and 9th graders to the community. 7th graders in “Violets 101” and 9th graders in “Violets 201” learned about Marlborough through revamped orientations new to the 20192020 school year.

During the 2018-2019 school year, the Middle School Experience Committee used its research to help reshape the orientation program so incoming students would not only find their classes and meet their teachers, but also learn about the Marlborough experience as a whole. The Committee researched sleep, equity, inclusion, middle school culture and 7th/8th Grade electives. Research was conducted to further evaluate how the administration could create a more seamless transition to Marlborough for new students.

Assistant Division Director Regina Rosi-Mitchell explained that an important aspect of the Committee’s research process was interviewing students at feeder schools for Marlborough like Carlthorp and the Center for Early Education. These visits helped the middle school faculty learn about the backgrounds of their incoming students, from the grading systems to which the students had grown accustomed to the study skills and media experience students might have obtained.

“The biggest thing is building in time for students to make connections with their classmates before the school year.“

—Regina Rosi Mitchell

SOPHIA MILLER STAFF ILLUSTRATOR

“The feeder schools kept hearing from alums that the hardest part of transtioning to middle school was lockers,” RosiMitchell said. “They changed it so every 6th grader had a locker, so when they go to middle school, it wasn’t this new expe-

rience.”

The Committee also examined potential stressors that students experience on their first day at Marlborough. Previous Violet 101 and 201 orientations focused on teaching students how to find classes and how to use the planner, but the team realized students are more stressed about other issues.

“The number one stressor is ‘who am I going to sit with at lunch?’” Rosi-Mitchell said. “The biggest thing is building time for students to make connections with their classmates before the school year.”

“Meeting all of the new people has been really nice, and I am more excited now.“

—Eden Fox ’25

7th grader Eden Fox said she felt that the orientation day helped all of the students feel more comfortable and ready for the new school year.

“When we first came, I got to organize my binders, and they talked about our schedules to clear everything up, which was nice,” Fox said. “Meeting all of the new people has been really nice, and I am more excited now.”

Violets 101 and 201 lasted three days each in late August. The 9th Grade orientation used to be one day during which current 9th Grade students were paired up with incoming students. This year, orientation included meeting the other students, organizing their school supplies, decorating their lockers and more.

Both orientations also had student volunteers who spoke on panels and assisted with a scavenger hunt to help students find their classes. 7th grader Dinah Yorkin said she found the scavenger hunt to be beneficial.

“The scavenger hunt was my favorite part,”Yorkin said. “Finding all of my classrooms has been really helpful, so I feel prepared.” p

the

ultraviolet

NEWS Monday, August 26, 2019

Page 4

Online Student Leadership Course EMMA YANAI UV STAFF

In anticipation of the upcoming school year, student leaders at Marlborough participated in an online leadership course to prepare them for their roles on campus. Council members, sports team captains, affinity group leaders and Violets’ Giving Circle members all took part in the new summer class, titled “Leadership at Marlborough and Beyond.”

The program was introduced by Dean of Student Life Regina Rosi Mitchell as a way to prepare students for their roles as leaders during the 2019-2020 school year. The class was entirely online and completed through a MyMarlborough page with topic pages for each of the lessons.

The class consisted of four main lessons: Leadership 101, which discussed the main components of being a leader, Communications, Event Planning & Management and Organization for Student Leaders.

10th grade Community Service Representative SarahMae Tuohy ’22 said she was pleasantly surprised by the focus of the course on the administrative aspect of leadership.

“I expected the class to be more focused on leadership qualities,” Tuohy said. Instead, it “taught things like emailing and setting meetings, which was much more helpful.”

Cosi Lovegrove-Leak '21, C o m mu n i c a tion Representative for the Junior Class Council, used the leadership class to prepare for what will be her first time as a council member at Marlborough.

“I think it will help us be the best public servants we can be,” LovegroveLeak said.

S o n o r a Robles ’21, a co-captain of the cross-country team, agreed that the leadership course will be helpful in her captain position on campus next year. “[The class] taught me different aspects of leadership that I was previously unaware of,” Robles said. “I found it incredibly helpful, because it explains different ways in which to show leadership.”

In addition, students appreciated how convenient the online class was, as opposed to one that had to be done in person.

Without strict meeting times, the class was

STELLA FOX STAFF ILLUSTRATOR

flexible and allowed students to adapt it to their often busy summer schedules.

Rosi Mitchell said there are definite plans to continue the program next year, and the school has a new class for returning student leaders to further their leadership skills. The specifics will be determined after talking with those who took the summer course later in the year.

“We look forward to hearing feedback about what was helpful,” Rosi Mitchell said. p

BELLA RHOW UV STAFF of less than ten percent compared to the national rate of 75 percent. Many of the IOW’s administration and staff are themselves alumni of the program and recognize the importance of support in reducing recidivism.

Aside from creative writing classes, InsideOUT Writers also aims to provide incarcerated youth with additional services that would not otherwise be available to them. Community service hours, legal consultation and career guidance are all offered at IOW in hopes that their participants will be able to more easily integrate back into their communities.

COURTESY OF INSIDEOUT WRITERS

Marlborough will partner this fall with InsideOUT Writers (IOW), a nonprofit that aims to reduce juvenile recidivism rates by providing formerly incarcerated youth with creative writing workshops and social services.

The current juvenile recidivism rate in America is at an all time high, with 75 percent of detained youth returning to prison after repeat offenses. InsideOUT Writers seek to reduce reincarceration by providing services that meet the needs of incarcerated youth and encouraging them to use creative writing as an outlet for self-transformation.

IOW said it hopes to help these young people to reintegrate themselves into their communities and become advocates for their own futures.

In partnership with Marlborough,

InsideOUT Writers will create a class comprised of half-Marlborough students and half-IOW students. By bringing together two communities that may otherwise have little contact, students will examine their own race and gender based experiences through different perspectives.

Ultimately, this class aims to build a sense of community with peers from vastly different backgrounds and help both Marlborough students and IOW students learn more about how they fit into our nation’s social context.

IOW staff on the InsideOUT Writers website explains that there is a lack of economic opportunity, resources and support for youth within the justice system. Those who participate in the IOW Alumni Program have a recidivism rate

Compost system will see changes coming this fall SAMANTHA CHUNG UV STAFF

New partnership with InsideOUT Writers

A writing circle focusing on gratitude held by InsideOUT Writers.

www.theUltraViolet.com

“I’m so excited to participate in such an amazing opportunity and can't wait to connect with a new community.“

—Sadie Weil ’21

This fall, every Monday at 3:40 p.m., Marlborough students will meet Community Partnerships Program Head Javier Espinoza at his office to travel to IOW. “I’m so excited to participate in such an amazing opportunity and can’t wait to connect with a new community,” Sadie Weil ’21, a participant in the class, said.

In their partnership, Marlborough and IOW hope to foster community and understanding among two vastly different groups. p

Julia Kwak ’20 and Delaney Michaelson ’20 are taking steps to promote environmentally sustainable practices for the upcoming school year by improving Marlborough’s composting program. Kwak and Michaelson first introduced compost bins to the school during the 2018–2019 school year, allowing Marlborough students to dispose of their food and plates from Café M in a more sustainable way.

Michaelson said Marlborough students have had mixed reactions to the composting system.

“Marlborough students’ overachieving nature has a positive effect on the composting system because students have worked on sorting their waste correctly,” Michaelson said. “There are still issues with certain products, like plates and bowls, where students confuse the items.”

Kwak also said some students have trouble sorting compostable waste from plastic waste—specifically, separating compostable plates from non-compostable utensils and cups.

“The composting system is still a work in progress. Many students have gotten more and more familiar with the rules, but I feel that students often times don’t care enough to take the time and truly check,” Kwak said.

For the upcoming school year, Kwak and Michaelson are working with the school to reduce the school’s use of plastic by introducing compostable utensils, cups and bowls to Café M. They are also working with Gaby Cohen ’20 to host a climate change conference at Marlborough.The conference will be open to the general public, and it will feature guest speakers and organizations that are working to combat climate change.

Both Kwak and Michaelson have stayed involved in environmental issues over the summer. Kwak attended an Earthwatch program in Churchill, a rural town in Manitoba, Canada, to research the impact of climate change on arctic environments. She also participated in the Environment and Sustainability Program at a National Student Leadership Conference at Yale University.

“It was a great experience because I was able to learn about environmentalism outdoors, as opposed to in a classroom,” Kwak said. “I was able to meet and learn from so many amazing people from different backgrounds.”

Michaelson attended an environmental conservation program in Southern Thailand, where she participated in beach cleanups and recorded data about trash on beaches.

“The experience was so rewarding, as I met students equally passionate about the environment from across the nation,” Michaelson said.

There are also many opportunities in Los Angeles for students who want to get more involved in helping the environment.

“The simplest way to get involved is researching organizations like Food Forward, Tree People and Heal The Bay, who can offer great volunteering opportunities that make a difference,” Michaelson said. “Another option to making an impact on our planet can be done at home—using less single-use items and eating less meat.” p

the

ultraviolet

ARTS

www.theUltraViolet.com

page 5

Monday, August 26, 2019

Kathy Rea snapped photos with Jenks Award

Photo of Stonehenge taken by Kathy Rea during her travels.

JULIA EDELMAN UV STAFF

Visual Arts Instructor Kathy Rea received the Anne-Marie Jenks Excellence in Teaching Award this past year, allowing her to take a 10-day photography workshop in Italy and travel in Europe with her daughter over the summer. The award has been given annually since 2013 to provide a faculty member with the opportunity for professional development.

Rea had been meaning to get into photography for a while, but had never been able to push herself to do so.

“I knew I needed the proper instruc-

tion and guidance along with a solid chunk of uninterrupted time to simply immerse myself in the process of taking photos with it,” Rae said. “This workshop offered me both the time and the instruction that I needed to do just that.”

The photography workshop Rea participated in was based in Cefalú, Italy, a small medieval town on the north coast of Sicily. Rea was one of nine photography workshop participants. Rea and the other participants were assigned a new project every day, while evenings were dedicated to group critiques of each person’s photographs from the day’s outing. Though

those adjustments work together to affect depth of field and motion blur in various light situations,” Rea said. “The more I learn, the more I realize how much there still is to know about the process of using a digital camera, but at least I feel a little more comfortable with it now.”

Rea also learned a lot about herself as a photographer during the workshop.

“I set out on this trip with a specific list of photos that I wanted to take to illustrate different elements of architecture and design, but I found I was much more interested in seizing a moment, documenting some aspect of the amazing culture and history or the rich texture of the landscape, or just trying to create a good composition,” Rea said.

Rea was ultimately very happy with the experience and said she can already see how it might influence her teaching other visual arts at Marlborough.

“I have lots and lots of new ideas swirling around in my head for taking parts of images I captured along with bits of KATHY REA CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER ephemera collected from my travels and Rea found some aspects of the work- combining them with drawing, painting, printing, stitching and other mark-making shop to be and collage techchalleng ing, “Some of these ideas will niques.” Rea said. she was ultidoubt, some inadvertently spill out of “No mately able to of these ideas pick up some my head and land at the will inadvertently valuable new photography feet of my more advanced spill out of my head and land at skills. art students. ” the feet of my “The most —Kathy Rea more advanced challenging art students to aspect for me be offered up as in using a digital camera is in understandpossible assignment suggestions for their ing the reciprocal relationship between aperture, shutter speed and ISO and how personal use and interpretation.” p

Guest Art Show “Outside Us” Opens in Seaver Gallery FIONA TARSES UV STAFF

“Outside Us,” the first of Marlborough’s two annual guest art shows, opened Monday, Aug. 26, the first day of school. The show was curated by Arezoo Bharthania and features art from Bhartania herself along with artists Dawn Ertl, Kimberly Morris and Diane Williams.

“We are so happy to be showing our work in this school and hope the girls will enjoy the show,” Bhartania said.

“Mostly our goal as a department is to present students with things they wouldn't normally see in a school setting.”

- Chelsea Dean

As evidenced by its title, the show centers around the themes of identity and “otherness.” The show’s mission statement says that the featured artists, all of whom are women of color, have come to recognize that their identity is “manufactured through the filter of Western Culture.” Thus, the art “exam-

ines the pressure imposed onto them to conform to societal norms such as the Western obsession [with] the ideal female.”

This idea of forced conformity is represented in the show through the incorporation of items such as body casts or weavings meant to symbolize traditionally female daily routines.

Furthermore, to represent the idea of deconstructing cultural stereotypes of gender and sexuality, the artists manipulated recycled materials in their work to represent “loosely woven, fluid, and mutable identity.”

Marlborough Visual Arts Department Head Chelsea Dean said she was compelled by a lot of the issues that the artists in the show are presenting and that the department had many reasons for choosing “Outside Us” as this year’s first guest art show.

She notes that the concept of conveying “otherness” through art was especially compelling, specifically as it applies to race.

“We definitely have a huge population of students at our school that I think would connect with that feeling or idea and maybe they don’t even know how to address it or what that would look like through the voice of an artist,” Dean said. “I think it’s really

interesting to see not only how they address it but specifically the the materials that they’re using and how it’s presented.”

No matter what the artwork means to the students, Dean feels that “Outside Us” succeeds in displaying artwork that may be unfamiliar and therefore educa-

tional for students.

“Mostly our goal as a department is to present students with things they wouldn’t normally see in a school setting,” Dean said. “We also strive to find voices and artists that we think are not only relevant for the students, but that we also think they would be really inspired by.” p

A piece featured in “Outside Us” hangs in Seaver Gallery.

FIONA TARSES STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

the

ultraviolet

Page 6

FEATURES Monday, August 26, 2019

www.theUltraViolet.com

Eight-part look into eight-day rotation TALIA ABRAHAMSON AND SOPHIE DORF-KAMIENNY UV STAFF

The Marlborough administration has revamped the daily schedule for the 20192020 school year. After a decade with the previous schedule, designed by current Director of Upper School Dr. Laura Hotchkiss ’86 and former Mathematics Department Head Dr. Chris Talone, the administration took the opportunity to formally review the schedule.

Productivity Teachers’ feedback was heavily considered in deciding on the new schedule, specifically through a teacher committee led by Dean of Faculty Helen Mendoza and former Science Department Head Jennifer Garrison Ross.

Faculty participated in surveys throughout the process, and they were ultimately presented with the three schedule

sented did prioritize productivity, especially given the decrease in class transitions. Fitts explained that even though classes start half an hour later than they previously did, school is still able to end at 3 p.m. thanks to the eight-day rotation.

The consultant even encouraged the administration to consider abolishing designated passing periods altogether. While the school chose to keep them, as a result of the new bell schedule only one five-minute passing period is necessary each day.

Other classes are now broken up by community time, break and lunch, so passing periods take up much less time than they did in the previous schedule, where there would often be up to three within a single day.

Longer periods also make for longer free periods, which according to Fitts opens up the possibility of a more regulated free period for middle school stu-

a half hour of optional Flex Time every morning.

The decision to place Community Time between first and second period was deliberated throughout the process.

In the previous schedule, it was most often positioned right before lunch.

“The consultant really suggested that the middle of the morning was better than abutting [community time] to lunch – people really needed a break and that also was accommodating that middle school idea,” Hotchkiss said in reference to supporting middle schoolers through longer periods of class time.

In their conversations with ISM, creating separate schedules for Middle and Upper School was also a proposal on the table, but was ultimately decided against. According to Hotchkiss, keeping both divisions on the same schedule was important in maintaining bridges between the two.

For instance, separate schedules would impede on teachers who teach across both divisions.

As a result, lunch remains a shared period for all students, which Fitts suggested has some drawbacks. With the former schedule, lunch was staggered for Middle School and Upper School students on Wednesdays. Now, lunch will land consistently at the same time for every student, resulting in longer lines in Café M.

Late Start

ELEANOR BERGER STAFF ILLUSTRATOR

options formulated by Independent School Management (ISM), a consulting company that Marlborough enlisted to evaluate its schedule and propose changes.

Maximizing class and work time was key to developing the new schedule, from the moment the administration began corresponding with Brian Smith of ISM. To ensure that the new schedule would promote efficiency throughout the school day, ISM requested a breadth of data from Hotchkiss and the core team, which also included Director of Middle School Sean Fitts, Mendoza and Garrison Ross.

The data they collected was not the kind you would find on the Marlborough website. It ranged from statistics on classroom usage to how long it takes students to cross campus between periods.

Ultimately, the options ISM pre-

dents. Fitts explained that he is considering implementing study supervision for middle school students so that they can fully utilize their newfound free time.

Shared Time In addition to longer periods, Community Time, which is shared by all students and faculty, will also serve to eliminate a passing period each day. Although Community Times will rotate between activities such as All-School Meetings, advisories and class meetings, additional Flex Times were in particularly high demand by both faculty as well as student representatives on the Student Academic Advisory Committee. This request has been addressed not only through a consistent period allotted for Community Time, but also by means of Healthy Start, which builds in

The administration predicts that late start will help students get ahead. Classes now begin at 8:30 a.m. rather than 8:00 a.m..

Marlborough initiated the change in part to save students sleep. The CDC and American Academy of Pediatrics recommends schools start at 8:30 a.m. or later so students have the opportunity to sleep for eight to ten hours each night.

Marlborough students have reported a troubled history with sleep. The senior board of the UltraViolet published an editorial in 2014 titled “The Unattainable Trifecta: School Work, Sleep, Social Life.” Although an extra half-hour in the morning will not alone combat the problem, administrators said they hope it will help. Sean Fitts said sleeping in even a few minutes longer is beneficial.

“If you’re used to getting up at 5:45 a.m. and now you can get up at 6:00 a.m., that makes a huge difference,” Fitts said.

“It adds up over time. It’s the cumulative effect that’s important.”

Later start times is becoming a trend in California schools. A bill in the California senate hopes to enforce 8:30 a.m. start times for most public secondary schools. Former Governor Jerry Brown rejected a similar bill last September, but leading Senator Anthony Portantino said the bill has greater bipartisan support and more supplementary research this year.

Given statewide momentum toward late starts, Fitts said he supported the change during the schedule review process.

“Having the late start was the one thing I couldn’t see us not doing,” Fitts said. “It would be backwards to not make that change.”

Commute Brown criticized the old bill for being a “one-size-fits-all approach.” Similarly, students at Marlborough said the late start time, although it can benefit nearby students, has the potential of harming longdistance commuters.

The administration conducted a transportation study this summer to determine the most efficient morning and afternoon bus times. Using mostly computer modeling analysis on street speed averages and density of lanes, all eight bus routes have been changed.

“I think any change is hard no matter what; it doesn’t matter positive or negative.

It’s still change which requires motivation and for people to rethink how they do things.”

—Sean Fitts

Buses are set to arrive on campus at 8:15 a.m. each morning, similar to the previous Wednesday morning bus schedule. Although the shift allows students to sleep in slightly longer than they would otherwise, more time is allotted for each route so as to counteract interference with rush hour traffic.

Buses leave campus at 3:15 p.m. to accommodate a new 3:00 p.m. dismissal.

Late buses leave at 5:45 p.m., rather than 5:30 p.m..

Most students on the buses are middle schoolers, like Helena Hudlin ’23, who cannot legally drive herself to school.

“Commuters will reap fewer benefits from the late start than students who live Hancock Park, as they have to wake up earlier to drive to school,” Hudlin said in an email. “At the time my bus leaves (Bus 92), most of my friends in Hancock Park are sound asleep.”

Especially for juniors and seniors who drive on freeways to get to Marlborough, delays in departure time can affect traffic patterns for the worse. Riley Sandler ’20, a senior who drives from the Valley, said she is anxious about leaving her house later than last year.

“If you drive, you know that every minute counts,” Sandler said. “If I leave at 6:55, I don’t run into any traffic on my way to school, but if I leave at 7:00, all bets are off.”

Teachers must arrive on campus at 8:00 a.m., ten minutes later than last year.

Class Times Although classes are still distributed throughout eight periods, the shift to consistent 70-minute class periods that meet four times every eight days pose the largest challenge to the current curricula. This presented an issue particularly within the World Language Department, where having three check-ins each week was advanta-

the

ultraviolet

www.theUltraViolet.com geous in maintaining proficiency, according to Department Head Dr. Elizabeth Vitanza.

“The only concern language teachers had was fewer overall meetings, but we have more minutes,”Vitanza said. “We will be focusing on how to provide immediate feedback within our 70-minute periods to maximize students’ progress. I think we’re also excited about having more time to practice speaking.”

Fitts was concerned more so by the length of the classes than by how often they meet. Specifically in the Middle School, where students aren’t often used to enduring longer blocks and aren’t offered much flexibility in their courses, Fitts suggested that teachers entertain the idea of offering short breaks during some classes.

“I think what people are going to do is kind of get creative with that time and try to break it up, or maybe have certain days of the week where they have a break in the middle as opposed to going straight through every class,” Fitts said.

On the other hand, many still appreciate the consistently long periods established in the new schedule. Hudlin said she prefers the longer periods to the previous model, where classes were more often cut short at 55 minutes.

“I think students will be able to really grasp the material and classes will be more efficiently run,” she said.

Longer periods also mean that only four classes meet each day. In both divisions, the administration sees this aspect of the schedule as an advantage in fostering a calm learning environment.

“I felt like we were jumping around too much; there was too much movement,” Fitts said. “So what I wanted to see was fewer class transitions and a more balanced schedule.”

Hotchkiss said she agreed that “some days felt more impacted than other days” under the previous schedule and looks forward to “a more equal distribution of classes and Community Times throughout the week.”

Homework and Assessments Beyond more time to work on assignments or meet with teachers, the administration hopes that nightly homework loads will be alleviated by the new schedule, since homework for a given class will never be due the next day. According to Vitanza, this structure eliminates the need for NADA (No Assignments Due or Assessments) nights, which were previously built in for certain holidays and often resulted in confusion or disproportionately busy weeks before and after.

Mendoza, who teaches Middle School history, said that she also hopes to alleviate heavy homework loads by using some of the extra class time granted by the new schedule to get students started on assignments.

“I always break classes up into short chunks appropriate for optimal learning,” Mendoza said. “More longer blocks will allow for students to start their homework more often in class, so any questions can be answered before they leave.”

In addition to having more class time each period, the new schedule also affords teachers a clearer understanding of exactly how many times a class will meet each semester and thus means they do not have

FEATURES Monday, August 26, 2019

to adjust lesson plans based on how long a class meets for on a given day.

“From what I’ve heard from the teachers, the feedback is very positive," Hotchkiss said. "They feel like it’s going to create a lot more consistency and predictability in what they do and how they do it.”

To ensure predictability for faculty while also encouraging further collaboration among students, Marlborough is implementing Work Days for the first time, which are designed to make sure the semester doesn’t end in the middle of a schedule rotation. These days will occur twice throughout the year, one towards the end of each semester, and although no classes will take place, students will be encouraged to come to campus to meet with teachers, work on group projects or otherwise collaborate with their peers.

Information Systems Administrator Amy Hirschfeld ’94 took on the role of assigning class schedules to each teacher and student this year and said she looks forward to the newfound predictability of Marlborough’s schedule, both on a daily scale and throughout each semester.

“I think right now it might be a little arbitrary for students because they haven't experienced it or lived in it,” Hirschfeld said. “The thing that I am most looking forward to in this new schedule is the consistency… I think that's a real game changer in this schedule.”

Although the system of assigning classes to periods labeled B through I hasn’t changed, Hirschfeld said there were additional requests this year regarding science classes and Middle School humanities classes. Specifically, she was instructed to maintain the same cohort of 7th Grade students for both history and English classes, and to schedule all regular science classes for one day, and all honors science classes for the other. The latter request serves to allow teachers to maintain lab setups for a full day, rather than switching back and forth to accomodate a different variation of a given class.

Lastly, the new calendar redefines “finals week,” continuing full days of classes up until winter and summer break, so as to maximize class time. The resulting substitute for finals involves a “crunch calendar” in December and May, explicitly containing major assessments for each department into a respective twoday span.The format more so resembles a testing period as opposed to a week dedicated to final exams when classes are no longer in session.

Honors Research When Hirschfeld started to build the 2019-2020 schedule, she did not begin with academic, art or sport classes. She first assigned the Honors Research blocks.

Administrators made sure to value extracurricular commitments, like Honors Research, throughout the new schedule process.

The Honors Research programs match juniors and seniors with professional mentors across greater Los Angeles. Students paired at external institutions leave campus approximately three times a week to research in-person.

One goal of Honors Research in Sci-

Page 7 eliminated that need.

Late start also provides sports teams greater versatility with practice times.

Teams can move afternoon practices to the mornings if too many students have commitments. Early-morning practices, which for sports like lacrosse started at 6:30 a.m., can start later without sacrificing training time.

“Coaches always tell us to get enough sleep,” Sandler said. “Sleep is imperative to

RILEY SANDLER STAFF ILLUSTRATOR

ence Program Head Dr. Allison Ponzio was to create reliable times for students to leave campus. She said having a dependable schedule is ideal for these work-place environments.

“I wanted all class blocks to be the same length,” Ponzio said in an email.

“This provides a more even and predictable schedule that makes it easier to be off campus.”

performance––definitely need it in school.

It is also that way in sports.”

The same applies to students in the play, newspaper or other after-school activity that hosts long nights. Hotchkiss said that one of the top priorities in the new schedule was allowing those students to sleep more in the morning.

Extracurriculars

Fitts said the schedule has been mostly well-received thus far, but the administration anticipates an adjustment period during which the schedule can be polished.

“Usually with a change like this, you get a whole opposing body coming at you, trying to push you in another direction,” Fitts said. “I think any change is hard no matter what; it doesn’t matter positive or negative. It’s still change which requires motivation and for people to rethink how they do things.”

Despite the challenge of adjusting to a new daily schedule, Hotchkiss is curious to see what unanticipated benefits accompany the shift.

“I am always excited about this idea of what else happens from change,” Hotchkiss said. “What is the unintended consequence of this that could be positive, which we don’t know yet?”

Hotchkiss also hopes that students will continue to contribute constructive feedback once the school year begins, and that the school is receptive enough to implement change in response.

In addition to individual students’ feedback, she said that the administration will continue to communicate with faculty as well as SAAC during the adjustment period. p

Every class meets once at the last period during the eight-day rotation. The previous schedule had several classes frequenting the last-period slot more than others, which created issues for students who need to leave early. Athletes, in particular, were disadvantaged when game days fell on the same weekdays.

“I would’ve been disappointed if we hadn’t kept that in there,” Fitts said. “It makes a difference for students who are in sports to not have the same class meeting at the end of the day, all the time.”

Sandler, who is the all-school athletics representative and last year's Varsity Lacrosse goalie, frequently missed F and G periods. This pattern was especially frustrating when she missed honors courses because there was more work for her to make up, according to Sandler. She believes the new schedule will alleviate issues for athletes.

“That will help minimize personal guilt with not having to ask the same people for notes every time,” Sandler said.

Sports concerns impacted more than the students. Hirschfeld said teachers were filing requests to avoid teaching during last-period blocks. The new schedule

Moving Forward

the

ultraviolet

Page 8

OPINION Monday, August 26, 2019

www.theUltraViolet.com

Activism or hypocrisy? killed annually in Yulin appear paltry.

It may be suggested that speciesism, Roughly 10,000 dogs were slaugh- or the treatment of some species as intered this June for the annual Lychee herently more valuable than others, is and Dog Meat Festival in Yulin, China, the culprit at work here. While it can despite rumors that the festival had been be easy to dismiss images of chickens cancelled based on false news of a ban on Tyson farms caked in their own fecal on dog meat. The festival began in the matter, there is something uniquely mes1990s to celebrate the summer solstice, merizing about seeing puppies cuddled though the Chinese practice of eating up in a cage overseas. dog meat predates written history due That said, speciesism is not a fully to the belief that the meat brings health sufficient explanation for the situation and good luck. at hand. It fails to address the utter abUnsurprisingly, intensive online sense of mainstream activism directed campaigns including Change.org pe- towards the less overt, but more widetitions and the tag #StopYulin have spread, occurrence of canine euthanasia arisen in the U.S., attempting to force in shelters across America. According to the Chinese government to ban the the ASPCA, in the U.S. alone, approxifestival. In 2016, the most popular peti- mately 1.5 million shelter animals are tion garnered over 11 million signatures. euthanized each year including 670,000 This summer, a Floridian group crowd- dogs, 80 percent of whom are completesourced funding for a cargo plane to fly ly healthy and could have been adopted dogs to safety in the U.S.. Despite its had consumers not chosen pet store dogs participants’ positive instead. Given the “Activists' common lack of mainstream intentions, Yulin activism is misguided, refrain, 'Culture is not attention paid to hypocritical and the murder of dogs an excuse!' culturally insensiin America, the reaexemplifies Western sons behind selective.

It is surprising exceptionalism at its tive outrage related that the same wideto Yulin come more most hypocritical.” into focus. spread #StopYulin outrage is not directed toward factory There is a long and illustrious history farming practices in the U.S., where of American portrayals of Asian counAmerican consumers have more power tries as associated with backwardness and to affect change. Roughly 10 billion savagery. The indiscriminate killing of land animals are killed for food each Chinese puppies plays perfectly into this year in the U.S., making the 10,000 dogs discourse, creating a paradox in which

CAMERON LANGE UV STAFF

SOPHIA MILLER STAFF ILLUSTRATOR

American activists can be seen as politically correct or “woke” while simultaneously promoting worn-out and harmful stereotypes.

The excessive attention paid to Yulin, particularly through activists’ common refrain, “Culture is not an excuse!” exemplifies Western exceptionalism at its most hypocritical. Apparently, culture is an excuse for inflicting cruelty upon animals—that is, so long as it’s American culture, which is so intertwined with the consumption of meat that we commemorate Thanksgiving with turkey and Independence Day with BBQ. While activists with Yulin tunnel vision continue on their crusades, American fast food chains continue to open up shop in Asian nations. China has already begun to adopt forms of factory farming modeled directly on the U.S.. At worst, some form of cultural imperialism seems to be taking place, and at best, it seems clear that the contemporary brand of social media-based activism may be more

based upon vacuous virtue-signaling than achieving broader cultural understanding or alleviating suffering.

To further explore whether Yulinesque activism is justified, a role-reversal may be useful. Imagine that millions of activists started a movement to secure a ban on Fourth of July BBQ, even purchasing planes to fly cows across the ocean to safety. This would likely be labeled a war on “western values,” resulting in efforts at securitization marked by military buildup and crackdowns on immigration.

To be clear, it is good that pictures of dogs in cages tug at people’s heartstrings. Now more than ever, as global meat consumption skyrockets, fostering compassion for animals is important. It brings me unabashed joy to see that the prevalence of dog-eating has been on the decline in China. But before signing another petition, it may be wise to consider your reasons for doing so and the cultural implications of your activism. p

Opening doors: the case for Arabic at Marlborough NOOR NOUAILI UV STAFF

As the official language in 26 different countries and with more than 300 million speakers, Arabic is the fifth most spoken language worldwide according to World Atlas.

The question that remains, then, is why such a growing world language isn’t offered at Marlborough.

Additionally, Arabic not being taught here isn’t because of a lack of interest.

Several students have found their own re-

sources to learn the language.

Riley Sandler ‘20 is one of the students learning Arabic outside of school.

“I think that it’s important that Marlborough expands beyond just romance/ western languages, and now that Marlborough is getting rid of Latin it makes sense to replace it with Arabic... I don’t think the excuse that no one would take it is valid because they haven’t even given it a chance, and I know plenty of people besides myself who have pursued it outside of the classroom,” Sandler said.

BELLA BIRCH STAFF ILLUSTRATOR

Additionally, the importance of learners feel that exploration and drive to learn ing Arabic extends further than simply a new language can be done in college learning a language. It will open doors where there are more resources. to learning about a vast history of Arab “The skills we teach you in French, civilization and literature.

Spanish and Chinese (and English, for There are hundreds of texts written that matter), will transfer over to any language you choose during the Islamic to study in your Golden Age in Ar“The importance of lifetime. College is abic. Contributions to the world of meant exactly for learning Arabic medicine, science, kind of exploextends further than that ration and learnalgebra and astronsimply learning a omy are also writing,” Vitanza said. ten and recorded in While college language.” is meant for stuArabic. dents to learn new Students would get the chance to read the works of novel- skills, college can also be meant for divist Jibran Khalil Jibran, Egyptian Renais- ing deeper into subjects, becoming more sance figurehead Taha Hossein and poet advanced, or using skills you already Aboul-Qacem Echebbi. They would get know and applying them. For this to be to learn about the history of the Byzan- possible, students would need to have a tine Empire as well as the Moors. foundation in the subject prior to going I believe that the administration to college. If Arabic was taught at Marlwould be surprised by how many stu- borough, even just at the beginner level, dents would want to learn the language. students would already have a solid founArabic would be especially useful for stu- dation upon which they could build in dents interested in pursuing a career in college. With the basics in the language already mastered, college would be the international affairs or at the UN. Some may argue that as Marlborough time to study abroad in the Middle East, is a small school, there are a limited num- join lecture classes, watch Arabic films ber of courses it can run and many teach- and so much more. p

the

ultraviolet

www.theUltraViolet.com

COMMENTARY Monday, August 26, 2019

Page 9

A review of “No. 6 Collaborations Project” AVERY CRYSTAL UV CONTRIBUTOR

SOPHIA MILLER STAFF ILLUSTRATO

R

This summer, our favorite bespectacled ginger emerged from the depths of his Atlantic recording studio with a 15-track album buzzing with an eclectic mix of EDM, pop and R&B vocalists, and let me tell you, this one was... interesting. “No.6 Collaborations Project” is a follow up to Sheeran’s 2011 EP “No.5 Collaborations Project,” a concept album in which every track features a different guest vocalist performing in a different musical genre. Despite sampling a diverse array of styles from trap to new wave Latin on “No.6,” Sheeran manages to make each track indistinct through lazy writing and dull production. In the end, Sheeran’s voice floats just above that of his featured vocalists, with flat lyrics and predictable instrumentals preventing the vocal fusion one would expect from a collaborative tape. No song is particularly awful, each one is just aggressively “meh,” a cheap club filler with no surprises and a clear objective: to make money without pushing the envelope.

The album opens with the anesthetizing “Beautiful People,” a track likely to grace the speakers of Forever 21s across the world in which Sheeran strains his vocal range and bumps clumsily against the smooth baritone of co-vocalist Khalid. “Beautiful People” is indicative of a theme throughout the record: Ed Sheeran complaining about having to attend L.A. parties. The “I’m not like other girls” aesthetic that claims a pseudo down-to-earth exceptionalism recurs in the sixth song on the album, “I Don’t Care,” in which Sheeran and Justin Beiber bemoan having to interact with social climbers. I mean, every 30 seconds a child dies of malaria but sure, Ed, I’m sorry you “could use some help gettin’ out of this conversation, yeah.”

As the album plods on, Sheeran finds his footing in his R&B collaborations with Ella Mai and H.E.R. While still quite generic, the glittery female performances on tracks “Put It All on Me” and “I Don’t Want Your Money” steer Sheeran’s vocals through simple melodies and slick baselines. Another bright spot on “No.6 Collaborations Project” that provides the listener with some much needed authenticity is “Best Part of Me.” Picking up where his soulful acoustic records “+” and “divide” left off, Sheeran strips away

his suffocatingly bland production and croons to a sweet guitar lull which feels refreshing on an album otherwise devoid of personality.

Despite a few intriguing tracks, Sheeran ushers in the second half of his album with a song so chaotic I have dedicated half of my review to describing it: “Remember The Name.”

“Remember” begins with a simple descending guitar hook, stomp-clap piano chords, and Ed lamenting being misunderstood by the industry. It seems like we’re in for a classic “no one understands my truth” doozy, but buckle up because at the 56 second mark, this song descends into utter chaos. Without warning, the acoustic backbeat acquires a synthy electricity and Sheeran’s vocals drop by what feels like an entire octave.

With the stomp-clap beat swelling in the back, Ed suddenly adopts a southern drawl as he sings that he wants to “crack on and be paid” (without knowing the lyrics, “crack on” sounds like “crack corn”). Suddenly, the listener is transpor ted to a hoedown throwdown. Then, as if the unforeseen trip from England to rural Alabama wasn’t weird enough, rap legend Eminem hops on the track to offer what feels like a discarded bside verse from his 2017 album, “Revival.” After Em’s verse rolls awkwardly into the chorus, Ed pulls a fast one once again when 50 Cent shows up to provide us with lyrical gems such as “the turn up be so real, we 'bout to be super lit.”

In the end, I don’t mind if artists release music that I don’t personally like––I would actually encourage all performers to step out of their comfort zone and experiment with new styles. My issue with “No.6 Collaborations Project” comes from its blatant cynicism. Listening to the tape, you can hear record executives pulling data on the trend forecasts for 2019 and crunching the numbers on how cheaply they can produce mindnumbing club beats while still raking in Spotify listens. As one song bleeds into the next, it is made abundantly clear that Ed Sheeran did not plumb the depths of his soul to write “Ooh, I got the feels, yeah I waited most my life ba-da-boom, ba-da-bing.” So next time Ed, take your craft more seriously, and maybe listeners will take you more seriously in turn. 

VIEW FROM THE TOP ARIN LITTMAN CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

MAGGIE MARKS

UV CONTRIBUTOR I’ve been told by a shocking number of people that they think I would be more likely to join a cult than a sorority. And by shocking, I mean shockingly few, as I feel this is a truth evident in every action I take. It’s pretty clear at this point that I will never join a sorority. Sorry, mom. On the other hand, I feel I could excel in a cult.

I bring this up because during the break, between suffering through summer colds, doing college applications, and staring blankly at my bedroom ceiling, I found time to watch the film “Midsommar.” Truly, no movie has affected me more deeply. For those unaware, “Midsommar” follows a group of Americans who visit rural Sweden to take part in a festival that occurs once every 90 years. Little do they know, it is actually being held by an unexpectdly gruesome cult. Despite the gory scenes the characters witness, only a few make (unsuccessful) attempts to leave. The main character, Dani, even chooses to join the cult.

I saw this movie in a nearly empty theatre at 1:20 in the afternoon. As I watched it, I thought, “You know, this kinda seems like a good time. I should get around to finally starting that cult.”

Now, part of the draw was definitely the idyllic Swedish countryside and the cute Nordic-esque sundresses, but I could relate to the reason that Dani joined the cult. The cult offered Dani the empathy and emotional support that she couldn’t get from her friends, especially her boyfriend, Christian.

The cult member who invited the group expresses his doubts about Christian by asking Dani, “Do you feel held by him? Does he feel like a home to you?” She doesn’t respond, but clearly the answer is a solid “no” as the movie ends with her choosing him to be one of several sacrifices, having him burned alive.

The final shot of the film shows Dani in a flower crown, smiling into the camera, which looked incredibly similar to Marlborough graduation to me. And, the more I thought about it, the more commonalities between this Swedish Murder Cult and Marlborough appeared. There were some obvious ones, like how both the cult and Marlborough have uniforms. And the scene of Christian being burned alive gave me vivid flashbacks to holding a candle at Ring Ceremony and trying not to light someone’s dad on fire.

But the deeper similarity I recognized was the empathy that both the cult and Marlborough offer.

I see the same sense of connection in the women of the cult hyperventilating and sobbing along with Dani as I do in one of my classmates tackling me in a hug everytime I cry. The ending of the film, with the cult all screaming in tandem with the burning sacrifices reminds me of the commiseration in a class group chat after a hard test.

The strength of the cult’s community is so reminiscent of Marlborough’s. I know the comparison of Marlborough to a cult may seem in bad taste, but the point I am trying to make is this: Marlborough, I DO feel held by you! You DO feel like a home to me! 

the

ultraviolet

Page 10

COMMENTARY Monday, August 26, 2019

www.theUltraViolet.com

Corporations are profitting off of Pride AVA MORGAN UV CONTRIBUTOR

In June, I attended my first ever Pride parade. For those of you who don’t know me, I’ve identified as queer for the past few years and I’m one of the co-presidents of Alliance here on campus. Needless to say, I’ve been looking forward to going to a Pride parade for awhile.

This wouldn’t just be any Pride event: it was the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, which are credited with beginning the gay rights movement, and I had the privilege of being on Christopher Street where it all started.

One of the f irst things I noticed at Pride was the heavy policing. Stonewall was in large part a protest against state oppression and police brutality, so it struck me as odd how police were dictating the manner in which we could honor our history and identity. When the parade started, my attention shifted to self-proclaimed “dykes on bikes,” people in drag, and even a few wearing t-shirts saying that they marched 50 years ago.

Maybe the spirit of Stonewall was still

It is much easier for corporations present after all. to profit off of LGBTQ+ expression My excitement quickly turned to than it is for them to actually uplift disappointment as representatives of LGBTQ+ people, whether it be by corporation after corporation took to the street bearing rainbow colored lo- donating profits from pride items to gos and distributing rainbow stickers pro-LGBTQ+ causes, making acwith Instagram handles so Pride par- tive efforts to hire LGBTQ+ people ticipants could become walking adver- or actively protecting queer employtisements. In fact, with the exception ees from discrimination. Even AT&T, of a few people marching at the begin- which has adopted nondiscrimination policies and sponning, most particisored LGBTQ+ pants had to march as representatives of “Being an ally means organizations, has companies in order supporting us when spent over $3 million funding repreto participate. Pride sentatives who opwe’re most celebrations have pose the legislative become an advertisvulnerable. ” expansion of LGing opportunity for BTQ+ protections the capitalist interagainst discrimination.

Other compaests that have worked long and hard to oppress the very people they pretend nies present at Pride that have donated to anti-LGBTQ+ politicians included to celebrate.

Pride illustrated a concept called Coca-Cola, Verizon, Comcast and T“rainbow capitalism” – companies Mobile.

Corporations saying they’re an ally market themselves as allies to the queer is often enough to get our business, community in order to earn our busibut being an ally means supporting ness, therefore commodifying queer us when we’re most vulnerable. Hopride. Pride has become synonymous with the display of material objects like mophobia is still very much alive in rainbow t-shirts, backpacks and shoes. the U.S. today, as evidenced by the

continuance of conversion therapy, the disparity of access to adequate healthcare between cisgendered heterosexual (cishet) and LGBTQ+ people and and the average life expectancy for transwomen of color being around 30 years – less than half that of their white cishet counterparts.

These corporations aren’t combatting homophobia with their rainbow products and displays one month out of the year. In fact, they’re not really doing more for the LGBTQ+ community than commodifying our identity and redef ining how we show pride so that we feel comfortable giving them our money. These corporations should not be the focus of our march. Pride has been hijacked by interests that do not serve the people they are supposed to.

While Pride should be a celebration – after all, it’s in the name – we shouldn’t forget that it started as a riot, and we’re not in a position to stop rioting. We are still fighting for liberation in so many ways. Pride needs to return to the people. p

Air-duds: how an Apple product has become a menacing phenomenon and cult aesthetic INDIA TEHRANCHI

UV CONTRIBUTOR

A s you walk down Fairfax, you notice something peculiar. You’re getting stares from random strangers, glares from little kids, sulky looks from joggers, startlingly loud honks from drivers, and you wonder what could be making you the target of this ridicule. Why is your heart beating at double speed? Why does it feel as though your skin is melting off your body? Why does the outrageously dry L.A. weather seem ten times hotter than usual?

You consider every possibility–– do you have chocolate in your teeth, have you been dragging toilet paper on your shoe, have you forgotten to put pants on, did you forget to brush your teeth, did you put your top on backwards? You check up and down your body, take a quick sniff of your breath and examine the surrounding area. There are no signs of anything out of the ordinary.

Suddenly, you become aware of a choking

around your neck––a tangle of thin grey cords skim your neck and rest on your chest, weighing you down and pulling you to the floor. Immediately, you realize what has made you the center of this ridicule, of this public shame: in an era ruled by AirPods, your technologically obsolete wire headphones have drawn attention.

AirPods aren’t just Apple products that aim to make the life of your average music listener less cluttered. They have become a cultural phenomenon and widespread status symbol, shunning all other types of earphones into the shadows.

I did once own a pair of these life-altering AirPods, but as I have with all of my Apple technology thus far in my life, I inevitably lost them, and with them my dignity.

I never anticipated feeling self-conscious on the street without them, but I now can’t help but notice that nearly every person I pass seems to be gleefully blasting their tune of choice through those little white pods, wirefree and worry-free.

A l though their sleek design and trendiness certainly make AirPods appealing, they have turned into a dangerous weapon.

Once, as I was walking down the street chatting with one of my friends, I noticed that I was weirdly talkative and she, well, was not. I looked over at my friend to find nothing evidently out of the ordinary––she was looking over at me and nodding occasionally as I talked away. But as she tucked her hair behind the back of her ear––there it was, a little white AirPod forcing its way into my conversation and ultimately putting an end to it.

As headphones have lost their wires, they have started to interfere with human interaction––who would have thought that a tiny little pod could act as such a deceptive tool?

While there might not be some big lesson that comes from my rant on the cult-esque AirPod phenomenon, I do urge everyone who owns a pair to take one out once in a while and remember from where you came––long rubber wires. p

the

ultraviolet

www.theUltraViolet.com

COMMENTARY

Page 11

“How to Hide an Empire” opens our eyes to the bloody past of U.S. imperialism MACY LERNER UV CONTRIBUTOR

Most students could easily identify imperialist European nations, like Great Britain or Spain. Fewer would identify the U.S. as an imperialist nation.The United States hides imperialism in euphemism, holding territories, not colonies, and fulfilling manifest destiny, not conquering nations. “How to Hide an Empire” paints a very different picture of U.S. history.The book explains that the United States, a product of an anti-imperialism revolution, portrays itself as “a republic, not an empire.”

Written by Daniel Immerwahr, “How to Hide an Empire” opens the reader’s eyes to the long and often overlooked history of U.S. colonialism.

From the forced relocation of Native Americans to lesser known events including the annexation of 59 islands in the Pacific and the Caribean Oceans between 1857 and 1863 for the mining

of guano (bird poop), Immerwahr offers a guide through the lingering effects of colonialism to this day. In school I have been taught that the U.S. is a beacon of freedom, but this teaching glosses over the country’s bloody past.

The U.S. continues to maintain territories, the most well known being Puerto Rico, as well as lesser-known territories in Samoa, Guam, the Virgin Islands and the Northern Mariana Islands. Immerwahr’s book reveals the indifference those who live in the contiental U.S. have towards residents of these territories, highlighted most recently by tardy and insufficient disaster relief to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. Immerwahr details the lesser-known events on the day of the attack on Pearl Harbor, such as the fact that the Japanese also bombed military bases in the Philippines at the same time as Hawaii, and he reveals that many Puerto Ricans were used to test the effectiveness of chemical weapons

during World War II. These startling facts, along with many others, do not make it into history curricula.

Despite the serious repercussions of U.S. imperialism, Immerwahr’s book is also sprinkled with amusing facts to pique the reader’s interest. In one little known episode of history, U.S. reformers attempted to increase the spread of the English language in foreign countries by inventing a version where every word is spelled phonetically. Had this effort been a success, Abraham Lincoln’s famous words may have read “Forskor and sevn yeerz agoe.”

The most engaging aspect of “How to Hide an Empire” is its recent publication in 2019. References to current events set within the present political climate made reading much more relevant. Towards the end of the book, Immerwahr highlights how imperi-

mara & michele real estate team

“It” remake capitalizes on clown-fears SARAHMAE TUOHY UV CONTRIBUTOR

BELLA BIRC

H STAFF ILL USTRATOR

Ever since I went to Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios, I’ve had a fear of clowns.

Although being chased around by clowns holding fake chainsaws in a maze is not exactly a common experience, many other people are still afraid of clowns. This shared discomfort is likely one of the reasons “It” had one of the biggest box office openings of all time for a horror movie. Based on Stephen King’s novel, “It” is about a group of teenagers banding together against Pennywise after he comes to terrorize their town. Luckily for fans, “It: Chapter Two” comes out this September and jumps 27 years into the future to see the now adults fight against Pennywise once again.

“It’s” popularity and positive critical reception seem to be the result of the movie’s mix of light-

hearted plot lines, such as the love triangle between Beverly, Bill and Ben, three of the film’s main characters, and genuinely scary moments that come with seeing Pennywise lurch out of a sewer.

On the frightening side of the movie, Pennywise is an interesting antagonist, although the execution of some of the lore surrounding Pennywise can be a bit odd because of how confusing the backstory is in the books. Similarly to the dementors in “Harry Potter,”Pennywise is able to take on the physical form of each character’s greatest fear. The targeting of different characters’ personal fears allows a closer glimpse into their lives.

For example, Pennywise changes into Bill’s brother, illustrating the guilt that Bill feels surrounding his death.

However, this concept isn’t always applied to all of the characters, which can lead to some being far more developed than others. For example, some of the characters' fears deal with emotional traumas, like Bill’s brother, but those of others are just eery

alism continues to affect us today by describing colonialism’s impact on recent presidential elections. Several famous presidential candidates, including John McCain and Barry Goldwater, were born in U.S. territories that did not confer automatic citizenship.

This caused a controversy as to whether they qualified as “natural born,” a Constitutional requirement for serving as President. Another prominent politician, Sarah Palin, came from an Alaskan family that did not support annexation of Alaska as a state.

From large events to little known details, Immerwahr’s book exposes many elements of U.S. imperialism that were hidden in plain sight. “How to Hide an Empire” provides an essential perspective to balance the educational curriculum taught in most schools. p

We offer our clients a distinctive combination of time-tested experience, first-rate service and a discerning eye for style and possibility.

With 30 years combined residence in Hancock Park/Windsor Square, we have the home advantage.

Michele Sanchez

Mara Raphael

323.863.3998

323.687.4717

Agent lic. #01230003

Agent lic. #02073819

msanchez@dppre.com

mraphael@dppre.com

MaraAndMichele.com If you love real estate, architecture and design follow us on

@maraandmichele

Southern California Real Estate

items, like a creepy painting.

On the character-focused side, however, the movie focuses heavily on a love triangle between Beverly, Ben and Bill. Throughout the movie, Ben and Bill seemed to vie for Beverly’s attention with various methods.The triangle is left slightly ambiguous at the end, which will likely be a heavy focus of “It: Chapter Two.”The romantic aspects of the movie seemed to occupy a lot of screen time throughout, which meant there was far less time for more character development for some of the other teens and there was less time for the scary elements in the movie, which I found frustrating. The romance often seemed to be more

Broker lic #01514230

prominent than the danger of a superclown killing teenagers left and right, which to a reasonable watcher can be a bit confusing.

The combination of fear and lightheartedness makes “It” more fun to watch with friends. One minute the characters could all be joking around, allowing the audience to put their guards down, and then next a jump scare could occur seemingly out of nowhere, scaring the viewers more than if it were expected.

Overall, I give “It” an 8.5/10 for its excellent combination of humor and fear. I would certainly recommend watching this movie with friends to have a good laugh, or alone if you don’t plan on sleeping or going to any circuses. p

the

ultraviolet

EDITORIAL

www.theUltraViolet.com

Monday, August 26, 2019

Page 12

Adversity score is band-aid over bullet hole The College Board announced the introduction of an “Environmental Context Dashboard” in May. The ECD, dubbed an “adversity score,” is a number only made available to college admissions officers. It ac companies al l SAT scores to quantify students’ level of privilege. The score is comprised of 31 equally-weighted factors including neighborhood crime rate and median family income.

The College Board’s adversity score is an insufficient so lution to a larger systemic problem with the use of standardized testing in college admissions.

colleges earned $220,000.

It is impossible, however, for the College Board to reduce the messy reality of privilege in America into one number, just as a single SAT score cannot accurately represent any given student’s intellect.

One example of the scoring factors’ shortcomings would be inclusion of neighborhood crime rates, which repretsent the number of crimes that are

dren experience educational disparities starting at a young age. A Yale study found that black students are 360 percent more likely than white students to be suspended from pre-school, which is tied to implicit bias among educators.

As André J. Washington wrote for Time, “Nobody has ever been stopped and frisked by police for attending a high school with a low number of Advanced Placement offerings.”

“It is impossible, however, for the College Board to reduce the messy reality of privilege in America into one number.”

On a larger scale, it is concerning that the implementation of an adversity score may not only quell efforts to more comprehensively reform the SAT to make it more equitable, but also may distract from discussion over whether standardized testing is a necessary component of college admissions in the first place.

A report recently released by the National Association for College Admission Counseling found nothing more than “trivial” differences in college grades or graduation rates among students who did or did not submit standardized test scores at colleges where submission of standardized test scores is optional. The largest study of its kind, the researchers examined data from 123,000 students at 33 public and private colleges and universities. Regardless of standardized test scores, the study also found that high school grades were a consistently strong predictor of college success.

“The College Board's adversity score is an insufficient solution to a larger systemic problem with the use of standardized testing in college admissions.”

The adversity score does represent a milestone in the College Board’s acknowledgment of the wealth gap that exists in SAT scores. Researchers have long known that SAT scores have a strong correlation with income and parental education level. This direct relationship is the result of a variety of confounding factors, including the better resources available for schools in affluent ar eas an d ex tensive tu toring opportunities for wealthy students.

It is no surprise, then, that a 2017 study found that 38 elite colleges including five I vies h ave m ore students from the top one percent than from the bottom 60 percent.

Not only do standardized test scores serve as a barrier to admission for many low-income students, they can also prevent these students from accumulating wealth later in life.

According to the Department of Education, the median salary among the top ten percent of earners ten years after beginning college was $68,000, while the top decile of earners from top ten

opting to take the ACT. If anything, the use of an adversity score risks creating an environment in which the ACT will become the rich kids’ SAT.

RILEY SANDLER STAFF ILLUSTRATOR

reported to police in any given community rather than to the number of crimes that actually occur, and often underrepresent white-collar crime. Additionally, crime rates vary greatly from state to state depending on what substances are legalized.

Furthermore, the adversity score does not include race as one of its 31 considered factors. This is a crucial omission because even when class is controlled for, a racial gap exists in SAT scores.

Additionally, African-American chil-

This oversight is especially important given that the SAT was originally created in 1926 by a eugenicist to prove the racial and intellectual superiority of white Americans.

Even disregarding the racial SAT score gap, it is doubtful that the adversity score would significantly combat the role that the socioeconomic score gap plays in college admissions. For those uncomfortable with quantifying their affluence, being assigned an adversity score can be avoided altogether by

“The use of an adversity score risks creating an environment in which the ACT will become the rich kids' SAT.” Right now, according to NPR, about 800 four-year colleges and universities in America have already made the submission of SAT or ACT scores optional.

The UltraViolet Editorial Board hopes that more institutions will soon follow suit. p

The UltraViolet Staff 2019-2020 Editors-in-Chief Talia Abrahamson Cameron Lange Managing Editor Sophie Dorf-Kamienny Head Copy Editor Kaelyn Park News Editors Julia Edelman Chloe Hutchens Features Editor Catherine Malanga Commentary Editor Kendra Mosenson Opinion Editors Faye Raad Emma Yanai

Arts Editor Fiona Tarses Sports Editor Noor Nouaili Staff Illustrators Eleanor Berger Isabella Birch Mira Chaskes Stella Fox Sophia Miller Riley Sandler Staff Photographers Eleanor Berger Emily Hirack Ellie Johnston Sophia Miller Alexandra Rudnick Sophie Siadatpour

Katie Suchniak Director of Graphics Audrey Loo Photography and Graphics Editor Faye Raad Business Manager Priya Karumanchi Circulation Manager and Advertising Coordinator Priya Karumanchi Copy Editor Online Samantha Chung Associate Editor Isabella Rhow Social Media Manager Allyson Oh

Blog Editor Samantha Chung Advisor Jena English Contributors Macy Lerner Ava Morgan India Tehranchi Sarahmae Touhy Reporters Catherine Esrey Anya Karumanchi Lily Kinnear Macy Lerner Lianna Levine Lucine Perfitt

THE ULTRAVIOLET'S MISSION The UltraViolet staff pledges to produce a quality publication which addresses issues of importance in the Marlborough community, sparks interest among its readers, demonstrates ethical and objective news reporting and represents a range of opinions.

ultraviolet@marlborough.org