Sentinel february 2009

The Sentinel

St. Luke’s School New Canaan, CT

Inside This Issue...

How to Grade your Teachers (3) Give my Regards to Broadway (4) Confessions of a Shopaholic (4) Sixth½ Man (5) Girls’ Basketball (5) The Allure of Chris Hanson (6) Boys’ Basketball (6) Bye-Bye Birdie Preview (7) SLS: More bang for your buck? (8) Why APs are Great (9)

Facebook Invasion

Alexandra Jaffe Sentinel Staff Writer

It is past midnight on Thursday night and school starts at 8 a.m. tomorrow, yet I have 52 Facebook friends online. Since its inception in 2004, Facebook has become a major cultural aspect of life for teenagers and young adults. In the last few years, Facebook has gained huge popularity among adults. My mother, who does not have a Facebook account, receives two or three chain emails a week from friends who have just created their own Facebook account, and now ask her to join as well. According to a press statement by Facebook, of the over 150 million active Facebook users, more than half are out of college, and the fastest growing demographic on Facebook is of users above 30 years old. Clearly the bug that sparked the youth obsession with the social networking site has now bitten their parents’ generation.

Adults are quickly realizing the addictive appeal of Facebook. For them, Facebook presents a fun and easy way to stay in touch with friends whom they see infrequently. They are reconnecting with old classmates and colleagues from early jobs and salvaging friendships that would have otherwise been lost to time. However, a conflict between teenagers and the generation of parents and teachers who have just recently made their first accounts.

Teenagers feel increasingly uncomfortable with being Facebook friends with parents, friends’ parents, teachers, or any other adults, because the teens do not want these adults to have access to all of their pictures, posts, and information. But teens are not necessarily trying to hide incriminating photos or profane posts.

Continued on pg. 2

February 2009

It’s pretty easy, being Green...

Caroline Cullinane Editor Even a year after its conception, the purpose of the Environmental Club is still largely unknown to most St. Luke’s student.

When polled, many faulted the Environmental Club for the recent changes to communal chip bowls and plastic cups in the cafeteria, although the Student Life Committee was responsible for both.

Aside from the Green Tip of the Week, much of what the Environmental Club achieves is carried out behind-the-scenes.

Although mired in the planning stage for quite some time, the Environmental Club was first established during the beginning of the 2007-2008 school year.

Anyone in the grades 9-12 at St. Luke’s is eligible to join, and the club meets once a week on Thursdays during lunch. To elaborate on the purpose and goals of the Environmental Club, I met with the three seniors in charge of the club, Jessie Haims, Helena Witte, and Kara Clark, to ask a few questions.

St. Luke’s Sentinel: Why was the Environmental Club founded and what do you guys hope to accomplish in the short and long term?

Jessie Haims: The main reason the Environmental Club was founded was to educate our youth today on the issues and start making changes in SLS for an ecofriendly surrounding. Our main problem here is that people just laugh or make

Continued on pg. 2

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News & Editorial Facebook from pg. 1

Many teenagers believe that it is a complete invasion of privacy for adults to have free access to anything on their profiles, from pictures to “wall-towall” conversations.

What most teenagers do not realize is that many adults feel the same way.

Teachers, especially, often feel awkward and exposed when students “friendrequest” them.

Some teachers with Facebook accounts will not become Facebook friends with any current students, though they will accept “friendrequests” from prior students. Other Facebook-savvy teachers opt to put students on “Limited Profile,” which is when only selected aspects of the profile are accessible to the given Facebook friend; this way, teachers can control what aspects of their profiles are personal versus which features can be viewed by students.

As Facebook continues to be a huge part of life for teenagers and becomes an increasingly popular network among the adult demographic, the two generations will have to work out their anxieties. It is likely that “Limited Profile” will become a much more widely used mediator between Facebook friends to bridge the generational gap.

from pg. 1

Being green

fun of what we try to do instead of being open minded and trying to help the issue going on. We are in a world crisis and if our generation doesn’t start caring or being more aware of what can happen then we could be looking at a very grim future.

Apart from educating we really want to make changes with energy efficiency, air cleanliness, etc... Over all our long term goal is to get people more involved and to make positive changes in the community.

Kara Clark: The Environmental Club was

created to act as kind of an informer to the St. Luke’s community about environmental issues and also one of the goals of the Environmental Club is to reduce our St. Luke’s carbon footprint and just to promote an overall environmentally friendly lifestyle.

Sentinel: What is the structure of the Environmental Club?

KC: The Environmental Club is currently run by Helena and me. There have always been to Presidents of the club, starting with Jessie and Helena. As for next year, there could definitely be a change. If only one person is fit to run the club next year, there might be one president. I don’t think there will be more than two in upcoming years.

That might be a little too hectic.

JH: The structure of the Environmental Club is one we try not to be so strong about.

It is obviously important to have leadership but I like to think that all of the kids take their own part and Helena and I just present what we would like to do.

Sentinel: When exactly was the Environmental Club created from the Saint Luke’s environmental science program?

JH: The Environmental Club planning began in sophomore year. Mr. Havens has a great passion for the environment and I was put in his Earth Science class. It was fascinating to me to find out how destructive we could be to our own environment.

HW: I have always been interested in environmental science. Towards the end of sophomore year I wrote a proposal for Mr. Havens about starting a Saint Luke’s Environmental Club.

JH: From there, Helena and I began to work on ideas that we thought could really benefit the school. As a team we worked on proposals together and picked out the ones that could get done the fastest.

February 2009

Sentinel: How do you join the Environmental Club and what are you looking for in members?

JH: Anyone can join the Environmental Club. As the saying goes: the more the merrier. We really like the people who are going to take charge and commit themselves. A lot of times people sign up for a club just to put it on their college resume and when they get handed work they won’t do it. In the Environmental Club we are always thinking of ideas and we love to have creative minds. All the kids work really hard and I am highly impressed and proud with the new freshmen that came in this year. They all have put a lot of effort and great ideas.

KC: Anyone in the Upper School can join the Environmental Club (the middle school has its own chapter). Our members are all concerned with the current state of our planet, and through the club we hope to do our small part in preventing this negative change. We want to make this problem known to the St. Luke’s community. But, even if you aren’t sure about where you stand on environmental issues, that’s okay too. Attending meetings is a great way to become educated on these matters.

Sentinel: What do you have to say to people who claim you haven’t accomplished anything? Do you consider yourselves successful?

KC: I can’t begin to tell you how frustrating it is to hear non-members talk about our club. Certain people have decided that our club doesn’t deserve the same respect the others receive, and for some reason this has morphed into the common way to perceive the Environmental Club. What we do isn’t a joke: our club is a real group of people who share a common interest, and what our critics say is disheartening to us.

JH: For anyone who says we haven’t accomplished anything, to put it bluntly, they are wrong. Being in this position made me realize how much work it takes to just get one thing passed, and then to keep that up and to encourage others to follow whatever policy we pass. If someone says we have done nothing, then I think that is very ignorant because until they are in this

Continued on pg. 3

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News & Editorial

Being green from pg. 2

kind of position they don’t know how much work we put into everything we do. I would say I consider us to be successful because in this short amount of time we have done a lot in every area that we wanted to.

KC: As for our successes, I wouldn’t go as far to say we have accomplished all we want to. What we want to accomplish can’t be done with the snap of our fingers: making proposals to the school administration takes research, planning, and revision upon revision. Combine that with our lack of funding, and we have ourselves quite a challenge. But just because we aren’t always successful now doesn’t mean we won’t be in the near future. If the community can stay open to us and hear what we have to say, I think this will be a very good year for our club. So stay tuned or even better, get in on the action and join the club!

Top 10 Ways to Save Money at SLS 10. Put up parking meters--$2 an hour for students; $1 faculty; $10 parents 9. Have the National Honors Society clean the bathrooms 8. Cancel school every day the temperature drops below 60 7. Have Monster Truck competitions in the AC 6. Sell off the forest around school to logging companies 5. Sell “Get out of Physics free” passes 4. Rent out the football field for carnivals and circuses 3. Use the food collected at food drives in the cafeteria 2. Force English Department to shovel snow 1. Open a casino in the Student Commons

Environmental Club Accomplishments • • • •

No idling after five minutes policy Sensors for lights in the Athletic Center Trips to environmental conferences Fund-raising for sensor water faucets, etc

How to grade your teachers Alexandra Jaffe Sentinel Staff Writer

At the end of each semester, students anxiously anticipate grades. The grades that show up on report cards are carefully calculated through the teacher’s evaluation of different criteria—tests, quizzes, presentations, homework, etc.

When the grades are finally received, almost every student has at least one grade that is “sooo not fair!” Yet, the grades are quite fair, despite arguments to the contrary, since they are calculated by the teacher, reviewed by the department head, and then reviewed by the Head of Upper School, Mr. Yavenditti.

Unbeknownst to many students is that teachers are also awaiting grades at the end of the first semester. Most students view teacher evaluations simply as a fiveminute break from class, preceded by the teacher being extra nice. They finish the evaluation in less than one minute, without putting in any real thought or energy. Other students use the evaluation as an outlet for their hidden grudge for that teacher because of the recent progress report sent home, disclosing the “secret” 65% quiz grade. Both of these methods of completing teacher evaluations are not fair to the teacher or to the rest of the class because they portray an unrealistic picture of the teacher. When evaluating a teacher,

February 2009

students need to be as objective as possible.

Teachers do not decide a student’s grade by their personal opinion of that student, so students should not either.

It is important for students to take time to conscientiously complete the forms because the evaluations are, in essence, the teachers’ grades. In fact, at many universities and colleges, student evaluations of the teachers are pivotal in determining whether the teacher is asked to return to teach the following year. A harsh and undeserved bashing of the teacher gives the teacher an unfair grade. That being said, there are no names on the sheets for a reason: sucking up to the teacher on the forms will earn no extra brownie points and constructive criticism, if appropriate, can be helpful for the teacher and might improve the class.

The Sentinel Staff Editor Caroline Cullinane Layout Editor Jon Salamon Sentinel Staff Writers

Alexandra Jaffe (Lead Reporter) Kelly Wendt Amy Fox Doug Walker Alex Fomon

Contributing Writer Kevin Mahoney Faculty Advisor Mr. Flachsbart Photo credits go to: Mrs. Ahrens

Jon Salamon Various internet locations

4

Arts Etc. Farewell Broadway Alexandra Jaffe Sentinel Staff Writer

The month of January was rough for musical lovers: 17 Broadway shows closed. The shrinking of Broadway reflects the tough economy because in a recession most people do not have the luxury to pay for the notoriously expensive tickets to a show. Award-winners and fan favorites like “Hairspray,” “Rent,” “Spring Awakening,” “Gypsy,” and “Avenue Q” closed, as well as newcomers to Broadway like “Legally Blonde” and “Thirteen.” But don’t lament that you might not be able to see these shows now that they are closed. For SLS drama students, there might be a silver lining to Broadway’s dilemma.

There are many licensing restrictions on Broadway shows, so it has been impossible for SLS to attain the rights to perform a show while it is being performed on Broadway. In addition, there is a 25 mile restriction for competing audiences.

However, licensing agencies, especially Music Theatre International, which is the largest agency of this sort in the world, are now selling rights to perform the closed shows that MTI has licensed.

Music Theatre International has nearly 300 titles in its catalogue, including many of the big-name shows that just closed on Broadway.

Now, it is pretty safe to say that it is unlikely that SLS will be performing a rendition of the raunchy “Spring Awakening” anytime soon. But Music Theatre International offers “school editions” of many shows to tone down inappropriate content and make it more

February 2009

student-friendly.

For example, “Rent School Edition” removes profanity from the script, yet keeps the feeling and intent of the edited play consistent with the original.

With all these new musical gems available for performance, Mr. Griffa and Mr. Anglin will doubtlessly have a difficult time choosing the musical for next year, and the following years. Mr. Griffa says, “We have before us a great opportunity to perform shows that have been strictly available on Broadway or on tour.” So, if you are a musical fanatic who has been mourning the loss of so many great shows on Broadway, look to SLS drama for the next upcoming performance of your favorite Broadway show.

Alette, the fashion magazine of her dreams, Becky, a journalist by trade, takes a job at Successful Saving, where she must give

Alexandra Jaffe Sentinel Staff Writer

financial advice. Talk about hypocritical!

At this job she meets Luke Brandon (Hugh Dancy), her boss who sees her potential as a writer. Another notable performance is

by Krysten Ritter who plays Suze, Becky’s incredibly tolerant and supportive best friend.

The colorful and daring fashions sported by Becky, designed by Patricia Field (also the famous costume designer of “Sex and the City”), are undeniably a fun, frivolous aspect of the movie. But the movie also has more serious messages to take away. Becky’s obsession mirrors our whole society before the economic downfall, and her subsequent quest for frugality holds important tips for the audience in this time of economic recession. Also, Becky’s pursuit of her dream, a job at a fashion magazine, is inspiring as she has to choose between compromising her morals and fulfilling her lifelong passion. Shopaholic may be a frivolous treat of a movie, but it has great fashions, good laughs, and lasting messages that make it undoubtedly worth $10.25 and nearly two hours of your time.

Plus, it was filmed right here in Fairfield County, so you might recognize some of the sets.

Confessions of a Shopaholic

Arguably the best chick flick of the year so far, Confessions of a Shopaholic follows the life of obsessive shopper Rebecca Bloomwood (Isla Fisher), who struggles to find a job, a man, and that 12th credit card she hid in the back of her freezer to keep her from using it. The movie roughly follows the plot of the book of the same title by Sophie Kinsella. Becky, hopelessly and fruitlessly trying to pay off her $20,000 credit-card bill, is practically stalked by her debt collector, yet she cannot shake her addiction to shopping.

In a desperate attempt to pay off some of her debt and gain a foothold into

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Sports Etc. Sixth½ Man

Alexandra Jaffe Sentinel Staff Writer

On January 30th, the Sixth Man’s younger counterpart, Sixth ½ Man, was introduced to the St. Luke’s community.

Sixth ½ Man welcomes the participation of St. Luke’s middle school students at varsity basketball games. Like the Sixth Man, middle school members of Sixth ½ Man are encouraged to cheer on and support the St. Luke’s team.

The Sixth Man was started four years ago when renowned coach Billy Lovett became Head Basketball Coach at St. Luke’s and basketball fever swept St. Luke’s. The name “sixth man” referred to the solidarity that the St. Luke’s community felt with the team, the idea being that we are all players in the game. This year, Andrew Hilboldt has brought true leadership and

On January 30th, Sixth ½ boys and girls were invited to stay after school for a pep rally with the entire school organized by Andrew Hilboldt.

After the pep rally, the youngsters enjoyed a movie and pizza until the game. Over 100 Sixth ½ Men supported the Boy’s Varsity Basketball team at the Brunswick game. The successful event would not have been possible if not for the efforts of Mr. Henson, Mr. Fancher, and Andrew Hilboldt.

Sixth ½ Man was created to enhance the sense of community in the school in hopes that its members will become the next Sixth Men. As Mrs. Ehlers’ said about the Sixth ½ Man’s debut, “I honestly have not felt that much spirit and school pride in the 14 years I have been at St. Luke’s.”

Girls’ Basketball Kevin Mahoney Contributing Writer

passion to the Sixth Man, implementing constructive changes that have enhanced the Sixth Man experience for all high school students at St. Luke’s.

Sixth ½ Man debuted at the Boy’s Varsity Basketball home game against Brunswick on January 30th. The idea for the group came from Mrs. Hamill who thought that including the middle school students in upper school sports would foster a greater sense of community. She approached Mr. Henson with this idea just one week before the Brunswick game, and in that short time Mr. Henson was able to design and print T-shirts for Sixth ½ Man, as well as plan an entire event for the middle school students on the night of the game.

Coming into the year the St. Luke’s Girl’s Basketball Team had high expectations. After all, there were four returning seniors, two of whom look to play basketball at the next level: Rachel Brittenham and Margot Stluka.

They started off the season on great footing, winning at King thanks to Rachel’s last second free-throws and beating a consistent GA team in their own tournament. They were playing well, and more importantly, gelling well as a team.

A majority of the girls have been playing together for many seasons and Coach Finch developed a strong JV program which plays and practices alongside the varsity.

The four seniors Rachel, Margot, Natalie Bickford and Caitlin Wood are the nucleus of the team. They help the other players stay disciplined but also like to have fun and bond with the team. These four leaders also play well with each other and know their role on the team. Rachel helps the offense run with her good court vision and her ability to create plays and is

February 2009

also their main weapon down the stretch.

Margot is their main threat down low and has developed a reliable elbow jump shot. Natalie is one of the team’s best shooters, having a very quick release, and has stepped up a couple of times this year scoring in double digits.

Caitlin accompanies Margot well down low being a reliable rebounder and has a good touch around the rim.

T h i s year’s varsity team has also gotten good production from a solid cast of juniors: Carla Nicasio, Ellie Werner, and Sam Sexton.

Despite the team’s superb start they recently hit a road block of injuries and sicknesses. The Wofford-bound starter, Rachel, was sidelined for a couple weeks with appendicitis and Natalie also missed a few games due to illness.

In a recent game, they were without all three top scorers, Rachel, Margot and Natalie. The team also suffered a tough, but well-fought, loss to GA. During Rachel’s absence the team looked to sophomore Hannah Shaw to fill in.

Despite all the adversity the team faced in its last seven games, which they went 1-7, they were able to finish 7-10 and gave strong efforts throughout the season.

Want to write for the Sentinel?

Ask any member of the staff listed on page 3.

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Join today!

6

Sports Etc. The Allure of Chris Hanson Doug Walker Sentinel Staff Writer

I wait at Bruegger’s Bagels on a chilly Sunday morning at a small rectangular table staring out the window waiting for the famed, Dartmouthbound squash player, Chris Hanson. About five minutes or so later, I see his sexy blue, 328 xi BMW whip into the Elm Street parking lot.

He coolly jogs up to the door, but before he can even reach out for door it magically opens for him. He then proceeds to the counter where he orders not one, but five sugar and cinnamon bagels. Wow, he’s got an appetite to rival Michael Phelps. Once he’s done buttering them, he sits down…

Doug: Chris, good to see you Chris: Good to see you too “Funny” (mouthful).

Doug: So let’s get this rolling.

Are you happy with the way this season’s going so far; do you care?

Chris: So far it’s been OK, I think we need to train a bit harder than we are right now if we want to do better, (he flashes a chewed bagel smile) and yes I care.

Doug: Hmm, no need to get defensive.

Do you think you can beat Rye? Chris: “Funny , I wasn’t being defensive, but anyway, I think we can beat Rye if the bottom half of our team is stronger than it is right now.

Doug: Beside yourself obviously, who do you think is the greatest ben efit to the Squash team?

Chris: AJ, because he shows up every day 100% ready to go, whether its practice or match day.

Doug: I’m kinda beating around the

bush if I don’t mention this, but I hear you have a Squash court at your house.

Chris: That’s true.

Doug: What type of wood paneling?

Chris: Pure, hand chopped ash, what else?

Doug: Do you think that if you didn’t I could beat you?

Chris: Regularly, if I placed my Squash racquet between my teeth, tied my hands behind my back, and blind folded my eyes, you wouldn’t even win a point; without the court, I would probably have to take off the blindfold.

Doug: Dubious… What is a typical week of Squash and training like for you?

Chris: Every day two hours during the week. Twice a day on the weekend.

Doug: What’s the regimen?

Straight Squash, lifting, running?

Chris: Yeah pretty much all that.

Doug: Funniest Squash moment?

Chris: Woody…(in-side joke) Doug: Anything you would like to tell our readers?

Chris: My worst day is better than your best day.

While I could have stayed in a comatose state for hours, totally stunned by his greatness, I had to act quickly. I pulled a plastic baggie out my pocket and carefully, using Chris’s napkin, wiped his crumbs into it. The cloning process will begin Monday.

Boys Bounce to Semi-finals Doug Walker Sentinel Staff Writer

“Next year’s team is going to be trash” -- this was said by St. Luke’s student circa March 2008, who upon seeing the strength of this year’s team, wants to maintain anonymous. Although we lost four great seniors, Costa Kensington, Kabeya Kabongo, Zach Dugas, and Devin Hill, we have managed to maintain a good team.

Steven Johnston, a solid guard, and Brandon Yarborough, a power forward and center with dinner plate size hands, are two new players who contribute all across the court. Drum roll please: Andrew Clark, aka Superman, is back after a year and a half hiatus and seriously

February 2009

contributing to the team.

These three, along with ten other ballers, make up a very tight knit squad. In case you haven’t seen any games yet, and don’t already know, then let me tell you: this team has got lots of fire – almost as much as Coach Anthony’s hair color.

Strategically, Anthony has tried to create as many fast break opportunities as possible by focusing primarily on defense in practice, while typically using a 1-3-1 offense.

Offensively a fast break oriented team is certainly a sound tactic because we have five guards on our team and fast breaks are almost always started by guards (sometimes to versify offensive system see a1). Consistently playing five guards is tough for most coaches, but because of their lack in height and the fact that their skills are similar, Anthony institutes an equal-squad system. This way players don’t have to worry about getting tired and can play their hardest, knowing that they’ll have the bench and a water bottle waiting for them in a few minutes.

The boys kicked off their season with a win against Christian Heritage, a most formidable adversary, that included a light dropping of twenty-four points from Steven Johnston. Luke’s continued its streak with two wins, one against Putnam Science Academy (77-73) and the other at King (64-68). The boys hit their first bump in the road when they played Hopkins and lost 6361. The loss, surprisingly, can be partially attributed to an abeyance in Anthony’s equal squad policy, making starters sluggish, but more importantly it was lack of clutch play down the stretch that helped Hopkin’s seal the deal. The boys got back on their feet, and were able to wrap-up a win against Rye 6458 with strong defensive efforts. Heading into the KO Tournament St. Luke’s was 4-1.

At the tournament, which did not affect playoff seeding, the boys lost to Vermont Academy 100-83. After a two-week break, SLS Basketball game back alive with a solid 63-50 win against King put the boys on track to beat Brunswick. Coming out swinging against Brunswick, we walked into the locker room, at the half, leading 37-29 with Andrew Clark having scored almost a third of our total points. Enigmatically, Brunswick slowly surged forward to win 64-58, but, I’m not going to sit here dumbly accepting that Brunswick just played harder than us. (a1) No, Brunswick set up a 1-3-1 defense to counter

Continued on pg. 7

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News & Editorial

Cast: Albert Peterson Jake Pressman Rose Alvarez Kara Clark Helen Lilla Goettler Nancy Joanna Bornstein Margie Ann Campbell Gallagher Alice Daisy Bishop Deborah Sue Zoe Smock Suzie Emily Bergmann Linda Charlotte Bergmann Carol Olivia Foley Martha Louise Naomi Dubissette Harold Vitaly Fetissov Harvey Craig Gibson Henrietta Emily Sarnelle Peyton Zoe Panopoulos Ursula Merkle Carrie Osborn Kim MacAfee Amanda Ackerman Mrs. MacAfee Mary Kelly Mr. MacAfee Conor Swanberg Mae Peterson Ali Tesluk Conrad Birdie Connor Stirland Mayor Peter Benoliel Mayor’s Wife Dominique Bandoo Hugo Peabody Colin McIntire Rand. MacAfee Christian Langalis Mrs. Merkle Molly Brown Gloria Rasputin April Walsh Charles F. Maude Cooper Baer Mr. Johnson Cooper Baer

Boys’ Bball from pg. 6

our 1-3-1 offense. Brunswick’s point total went up, and ours stayed the same, and Kevin Anthony just sat there. He should’ve put in a 2-1-2 offense, but he didn’t. He also played Brendan DeMond, our senior Captain, for a ground total of, well, about five minutes. Hmmph.

The team got back up on its feet to hand Masters (CT) a 67-53 defeat. Now, for the show stopper: walking out of the first half with a five point lead the team or fans had no idea what was in store for them.

After a dizzying trade of leads it seemed that the demise of the team was inevitable, but, Cue Superman theme song, in comes Andrew Clark with a bank to send the game into OT. Resume scoreboard fluctuation. With 2.8 seconds to go, and St. Luke’s down by three, Kevin Mahoney sauced a three from the right corner to tie the game up.

February 2009

Watch the Birdie!

Bye Bye Birdie, the famous musical by Mike Stewart, Charles Strouse, and Lee Adams, will be performed by St. Luke’s Upper School students on Friday, March 6th and Saturday March 7th at 7 o’clock p.m. and on Sunday, March 8th at 2 o’clock p.m. The show is directed by Mr. Griffa, with help from Mrs. Doran. The plot centers on superstar Conrad Birdie who has been drafted into the Army. As a last publicity stunt, Conrad will kiss one lucky fan before he leaves for service. This Tony Award winning play includes fanfavorite songs like Put on a Happy Face, One Last Kiss, Lots of Lovin’ to Do, Kids, and Bye Bye Birdie. The show’s set is the largest St. Luke’s has ever seen and is a result of the dedication and hard work of the Tech Crew. This is the last musical for seniors Jake Pressman, Kara Clark, Connor Stirland, Carrie Osborn, Mary Kelly, Peter Benoliel, and Dominique Bandoo.

It looked like this game was going to double overtime, but no, Mahoney wouldn’t have it that way. After a bad pass inbound pass from Masters that resulted in a change of possession, Zach Taylor fed Mahoney, where he was perching in the right corner, only to hit a gamewinning three ball and end the game On Saturday February 17 the boys faced Hyde School, the most talented opponent of the year. The boys played strong defense to keep Hyde within one at the half, but we were overwhelmed us in the second half, doused by forty-one more points to lose 74-58.

DeMond struck back against Hamden Hall, breaking out with nineteen points, and widely

contributing to the 86-68 win. Then one must ask who scheduled the game against AITE. It was a massacre and certain to diminish the love of the game for a couple of the AITE players, and as a preparation game for Brunswick well, it wasn’t very effective.

Anyway, this is the part I’ve dreaded bringing up -- our second loss to Brunswick.

Anticipation was in the air on January 30 -- The school was flowered in Wick Will Fall posters, the Sixth Man ready, and all the players hyped, but Brunswick had our number. The team provided some excitement, with a 14-0 run, to cut the deficit to five, but Brunswick held its lead and won 61-56.

After a nice long break after Brunswick, the guys dominated in the final stretch going 5-0 against Hopkins, GFA, Hamden Hall, RCDS, and Master’s (CT) earning a two seed in the FAA tournament.

In the first round the boys devastated King, winning 79-58.

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News & Editorial

SLS: More bang for your buck?

Kelly Wendt Sentinel Staff Writer

In previous years at SLS, the last week of May was the last week of classes, and the first week of June was exam week but no more: now we go as far into June as many public schools and longer than most of our private peers.

And as we all know, the schedule itself has undergone drastic changes this year- SLS has gotten rid of midterms and two classes drop a day- but is the price of these drops an extra week of classes?

Public schools in Connecticut, are required to have 180 days of classes. Many schools add in an extra two or three days in case of snow days and cancellations of school.

Although nobody at the State Department of Education could figure out how the state arrived at that number of days, it is the law that schools must be in session for 180 days in order to receive state funding.

However, for private schools (schools that do not receive funding from the government), state laws do not apply. Instead, there is the Connecticut Association of Independent Schools (CAIS), which is an organization that sets out standards that private schools often comply with. Most recently, the CAIS has suggested that instead of 165 days of school, private schools raise the number of days of school to be 170, resulting in an extra week of school, at least for this year and last.

Because there are no midterms, there is already an extra week of classes.

Although many teachers are administering tests as the second quarter/first semester draws to an end, less teaching time is lost due to the elimination of exams. So, on top of this week gained because of the

elimination of midterms, there is an extra week of school tacked on at the end of June before heading into finals.

The students are generally glad not to be taking midterms. As junior Amy Fox says, “I’m no longer worried about my grade being lowered significantly by one test grade.” Many teachers, however, felt more stressed out. They had less time to plan for the coming semester and less time to write comments. “I felt I was really under the gun” says veteran teacher Mr. Flachsbart. “Three days are just not enough to write fifty or sixty comments,

enter them on the website, and plan for the coming semester- I get tired just thinking about it.”

Right now, other private schools are not following suit, however. Schools such as KLHT (King-Low Heywood Thomas) and Brunswick have far fewer days than St. Luke’s does. Holiday and March breaks for all 3 schools are the same, but KLHT has 153 days of school and Brunswick has a mere 148 days. So although the CAIS has suggested more school days be added to private schools’ curriculums, not all private schools have been adhering to this advice. But it’s unlikely that SLS will be in the forefront for very long. It’s probable

February 2009

that in these hard financial times, many parents are now considering private school to be more of a sacrifice and want to make sure they are getting everything they are paying for. Furthermore, the American school system has come under fire both internationally and from within for not educating its young people well enough.

America as a country is no longer at the top of education, possibly because it does not place enough value on learning. Some argue that sports and entertainment have become far too important, leaving many young American people apathetic and complacent.

T o address this deficiency it’s likely that all schools, public and private, will be in session longer by the time our generation had kids.

But for now, both the students and teachers will need to get used to a longer school year in increments, stressful and taxing as it may be. And while it’s true that the 2009-2010 calendar technically does not have the extra week in June, because of when Memorial Day falls, it is still likely that the school year will be expanded in the future.

“Don’t be surprised if March break is only one week long in the near future,” warns a junior administrator. “In fact, in another twenty years I bet kids will be in school for half the summer.”

As St. Luke’s and other schools add more days to the school year, there is one key question to be asked. Are these extra days translating into a better education?