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Volume 4, Issue 3 FEATURE
ARTS & LIFE | Page 4 MOVIE REVIEW: “THE SHAPE OF WATER”
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January 2018
NEWS
The AIRB: Defending academic integrity
Tiger Studios: Video production class gets a revamp with new teacher Joel McDonell
by Gaby Tiu Editor in Chief (Print) and Fiona Quilter Contributing Writer @TheNDBCatalyst
In the back of the NDB student planner is a section labeled “Academic Integrity.” It informs students about what happens if they act against the school’s standards of academic honesty. It defines the different forms of academic dishonesty, including cheating, impersonating, and plagiarizing. And, it describes the procedure that students are subjected to if they are suspected of an “academic breach.” All students have heard of the Academic Integrity Review Board or AIRBoard, for short. They know that is where they will go if they are caught plagiarizing their work or worse. The AIRBoard consists of an administrator, a counselor, and a small group of teachers. They meet only when there is a case brought to them. At the “hearing,” they listen to both the accusing teacher and the suspected student and then, based on the evidence, they decide whether or not a breach was committed and recommend next steps. The Catalyst interviewed Associate Head of School for Academics Anne Schaefer-Salinas about the AIRBoard and her role on it. She began, “I facilitate the meetings: I have pre-meetings with students; I inform parents; and, I have the final meeting with the students to let them know what the decision of the AIRBoard was.” Students who appear at a hearing are allowed to tell their side of the story and bring an advocate, usually a parent, who can vouch for their character. If a student is found guilty, she is given a series of tasks to complete. See AIRB | Page 2
New teacher Joel McDonell discusses the three-act structure in storytelling. by Michelle Kleytman Contributing Writer @TheNDBCatalyst New teacher Joel McDonell is making changes to NDB’s video production course and Tiger TV program, starting with the name change to Tiger Studios. “It’s confining,” he replied when asked about the program’s former name. “We’re not doing [Tiger TV] this term.” But, fear not, since the change is not just cosmetic and ups the ante for all of the students in the A-day tri-school class. He explains, “What I’m trying to do this term, as professional as it
can be, is working on creating short films with students.” The new class curriculum will deal with everything “from pitch to delivery, going through the entire process as you would as a professional filmmaker -- basically a professional-level program.” He added that the second half of the semester will focus on post-production, dealing with the process of reshoots and furthermore showing a deeper insight to the ups and downs of making movies and TV shows. McDonell has accomplished quite a lot in his career prior to joining the NDB community as its
newest addition to the faculty. Claiming narrative filmmaking is his forte, he received his undergraduate degree from Sacramento State in communications media with an emphasis in single camera media, and later on completed his graduate studies at the American Film Institute. He commented, “AFI taught me how to take and give constructive criticism. When asked how his education has impacted his work and teaching style, he explained, “I learned that the biggest thing is how to tell a story -- What’s the piece of information being learned from it? Not the
physical thing going on... You can come up with the small things, but the question is ‘Can you move [the audience]? Can you make them laugh? Can you make them cry?’” He has a piece of advice for aspiring filmmakers. He said, “I didn’t let the confines of a program keep me from achieving what I wanted to do. Students sometimes get frustrated with a line of thinking that class is the only place you’re gonna learn... Nothing is stopping you from going elsewhere to learn.” Teaching has not hindered McDonell’s passion for creating his own work. Talking about what
ROBERT ROJAS / THE CATALYST
it was like working with NDB Director of Communications and Marketing, George Retelas, on a documentary, his eyes quickly lit up and he began talking about one of his own projects. McDonell explained, “It’s called ‘Teaching Manzanar.’ Manzanar was one of the Japanese internment camps in America during World War II. My great-aunt was a teacher at one of those camps. She’s kind of the subject of it all; she talked a little about what it’s like being a teacher there. I also interviewed people who grew up in those camps who are now seventy, eighty years old.”
FEATURE
Winter sports check-in: Season is in full swing by Shay Levy Assistant Sports Editor @TheNDBCatalyst
The NDB basketball and soccer teams are headed into the last games of their seasons. With one less than a week left in January, the JV basketball team is 7-6 overall, while the varsity basketball team is 9-6 overall. The JV soccer team is 0-6 overall, while the varsity soccer team is 10-3 overall. This year’s JV teams started their seasons with several freshmen added to their ranks. There are
18 girls on soccer and 12 of them are freshmen. There are 11 girls on basketball and 2 of them are freshmen. Over winter break, the JV soccer team played against Burlingame HS. The final score was 0-1, Burlingame. The JV soccer team is still working for a win. The captains on the soccer team are sophomores Xanthe Barton, Rachel Giovando, and Amanda Orchard. Sophomore Elizabeth McGuire feels the main challenges the girls See SPORTS | Page 3
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Defender Grace Earley (‘19) puts pressure for control of the ball.