Editorials
2 The Seattle Prep Panther Editors in Chief Alex Martin ‘16 Meghan McLaughlin ‘16 Photo Editor Tessa Winkelhake ‘16 Prep Life Editor Meghan Kearney ‘16 Entertainment Editor Kate Delaney ‘16 Sports Editor Sarah Buchanan ‘16 Digital Editors Mikaela Frigillana ‘17 Jeffrey Pelayo ‘17 Writing Staff Jacob Bailet ‘16 Jessica Cary ‘16 Emma Kelly ‘16 Jesse Lewis ‘16 Alexis Losse ‘16 Nathanial Post ‘16 Leeds Rising ‘16 Mimi Jurion ‘17 George Kent ‘17 Maggie Kerner ‘17 Aslan McCurdy ‘17 Gianna Patchen ‘17 Mariella Saludares ‘17 Olivia Smith ‘17 Paul Winebrenner ‘17 Annika Bjornson ‘18 Emma Cooney ‘18 Fiona Scanlan ‘18 Gabi Jeakle ‘19 Allison Kearney ‘19 Mimi Parent ‘19 Isabella Yuson ‘19 Moderator Micah Richardson
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seapreppanther.org November 6, 2015 Editor: Meghan McLaughlin ‘16
The Fairness of College Fare MEGHAN MCLAUGHLIN ‘16 As the leaves change colors and fall from the trees, a great deal of stress falls on the shoulders of seniors applying to college. Fall turns into a whirlwind of personal statements, last minute SAT tests, and application deadlines- all on top of the regular demanding course load of a Prep student with the addition of APs. The time- consuming supplement that comes with every other application and the mind-numbing self-reporting applications weigh down the common senior. How many safety schools? How many reaches? Some students apply to a couple colleges, while others seem to apply to unlimited universities. That is because they can. While the average number of universities a Prep student applies to is ten, for many others that number is more limited. Having the ability to apply to a multitude of schools is a luxury that often goes unrecognized in the disguise of a burden. Essential components of the admissions process that many students get to re-do are a once in a lifetime opportunity for others. Elements such as the SAT/ACT Superscore, sending out these scores, and the application fees that come with each school contribute to this expensive operation. The Superscore is a friend to many, always there with a safety net of your best scores at the drop of a hat. This system, accepted by an increasing number of universities, is when the admission counselors use
a student’s composite SAT or ACT score made up of the underlying categories corresponding to each test. However, this opportunity that many take advantage of puts others at a severe disadvantage. Not everyone can pay to take the SAT or ACT until they achieve that perfect score. The ACT costs about forty-five dollars with a twenty dollar late fee tacked on for those who miss the deadline to sign up. Each SAT with essay test costs about fifty-five dollars, with a late registration of twenty-eight dollars. For schools that request them, each basic subject test alone is twenty-six dollars, not to mention the eighteen dollar fee for each additional subject test. Whether you are taking the Mathematics Level 2 subject test or not, multiply that by up to three attempts each test, and the grand total is not cheap. Another piece of the admissions process is sending these scores to each college you are considering. Although the sticker price of eleven dollars is not shocking, this cost is per university. On top of paying to take the SAT or ACT, it costs just to prove you took them. In the case of many who take a standardized test near an application deadline, it can cost an additional thirty dollars to rush order the scores (and they still might not even get them in on time). On top of standardized testing, there is a fee to send in each application to your desired university. This can range from
When the final trailer for Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens came out in October, I went nuts. I am going to walk you through each main character, the confirmed plot, released speculations and my own commentary. The Force Awakens takes place thirty years after the destruction of the second death star, the Battle of Endor, and the deaths of Darth Vader and The Emperor. The bad guys are now called the First Order, an offshoot of the Galactic Empire, and are fighting the Resistance, originally the Rebel Alliance. Interestingly, the film is not based on the Expanded Universe, but an original story set after the Return of the Jedi (Episode III). When Disney bought Lucasfilm Ltd., they elected not to use Lucas’ story of Episode 7 and instead Lawrence Kasdan and J.J. Abrams wrote their own. Time for the character breakdown. I will review the main characters Rey, Finn, Han Solo, Poe Dameron, Kylo Ren, Luke Skywalker, Captain Phasma, Supreme Leader Snoke. Rey is a human female scavenger and trader on the planet Jakku. She is dressed in tan, ragged clothes and wears a visor that is very similar to that of a stormtooper’s. She uses a maroon land speeder that carries most of her scavenging equipment. Rey, played by Daisy Ridley, is seen in the final trailer scavenging in the star destroyer and firing a blaster at clones. It is believed Rey is the daughter of Luke Skywalker and is the primary protagonist of the film. The staff she carries is very similar to that of Darth Plagiues. Interestingly enough, Darth Plagiues was the only one to have ever successfully used the force to save loved ones from death (Palpetine explains in Episode 3) and this was a power Anakin Skywalker (maybe Rey’s grandfather???) was so envious of that he became Darth Vader. Finn, a human male who served the First Order as a stormtrooper (FN-
2187), is played by John Boyega. Finn appeared to have crashed his TIE fighter onto the planet of Jakku and stumbles out onto a small trader village. It is believed this is the same village Rey trades in; I believe Finn is not the main protagonist, rather, he is to bring Rey out of the woodwork. In the final trailer, he says the words “I was raised to do one thing but have got nothing to fight for.” These words have caused a large rebellion amongst Star Wars fans because Finn is a clone, and clones are genetically identical and have been genetically modified to be obedient and loyal. Finn’s rebellion goes completely against the philosophy of the Mandalorians (explained in Episodes 2 and 3). Through the progression of the trailer, Finn will join the Resistance and will fight Kylo Ren with a light saber that once belonged to JEDI KNIGHT ANAKIN SKYWALKER, but who will train him in the ways of the Jedi? Han Solo has aged since The Return of Jedi and his beliefs have changed quite a bit too. He will still be portrayed by the excellent Harrison Ford. Han was originally a smuggler from the planet Corellia and, in Episode 7, will still captain the Millennium Falcom. Throughout Episodes 4, 5 and 6, Han believed the force was a “hooky religion” which he opposed. In the final trailer, Han is seen telling Finn and Rey stories of the past and the ways of the force. What made him believe? Was it a son he had with Leia that used the force? We’ll have to wait and see. Poe Dameron is a male human pilot fighting for the Resistance. He is a member of the Black Squadron and flies a T-70 X-wing under the call sign Black Leader with his astromech droid, BB-8. In the trailer, Poe appears to have been captured and tortured by Kylo Ren and seems to envision the destruction of a star system. He is also given a very mistrusted look by Finn as they separate for battle. Who can trust him? I
around thirty dollars all the way up to eighty. Harvard University charges seventy-five dollars a head, and with 35,000 applicants just this past year, it made a pretty penny of two million dollars in application fees. Although there are the merciful schools that do not have an application fee, or those that waive the fee for commeded students, these schools are few and far between. Speaking of far, traveling to visit your prospective college campus has become increasingly important in the student selection process. If you want to go to college there so badly, why not hop on a flight over there to prove it? $3,500, that’s why not. On average, this is the all-inclusive cost of travel, food and lodging to make this trip. Whether your dream school is across the city or across the country, many colleges expect your intense interest in their school to be displayed by you packing your bags to spend a day on campus. Ministry of presence going for a couple thousand, anyone? So, seniors, when you finally get to walk those halls of knowledge, appreciate what got you there. For many, the path to get there was even more stressful than yours (as difficult as that may be to believe). Next time College Board screws up your test scores or your application confirmation does not come back immediately, remember that in the ocean that is college admissions, there are bigger fish to fry.
Breakdown on Episode VII ALEX MARTIN ‘16
don’t think I can. Kylo Ren, believed to be human male who is aligned with the First Order, is the leader of the Knights of Ren and fights with a light saber in the shape of a cross. If Kylo, played by Adam Driver, is believed to be a Sith Lord, he has directly broken the Rule of Two (only having two Sith at one time). “Nothing will stand in our way. I will finish...what you started”. The trailer makes the viewer assume Kylo is referring to Darth Vader, meaning Kylo will finish the destruction of the Jedi, but this may be an intentional rouse. Perhaps Kylo was referring to Snoke’s Master Plan? Luke Skywalker, again played by Mark Hamill, is cast in Episode 7 and has intentionally been left out of the trailers. I believe Luke was seen as the hooded figure in the first trailer with the mechanical hand touching R2-D2. This film seems to be searching for Luke’s identity. If both Darth Vader and Darth Sidious died in Episode 6, who then trained Kylo Ren? Did Luke? And who will train Finn? Captain Phasma is a human female general of the First Order clone army. Played by Gwendoline Christie, Phasma wears a metallic clone armor and walks with a strong sense of power and aggression. Little else is known about Phasma. Supreme Leader Snoke is the male leader of the First Order. There have been no releases of his appearance but it is believed he will not be fully human as he is played by Andy Serkis through the use of CGI. He has created a super weapon out of a snowy planet (maybe Hoth?) to destroy star systems. So there you go, I cannot wait for December 18! I have many more theories about the film but do not have the space to continue. If you have theories too, please share them with me as I always love a good debate on Episode VII The Force Awakens.