The Pelican Vol. LXXI, No. 2
The Club Issue
September 28, 2019
A look inside Jerome Ridge Linda Pang '21 The first all-gender house in the history of St. Paul’s School officially opened on Jerome Ridge at the beginning of September. Jerome Ridge House marks a milestone in SPS history in its acceptance of the range of gender identities within the school community. The dorm currently has four student residents. Isabel YoungFigueroa ‘21 lives in a single at Jerome Ridge. When asked about the reason she wanted to live in the dorm, she said, “To
be really straight forward, in the houses I was in before I never felt comfortable being openly bi because I thought I would make others uncomfortable or others would assume who I was based on my sexual preference.” Another current resident of the Jerome Ridge house, Jean Fuentes ‘22, remarked that her experience so far in the dorm has been “extremely positive in every aspect, especially in how the dorm is assumed by the student.” The common room
and kitchen spaces are where the most interactions between the residents, advisers, and visitors happen. “Everyone in the dorm has a family relationship,” Fuentes said, to which Eddie Ferrell ‘21, another resident of the house, agreed. Eddie added that the dorm is a “welcoming atmosphere where everyone feels like they can come in anytime they want.” Since the first announcement regarding a potential all-gender house at SPS last
New Bookstore and Post Office Emily Xin '21 With the beginning of a new school year, St. Paul’s School has welcomed many changes: a new Rector, a host of new faculty members, and now a complete renovation of the Bookstore and the Post Office. The Post Office, which was originally located next to the Friedman Community Center, has traded places with the Bookstore, which used to be next to the Central Heating Plant. During the move, the flooring of both the Post Office and the Bookstore were replaced, and the Post Office received new shelves and a larger counter. Additionally, the Bookstore now has two floors: one for snacks and school supNo Book Rentals P. 7
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spring, there has been much anticipation within the community. Although the idea of an all-gender house initially came into view during Rev. Michael Hirschfield’s time as Rector at SPS, the planning process and eventual establishment for Jerome Ridge occurred during Interim Rector Ms. Amy Richard’s time at SPS during the 2018-2019 school year. Dr. Christopher Morse, teacher of math, was a member of the Gender Equity Task Force
alongside Associate Dean of Students Mr. Thomas Gregston, former Associate Dean Ms. Jen Cotton, and other faculty members. One of the Task Force’s primary concerns was to “[look] at things that are gendered that don’t necessarily need to be gendered,” says Dr. Morse. ThenRector Hirschfield asked the group to look into having an all-gender house on campus. To gain a better understanding, Dr. Morse said the Task Continued on Page 2
Students strike Climate Change Anna Solzhenitsyn '21 On Friday, September 20, masses of young people across the globe walked out of schools and poured into the streets to protest climate change. This marks the first unified movement of children to show the world that they care about the future of their planet, according to The New York Times. The campaign started with a teenaged Swedish student named Greta Thunberg, who has been striking every Friday for over a year, and spread to all areas of the globe. Friday’s specific protest was organized
to coincide with the opening of the 2019 UN General Assembly. St. Paul’s School students were not excluded from this worldwide campaign; organized by the Eco-Action club, 35 students, wielding cardboard signs, skipped their morning classes to walk from the SPS campus to the New Hampshire State House with the intention of delivering a letter of protest to Governor Chris Sununu on behalf of the SPS student body. The students joined a dozen other Concord residents in protest. “It made me happy to know that there Continued on Page 7 Testing Op-ed P. 8
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The Vol. lxxi Editorial Board
September 28, 2019
New Bookstore and Post Office Emily Xin '21
Editor in Chief Isabel Maney '21 Assistant Print Editors Daniel Choi '20 Alexander Rowley '21 Assistant Online Editor Khuan-yu Hall '21 Copy Editors Victoria Chen'21 Ellie LaVoie'21 Nina Parker '20 Photo & Graphics Editor Isabella Pargiolas '21 Layout & Design Editor Nikhil Vootkur '21
A look inside Jerome Ridge Linda Pang '21 Continued from Page 1 Force “conducted research, visited Exeter and Andover’s all-gender houses, and collected data.” He also stated that the idea of an all-gender house was generally well-received by the faculty members, and that to the Task Force’s surprise, the Board of Trustees proposed prioritizing this idea on the school’s agenda and to starting the house the following year. The preparation for the house was brought up to a fast pace, and according to the Head of House of Jerome Ridge, Ms. Hien Le, many of the policies regarding the dorm are still being discussed and developed. In Dr. Morse’s opinion, Jerome Ridge can be used to pilot some of the new rules that SPS wants to implement in achieving a visiting
policy that would eventually be the same across all dorms regardless of gender. The School hopes to provide a residential living space where every student can feel comfortable - after all, many students said their dorms are their “homes away from home”. With the addition of the all-gender dorm, the school is taking another step towards a more inclusive living atmosphere and giving each student the freedom to express each of their unique identity. As best put by YoungFigueroa, “We will shape the dorm culture and the school culture with Jerome Ridge.”
Graphic supplied by Virginia Lawrence '21 plies, and the other for class- location of the Bookstore are specific textbooks. more varied. While Fales-Hill While students and staff agree and Lu agree that it is generthat renovations have made ally harder to get snacks durthe Bookstore and the Post ing Hum Flex, because the Office facilities more attrac- Bookstore is just as far away tive, they express mixed opin- as Friedman is from class, ions about the convenience of other students are happy that the changes. it is now closer to the center Among students, there is an of campus. Anna Solzhenitemerging consensus that the syn ‘21 said that because “the increased distance between bookstore is near the Friedthe Post Office and the dor- man Center, it makes it easy mitories is an inconvenience. to stop by...during lunch.” Bristol Fales-Hill ‘21, who Bob Hu ‘21 likes the fact that lives in Wing, said that it “is as he can “get snacks and other far away as I could possibly be.” things easier, instead of walkClara Lu ‘21, who also lives in ing all the way to the back of Wing, added that her “pack- Lindsay.” ages are usually really heavy,” SPS staff meanwhile are very which makes the long walk happy with the transition to from the post office to the Up- the new locations, as well as per a challenge. Gracie Shaw the renovated facilities. From ‘21, pointed out that the cur- a logistical standpoint, Ms. rent location of the post office Debra Mailhot, a member of “makes it hard to swing by after the Post Office staff, noted classes before sports.” that the new Post Office has Student opinions on the new “more shelf space, floor space,
and parking space.” Moreover, “deliveries now come to the back door instead of being picked up at the shipping and receiving building,” which is more convenient for the Post Office staff. Mr. Stephen Barrett, another member of the Post Office staff, and Ms. Mailhot agree that the new building lets in “much more light.” Overall, although the new locations may require more some more walking in certain contexts, there is a general sense of satisfaction with the improvements made.
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— The Club Issue — It can be hard to adjust to a new school or school year and clubs and campus organizations can often make this adjustment easier. Clubs at St. Paul's School can help you make friends and find new passions. The Pelican is here to make finding those clubs easier; you can even remove this page and use it for the club bazaar on September 28. Don’t see your club featured here? Don’t despair—we would love to profile your group in a future issue! Email us at pelican@sps.edu with the name of your organization and the contact information for its student and faculty leaders.
Activism Club Bristol Fales-Hill '21 The Activism Club was initially founded to organize the National School Walkout at SPS in the spring of 2018. Since then, the Activism Club has become a resource for students eager to get involved in activism, rather than a club with regular meetings. “If people [...] were passionate about certain things or wanted to do something about it, they could come to us for help,” says co-founder Jackie Shen-Yi ‘20. Currently, the club is working with Eco-Action, the environmental club, to organize another walkout. The leaders of the club are excited to help students of all backgrounds pursue their interests in social justice.
Chocolate Vanilla Swirl Henry Kim '22
Chocolate Vanilla Swirl (CVS) is one of the dance groups on campus. It is for guys who love to “get loose!” says Kam Oseni ‘21, junior captain of the club. “Students who have a lot of energy” and “people who love to dance” should join the group, says Oseni. CVS welcomes anyone with confidence or anyone looking to build this quality. There will be meetings every month. The dances take a lot of coordination, so the group practices often.The meetings start with warm-ups and ice-breakers. During meetings, Oseni says that “What we do is just dance!”
Chinese Society Ryan Murphy '22 The school year is off to an exciting start for the Chinese Society. They kicked off with a successful celebration of the Chinese Mid-Autumn festival during Humanities Flex period, with a spotlight on mooncake making. “A big crowd came [to celebrate],” Ms. Yin Xie, faculty advisor for the Society, said of the mooncake making event. Now, the society is looking towards hosting more cultural events, small and large. The club plans to hold more meetings like these during the Humanities Flex period, intended to bring a cultural feel to the school. These events come in addition to the Chinese New Year Festival, which the society coordinates and designs each year. A welcoming meeting for Chinese students is also in the works, all part of what is bound to be a lively year for the Chinese Society.
Classics Society Ashley Zhou '23 The Classics Society is for everyone who is interested in Latin or Greek. No experience is necessary: levels range from having high knowledge in the language and culture to having only read the Percy Jackson series. The club participates in a quiz bowl, so during meetings, members practice trivia questions. In addition, the society offers a lot of supplementary materials, such as research guides and Google Docs. The Classics Society meets once a week during lunch on Tuesdays in Dr. Camden’s classroom.
Cooking Culture Club Gracie Shaw '21 Have you ever been interested in learning more about how to cook new and unique foods? Then perhaps the Cooking Culture Club is for you. As student leader Paige Adams ‘20 says, “Literally anyone who likes food should join! Which I would hope is everybody so… join!” From learning how to cook food from Japan to the cuisine of the southern United States, there are options for everyone. Is that not enough for you? According to Mr. Rick Pacelli, the faculty adviser for the club, in the past few years he has taught students how to make different kinds of pasta from scratch. So, if you are hoping to learn how to become a Master Chef, be sure to check out the Cooking Culture Club!
Debate Team Sophia Joerger '21 According to Debate Captain Celis Lee ‘20, “Debate Team is a group of students highly dedicated to honing their skills in rhetoric and argumentation.” This is accomplished through weekly Sunday night campus debates and over the course of ten competitions that the team plans on traveling to. The team is for anyone who wants to improve their abilities in Humanities and hopes to learn how to develop their ideas more quickly and thoughtfully. This year’s Debate captains look forward to welcoming any student who has a passion for debate or just wants to try it out.
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Entrepreneurship Club Deli Line Jessica Lee '21 Wendy Sun '22 Deli Line is a student-run a cappella club consisting of students of all forms who strive to put on an impressive performance with their voices. This group sings popular, contemporary vocal music and rehearses around once a week. The fact that Deli-Line is a co-educational group enables them to “perform arrangements the other groups can not,” says co-head Aidan Campbell ’20. Student heads Campbell and Michaela Purvis ’20 plan to rehearse new songs, so they can perform in front of the SPS community during special events such as Family Weekend and Fall Ball. In addition, the club is especially in search of singers with higher voices.
Ananya Mangal '22
Funkdefied
The Entrepreneurship Club is a space where students meet three times a week to learn about strategy and how to go about creating their own work. Heads William Klika ‘20 and Trevor Eckler ‘20 created the club “[to] review emerging entrepreneurial products through ... Shark Tank [and] Kickstarter … and educate .. students about how entrepreneurship works,” specifically for creative students with a business bent of mind. During meetings, students will begin preparing for the Emerging Entrepreneurship Initiative, a partnership between Brown and prep schools, in which Brown chooses teams in mid-October to help develop their projects. Students would be able to create what they want, ranging from clothing lines to apps, and if chosen, would meet with CEOs to further their idea.
Annette Chun '22
Humans of SPS GSA Chris Shia '23 The Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA) is a club where people can come to discuss different topics or issues about gender, sexuality, or simple, day to day problems. The club is a platform for students to have a voice to share, learn, and feel support from other members of the community. This club meets every Friday during dinner. Once a term, they hold a larger gathering for anyone interested. Students who are open minded to new opinions and want a place to discuss different issues about gender or sexuality should consider joining GSA, led by Ms. Patricia Ilzarbe and Ms. Hien Le.
Jin Chey '21 Humans of SPS (HOSPS) is a student-led club that is modeled after the magazine Humans of New York. HOSPS issues bring the SPS community of different backgrounds and cultures together through the sharing of stories accompanied with interviews and photographs of the community members. While all students are encouraged to join the club, “Students who are passionate about telling stories, photography, or simply want to help put our issues together should join!,” says Hope Silva ‘20, the editor in chief of the publication. HOSPS plans to meet every two to three weeks. The time commitment for a regular member, whether editing, taking pictures, or interviewing, should be about 45 minutes to an hour per issue. The meetings, Silva said, “will be a chance for all of us to get together, and the heads will give the plan for the next issue.”
Funkdefied, led by Toni Johnson ‘20, Bernice Saladin ‘20 and Shreya Kavuru ‘21, is one of the two dance groups on campus. “Anybody who isn’t afraid of being up on stage, who loves hip hop and dance, and who can learn the choreography quickly is someone we’re looking for. Especially someone who loves to have fun!” says Johnson. Funkdefied is known for performing at night games. They meet up a week before a performance, and practice for an hour on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, so they can have time to learn the choreography.
MadHats Jessica Lee '21 Wendy Sun '22 MadHats is an all-girl, contemporary music, vocal ensemble. Having been on campus for around 20 years, this student-organized club performs at traditional events such as Family Weekend and graduation. According to the student heads Mina Oates ’20 and Charlotte Nicholas ’20, the standard number of singers in the club is 16, with four people for each voice part, though there is also flexibility with that. This year, MadHats plans to meet more consistently—about once a week—as well as to have the entire group sing together rather than a main soloist. Not limited to singing, MadHats also encourages students who can perform other forms of vocal music, such as beat-boxing and rapping, to try out. As the club’s adviser Mr. Nicholas White said, “Collaborative music-making is a really useful skill to develop.” Madhats will also collaborate with other vocal ensembles on campus during the year.
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Math Team
MISH
Anna Solzhenitsyn '21
Ashley Zhou '23
Do you love tackling a tricky problem using your logic skills? The Math Team is a group for anyone who is interested in improving their problem solving abilities. There are monthly meetings on Tuesdays during lunch with pizza, where students can participate in the monthly New England Math League competition. The competition “[only] requires algebra knowledge,” according to Ms. Hien Le, one of the faculty advisors along with Dr. Christopher Morse. Headed by Alison Liu ‘20 and Daniel Choi ‘20, Math Team also sends groups to various math competitions at other schools. “Math Team is a lot of fun and welcomes students of all levels,” says Liu, so be sure to join the club to work with other kids who just love math.
Dedicated to philanthropy and service, the Missionary Society (or Mish) founded in 1860, is one of the oldest organizations on campus. This year, the organization continues their initiative. They will continue working with a homeless shelter right down the road and educating the community about homelessness and its underlying issues. Mrs. Kathy Taylor, director of the Community Outreach Program and adviser for Mish, says the organization hopes to have each house go to cook breakfast for the shelter on a Sunday morning and talk to the residents. She says, “Mish emulates the kindness and compassion that is a part of our school mission and encourages students and staff to help those less fortunate than ourselves.” Everyone, especially those interested in charity, are encouraged to join.
T-Tones Robotics Club Ananya Mangal '22 Have you ever worked with wood or metal, 3D printing, or an Arduino? Would you like to? The Robotics and Engineering Club spends the Fall and Spring Terms teaching interested students to tinker with the resources in the Engineering Lab, as well as getting started with personal projects. During Winter Term, students can look forward to building a robot for the FIRST Robotics Competition, combining competition with academics. One of the club heads, Alison Liu ‘20, explains, “It is [..] a free space where you can do what you want and build what you want.”
Bristol Fales-Hill '21 The T-Tones are the all-male, student-run a capella group on campus. The ensemble, run by Larson Avery ‘20 and Aidan Campbell ‘20, holds auditions in the fall for anyone interested and performs at events throughout the year such as Family Weekend, Dorm Soirées, Anniversary Weekend and Boar’s Head. “Any students who have an interest in singing contemporary, popular vocal music in a group rehearsal situation should audition,” says Mr. Nick White, the group’s faculty advisor. The T-tones rehearse together once a week to work on things such as balance, rhythm, pitch, volume, style and problem solving, or as defined by Mr. White, “collaborative music-making.”
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Relay for Life Ashley Zhou '23 Relay for Life is an annual community-based fundraising event for cancer awareness and research, with significant participation around the globe. In the fundraising walk, which lasts between six and 24 hours, team members take turns walking around a track; always having a member on the track signifies the fact that cancer never sleeps. At St. Paul’s School, the Relay for Life club not only prepares for the event, but also organizes small, build-up events to raise awareness for cancer. Coheads Ella Cohen ‘20 and Mia Toledo-Navarro ‘20 have set the date for this year’s Relay as May 2. They think that the club is suitable for all students, especially those whose lives have been affected by cancer.
The Caribbean Student Affinity Group Clara Lu '21 The Caribbean Student Affinity Group is a newly established club on campus that focuses on giving the community an opportunity to understand “what Caribbean culture is, because there is so much more beyond what others see,” according to Bernice Saladin ‘20. Saladin, Kiwi Pitcairn ‘20, and Jeremy Naimer’ 20, the three heads of the Caribbean Student Affinity group, aim to expand the club and create a safe space for students of Caribbean descent to talk about issues they face. If you are a student of Caribbean descent or would like to learn more about Caribbean culture, you are welcome to join in their meetings held once every month.
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The Korean Society Akintayo Salu '21 “A very curious society,” is a phrase aptly used by Ms. Anny Jones (the Faculty Advisor of the Korean Society) to describe the club she has run over the years. Initially, the Korean society was a group that allowed Korean students to support each other, but over time it has become a club open to all. The apex of her time being the club’s faculty advisor was in 2011, which she described as “an amazing year and then culminating in a week that was focused on Korea” with a wide smile. The week began with a traditional dance group called Chae Hyang Soon Dance Company and ended with the contemporary dancer Poppin’ Hyun Joon and his crew – Cyborg G. A society described as “very traditional and hypermodern” will be worth a try.
The Tides Rocco Burdge '22 The Tides is a campus publication founded two years ago with the mission to tell and educate the St. Paul’s School community about events outside of the School’s boundaries, whether that's politics, foreign affairs or world events. Alexander Rowley ’21, a senior editor, said, “The club is student-run and published, and writers usually have the freedom to write whatever they want.” At the moment, there are only seven active staff, and the club is seeking to grow to the point where they can publish once every three weeks. Students who want to join should be interested in writing and research while keeping in mind that most of the communication is done online.
Transitions, led by Patrick Uket, Triet Vo, and Brianna Edgar, is a club that helps students of color adjust to campus life by providing a safe space to meet and speak openly. It typically meets monthly for approximately an hour, and the gatherings aim to create bonds between those with similar cultural ties. While Transitions focuses primarily on uniting students of color, the Sixth Form heads hope that the connections formed through their club will encourage all students to create and seek environments in which they feel comfortable within the SPS community.
Young Democrats William Desrosiers '21 Led by Cecilia Marinan’ 20, Kelsey Chase ‘20, Isabel Maney’21, and Club Advisor Mrs. Christine Carter, the Young Democrats is one of the political groups on campus. The club has many events planned for the year, especially with the upcoming election and current political climate. Members can expect activities such as attending rallies and speeches, participating in discussion with other political groups on campus, and engaging in local political events. The club is open to all, even those with little to no political experience. The Young Dems will meet once every three weeks, and is the perfect opportunity to meet other young people interested in politics.
Transitions
Amanda Sudnik '21
Young Women's Club Young Republicans
Lynn Kang '22
Celis Lee '20
Girls have walked the campus of St. Paul’s, a boys school until 1971, for fewer than 50 years. The heads and members of the Young Women’s Club are dedicated, vocal leaders in the community who work to make the female voice heard. The club hosts bonding events for female-identified students of all forms and backgrounds, such as the Girls’ Sleepover Night in the AFC at the beginning of the year and the all-school Denim Day that raises awareness of rape and sexual assault. The club meets every other week to discuss recent events about gender rights, gender equality, and other gender-related social issues. The club is for students who identify as female and wish to create a cohesive sisterhood at SPS where girls can feel included and at home.
Find spirited debates and discussions at a Young Republicans meeting, a space open for students interested in learning about current events and issues pertaining to the Grand Old Party. At meetings, you can expect to become well-versed and knowledgeable on conservative issues. Meetings are centered around “casual discussion about what’s going on in the news and what’s going on on campus,” head Andrew Kapadia ‘20 states. He says that everyone is welcome as “it is really important to have youth in politics regardless of what their views are.”
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Students strike Climate Change Anna Solzhenitsyn '21
Continued from Page 1 is a lot of support in the Concord community,” noted Margaret Fleischner ‘20, one of the SPS students who attended the march. The broader goal of the protest was not only to show the world that young people are passionate about this issue, but also to convince lawmakers that something needs to be changed immediately lest the world continue on its current path. “I wanted
Graphic supplied by Haley Andreasen'20 to be there and show that we that he “saw in students a con- even considered missing their are mad, that we don’t have to viction that enough is enough classes to attend as a sign of be able to vote to understand and it is time to act” in order to good progress, but the activwhat’s going on,” remarked Bel- bring about “tougher govern- ists still have a long way to go. la Peace ‘21, who also attended ment action on achieving net- Fleischner hopes that she and Friday’s protest. Although most zero greenhouse gas emissions other students will be able to of the protest attendees were with greater speed.” “get the SPS Board to sign off on not yet eligible to vote, they Not unexpectedly, Gov. Su- a 100% renewable energy plan were determined to put pres- nunu was not able to be pres- for the school” as soon as possure on administrators, both ent to greet or respond to the sible, which would set specific in the Concord legislature and protestors, but they still con- goals to be reached by 2030. In within the SPS community it- sidered the event a success. order to do this, an on-campus self. Adviser to Eco-Action Mr. The organizers of the event see action is being planned which Nick Babladelis commented the fact that so many students “will coincide with the fall visit
by the School's Board of Trustees—a unique opportunity for students to speak out to those who steward the school at the highest level,” said Mr. Babladelis. But whether students will succeed in effecting these substantial changes right here at SPS, and indeed around the world, remains to be seen.
No Book Rentals this Year Isabel Maney '21 Upon their return to school this year, students might have seen a steep increase in the price of their school books. The St. Paul’s School Bookstore, unlike in other years, is not renting books this fall. The bookstore is not run by the school. It is outsourced to a company that is in charge of stocking and managing the bookstore, with part of the profits going to the school and part of the profits going to the company. This year, the bookstore changed supliers from Follet to Higher
Learning Supply Company. The late change didn’t leave enough time to set-up the rental program. According to Mr. Sherman Roberts, the director of analytics and operations, Higher Learning Supply Company requires faculty to agree to a two-year commitment “to gauge the continued usability of the textbooks” (which was the same requirement as last year), before being able to rent. The bookstore has tried to “soften” the effect of not renting by “[trying] to get more used books
to bring some of the cost down,” says Mr. Dan Cronin, an employee of the bookstore. Still, they “had to bring in some new books.” Both Mr. Roberts and Mr. Cronin assert that the rental program will be in place by next Fall. To bring down the cost of books this year, the school will be buying back books at a premium rate at the end of the year.
Graphic by Isabella Pargiolas '21
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Opinion: New Standards Needed for Standardized Testing Emily Xin '21
Graphic by Freddie Hamilton '20
Standardized testing is an inescapable part of the lives of high school students. Especially for those in higher forms at SPS, there always seems to be an AP or a subject test right around the corner. With all the stress involved in preparing for and sitting through these tests, the question of when to take the various exams becomes very important.
a student’s focus on his or her schoolwork and academic progress. For example, a student who has yet to finish a full school year in Honors Chemistry is discouraged from taking the SAT subject test for chemistry. Moreover, courses are generally designed on the assumption that students will be taking standardized tests during certain times of the year, so that students do To help students navigate not have to sacrifice course this question, the college work in order to cram for office provides a list of rec- exams. ommended dates for taking each exam. Besides If a student chooses to igfacilitating the process of nore these recommendascheduling exams, this list tions and register regardof dates also keeps students less, all courses missed who are not well-prepared during the exam are treated from undergoing unnec- as unexcused absences, and essary stress, and ensures the student receives bags minimal interference with accordingly. Such a con-
sequence serves to deter students from ignoring the recommendations.
ception. In fact, many students may be unaware that it is possible to receive an exception for certain stanIn certain circumstances, dardized tests in the first the current policy does place. grant permission to students who are seeking to It is important for students take a standardized test to be more up to date on the outside of the recommend- school policy concerning ed dates. Unfortunately, standardized tests, so that the process of acquiring they don’t receive avoidable an exception can be time- bags. In this process, stuconsuming and difficult. dents would benefit from Students must visit the col- some clarification of the lege office twice, once to policy. The college office pick up the absence form could compile and email and another time to obtain out a bulleted list of excepthe signature of a college tions in which the recomadvisor, in addition to set- mended test dates would ting time aside to discuss not apply, in order to clarify the appropriateness of their the situation for students plan. Amid the busy stu- and allow them to better dent life at SPS, this can be plan their test taking scheda challenge. Nor is it clear ules. As an example, this list what constitutes a valid ex- could include an exception
permitting students to take SAT language subject tests with listening in November, regardless of their form, because it is the only month in which this exam is offered. SPS is always eager to meet the needs of its students and to adapt its policies to its increasingly academically talented student body. By clarifying and updating the test-date recommendation policy, the school can create a simpler and less stressful process of standardized testing for its students.