STAN TWITTER Understanding the meaning behind the accounts created by young people, and what impact they have on the fans and celebrities. p. 8
A PASSING OF THE DUNGEON MASTER TORCH A group of Nueva faculty has been role-playing a Dungeons & Dragons campaign for three years. It just ended. p. 9
A RESPONSE TO THE SCANDAL
STUDENT SUMMERS
The college admissions scandal has highlighted existing flaws in the nation’s acceptance system. Read about one senior’s reaction after the college application experience.
Summers are no longer the relaxing break they should be due to constant pressure on students to build up resumés for college. p. 14
p. 14
Graphic by Freepik
The Nueva Current MARCH 29, 2019
Volume 2, Issue 5
131 E. 28th Ave. San Mateo, CA 94403 @thenuevacurrent www.thenuevacurrent.com The Official Student Newspaper of The Nueva School
FEATURES
The community service conundrum First-ever CSL Day sparks conversations around Nueva’s culture of community service Willow C. Y., Gitika P., Grace H., Eugenia X.
Two weeks ago, Upper School students and advisors dispersed across the San Mateo campus and the Bay Area to participate in volunteer activities for half the day. They organized clothing at thrift stores, bagged food for families in need, and tended to plants on the school’s skywalk garden. The positive effects of Community Service Learning (CSL) Day are undeniable, and the event—like others in the past—sparked discussions about the merits of mandatory community service and privilege at Nueva. For those who felt that CSL Day was a gratifying experience, they wondered why volunteering is not a more common aspect of their education. Meanwhile, other students criticized it as a shallow service opportunity. The Upper School commu-
nity has held difficult conver� sations about privilege since its creation and has struggled to find ways to address it. One proposed solution is community service. With the completion of the first upper school CSL Day—and subsequent attention toward the Middle and Lower School’s multiple such days each year, among other reactions—discussions have flared anew. We spoke to Stephen Dunn, the Upper School Division Head; Hillary Freeman, Dean of Student Life; Alexa Hart, 10th Grade Dean; and Community Service Representative Stephanie S. (10). These articles seek to establish and evaluate the opinions of various groups within our school community on these issues. CONTINUED ON PAGE 10
Sophomores Michelle W., Molly D., and Eugenia X. clean toys and puzzles in the children’s section of the San Mateo Public Library. (Photo by Willow C. Y.)
NEWS
Reaccreditation process offers chance for self-reflection, feedback for the future New recommendations focus on improving programs and providing support to community, faculty, and staff Grace H. On Monday, March 4, a committee of nine representatives from schools throughout California arrived at the San Mateo campus. They toured both campuses, spoke to community members, and sat in on classes. Their visit, a piece of the school’s reaccreditation process with the California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS) and Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), was preceded by the preparation of a self-study on the school’s operation, programs—administrative, extracurricular, and academic— and mission. The process is completed in seven-year cycles, which involve the self-study (where faculty, staff, and
leadership prepare a lengthy document examining the school’s strengths and areas of growth), committee visits, recommendations, plan creation and implementation, and progress reports. Since the initial accreditation visit in 2011, the school’s strategic plan has revolved around six main objectives: expanding to PreK–12; further evolving integrated, in-depth, and innovative teaching and curricula; recruiting and retaining a “world-class team”; defining and communicating “the Nueva Experience”; strengthening community ties; and further developing and building on the Social Emotional Learning (SEL) program to create a “resiliency program.”
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
Stria Labs takes first place at SXSW Student Startup Competition
Students’ design-thinking invention recognized by judges as “innovative” Isabel C. Room 16A on the fourth floor of the Austin Convention Center was quiet except for the groups of students practicing their presentations. It was a different scene outside, one that struck the Stria Labs team and reminded them that they were really at the South by Southwest (SXSW) conference, a week-long mash-up of art, innovations, and more. “It was fairly empty and there were presenters milling around,” Max S. (11) said. “At some point I left the auditorium area, and I walk outside and there are just people everywhere, the
STRIA TAKES THE WIN Juniors Wesley S., Pranav R., and Max S. represented Stria Labs at the SXSW 2019 Student Startup Competition and won the first-place award in a pool of eight finalists. (Photo courtesy of Stria Labs)
entire floor was filled. It was crazy.” Stria Labs sent Max and Pranav R. (11) to pitch their wearable device at the fifth annual SXSW Student Startup Competition on March 6. From a pool of international applicants, Stria Labs was named one of eight finalists, earning them the opportunity to present their product at the conference. Competing with seven other teams, Stria Labs won first place, earning $1,000 in funding for their product and an invite to SXSW 2020. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2