Inside
March 5, 2015
Convent of the Sacred Heart HS • San Francisco, California
Vol. 21, Iss. 6
2 RAISING RENTS Rent rises for Pacific Height vendors
New schedule intended to create balance A revised schedule, limit on AP courses, altered graduation requirements set to take place in 2015-2016 school year. Madeleine Ainslie Managing Editor
A modified schedule incorporating the elective period into the block schedule, adjusted course requirements for graduation, and a limit on the number of Advanced Placement courses students may take are scheduled to go into effect in the 2015-2016 school year as an attempt to create a more balanced learning environment. “Our design thinking day on Jan. 9 helped us come to this,” Head of School Rachel Simpson said. “In addition to eight scheduled blocks we had a ninth period ‘elective period’ that everyone was scheduled into. Electives are now being incorporated into an eight block schedule day so that students may really elect to take the class.” Electives courses will have more meeting time and count towards students’ grade-point averages, according to Simpson. “I wanted to really bring it to the question of how do we make this an elective that is primarily for the freshman and the sophomore in the service of creative voice and expression,” Simpson said. Despite the elimination of a ninth block, the basic frame of the school day will still be from 8 a.m. to 3:15 p.m., yielding an approximate 23 additional hours of instruction time over the course of the school year, according to Simpson. Perhaps one of the biggest changes to the curriculum is the recommended limit of five AP classes, a policy which does not apply to the Class of 2016, according to College Counselor Rebecca Munda.
“We typically offer 15 AP classes,” Munda said. “When colleges see that they typically expect students to take the most challenging course load, and if we don’t have any guidelines in place, then that is setting the expectation rather high. We are now putting students in a position where there is not that pressure to take an extreme amount of APs to be competitive for college admissions.” Many students think the new policy will create a better balance and a less pressured environment, according to junior Jill Cardamon. “It will provide a less-stressful atmosphere,” Cardamon said. “As a junior I’ve already surpassed the recommended number of APs, but I don’t feel as though I’ve had a lot of balance with those classes. I think the new schedule will help students manage their course loads.” Munda says students should not feel they need to take five AP courses. The limit is in place as a guided maximum, not a recommended value. “While a lot of people feel the school is restricting us too much, I think the limit is going to be beneficial overall,” junior Willa Hegarty said. “It will help students who are working hard to get an appropriate amount of recognition by colleges. Even still, five APs is pretty impressive.” Physics is added to the graduation requirements for juniors who are not enrolled in AP Biology. Students who take AP Biology as a junior will take physics as a senior, according to Simpson. “This is to ensure that students have a full science background.
6 A YOUNG DIVIDE Gender stereotypes forming at an early age
8 SAILING ALONG Sailing team to raise their state ranking
We want to expose students to the three essential scientific fields,” Simpson said, referring to biology, chemistry and physics. In lieu of a Women’s Studies elective course for just seniors, the subject matter will be incorporated into all classes next year. “The faculty will embed the topics of Women’s Studies across the curriculum, making it a signature part of our program in which all students participate,” Simpson said in an email to parents and students last week regarding next year’s course flow. As of the 2015 Fall Semester, the only four-year course requirements are English and theology, giving seniors more flexibility in their schedules.
“By senior year we want seniors to have completed as many graduation requirements as possible, which means that they are afforded a program with more elective choice,” Simpson said. The goal is to create a challenging curriculum allowing students to explore their interests, according to Simpson. “There’s going to be a lot of flexibility so students can really start to figure out what they want to do and pursue it, without having the requirement to take a class a student might not be interested in,” Cardamon said. “It provides more of a balance, students will have a lot more options in structuring their curriculum.”
Dry spell creates environmental issues Kendra Harvey Video Editor
Bea D’Amico/The Broadview
HANG LOOSE Junior Chloe Lovato misses her wave at Stinson
Beach while surfing with the Onda Linda Surf Club. The Surf Club is hosting the ocean cleanup and guest speaker tomorrow for Service Day.
3 CLOWNING AROUND Alumna directs documentary in refugee camp
Even as residents are making attempts to save water California is facing unforeseen consequences of the state’s 3-year drought with long term effects on the iconic Redwood trees and its waterways. Water conservation should be a main priority due to decreases in resources, according to Samuel Sandoval, assistant professor and University of California Cooperative Extension specialist at UC Davis. “If you look around at your neighbors, how many times have you seen the sprinklers?” Sandoval said. “How many times have you seen water running on the pavement out of the backyards? How many people have you heard are taking shorter showers or are using back up water?” Despite Sandoval’s observations that not all residents are conserving water, California’s
water conservation has risen to 22 percent last December, according to California’s State Water Resources Control Board. “I have been taking showers that are five minutes long or less,” junior Amanda Joa, who has been actively conserving water with her family since October, said. “My family also tries to conserve water by using water from old water bottles to water plants instead of turning down the hose or pouring it down the drain.” Joa says conserving water has become a routine. “It was difficult at first because some other family members are not doing that we are doing like not letting the faucet run or not flushing, but we just remind them,” Joa said. “It took a while, but we got into the habit.” The government should put prevention policies to save water See Drought p. 2
12 GONG HEY FAT CHOY Chinese New Year celebrations to take place in Chinatown
QuickReads ►►P U T I T AWAY
Head of School Rachel Simpson is encouraging students to put away their electronics while in the hallways. The simple act of putting technology away will improve face-to-face connections between students, according to Simpson. ►►DESIGN THINKING
In keeping with the spirit of innovation started at the Design Thinking day in January, Convent & Stuart Hall is offering two $2,500 Launch Grants to students who come up with the most promising and creative proposals for a new product. ►►BECOME A MEMBER
Prospective students in 10th through 12th grades can now apply to become a part of the National Honor Society. Members are selected based on scholarship, leadership and citizenship, as well as recommendations from their teachers and advisers. ►►RAISING FUNDS
The 2014-2015 Annual Fund concluded with the highest participation between all four schools of any year to date. Ninety-six percent of families contributed, raising $1,867,375. ►►RETREATS
Freshmen will be having their retreat at Mountain Home Ranch Resort instead of the traditional overnight at school. Sophomores will be going to the Marin Headlands Hostel, Juniors to URJ Camp Newman and Seniors to Bishops Ranch for their annual overnight retreats.
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