GZAAT Gazette: Issue #7 (2017)

GZAAT GAZETTE

Issue Nº 7

May 2017

Guivy Zaldastanishvili American Academy in Tbilisi

Reading is Free!

Summer School: New Programs!

By Saba Okujava

Summer is ap-

Juniors, the winners of 2017 AAT Days, celebrating their victory.

AAT Days 2017 in Review

By Mariam Kvaratskhelia

AAT Day has end-

ed which means that students of every grade level can finally breathe freely again.

The event took place on Friday, May 19. It hosted plenty of people, including younger siblings and older alumni, but was far less chaotic than previous iterations. The gym was not overcrowded thanks to the new policy of admitting people only through invitations. This year, the theme was the cities of the world, so students competed in best representing their cities of choice through decorations, food, and performances.

The first place went to the Junior class with their theme being Ancient Greece, Athens.

The second place went to Sophomores with

New Orleans, while third and fourth places went to the Senior and Freshman classes, respectively. Juniors had the most impressive dance performance inspired by the Pandora myth, Seniors constructed magnificent decorations for their Kyoto theme, Sophomores offered an interesting take on Cajun cuisine and New Orleans culture, and Freshmen had an extraordinary live performance of some British rock classics, representing London. Now, after a weekend of rest, the GZAAT Gazette has interviewed students from each grade level to share their viewpoints and feelings about the results of the most important tradition of our school.

One of the freshmen, Mia Okruashvili shares

impressions about the first AAT Days her class was introduced to: “What we learned from this special event is that being nervous just to win the first place is not worth it.

Winning or losing did not matter at all, after having so much fun and becoming so much closer to each other. The live instruments were the most interesting part of our display, I guess. Even though we are not really satisfied with our performance, we will definitely take our mistakes into consideration next year. We consider AAT Day to be an amazing and very precious experience.”

Sophomores Lika Mikhelashvili and Sopo Kevlishvili evaluate...

Continued on page 2

proaching. Students and faculty members might be getting ready to finish the year and enjoy their summer vacations, but the school itself is not going to stop working. The AAT is going to host 120 new students for three weeks of Summer Program. 120 students in Summer Program is a record number of participants in the history of AAT Summer School. Handling this number of participants is a great challenge for the school. Many of you have probably at least heard of this program, and I am sure a lot of you have

even participated in it leaders in organizing as advisors or teacher the program. Here’s an assistants. For those of interview. you who aren’t familiar Gazette: Where did the with it, Summer School idea of Summer School is a program hosted by come from? the American Academy Ketka: concept of every year. Kids of dif- summer school was ferent grade levels get put forward long ago the chance to be taught by the school’s gradby American Acadeuates. However, the my teachers, alumni idea was more like and students for a few camping rather than weeks. It is open to a summer school. A everyone, regardless real, serious Sumof whether they will mer School was first be going to AAT or methodized 3 years not. The program is ago. as full of educational G: What is the main activities, as it is with aim of AAT’s Summer extracurricular and fun School for students? ones. To understand K: The mission of the the aim of the Sumschool is to make the mer School better we Summer School spoke with Ms. Ketka academically Topadze, one of the Continued on page 3

Alumni of the AAT discussing the Summer School plans.

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Fare-Thee-Well AAT Days in

By Helen & Nick Right now, you’re reading our seventh issue of the year, which means a couple of things. First of all, it means that we have managed to break our record of the most issues published in a year, which is something we’re very proud of here at the Gazette team. It also means that it’s the end of the road for us, the current editors-in-chief. With your permission, we’d like to take a moment to reflect.

When I [Helen] first joined Gazette my freshman year, I was very excited about seeing my name in a publication that would go around the whole school. However, that never happened. In my freshman year, the Gazette did not release a single issue. But Sophomore year was much better, as we released a total of three issues that year. In Junior year, a group of Juniors, myself included, got the positions of Editors and Assistant Editors. With a lot of hard work and determination, we released six issues. We reached the previous record of six issues per year. Thus, needless to say, releasing seven issues in our Senior year is a huge achievement of the Gazette.

But what is more important than the amount of issues we have printed is that we managed to form a team. We have formed a team of reporters and editors who worked together to bring GZAAT Gazette to life again.

It took a lot of chasing people on deadline days (looking at you, yes you) and scrambling to find the names

of people in basketball team photos, but we did it. We had to teach ourselves how to write articles effectively, how to layout the newspaper effectively, and how to communicate with the journalists effectively. In the end, we constructed a system in which every team member gets their job done on time.

But we know that there’s still a lot to be done. The Gazette needs to reach a wider audience through the internet, focus more on its blog, promote individual articles and, most importantly, attract even more motivated, hardworking and thoughtful writers to help not only document school life, but shine light on problems within our community and its immediate surroundings. This publication has a lot of potential to help our students’ voices be heard. We’d love to have had four more years to work on all of this, but our time at this school is at an end, it’s time to pass the torch on to a younger generation of journalists.

It sounds cliché, but it’s all in your hands now. Keep in mind that you don’t have to be an experienced Gazette club member to make a difference, either. Even being an active reader helps a lot.

We would like to thank every one of our team members who have worked alongside us throughout these four years, and wish good luck to the future chiefs Leviko, Mariam and Mariam. It was a great journey, and we hope it has a great continuation.

Review

...the AAT day thus: “The event was conducted very successfully and the jurors were absolutely objective. To be honest, we missed the video component.

The process of preparation is much more fun with it. However, the reason for taking out this component is also understandable, because, in the gym hall, the conditions aren’t great for displaying the videos. The projection is small and the audio is basically too low to hear. Compared to the previous AAT day, our class clearly made a huge progress in all ways, which gives us even bigger motivation to win the next year.”

Tato Grigalashvili, a Junior, commented: “Every performance was interesting and original in its way, having its own history depicted and expressed through dances.” Marika Misabishvili, also a Junior, remarks, “This AAT Day has some healthy competition.

Compared to the previous year, no conflicts occurred neither within the classes nor in between them. Last year, we spent much more time on preparations.

However, even though we had shorter time, this year we were much more mobilized and concentrated on work.”

All that said, Marika and Tato lament the removal of the video component, as they feel that those class videos would serve as happy memories years later.

Seniors, however, are less than happy with this year’s AAT Days and its results. Nutsa Mikeladze, a Senior actively involved in AAT

preparations, shared her opinion of the results of the day: “I can say that no previous year was better than this one for our class.

We put all our effort and time into organizing this day. Honestly, we did not spend too much money, we collected the minimal amount. Everything we had was done by our hands and our heads.

So, I don’t think that this year’s AAT Day was fair. We did not get back what we put in.

What I would say to every future generation is that the decorations mean nothing.” She also added that Seniors’ performance this year was different from any performance AAT Day has seen in past four years, which should’ve been taken into account by the judges.

As we see, some are happy with the way things turned out, others are a bit heartbroken. It’s very natural, these emotions are unavoidable when there is competition and some have to win and others lose. But everyone did their best, and it resulted in a truly memorable event.

In total, the evening was very well-organized, and the guests also displayed positive emotions about the performances by praising each class. It can definitely be said that this year’s AAT was a success.

Ask Zoe Dear Zoe, This is my last time writing the advice column, so I’m feeling kinda depressed. Please help me.

Not Zoe Dear Not Zoe, I completely understand how you feel. I can’t possibly imagine the joy of sharing wisdom with the readers of a school gazette.

And even though this is an unforgettable experience for you, everything must end at some point. Try seeing the positive side as well- you won’t have to sit around thinking about solving someone else’s problems, while having millions of those yourself.

Think of this as a blessing, an amazing opportunity to finally focus on yourself and have fun, while those who rely on your advice finally start figuring out stuff on their own. Don’t worry, every ending is a new beginning, and so is this one.

der your outfit. However, now it is almost impossible to ship anything, since it takes at least 4 days. Try looking for dresses here, in Georgia. I’m sure you’ll find something that will save your evening. Shoes are even easier to find, so don’t worry about it too much. Also, if you miraculously find a good designer that is free, ask him/her and indicate that you need it ASAP. Best of luck.

Zoe

Staff

Editors-in-chief: Helen Ugulava Nick Shashkini Teacher Advisors: Anthony Schierman Ken Goff Assistant Editors: Dear Zoe, Leviko Kiladze Mariam Kvaratskhelia With prom being less than a week away, I completely Mariam Dugladze forgot to order my dress Journalists: and shoes. I think I’m goLiza Lezhava ing crazy. Please help me.

Liza Khurtsilava Forgetful Senior Saba Okujava Dear Forgetful Senior, Tina Margalitadze Rezi Getsadze The final days of school Salome Ambokadze can be overwhelming, so it’s completely understandGiorgi Inaishvili able that you forgot to or-

GZAAT GAZETTE

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S u m m e r 8th Grade Preparations School

By Mariam Dugladze

challenging for students as well as give them an opportunity to enjoy and have fun.

G: In order to make Summer School academically challenging, what strategies did the school implement?

K: We have distinguished strategies for two groups: juniors and seniors. Juniors ( 6-7 graders) will have traditional lessons such as: Maths, English, etc. which is because of their comparably young age.

Seniors (8-10 graders), in contrast, will have more complicated, nontraditional and selective programs, such as: cinematography, Theory of Relativity, history of religion, Lego robotics, drama etc.

G: What decisions have been made with regard to sport?

K: This year, we worked exceptionally hard with regards to sports, and made the options quite diverse.

Besides basketball, table tennis, football and rock climbing, we will also have swimming and horse-riding.

G: Who will be teaching the students?

K: We want to give our school’s graduates the possibility to try themselves in the field of teaching. The reason why we decided this was to give our former students more opportunities to have internships and to enrich their CVs for the future.

G: As we know, GZAAT students can serve as teacher assistants or mentors,

what’s the aim of this decision?

K: Many students are interested in teaching.

Summer School gives them an opportunity to put themselves in their teachers’ shoes.

They will get special certificates that will enrich their CV. They will also get acquainted with different people and gain valuable experience.

G: Can you describe what a typical day of the program will be?

K: Students come and meet their advisory teachers. After getting instructions from them, they will go to their classes, which last for 45 minutes.

They will also have lunch for 30 minutes in between the lessons. However, subjects after lunch are lighter, such as arts or music. At three o’clock they go to the sport they chose.

Finally, they can go home by the school bus.

G: What is the last day of the Summer School program like? Are there any special activities planned?

K: We have a closing ceremony on the last day, where we give away certificates, make barbecue, have picnic, and finally, exhibit all the works the students have produced during their courses. This includes the paintings made during the art classes, or the theatre show from drama classes, anything to showcase the students’ efforts during the program.

The Guivy Zaldastan-

that at first everyone might see the studying process as a regular high school program, but as the year goes on it will become more and more like the discussion-based Harkness method we know and love. “As you know, the first and the second semester will differ in terms of the teaching system for the YR8 students. At first, they will be their reinforcing grammar, vocabulary and basic writing skills. Of course, they will be using books, but we are also planning to make use of different technology like tablets and Google.

And as for the second semester, the work will be more intensive and by the end, the lessons will be literature-based, so that the students will be prepared for the real, serious discussion

as we have here with the high school students.”

As Nana Gabelia told us, the students will have six or seven subjects every day, each 45 minutes long with only 5 minute break intervals. They will have lunch time as all other students do.

Sports lessons will be compulsory, so they will have Physical Education 4 to 5 times a week. Another special subject planned for the eighth graders is Advisory, which will be part of their everyday schedule. Advisors will be talking to their class for 20 minutes before classes every day about their socio-emotional experiences, curriculum, and academic success. Students will study everything in their native language for the first semester,

but after the winter holidays, the teachers will start to gradually ease them into the English-based curriculum.

As Mr. Cruz announced, the auditorium will be remodelled and 4 new classrooms with their own lounge will be arranged inside to accommodate the 8th graders. The auditorium itself for 20172018 will be moved to the gym, but a year later, a new, round theatre is planned to be built in the garden of the school. Thus all the assemblies, art nights and different events will take place in that theatre.

Many, including teachers, are excited about the innovations at GZAAT and look forward to the next fall.

ishvili American Academy is giving the 8th graders an opportunity to study at AAT Junior High from the next fall, 2017-18. The candidates wrote exams in 3 main subjects: English, Math and Georgian.

They also had an interview with the principal, a Georgian teacher and the school psychologist. The admissions process for incoming YR 8 students has ended. 40 students out of 69 passed the exams successfully, and were accepted to the new Junior High program.

There is also a wait list of 17 students, in case anyone changes their mind.

Preparations for the YR 8 have already started. The permanent GZAAT teachers interviewed the candidates for the eighth grade teachers’ jobs.

Seven new teachers were hired. They will be practicing and observing the teaching method at the GZAAT Summer Academy in July. Mr. Ken Goff and Mr. Archil Makashvili have decided to move from their English and Science departments to the eighth grade program and will be teaching the junior high schoolers starting next year.

Mr. Goff told us in his interview that he has very high expectations, as he has seen the students’ performance on entrance examinations and they seem to write quite well for eighth graders. Ken Goff also gave us more information about the teaching Junior, soon-to-be-Senior, Nika Kokhodze relaxing by getting along with the future eighth method, and told us graders.

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Model UN: The Young European Spirit

By Giorgi Inaishvili & Salome Ambokadze

Model United

Nations is a monthly conference for students which takes place in different parts of the world. It is always fun and interesting and gives students a chance to experience how real diplomats work on resolving global problems. This year, we had an opportunity to represent our school at one of those conferences in Barcelona.

From September, we were working on creating a group, and arranging time for meetings and conferences. Eventually, we decided to attend the Change the World Model United Nations (CWMUN) in Barcelona. This conference is designed specifically for high school students.

Once our group of 10 students, Fresh-

men Lizi Singletery, Zuka Mikhelashvili, Sophomores Salome Ambokadze, Giorgi Inaishvili, Anastasia Ghviniashvili, Lika Mikhelashvili, Nia Sikharulidze and Juniors Lika Chkheidze and Kate Shengelia, was finally formed, and once we registered for the conference, we had three months to get to know all the rules of the UN. Only one month prior to the conference, each member was assigned a country which he/she would later represent in the committee. Unfortunately, we didn’t have many options, the countries we were assigned were France, New Zealand, and Iran.

Committees were: Security Council A – the conflict in Syria, Security Council B – the conflict in Myanmar, Security Council C

– the conflict in Central African Republic, Security Council D – the conflict in Yemen, Historical Council – the Rwanda Genocide 1994, and the General Assembly – Humanitarian Response to Refugee Crisis. Delegations were both, single and double. In one month, we had to write position papers.

Position papers included research on politics, history and international relationships of assigned country, as well as efficient solution for the given problem.

In Barcelona, we were not very confident in the beginning. Almost all of us were attending the conference for the first time, and seeing other students looking serious was not very easy to handle. But, as it turned out, all of them were attending

AAT Sophomores (left to right) Lika Chkheidze, Giorgi Inaishvili, Anastasia Gviniashvili at Change the World Model UN conference.

the conference for the first time as well, and that raised our confidence.

During an unmoderated caucus, we had time to make alliances and since we represented France, almost all countries wanted to work with us. Interacting with others made us more confident, and in the end, we even collaborated with Italy, South Africa, Germany, The Netherlands, Thailand, New Zealand and Canada. The Chair and the director were very friendly towards us, and other delegates were very social as well. Unfortunately, it was too short, but I am looking forward for another conference in the future!

The goal of the conferences is to write a resolution. During all conferences, it is necessary to be realistic and to remain in character of the country. Finally, the resolutions were written in all committees, and some of them even passed.

We gained an amazing experience of dealing with unfamiliar problems, interacting with new people, expressing and accepting different, distinct ideas, coming up with decisions appropriate and beneficial for everyone and etc. However, this was not the only accomplishment of our trip.

Our Georgian delegation won two best position papers, three honorable mentions, two delegate awards and one “Best Delegate” nomination.

Parlez-Vous Deutsch?

By Tina Margalitadze & Nick Shashkini

Being fluent in many

languages is great, as you can better understand the world and its inhabitants. Many students ask why we are studying only some languages and not others. We’ll try to look at this from different perspectives.

Elene Nishnianidze, Freshman, says that she likes the fact that Russian is taught in our school, but thinks that it’d also be great to have language classes in German, French or Italian. Anano Kokaia says that Russian is a good subject, but it would be a good idea to have an elective for other languages, as it would be taken more seriously compared to a student-run club.

The school dean, Tamuna Mikaberidze, confirms that language clubs haven’t been particularly successful as an alternative to official courses. She told us that there have already been some clubs for languages such as French and Italian, but students ended up losing interest and the clubs were cancelled.

“Russian is obviously a very important language”, says Liza Lezhava, a Senior. “But that said, it’s kind of disappointing that we don’t have the chance to learn another language here. Most of us want to go to the West to continue our studies, so we’re a bit at a disadvantage if we want to go to, say, Spain. Sure, knowing Russian may come in handy, but it doesn’t really look that impressive on a CV. Most people there would assume you know Russian anyway.”

Elene Lapiashvili, also a Senior, shares the sentiment. “It’s really unfortunate that the only way you can learn a new language while studying at AAT is to get a tutor. That seems completely against the principles of the school, where they discourage us from even getting SAT tutors.”

As a possible solution, Tornike Shengelia the Senior suggests that extra language courses could be added as electives.

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“Mas, When Will We Tests, Tests, More Tests...

Get Our Tests Back?” Which Ones to Take?

By Leviko Kiladze

Teachers, teach-

ers, teachers! Finally, students have something to blame their ‘authorities’ for. It’s not even ‘finally’, because the problem has always existed. It is a fact that majority of the world suffers from procrastination, including lazy teachers and students.

Everyone’s protesting, but no one is actually trying anything to overcome his long-lasting laziness and inability to plan their time well, trying to do everything on time, submitting every work by deadlines. I acknowledge that it is hard, but definitely not impossible. It is one of the most important skills to have in a modern society. So what about our teachers at the GZAAT? What’s up with the teachers?

Levan Ghambashidze, one of the teachers of the AAT about teachers’ responsibilities: “Everything is on our shoulders, although it’s hard to notice in everyday life. The administration never forces teachers to do anything, so self-discipline is crucial for all of us. Obeying rules and laws is even more necessary for us, teachers. In addition, children are quite clever, it needs just two or three failures for a teacher’s reputation to be spoiled in the whole school.

“The teachers and students are humans and have private lives outside the school as well. Our job is one of the hardest ones, requiring a great devo-

tion to a specific role in life: being a teacher.

Concerning the tests, the policy should be questioned and reconsidered, because we have to realize what the tests are made for, what are they used for, otherwise it will lose all sense. In my opinion, tests without feedback do not make any sense, so every methodology including this one must be oriented on the improvement of students’ education.”

Often, teachers, as a reason for them not correcting students’ works, claim that they have a lot of other work to do or correct as well, and the excuses continue endlessly. Often, the students lose their hope that their work will be appreciated or fairly judged by their teachers at all, blaming them for not being productive or professional. A Junior, Eto Alikhanashvili says: “Every teacher teaches us that we need to have responsibility to do our homework, and if we don’t, we will fail. So how can it be fair, when a teacher who always tells me to get things done responsibly and send homework by deadline, checks my assignment a month or two later, or just never, making his/her life easier. Why shouldn’t I use one more month to get my assignment done? As long as we, the lazy students, are managing to do several assignments for several subjects, I guess checking tests/ essays is also possible.”

We shared all of this

By Liza Khurtsilava with Irma Chelidze, our Math teacher. “ I guess, it’s not about me,” she said, “because I always correct the tests on time. Of course, it’s hard to follow all the deadlines and rules, but there is no other way, it’s what the work needs. Teachers should be examples for the students, so I cannot demand something from a student that I do not do myself.

For me. self- discipline is really hard, because I would prefer to do something more fun, but it is my duty, and even if I die, I’ll do my work on the day before the deadline. I admit that procrastination is something I’m used to, because I do everything last minute. Concerning tests, I think that the feedback is the most important and it loses value after time passes, so the feedback should be made on time in order for the proper improvements to be made by a student.”

It is important to know that by agreeing with the idea of being either a teacher or a student accepting a kind of role, we agree to play the same game, with the same rules, having a certain system. We agree to be responsible and to equally obey the rules of the game, otherwise our attempt to create an organized reality of school, class or a lesson will be just another failure, waste of time and energy. So my warning is BE RESPONSIBLE [it is for your good only]!

It’s that time of the

year when most of the Seniors have already been accepted by various universities and the poor Juniors are struggling with their exams. While Juniors and Seniors are more than familiar with the process by now, here are some basic explanations and tips for our younger companions.

Looking at university websites for colleges in the US or American Universities in Europe, you will see a requirement chart that says: SAT or ACT scores. You will have to make a choice. The SAT includes three sections: reading, writing and language, and Math (the essay part is optional). The ACT includes English, Math, reading, and science portions (the essay being optional, again). The ACT covers more material than the SAT does both in Math and in science. There is also far less material in the Math section in the SAT than there is in the ACT. Therefore, it is no surprise that while just taking one ACT exam will be enough for any university, if you decide to take the SAT you will also have to take a couple of SAT subject tests as well. On May 6, most of the Juniors took the SAT General Exam. Here are some opinions on the SAT and exam preparations

in general.

Nutsa Kurdevanidze, Junior: “I began preparing for the General SAT in September. It is extremely difficult.

Firstly, it takes a lot of effort and time just to become familiar with the questions. Secondly, you should not run out of time. Overall, it is just very tiring and annoying. My advice to Sophomores and Freshmen is to go to Europe instead!”

Nini Giorgadze, Junior: “The SAT was one of the hardest challenges I had to face during my school years. You not only have to work hard but also have to gain certain skills to succeed. It was my first time writing the General SAT, and I was really nervous the whole 4 hours. In the end, it was not anything I didn't know how to do, but it was very hard to concentrate when the clock was ticking above my head. I am glad it is finally over and for some time we, the Juniors, can have a rest, but there are still many SATs awaiting us in the upcoming year.”

People who want to go to Europe or the United Kingdom, will have to take the IELTS exam (the International English Language Testing System). If you’re unsure about taking the TOEFL or the IELTS, we would advise undecided students to go for the IELTS, as most Eu-

ropean, and especially, UK, universities do not accept TOEFL, while IELTS is accepted by most American universities. IELTS contains listening, reading, writing and speaking sections. It uses a nineband scale to identify the level of test taker's language, from non-user (band 1) through to expert user (band 9).

One of the Juniors, Mariam Dugladze, shared the reason she chose to write that exam: “My parents and I decided that it will be better for me to study in England, UK. I'd like to go to the United States as most of my friends do, but my greatest wish has always been going to the UK for educational purposes.”

For students who choose to continue studying in Georgia, none of these exams are relevant. The only thing they have to write are the Georgian National Examinations,which are just as hard and complicated as the international exams. It is not exactly the easy way around.

All exams are difficult and stressful, but at least students have the freedom to choose which ones to take.

Therefore, it is important to know what they include and which one is easier for you personally. GZAAT Gazette wishes everyone the highest scores in all examinations!

GZAAT GAZETTE

6

Tips for a Rockin’ Summer

By Rezi Getsadze

Juries are just around

the corner, and then, before you know what hit you, it’s already summertime, baby.

Time to start preparing for relaxation and, you should know that summer 2017 has a lot to offer: there are multiple albums about to drop, and an exciting lineup of hot summer movies, tours, awards, and shows which are on the way. To help you plan out the perfect vacation, we’ve collected the most exciting events, movies, and music on the horizon.

Choose wisely. Or don’t. Who cares? It’s summer.

This summer’s first big pop event will take place on June 2nd when Halsey’s album Hopeless Fountain Kingdom is set to drop.

The lead single “Now or Never” is a catchy R&B track, and “Eyes Closed” is an electro song. The album was heavily inspired by the freshman favorite “Romeo and Juliet”, and it is expected to generate some radio singles.

Then there’s Christina Grimmie, who was tragically murdered last year, and who has a lot of unreleased songs, so her family is releasing another album All Is Vanity on the same day. Katy Perry’s next album, Witness will also be released on 9th June. Tako Gadzadze said that Katy’s song, Chained to The Rhythm was very different from all other songs, and she liked it because of this: “It had a kind of Disco beat, and was catchy in its way, and the song Bon Appetit is stuck in my

head. I hope the whole album will be like that.” The song, Swish Swish featuring Nicki Minaj, rumored to be a diss track on Taylor Swift, is super catchy, especially the hook.

Hopefully, the album will be also catchy in Katy’s style. The next album slated to arrive is Lorde’s Melodrama.

Lorde is the author of the smash-hit Royals and has already released two songs from the upcoming album, which will drop on June 16th: Green Light and Liability. Mia Okruashvili, freshman, is a Lorde fan, so we asked her opinion about the new singles and album. She said that Green Light shows a transition from the singer’s Art Pop style to a more Dance Pop one, but it was also a good change. And Liability was even better: “I get inspired by Lorde. She is an excellent singer, and she is not far from our age, so her songs are very relatable to modern teens. The songs are more interesting and understandable for us.” Coldplay is also releasing a new EP – Kaleidoscope, a companion piece to their album A Head Full Of Dreams. Zura Ramishvili, freshman, noted that the album reminds him of the “old” Coldplay: “It reminds me of the Heavy Alternative and Indie days, and the whole EP should be in that genre, as all the fans are waiting for that.” They are releasing a song Miracles 2, a follow-up to 2014’s song Miracle.

And the song Something Just Like This, featuring The Chain-

smokers, was already released. Other major music releases are not announced yet, but we are expecting Iggy Azalea’s Digital Distortion and Nicki Minaj’s fourth album. Also, Lana Del Rey’s Lust for Life is set for release this summer. She has already released two songs: Love and Lust for Life (featuring The Weeknd). Love is also different from Lana’s “tortured love” style, and the titular track is also very catchy. It is worth mentioning that we are expecting Beyoncé’s twins this summer. A lot of rumors have surfaced on the internet, that she already had baby shower, but judging by her Instagram, we expect her twins to be born somewhere in mid-summer.

As for the movies, the summer season opens with DC’s Wonder Woman on the 16th of June starring Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman and David Thewlis (Remus Lupin from Harry Potter) as Sir Patrick, the antagonist of the movie. All comics’ fans will be interested in it. DC movie fans were disappointed from previous movies, Suicide Squad and Batman VS. Superman, so they’ll be hoping for something better.

And on the same day, Cars 3 will be released, the follow up to Pixar’s popular franchise, where Lightning McQueen will have to beat Jackson Storm, a new super fast car. And everyone’s favorites, the Minions are coming back in Despicable Me 3. It’s going to be released on July 7th,

and Gru is going to face his twin brother, Dru. Also, Spider-Man: Homecoming is set to hit the big screens on the same day. It is yet another re-boot of this perennially popular franchise, now produced by Marvel itself.

Tom Holland is going to reprise his role as Spider-Man. He was previously featured in Captain America. And it is not going to be a solo movie, as Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. are coming back to play Captain America and Iron Man. For horror fans, there are two notable movies coming: The Dark Tower on 4th August and Anabelle: Creation on 11th August. The Dark Tower is more of an action movie, based on Stephen King’s novel. As the author states, the inspiration for this novel/movie is The Lord Of The Rings, so the movie should not be disappointing. And Annabelle: Creation is the prequel of the 2014 movie Annabelle and fourth movie in The Conjuring franchise.

It just tells the origin of the possessed doll Annabelle.

There are also a lot of events happening in Georgia. The first major event is Tbilisi Open Air 2017, which kicks off on 16th June in Lisi Wonderland, Tbilisi. Folk Fest Art Georgia is going to kick off on 17th July and end on 23rd in Tbilisi, and famous singers such as group “Frani” (Kite) and Nino Katamadze, Niaz Diasamidze and 33a are going to sing there.

Gem Fest is kicking of on 14th July and

end on 14th August in Anaklia. All electronic music listeners know about this festival, it is its third year and the festival does not disappoint. Martin Garrix, popular Dutch DJ is in line up and set to perform on July 21st. its multipass costs 500 Gel, and has access to all stages, unlimited entry to festival, entry to Aqua Park and other activities. For Jazz Lovers, Black Sea Jazz Festival kicks off on 28th July in Batumi, and features artists such as Joss Stone, De La Soul, and many more. Goran Bregovic is going to perform in Black Sea Arena on 26th August.

He is author of many famous soundtracks, and his songs unite Balkanian folk, rock and symphony. If you are not into festivals, there are a lot of events happening at Fabrika, such as “Human Library” on June 4th.

Some TV show premieres are also com-

ing our way. One of the most anticipated shows, Game Of Thrones is set to return this July, with a seven episode run. After that, one season is left, and the show will be over. Also, Fear The Walking Dead is set to return for next season, and also Shadowhuntes. Netflix has been releasing a lot of hit shows this year, and in summer it is going to release Orange Is The New Black, but it is possible to catch up other shows from Netflix, such as very popular show 13 Reasons Why, produced

by Selena Gomez. This show follows the reasons why a girl committed suicide.

This summer is filled with a lot of events, but most of them are yet to be announced, or will just pop-up as a surprise. Hopefully, this article helped you to manage how to kill time during those long summer days.