May 24, 2019
A Student Production of Franklin Learning Center
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Supervised Injection Sites: Will they be a safe haven or a dwelling of hazards for substance abusers? Page 6
Overlooking the streets of Kensington; Editor-in-Chief Angelica Martinez White Washing in the Media
page 8
We’re in the Endgame Now
page 10
Find us @theflashflc
Sports Recap
page 12
FLC Alumnus wins Biden Courage Award
page 5
LETTER TO THE EDITORS
2
The Reality of Life After High School
Genesis Tejada-Peralta EIC 2017-2018
As the school year quickly draws to a close, many of my former classmates are preparing for their sophomore year of college, while other Franklin Learning Center graduates like myself are left asking themselves what have they done with their lives in the last 365 days since their high school graduation? Students who either chose not to attend college right after graduation or who were unable to because of financial problems or any other reason might be left feeling let down or unprepared by their school system. For 13 years straight you’re told where to go, when to go, how to dress, when to speak, and even when you can use the
bathroom. Then, suddenly, you’re 18 and your future is placed in your hands and you’re told to choose. Does FLC or the modern school system in America in general prepare its students for the transition from a child who has been told what to do for the past several years of their lives to a decision making adult? Those who majored in business or medical assistance might feel like their needs were more fittingly met. They were taught courses that were centered around their interests and future careers. They were given programs in and out of school that gave them opportunities to meet others with similar interests and put them in real life business and medical environments. These majors weren’t the only helpful courses provided by FLC. Students like myself were offered real life college courses from Arca-
dia University. Classes like sociology, psychology, and crime and punishment were taught to students by real college professors. What better way to prepare for college than to take a college course? But that’s just it, FLC might have met the needs of many college bound students but what about those who chose to take a different path or those who know that college was not an option at all? Let’s be honest, in today’s modern society entrepreneurship and self employment is at an all time high. So in terms of students who know that college is not for them but still want to be successful in today’s society, where do they fit into FLC’s curriculum? Undoubtedly there are many students who feel like their needs were met, but all over America there are more students than you can imagine who feel as though their school systems set them up to fail.
To express yourself through writing, to get your message to the editors, or to have a chance of being published in an issue of the Flash, submit any letters you want to the editors at theflashflc.org! We hope to hear from you all soon!
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Editorial Board Editor-in-Chiefs Dariana Garcia-Bernabe* Hannah Woodruff† Angelica Martinez† Associate Editor Dariana Garica-Bernabe* Yailine Soto† Ombudsman Sophia Cisse* Gabrielle Smith† News Editor Hannah Woodruff* Hannah Biaggi† Opinions Editor Jordan Jones† A&E Editor Janelis Duran* Kyle Thiede† Sports Editors Angelica Martinez Lizbeth Castillo† Photography Editor Anannya Kundu* Tiffany Rodriguez† Video Editor Deja Dawkins† Layout Editor Markist Williams† Design Editor Elijah Collins Angel Cruz† Director of Marketing Jerrin Baez† Social Media Editor Anannya Kundu* Faculty Adviser Colin Chrestay *Class of 2019 †Editor 2019-2020
Staff photo of the Flash FLC 2018-2019
NEWS
3
Gabrielle Smith Ombudsman
Mumps Outbreak Targets Philly
Mumps is a contagious disease that is commonly spread through saliva, which can affect multiple areas of the body. The most common area it can affect is your parotid salivary glands. Your parotid salivary glands are found near the back of your cheek in the section between your ear and your jaw. If you have the mumps then your pain could get worse when you swallow, drink acidic juices, chew, and talk. However mumps isn’t just swelling in your face area, it can also lead to inflammation in the brain or other organs. Before the vaccination process, which started in 1967, about 186,000 cases of mumps were reported per year. However, thanks to the vaccination process, the number of mumps cases drastically dropped a whopping 99%. Despite that, since 2006 there have been several outbreaks of the mumps, which occur approximately every five years. From January 2016 to June 2017, the health departments reported roughly 150 outbreaks of the mumps, and despite the efforts, the mumps came back with a vengeance. On March 21, 2019, Temple University reported 16 cases of the mumps, and as of April 18th, there have been reportedly 155 cases of the mumps at Temple. Mumps are NOT fun to get, Raymond Betzner, the Assistant Vice President at Temple University had mumps as a child, and to say the least,
it wasn’t pretty. ¨I had the mumps in 1961 when I was five years old. There were no vaccines then and almost all the children in my neighborhood got sick. I was in bed for a week. It was like getting the flu, but the glands in my neck swelled for several days.¨ As you can see, mumps really serious and should not be taken lightly. According to James Garrow, the spokesman for Philadelphia Department of Health, ¨while most people get mumps only feel pretty terrible for a week or so, a small number of people who get mumps can have really bad outcomes. Boys can have their testicles get inflamed and girls can have their ovaries become inflamed, and either of those could make it difficult to have children. Some people can get encephalitis or meningitis (swelling of the brain or spinal cord), while others can go deaf.¨ Mumps can also carry an effect on your education. Mr. Betzer states, ¨If
you get sick, you’ll need to stay home for 5 days or so. You’ll lose school time and get behind in classes.¨ This can obviously have a real impact on your grades, Danny Tran’22, a student at Franklin Learning Center, said, ¨ I can’t imagine like getting the mumps right now, the timing would be horrible, especially because I would miss all of the information... and especially for Algebra 1 Keystones coming up, you would miss all of the practice.¨ The best and most effective way to stray away from the mumps is to get two MMR shots. Mr. Betzner stated another way to ensure you don’t get the mumps is to, ¨Avoid close contact with individuals who present symptoms, wash hands frequently and efficiently, when unable to wash with soap and water, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, avoid sharing food and drinks or participating in other activities that may result in sa-
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liva exposure, [and] avoid sharing devices like smartphones.¨ With this outbreak, you may wonder why they haven’t closed schools like Temple where the virus is really effective, however, according to Alexus Underwood, a student at Temple University, “Temple, in my perspective at least, tried to hide the severity of this.” Especially since they are trying to finish up school. “They can’t make up classes.” In contrast, Mr. Garrow, “The Philadelphia Department of Public Health, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) don’t recommend closing a school for a mumps outbreak. This is because it takes so long between when a person catches mumps and when they start to have symptoms and can spread it. The university would have to close for nearly a month. It’s much more effective to have the folks who are in the university to stop spreading the disease by staying away from other people when they’re sick, and potentially updating their mumps vaccine.¨ However all this is really helpful to prevent themselves, Mr. Betnzer stated that schools should be ¨Teaching students about the disease and helping them stay safe is the best defense.¨ Tran agreed with Mr. Betnzer and said ¨it would’ve been really helpful if the schools maybe like held like an assembly or something, just to give students a better grasp of what it is, because I never realized how like serious it is until now….it could really like have a big effect on me, and I think schools could get students more aware of this issue.”
Planet Fitness Teen Summer Challenge
Jacqueline Lara Contributer
With summer around the corner, many students are thrilled by the idea of no longer being required to wake up as early as 5:30 AM. Students are delighted to finally have extra hours for sleep and possibly do nothing at all. It also provides students with more time and freedom to lay out their schedules however they like. This is one of several reasons why some students are planning to hit the gym over break. Fortunately for them, Planet Fitness is offering FREE memberships for teens (15 to 18) to work out at any of their locations in the United States and Canada. This opportunity is a part of their 2019 Teen Workout Challenge, lasting from May 15 to September 1. A waiver form to sign up is available at any Planet Fitness. If you’re under 18, a parent or guardian has to sign it before you’re given access to workout at the gym, as well as attending the fitness classes offered there. Upon signing up, you are entered into a sweepstakes for a $500 scholar-
ship given in each state and/or province in addition to a $5,000 grand prize. A regular gym costs around $10 up to $30(not including an annual and registration), so this is a great chance for anyone who isn’t looking to commit to a long-term membership. In Addition, being active for at least half an hour a day can help with sleep, improve mood and boost metabolism. For anyone attempting to lose weight or get in shape, going to the gym at least 5 days a week and for half an hour can help to burn off excess calories and lose weight without having to follow any extreme crash diets which require little to no eating. Exercise is a great way for you to begin eating healthy, and have results which last longer without needing to cut out food and eventually fatigue the body. Exercise has been a great way of taking any stress away and a great way to keep yourself moving and productive. When a good workout is done in the morning, it sets yourself for the day, and prepares you for what the rest of the day has to offer. The Planet Fitness Teen Summer Challenge is certainly not an opportunity to miss.
Photos courtesy of the author
4
NEWS
Climate Change Protest
On May 3rd, a climate change strike was held in Center City where students from all schools walked-out of class in the morning to protest against climate change. Students held posters, did chants, and stood in silence for 11 minutes. ¡ Photographer Editor Anannya kundu
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NEWS
5
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FLC Alumnus Wins Biden Courage Award Yailine Soto Associate Editor
Adrianna Branin (FLC ‘16) made headlines this past September after stopping a campus sexual assault leaving a college campus party at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where she is a rising senior. For her actions, Branin received the 2019 Biden Courage Award in the city of New York. She was leaving the party when she saw a very intoxicated woman who happened to have one of her breasts exposed yelling about wanting a cigarette. She says, “I turned and immediately started to hear really vile, disgusting, sexist language coming from male voices. There were 9-ish men surrounding her at the bottom of her driveway. I saw a hand on her breast and I saw the flashes of cellphones. I kind of went into a blind rage. I ran up to them and pushed through them.” The men were not happy with the actions she took. “When they realized that was pulling her shirt up and trying to take her back to her house they got really angry and I started to feel grips and hands trying to stop me.” She grabbed her and started to push her up her driveway and handed her off to one of her friends in her house. The men had started to disperse so she didn’t get a good look at their faces. However, that didn’t stop her from doing the following, “I started to go up to any men that I could find in the street and called them monsters...If they don’t delete those photos they’re gonna go to jail and they deserved it. How dare they take advantage of a vulnerable person
like that.” The following Monday she went to her .... Coordinator in her campus and reported the incident along with her boss ….. She says, “I told those two people because I wanted them to know that even though I didn’t know this girl and I didn’t know those men that if these photos had come out I wanted them to know that they weren’t consensually taken.” After the inci-
dent, Branin says that, “I didn’t feel heroic, amazing or that she changed the world in some sort of way. It wasn’t until I won this award that I ever thought of it as something that was out of the ordinary.” There are things that have taught her that you need to act in an instant and she believes that anyone can make a difference. “Understanding sexual violence in my campus,
understanding the way it’s perpetrated and how you only get so many changes to stop it before it could really escalate to a fighting point has really taught me that you need to act in the moment, you can’t sit around and wait for somebody else to do it” “I really believe that anybody can make a difference in those types of situations, regardless of your size, strength, age, or educational level.”
School Start Schedule to Return to Normal
Dariana Garcia-Bernabe Editor-in-Chief With the school year coming to a close, the thought of the 2019-2020 academic school year is not within reach. It’s all about finishing up final assignments, graduation, and counting down the days until summer. In the summer of 2018, the news of the next school year starting on August 28th instead of the day after labor day, as it has years before, came as a shock to many students, parents, and staff. Followed by criticism and disappointment a massive majority were not looking forward to starting the school year in the middle of the summer. As predicted, the school year started off with many complications such as a many half-days due to heat waves which disrupted the routine of many schools. Due to the lack of air conditioning in many school buildings, rather than starting off fresh students started off sweaty. The School District of Philadelphia not only heard but witnessed the mistake of switching up the schedule. Which is why, the 2019-2020 academic school year is going back to it’s usual start time, September 3rd. Compared to last year, this news has been met with positive feedback. Franklin Learning Center dean and AP United States History teacher Mrs. Krakauskas states, “I think that it’s a wise idea that we’re going back to September.” She believes the slow start of the 20182019 school year can be blamed on the early start, “starting two weeks earlier has really made it challenging… not just the teachers but also the students because things are coming sooner than were used to… going back to September is what it should be.” Jennifer Rojas-Sandoval‘ 20 agrees, “it’s good that schools are getting back to their
regular starting dates, because there [were] lots of inconveniences with this last summer’s starting date. I’m glad that schools are starting in September because that means more break time to hang out with friends who work hard throughout the year.” The only downside to starting in September is that the last day of school will
be later. As of now the future for the 2019-2020 academic school is too far away to see, but what is certain is the feeling of relief and happiness that students, staff, and family members will feel with the schedule going back to normal.
The Flash is seeking: Illustrators Photographers Videographers Graphic Designers Submit your original illustrations, photos, or videos to:
flash@flchs.org
OPINION
6
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E D I T O R I A L
Supervised Injection Sites: Will they be a safe-haven or a dwelling of hazards for substances abuses?
Hannah Woodruff
Editor-in- Chief
CON
Tumbling down a spiral of drug abuse, opioid users may find themselves at a dead end when it comes to recovery. With treatment and withdrawals disguised as obstacles in their eye, it only becomes easier for them to return to the old, familiar ways every time help comes around. Such matters usually call for traditional methods towards recovery, but modern times have birthed modern solutions. One proposal in particular sticks out for its irony in tackling the issue: supervised substance injection sites. In recent years, public health advisers have leaned towards opening up these “needle exchange” sites across the nation to combat the backdrop of opioids. These facilities offer a hygienic space for users to inject drugs they already possess while being under the supervision of trained medical staff. Although the intentions behind the sites come from a desperation to prevent further misuse, this isn’t the creative solution we need in order to solve the opioid crisis. Here in Philadelphia, a rampant drug problem has left many with serious concerns. The city has one of the highest opioid death rates in any large cities nationwide, which is why these needle exchange sites are being pushed to launch. Kensington neighborhood is victim to the most
frequent and massive use of substance in the entire city, state, and possibly country. A concentration in the drug epidemic here has since gained the attention of the public. Upon hearing this, community health leaders took it upon themselves to collaborate with Safehouse, a nonprofit organization fighting to open injection sites, and a committee of specialized advisors in response to the rising drug addiction. Ronda Goldfein, the vice president of Safehouse, admits that they are in negotiations to operate the facilities. Their goal is to spread sites across the city where drug users can take them under medical supervision in order to prevent overdose. It is well understood that addiction doesn’t discriminate when it comes to whom it may affect, nor does it show mercy when users are on the brink of overdosing. The proof is in the stagnant death rates in areas concentrated with drugs. But if it comes down to heavy addiction, no lives will be saved by legally permitting people to take the same drugs killing them in an environment that’ll supposedly prevent more death. Even if there were trained professionals bringing them “back to life”, this act of revival will only urge users to fall back into an unhealthy cycle of going back-andforth between substance abuse and coming clean. In fact, some might be discouraged from undergoing proper treatment and encouraged to undermine any effort in curbing the use of illicit drugs. Nothing is safe about any of these “safe” injection
sites. At the very least, they are essentially saying that it’s completely fine to inject illicit drugs into your body until you nearly OD, as long as there’s someone around to have you up and running again. The gravity behind this message will do more harm and is the exact opposite of what these medical practitioners have sworn to do. Members working for these facilities claim to save lives by preventing overdoses, and while that may be true to an extent, very little evidence backs up their claim to gateway a decline in substance abuse. How effective are the treatment and services offered, really? Say someone was to come close to overdosing, will they face any repercussions once they’re brought back? Many questions start to rise when loopholes and loose strings are found in what’s promised. Not to mention, the normalization of drug use will be a major consequence in founding such establishments for the sake of reducing harm. There’s no denying the impact safe injection sites have had in preventing OD deaths, but it has yet to leave the same prints on decreasing drug use. It makes no sense to allow these facilities to grow in any city, let alone Philadelphia. We shouldn’t watch our brothers die in the city of brotherly love, but pulling strings to play God in this case won’t lower the rates of the drug abuse that’s actually killing them. Additionally, fostering an environment that accepts illegal substance use is blatant disregard for the laws which made the call to not legalize it in the first place. Despite
Nothing is “safe” about any of these safe injection sites.
not providing users with any substance of the kind, needle exchange sites permit them to bring in some that are in their possession already. As we all know, consuming and possessing drugs happens to be illegal, which makes it all the more a nightmare for organizations to have legislators even consider their proposals to open up a site. So for a safe injection site to be funded and running with federal support, knowing their indifference to their consumers bringing their own resources, it doesn’t paint a particularly nice image for the importance of these regulations against drugs. This lack of legal consequences will pose more risks and not remedies to society. Opening public facilities associated with injecting drugs challenges the issued policies regarding substance abuse and the trust people have placed in federal authority. If it has to do with safety, advocates rooting for the safe injection sites will argue that these facilities take into consideration the health of addicts, yet the safety of surrounding communities have not been the conversation starter for them. Once they have left the injection facilities, it’s undetermined what other problems the drug users might prompt in the neighborhood. Who would be held responsible had this situation began? If these facilities become commonplace and harmful consequences follow, it is unclear how successful damage control will be. In an attempt to “save lives”, the emphasis on that phrase ignores the countless uncertainties and possible harm related to these facilitations. Thus, as mentioned before, there is nothing safe about “safe” injection sites. We shouldn’t watch our brothers die in the City of Brotherly Love, but playing God won’t bring back the person we once knew.
OPINION
7
Dariana Garica-Bernabe
Editor-in-Chief
Angelica Martinez
Editor-in-Chief
PRO Carol Rostucher started the non-profit Angles in Motion (AIM) due to her own personal experience with the impact that substance abuse. ¨My son Drew’s substance use disorder. He was living on the streets; I would look for him, let him know I love him, and am there when he’s ready.¨ In her journey to help her son, she meet people that were going through a similar situation, that is how Angels in Motion was born. Rostucher firmly believes that isolation ¨feeds addiction” the way to fight addiction is to help individuals by showing them love, support, and encouragement. Rostucher supports safe consumption sites, ¨I´ve lost too many individuals to overdose, if it saves one individual’s life it is worth it.¨ Safe consumption sites serve as a beacon of hope for many families that are struggling to win the fight against substance abuse. They should not be pushed aside because they are going through a hard time, they are also human, they deserve to be respected, their voice should not be silenced. ¨Listening to hear their concerns and working with them to find the answers together is huge. Opening minds and educating society to end the stigma that goes hand and hand with addiction. Being there to support and guide without judgement is so important, trying to navigate this system is no easy task… we need to educate individuals about harm reduction so we can keep people alive until they are ready to enter recovery. Helping loved ones understand, keep their boundaries, and still show love and support, in the best way they can for them. Accepting that we are all individuals, and stop trying to tell others what they need, they know themselves better than anyone else; let them decide what type of treatment and/or recovery they feel would work for them.¨ Society should should take wisdom from Rostuch-
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E D I T O R I A L Safe consumption sites serve as a beacon of hope for many families that are struggling to win the fight against substance abuse.
er, ¨treating individuals with respect, kindness, and love makes an enormous difference in everyone’s journey.¨ Like Rostucher other countries seem to have a more open and understanding view when it comes to helping people facing addiction. For instance, Canada’s approach to drug policy is in a collaborative, compassionate, comprehensive, and evidence-based approach by using a “Public health lens.” According, to CATIE in 2016 there were 2,946 opioid-related deaths in Canada, however from January to September there were 2,923 opioid-related deaths. When the first safe consumption site opened in Vancouver there was a 35% decrease in overdose deaths. There have been about 6,000 visits to safe consumption sites as of March 31, 2018. Canada has about forty-six substance abuse sites that provide a clean and safe environment to use substances which leads to less risk of confrontation with police, drug testing to detect adulterants, emergency medical care (in case of allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) overdose, and cardiac arrest), basic health services, testing for infectious diseases (HIV, STIs, and Hepatitis C), support for staff and health professionals, and access to sterile drug use equipment and a place to safely dispose equipment after use, Offer education on harms of drug use and safer consumption practices, referrals or information on housing services, primary health care, community service, mental health treatment, needle exchange programs, and social welfare programs. Contrary to common belief Supervised Consumption Sites do not give out substances.
That would be the exact opposite of their goal, the real motive of safe consumption sites is to prevent overdose deaths, make entry to drug treatment services, connection people with basic health and social services, and reduce impact on Emergency Medical Services relating to drug overdoses. With them usually being placed in areas where there is public drug use to help reduce public consumption and discard needles. Located near established illegal drug markets to reach their target audience. Staff at Safe consumption sites include social workers, nursing staff, and community workers. The most common question that comes with Supervised Consumption Sites is how are drugs allowed without the individuals getting punished? Possession of controlled substances is prohibited under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA). But for Supervised Consumption Sites there is an exemption, Health Canada grants exemption after satisfactory completion of an application Movermover, exemptions for new Supervised Consumption Sites are granted for a year, but renewal applications time length depends by past compliance history and the site itself. Over
in Germany, their safe consumption site is the non-profit Fixpunkt which provides support for individuals who are on opioid substitution therapy by offering basic health services, counseling for social and mental problems, sterile injecting equipment, supervised drug consumption rooms, and professional assistance in case of an overdose. Staff include doctors, nurses and educators, supported by qualified student assistants and freelancers. According to Astrid Leicht the director of Fixpunkt sites like these need more political and financial support. They share a similar goal to Canada to help individuals who are struggling in the fight against substance abuse, while also helping reduce public nuisance of individuals acting on the streets. As of June 2015 there is about 6 out of 15 available in federal states. While these countries have different languages, different cultures, and different time zones, they share the common beliefs that helping individuals with substance abuse issues is the best way to find light at the end of the tunnel. There are skeptics who are against safe consumption sites without fully knowing the benefits that they have to offer. They offer a safe place that has people who are there to help them with their struggle and even help them survive. It’s safer than out in the street or in an abandoned house, where the possibility of them dying from an overdose is greater compared to the very low chance of them dying of an overdose in a safe consumption site. This leads the clear path towards health care and can decrease the spreading of disease. Throughout the many safe consumption sites there have been zero overdoses. They offer social serves that will help them to the journey down the right track towards a better life, a life free of addiction.
International Day Program May 31st, 2019 7:55 ADV
Setting The Tone Program Preview
2/3
Regular Class International Trivia Game Kahoot
8:08 8:11
8:55 9
30
A
9:55 10
30
B
Presentation/Workshops
10:55 11
30
Dance Workshops Middle East (Sara Bendrihem), Latin (Ciani Hernandez)
Dance Workshops Middle East (Sara Bendrihem). Percussion Workshops Middle East (Al Bustan)
C
11:55 12
30
D
Dance Workshops Latin (Ciani International Day Movies Hernandez), Berber (Tina Chouane)
Lunch
Gym
Sattriya Indian Dances Workshop
Auditorium
Global Philadelphia Heritage Presentation
Auditorium
Sattriya Indian Dances Performance
Auditorium
Al Bustan Performance
Auditorium
Lunch
Lunch
12:55 1 Flag Parade/Fashion Lunch Limited
30
1:55 2
E Show Case
30
Editor-in-Chief Angelica Martinez
2:55
OPINION
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Life for Ghost Malls Hannah Woodruff Editor-in- Chief
As a medical practitioner, would you turn a blind eye to a patient who’s coding? Your job is to make sure the person under your care feels comfort and receives proper treatment. It doesn’t matter what life they once lived, but what does matter is that it’s your best interest to delay their death. So, the answer is no, you wouldn’t turn a blind eye. Say you put this same energy into a dying mall. These two circumstances may vary to some, yet they’re identical when a couple of variables are taken out. You might think it’s easier to finish off what once used to be vibrant and alive; however, a close call with death shouldn’t rule out the possibility to start anew. A decaying or “ghost” mall should be given the same attention to avoid meeting it’s end in exchange for renovation. The point is: it’s not dead yet. But walking past these infrastructures always invites a strange nostalgia. You know, a lifeless mall standing on its own while surrounding elements rust what’s left of it. Unless it foregoes development, these ghost malls won’t stand a chance against this downward spiral. Hence why, refurbishment will bring new life as well
Janelis Duran A&E Editor
as an introduction to countless possibilities from the final results. It’s recycling approached with a constructional agenda. For the longest, developers and property owners have tried hiding their failed construction projects under the rug, acting as if they never existed. With this form of reconstruction in mind, it could possibly promote members of local organizations and the government to take action for their city’s struggling proposals in an attempt to combat the decay. Not to mention, the fact that malls are often under single ownership also makes the sites easier to acquire and redevelop. Still, a transformation at this scale attracts difficulty and deep pockets. Giving new meaning to a dying mall places several cards onto the table. Other than finance and property, it’s challenging to decide what exactly this “revived” mall will be. Some prefer to build another shopping center, whereas others aim to turn dead malls into housing for the homeless. A prime example of the latter would be when a Macy’s in Alexandria evolved from a vacant building to a homeless shelter back in 2018. Although it has proven to come with hardships, malls in Philadelphia and across the nation can take after that Macy’s. They can discover another path to survival. They can be revived.
Photography Editor Anannya Kundu
White-Washing in the Media
What is white washing? It’s a practice that shows and films use in which a white actor is casted in a historically non-white role, mainly used to diminish the significance of a character and/or cultural events. In the early 20th century white actors portrayed other races by participating in black-face and yellow-face often times exaggerating that race’s stereotype. As the film industry grew, shows and film became more racially diverse with the mid-20th century having less black-face. Yellow-face still happened till the 1960’s. Along with black and yellow-face, there has been close to none Native Americans in films. Their roles being filled by white actors. Opposite from common beliefs, white-
washing in media is not illegal. Instead it’s taken a new form with lighter skin actors taking the roles of characters that were originally darker, along with the traditional white washing. Many people aren’t happy that some of their favorite characters are white washed for example, Captain Marvel. The first ever Captain Marvel was a black female named Monica Rambeau. Rambeau sported an afro with a white and black bodysuit and the iconic Captain Marvel symbol across her chest. But unfortunately this character was not taken seriously, her name was changed multiple times before becoming the one we know her by today.. However it wasn’t just the name changs but her looks as well with them becoming more “European”.Her hair was no longer an afro but straight , her skin grew lighter and her waist and lips thinner. But Marvel had
many chances to fix their mistakes with the live action Captain Marvel. They could have given Rambeau the mantle instead of Danvers. Instead Monica stars as a child in Danvers film and her mother Maria Rambeau is given the spot light instead. Not only does this interfere with the original but to movie fans it would seem that Danvers was the original.Another well known whitewashed film is Avatar the Last Airbender. Since this is a fictional world the races are also fictional meaning technically anyone can play these roles. So, what makes it whitewashing? Well creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino drew inspiration from eastern asian and inuit cultures when designing the world and characters. So one would think that if this animated show where t o
be adapted it would used actors of the cultures that were inspired in the fictional world, instead we were given white actors playing the three main protagonists and one asian actor playing the antagonist. A great example of getting a lighter skinned actor to play the role of a darker character would be the The Hate You Give staring Amandla Stenberg as Starr Carter. Amandla Stenberg is an amazing young actress with a lot of potential and many love her work. Even though she is a great actress The Hate You Give Starr Carter was a bluntly darker skin young girl. With many characters in the book talking about the color of
h e r skin along with her afro, something the movie did not convey on screen. It isn’t just these movies but we can see it in shows, magazines and the media in general and it isn’t hard to mess you just have to look. Moreover this isn’t just about under representing a race or culture but it’s telling us what we think about certain races and cultures. With european, white or lighter skin actors being put in the roles where people of color should be or being the protagonist as other ethnicities are casted as the antagonist. People should be more aware of the white washing that is taking place in today media.
Staff Illustrator Paladin Jenkins
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ENTERTAINMENT
Annual Food Truck Festival
Jerrin Baez Director of Marketing
Franklin Learning Center held its annual food truck festival on Friday, May 3rd. Students, parents, and staff members spent their afternoon trying the inflatable obstacle course, climbing walls, listening to music by FLC band “Universal Language”, and eating delicious foods. · Photographers Hannah Woodruff, Sophia Cisse, Colin Chrestay
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ENTERTAINMENT
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What does Technology tell us about ourselves? Janelis Duran A&E Editor
Black Mirror is a dark anthology series that comments on today’s society, using sci-fi elements. The anthology was created by Charlie Brooker, Annabel Jones and Barney Reisz as a contemporary rework of “The Twilight Zone” with many episodes leaving the viewer with an unease settlement at the end of each episode; the idea of technology being taken too far without humanity thinking about the consequences of our action, as if technology were a drug. The show originally ran in the UK on Channel 4 from 2011-2014. It was sadly canceled before it finished it’s second season. On 2016 Black Mirror got picked up by streaming service Netflix. Currently on it’s 4th season Black Mirror seems to be having a bright future with newer episode and even there newest interactive film “Bandersnatch” doing great among Netflix viewers. Yet, the same cannot be said for the characters in the Black Mirror universe. “The National Anthem” is the first and most grounded episode of Black Mirror. The National Anthem follows the idea of “getting what you want” without thinking about the people who get hurt in the process. When princess Susannah gets kidnaped, Prime Minister Michael Callow falls victim to a terrorist. He is told he must have sexual relationships with a sus as its broadcasted live across the nation for everyone to witness. After this news is made public the citizens take it into their own hands by voting whether or not the prime minister should commit this heinous act. By the end the citizens, government and terrorist get what they want as they all watch not cheering but in
silence as the Prime minister is forced to have sex with a pig. Glued to their screens before and after the act, no one notices that the princess was released unharmed 30 mins before the minster had to commit this act. This episode perfect way to open up this anthology series due to the way it mirrors humanity as we watch the series unfold. Viewers are constantly left asking for more, yet watch in slices due to its unsettling tone. Black mirror often mimics other shows, topics and itself. Like the episode “15 Million Merits” presents a world based on class, the only way out is a show called ¨Hot Shot.¨ People have to earn 15 million merits in order to shoot their shot on the talent show Hot Shots. The main characters Bing believes that Abi is capable to winning ¨Hot Shot¨ by singing. Accidently, Abi makes it in another show, Bling feels at fault and he tries to make his voice heard. making it off the bikes he helps her get on the show. After finding out he indirectly caused her to become a porn star he feels at fault and sees to it that he make his voice heard. He ends up on ¨hot shot¨ and forces them to listen to him speak by threatening his own life with a glass sharred. He talks about the abuse and unfairness of the system. Towards the end of the episode we see
We’re in the Endgame now
Kyle THiede A&E Editor
Markist Williams Layout Editor
Avengers Endgame is the result of the eleven year build up for the Avengers finale. Many people consider this film as an event, like a roller coaster. As an event, this movie is exhilarating, however as a movie, it’s just good. There’s a lot to love about this movie. It has great action, probably some of the best action in Marvel. There’s several non computer generated slug fests that are incredibly well choreographed. In addition to this, the computer generated large scale battle scenes are done really good. In addition to this bombastic action, there’s a lot of emotional scenes in this movie. This isn’t a movie I’d see anyone cry for unironically, however when the movie wants to get emotional, the viewer can feel it. This is of course due to wonderful writing and great acting. Most of the actors played their roles for the last time and they put in maximum effort for this movie. the last thing worth mentioning is how great the movie looks. This cinematography is great, however not as good as Infinity War. The effect are tremendous. All the computer generated effects feel real and work well alongside the beautiful art and costume design. Sadly, this is about all I can say that isn’t negative, when judging this movie as a film. For starters, if you don’t care about the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this isn’t the movie for you. This movie is essentially three hours of fanfiction. It’s a comic book movie through and through, and it’s not really grounded in reality. The movie is just trying to have fun for fans, and because of that there’s a lot in the plot that doesn’t make sense. Despite what I
said about how good the action is, a lot of times there seems to be excuses for these action scenes, rather than reasons. This also applies for emotional scenes in the movie. Characters make dumb decisions just so the viewer can feel bad, and that shouldn’t be asked by the audience. Another major problem with this movie is the pacing. This movie sits at a runtime of three hours and ten minutes, and it could be an hour shorter while doing its job. A lot of this movie is filler, and a lot of this filler is bad Disney humor. This serves no purpose to the plot, it’s just to get a laugh that never comes. Avengers Endgame is like an amusement park ride. It’s fun, energetic, and exciting. However, what dictates whether or not you feel you get your money’s worth, depends on a lot of factors. If you have a personal connection to Marvel movies and these characters, then you’ll have an amazing time.
Staff Illustrator Paladin Jenkins
that he becomes a streaming service something people can choose to tune into when wanted and the glass she]ared something that symbolizes hope and freedom is now stored in a black box as bing lives in luxury no longer able to relate to the people he speaks too. The beauty of this episode is that it explores the people who run talent shows and how often times the people who win aren’t happy but it calls out itself saying that it’s always something we can alway click away from. Many other episodes like Nosedive commits on the idea of social media and how we are obsessed with likes
and what people think about us that we are subconsciously trapped not doing what we really want. Then there are episodes like White Christmas, White Bear, Black Museum and Callister that makes us question what makes us human and how far someone should be punished for a crime. There are also episodes that deal with relationships and what that means like San junipero, hang in the dj and entire history of you. All of Black Mirror is a masterpiece within itself showing how people can corrupt themselves throw the use of technology.
With this knowledge, Marvel’s options are now quite limited for a guaranteed money maker. Yet they still have a good amount of options left in their back pocket. The new Spiderman movie is a great example of this. They can focus more on the individual heroes and their story while keeping the timeline moving forward. Many people would love to see newer heroes or remade heroes progress even further as people through their hardships and struggles as they go on as heroes. Or they can have it separate storylines like the pervious spiderman inclusion with Miles Morales, Spiderman: Into The Spiderverse. Bringing in different storylines that were introduced and building more onto them would also be a very good money move and likely idea, especially in the case of
our interdimensional crisis solving spider. In the case of our favorite assassin Black Widow who also has a movie coming up. Which has been confirmed as a prequel,which depending on how it does could open up more doors for Marvel in movies. Going back and filling in gaps of knowledge with prequels or going through and touching up on character background is also something fans would probably like, diving deep into the universe and being immersed into this action filled fantasy world. Which can have surprises with characters coming out the woodwork.
So what now? But if you’re not a true Marvel fan then you would never want to watch this movie again. Endgame, the final movie to come with the Avengers saga of Marvel movies. As we come to a close picking up from the events of Infinity War. With a screen time of 3 hours and 58 seconds, it is filled by amazing play time, build up and wonderful climax to end the series, with a tad of monologue and different type of post credit than usual. Yet at this time, not only does this conclude avengers but the most contracts for the actors for the original Avengers are also up, so what exactly do they do now?
Design Editor Elijah Collins
ENTERTAINMENT
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Jordan Jones A&E Editor
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The Act: What happened? Is it true?
Hulu recently released a new show called “The Act.” What’s so different about this show? Well, this one is based on a true story. This show is about the tragic murder of Deedee Blanchard. Dee Dee Blanchard was murdered in her own home, by her daughter’s boyfriend. Now before you called the daughter anything hurtful you have to know why she let her boyfriend do it. Gypsy Rose was born a normal healthy baby on July 1, 1991, but for most of her life she did not know. During the show we find out that Dee Dee was once arrested for check fraud. Gypsy was only a baby at the time and was made to watch as police placed her mother in handcuffs. Why she was made to watch is kinda disturbing. While the police was talking with Gypsy her Grandmother, Emma Pitre, carried her to the door so she could watch as her mother was taken
away. While Dee Dee was away Emma was in charge of looking after the young Gypsy, Dee Dee had only one wish while she was gone and that was that her mother take care of Gypsy and follow the plan that she had. When Dee Dee was let out she came home to something she hoped she would never see again. Not only did her mother ignore the plan but she was raising gypsy like a normal kid. What’s wrong with this? Well nothing except that this was not how Dee Dee saw her daughter being raised at all. With Dee Dee back there were some major changes to be made. Dee Dee felt like she wasn’t in control of her daughters life because of her mother’s constant hovering. Dee Dee developed a disorder called Munchausen syndrome by proxy after Gypsy was in a accident with a trampoline. Munchausen syndrome by proxy means that the person with it will act as a caregiver to someone even if they don’t need it. As Gypsy grew up she was still raised as if she was five no matter how old she grew. Dee Dee would take her to
the hospital claiming that there was something wrong with her even if there wasn’t. Some may wonder, how was she diagnosed with things like sleep apnea, leukemia, seizures and many other issues. Well when they moved Gypsy had to get a new doctor this doctor asked about Gypsies files and if she could see them. Dee Dee said that they lost the files in a horrible storm. As Gypsy got older she started finding out that she’s not as sick at all . This causes her to start to act out in the eyes of her mother. Gypsy starts talking to a boy that she met online, he would later become her boyfriend. His name was Nicholas Godejohn. While Gypsy was living her best life her mother was getting sick. The sickness made Gypsy act out more as it was harder for her mother to punish her. Even though she was sick Dee Dee still made Gypsy’s life hard. This is how life was until june 14, 2015. Gypsy convinced her boyfriend to come to her home and kill her mother. Nicholas agreed and when he arrived he went into Gypsy’s home and stabbed Dee Dee in her
sleep while Gypsy was waiting in the other room. When the killing was over Gypsy packed her bags then her and her boyfriend left the home and went to a motel before they were to travel to the boyfriend home in wisconsin. They were arrested before they were able to spend a week together. At least that’s what the show tells us. While this may seem like Gypsy wanted to kill her mother and did it one purpose i believe that Gypsy was a vision and was only acting in self defense. All her life Gypsy was forced to take many different kinds of medication that she didn’t need. If they never moved then Gypsy would have never been given the thought that maybe she wasn’t sick. Gypsy had no other choice but to kill her own mother in order to escape. This was the only way for her to live a normal life and to call her a murder. Who are we to deny her from what she should have had her whole life.
SPORTS
Launch of Fusion’s Arena in Philly
Markist Williams Layout Editor
Overwatch, the team shooter game released across PC, Xbox, and Playstation winning massive awards and a loyal player base. With now 30 playable characters and a fluctuating in-game meta to win, people usually turn to pro players, if not an entire pro team for tips and tricks of how to play the game & communicate more efficiently; usually making game plans or thinking of setting up while watching this high level game player from all over the world.
What people outside the gaming atmosphere don’t realize is who big of a deal overwatch has now become over the few years of its release. Overwatch along with other big name games, are on the top of the new generation of competition: E-sports. Inside this growing industry, teams like Our eagles and 76ers are going international in their own environment. Philadelphia’s pro overwatch team, Philadelphia fusion are one of the 20 international teams for this wonderful game. Though previously being stationed in California, They’re coming back home with there new home field to compete with.
Staff Illustrator Paladin Jenkins
Being Added to our other sports arenas which can be seen driving by I-95,The Fusion Stadium will be the new home of our electronic competitors and other Esports events. Being the First ground-up built Esports stadium in the Western hemisphere has 3,500 seats for the audience to see the wonderful gameplay. Followed by a practice room and mini cafe for the team to hone their skills and playstyle, we can expect to have them having some dubs in this Arena. Using local money, the overwatch center used 50 million to create the stadium and partnered with Comcast to make
this dream come true. With the architecture done from Populous, it won’t really be able to compare to the other stadiums it’ll surround in size but in style, Fusion is happily taking the cake. It has been predicted that stadium will be finished in the year 2021, so we have to set back and wait a good while sadly. While I can’t wait for this stadium to be finished, I hope to see a full stadium and some familiar faces in the crowd. For more updates and information go to “fusionarenaphilly.com”.
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Jerrin Baez Director of Marketing Franklin Learning Center’s Bobcats have been strong in each sport. With their outstanding improvements from previous seasons, FLC’s hard work and training has not been put to waste. All FLC Athletes were excited to surpass the previous wins in the later year. FLC’s Softball has pulled a huge victory in the spring season against the undefeated swenson team beating them in a score of 12-5. Megan Condit, FLC Bobcats Softball coach exclaimed “Today was a toss off, the team that we saw was undefeated so i knew it was going to be a tough game at the very least” The Bobcats knew going into this game was going to be hard but they did not fall into
SPORTS
Spring Sport Roundup
pressure and According to Coach Condit “ Based on how we played in the past, one of two teams could’ve showed up. Our Ace team showed up today and so with that being said we would have definitely won but if we faltered in any way i knew that swenson was a team that could take advantage of that.” With The Bobcats winning against Swenson, it led them to the playoffs which has not occurred since 5 years ago. FLC’s Baseball team has also been extremely successful with a whooping overall score of 9-3 making them eligible for the playoffs. Jeffrey Chladek, an experienced center fielder and pitcher, had high hopes for his teams as he affirms: “I was very confident that we’re [making it to the playoffs] because of the amount of talent we have and how well we all communicate.”
Nevertheless, with Bobcats practicing every week and being coached by FLC’s Baseball Coach Mr. Mersky, It is clear they would have been dominant this season. In previous seasons, the Bobcats still made it to the playoffs. This year’s track team brought their FLC school spirit to the track lanes as they qualified for the 100 Meter Dash, alongside the relay races for the girls’ teams. Compared to their performance in previous years, the current team improved their time and speed at each track meet. Some of the most evident improvements were seen in the short-distance races, such as the meter dash runs and both boys and girls’ relay teams. Basim Bilal (‘20) qualified in the 100 Meter Dash, Nasir Johnson (‘19) qualified in long jump, and Nicole Chukwu (‘19) qualified in girl’s shot put for the district championships. As for the relay teams, the girls ran at
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the Penn relays for the 4 X 100 Meter Dash. The Boys Volleyball team has made drastic improvements from the past year. Now having more experienced sophomores such as Migma Tamang (‘21) who exclaims, “I feel great we almost made the playoffs, everybody’s performance was good. I did really good, I was a starter then I got taken out, but our team did great.” Even though the Bobcats did not make it to playoffs, they still improved from last year with a score of 7-4. FLC’s brand new badminton team plays their first season for the first time in yearsit has gone better than expected. Regardless of FLC not being that experienced in Badminton, the team did their best this season. The Bobcats are still practicing for next years season, where they will really shine.