Volume XXXIX Issue II

Standard

the

October-November 2013 | Volume XXXIX, Issue II

it’stheall about

How education is changing and what it will look like down the road

future Clayton Marsh • Acting Editor-in-Chief EDUCATING FOR THE UNKNOWN on page 3 PHOTO BY HAMISH STEPHENSON

The American School in London | One Waverley Place | London NW8 0NP U.K. | standard.asl.org

News

•••

Page 2

A

Montgomery leaves

Government shutdown

THE STANDARD | October-November 2013

ENNEAD

Chodl to depart

photo by jessica haghani

Lead News Editor Thomas Risinger explores Dean of Students Joe Chodl’s experience at ASL fter 15 years of working at ASL, Dean of Students Joe Chodl will be leaving the school following the culmination of the 2013-2014 school year, citing a felicitous moment in the lives of his wife and children to make this change.

“My wife and I have two kids, Michael in grade four and Nicholas in K2, and we thought that this was an opportune moment for us and our family to make the decision to move back to the US,” Chodl said.

Chodl also acknowledged the importance of being geographically close to his extended family after his lengthy time abroad. “As anyone who is [in London] for a long time comes to understand, when you are over here for a long time, you aren’t as close with your extended family. As grandparents get older, you want your kids to spend more time with them,” he said.

For this reason, Chodl and his family will probably be moving back to Chicago where his extended family lives.

“Most likely we will end up in Chicago. My wife and I are both from Chicago, and it’s where our families are from,” he said.

Originally, Chodl did not come to London for his own work. “[We] came here because of my wife. She worked for Reuters and her job brought us here. At first I wasn’t sure if I was going to work, but I need to. I’m not a walk-in-the-park kind of guy,” he said.

Chodl began his time at ASL as a substitute teacher before moving to his current role as Dean of Students . Upon arrival, Chodl found the school environment to be very different from what it is now. “When I first got here, there was a different type of student population––a less responsible one. A lot more people were into the drug scene, into the

real heavy pub scene. There was a shift while I was here. The school has changed and grown up,” he said.

Accordingly, Chodl believes his emphasis on discipline has softened over the years. “[Students] think I sit in here and close down parties. Back then, I used to go seek out things: Walk over to The Star to make sure we weren’t drinking beer at lunch time, or down to The Arcade to find kids smoking,” he said.

As time has gone by, Chodl has seen marked improvements in the school and student life. “I have been here for awhile, and I think the school right now is in a fantastic place,” he said. “The opportunities for students to go out and thrive are huge. We never had the local connections that we do right now, and if you want to do service you can do it.

I think our arts department has grown and grown and offers such a great opportunity for students who want to thrive in that direction.”

This growth though, has come with a cost, and Chodl sees downsides to such a wide variety of opportunities for students. “We offer so much that we almost offer too much–– students can go off and overscribe themselves. Maybe we shouldn’t have given you all those choices, but it’s a good problem,” he said.

Throughout his time at ASL, Chodl has also coached varsity boys basketball. Coming from the Chicago Catholic League, he was at first surprised by the level of basketball played at ASL. “Coming from Chicago Catholic league, we played ball. Last game we played we had 13,000 people were watching. My first year here I coached JV basketball, which was the worst team I have ever coached in my life,” he said.

Basketball has remained consistent throughout Chodl’s time at ASL. “Basketball has been the constant through it

all, and it has always been a big part of who I am. When I first came out of college and took a job out of high school, I thought I was 95 percent basketball coach and 5 percent educator but now it is the other way, well 5 and a half. I really like basketball,” he said.

The process to find a replacement for Chodl is currently underway. Principal Jack Phillips said, “We have been receiving applicants for the position, and there have been [applicants] from within the school and people from other international schools, people at all different capacities.” The title Dean of Students will no longer be the official title of the position. Instead the position will be renamed to Director of Student Life. Phillips sees the job’s primary responsibility to foster community throughout the high school. He said, “I see the Director of Student Life as an incredibly important role to foster our community and our community spirit. To look for new ways for students to interact with others.”

Phillips hopes that the hiring process will be finished by january. “[Our] timeline is [to have] a decision in early january, I can’t underscore how important I see this role. and so it is very important to do it right and not rush anything, but we want to make sure the decision is established early for next year.”

After such a long time in London, it has been a difficult decision for Chodl and his family to move back. “[We] always knew this time would come. It’s a hard decision and we feel very connected to London and to ASL. I work here and I coach here,” he said.

Chodl is confident he is leaving the high school in the best shape it has ever been in. “I speak to parents at coffees and I have been able to tell parents truthfully that I think the high school is in a better place than it ever has been.”

THE STANDARD | October-November 2013

Special Report

D

•••

Page 3

unknown educating for the

News

In the age of information, the question of what should be taught in schools is more complex than ever. With an abundance of knowledge available on the internet, education has had to adapt.

Acting Editor-in-Chief Clayton Marsh examines the new emphasis on the application of knowledge and the rising focus on applied sciences and independent research

uring October Break, ASL welcomed Project Zero through its doors. Leading educators form Project Zero, a research-based group from Harvard University’s School of Education, spent three days presenting their findings about how education around the world is changing, as well as leading workshops with the faculty. A host of ASL teachers, as well as educators from around the world, also lead workshops.

Project Zero’s Principal Investigator David Perkins’s presentation title epitomized the current debate surrounding education: “Educating for the Unknown.”

This mysterious proposition was similarly reflected by Andreas Schleicher, Deputy Director for Education and Skills and Special Advisor on Education Policy to the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development’s Secretary-General and a speaker at TEDxASL. “The purpose of education is to prepare all students for jobs that have not been created, to use technology that has not yet been invented and to solve problems of which we have no idea today they will arise,” he said.

The uncertainty of the future, coupled with the information available as the result of technology, has led to education facing an identity crisis.

“The teacher used to be the fount of all knowledge, but now students are carrying around information in their pockets. When students have access to all knowledge, what do we do in a classroom?” Head of School Coreen Hester asked. “You learn application,” she answered.

Director of Curriculum Robert d’Erizans shared similar concerns.

“The reality is that you can look up everything in history on Google. The reality is that we need a more skills-based curriculum that should be embedded,” he said.

Hester believes that a fundamental tenet of the mission statement’s “outstanding American education” is the performance view of understanding.

“The performance view of understanding means that you don’t really understand something until you can either teach it to someone else or apply it in a novel situation,” she said. “That is the hallmark of the American can-do spirit.”

High School Principal Jack Phillips wants to see students using knowledge in authentic ways. “The purpose of education and the purpose of learning is ultimately to apply the knowledge you have learned. You don’t learn calculus just so you can do some homework problems,” he said. “You study calculus so that you can apply it to problemsolving, physical equations, changing systems, or computer programming.”

As questions surrounding education continue to swirl around the world, two common threads of areas for improvement at ASL ran through the words of Hester, d’Erizans, and Phillips: Applied Sciences and independent research.

With the construction of

new science facilities beginning in Spring 2014, the School must decide what the space will look like and also think about what kinds of science it will be teaching over the next 20 years.

The areas of engineering and computer science, in particular, are being closely examined. In fact, d’Erizans envisions the possibility of implementing an engineering or programming requirement in the High School curriculum. “Over the next few years, we will see much more engineering integrated into the science program, or continuing to grow our hands-on kind of approach to science inquiry,” d’Erizans said.

Robotics is another area of applied science being looked at. “With 140 students currently participating in robotics [in the whole school], there is this groundswell of what it means to apply science,” Hester said.

She raised further questions: “Should everybody know how to code?

What kind of applied science and engineering do we want to require or offer?” d’Erizans believes that ASL needs to be more bold when it comes to these disciplines. “We are poised for a lot of greatness, but I think we need to be much more innovative when it comes to areas around science, computer science, and engineering, because those are areas that are going to be needed more and more in the future,” he said.

While an increased emphasis on

Students learn The Shift

What & Why

applied science is under discussion, form could lead to the eventual implethere has also been a call for a greater mentation of a sort of major, or path, degree of independent research and that a student at ASL follows throughwork. “I would love to see students out high school. “Maybe you’re a pursuing long-term projects that are of global studies person so you take the particular interest and significance to social studies, the languages, and the them, and that grapeconomics path and ple with larger issues, you graduate with a perhaps global or percertificate in global haps London-based,” studies,” Hester said.

Phillips said. “Pro“Then you have a jects where students kind of science, enare doing, where The reality is that you gineering, and math students are apply- can look up everything piece and an arts, ing their knowledge. and in history on Google. humanities, They’re continuing to writing piece. There The reality is that we are different ways of learn, but they’re also applying their knowl- need a more skills-based looking at how to go edge in some really high school curriculum that should through impactful ways.” and to show some be embedded.

S i m i l a r l y, emphasis.” d’Erizans envisions a Hester said the capstone experience idea is “percolating” Roberto d’Erizans, for all seniors. “Perin the minds of the Director of Curriculum haps every student administration. picks one research project that they Similar to how education is evolvstudy for three years and culminates in ing, Hester hopes that ASL students a big research proposal,” he said. “This follow a similar trajectory. “I hope every idea that you don’t just have to pur- student leaves ASL with the confidence sue passions within the constraints of to explore what he or she wants to do. I your class, but what if you can propose hope every student we have here never something that you are passionate thinks they’re done, and always thinks about and pursue it?” d’Erizans said they have enough skill and confidence that these are ideas that are “currently to take a different direction,” she said. being explored,” but that changes rePhillips hopes the result of these quire time. applicational practices is a similar, yet This kind of educa- tional re- different, self-belief in each student.

“If I want students to walk away with something, it’s that they believe that, particularly through learning and because of knowledge of themselves, that they can change the world,” he said. “That you, literally, can change the world now.”

‘‘

Students learn

HOW “

When students have access to all knowledge, what do we do in a classroom? You learn application.

Coreen Hester, Head of School

Page 4

News

•••

THE STANDARD | October-November 2013

From October 1-17, millions of government workers faced an uncertain future.

F

or the first time since Bill Clinton’s presidency in 1996, the United States government shut down.

National Parks and monuments were closed indefinitely and hundreds of thousands of government employees were asked to stay at home indefinitely.

After a string of last-minute attempts by Congress to stave off the looming deadline by which time a new budget for the coming fiscal year had to be approved, no consensus had been reached, and the government was beginning to grind to a halt.

The shutdown was not inevitable but rather a product of partisanship within the government. Each year, Congress must approve the United States’ budget, which, in its most basic form, dictates how much and where the government can spend the money collected from its taxpayers.

Traditionally, this process is fraught with political bargaining. Both parties, Republican and Democratic, use the process of approving the budget as an opportunity to gain political leverage over one another. This most recent budget negotiation, however, degenerated into such high levels of political partisanship that Congress and the government were completely paralyzed because no agreement could be

reached.

ASL Parent and Minister Counselor for Management at the U.S. Embassy to the Court of St. James Lawrence Richter described the frustration and helplessness of government employees at this time. “To me, it goes along with being a government employee. We don’t make policy; [we just] serve our political masters on this and it is kind of a recognition that we are working for a government that is pretty strongly divided right now and there are policy, disagreements,” he said. “We just have to work around the people who are actually in charge of the budget. It is not fun to have to put things on hold and to work in that kind of uncertainty.”

However, the contention that immobilized Congress was based on another piece of legislation: The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or “Obamacare”, as it is commonly known. Obamacare is the centerpiece of the Obama administration’s first term legislative achievements and has been a large part of his platform since he ran for office.

The Act aims to increase the number of Americans with health insurance by requiring citizens purchase suitable plans. It was passed by the House of Representatives on March 21, 2010 and signed into law by Obama on March 23, 2010. However, the current Republican-controlled House of

Representatives, driven by the far right-wing conservative Tea Party, refused to let it come to fruition. They, instead, insisted that no government budget would be approved for the 2013-14 fiscal year if it contained financing for Obamacare.

With no fiscal budget agreed upon by midnight on October 1, the government was out of alternatives. As of that moment, all government employees who had been categorized as “non-essential” were furloughed without pay until further notice. This, however, did not include employees managing Obamacare, which still went active at midnight on October 1 despite the best efforts of the Republican party.

Richter was categorized as an essential employee during the shutdown, as were all of his State Department colleagues, and worked throughout. Richter described himself as head of the management section at the embassy, which places him in charge of daily operations, personnel, and the budget of the Embassy.

As the shutdown continued, Richter, personally, was not as negatively impacted as many other government employees. “For a portion of the embassy, [the shutdown] did not have any effect at all and the reasons for that are complicated. The State Department gives its money over a period of

•••

THE STANDARD | October-November 2013

Page 5

News

Shutdown

Lead Features Editor Mina Omar and Lead News Editor Thomas Risinger investigate the causes and impacts of the United States government shutdown

Speaker of the House of Representatives John Boehner worked to create and pass a compromise budget during the shutdown, while angered citizens and furloughed government employees protested on the steps of the United States Capitol building. Photos from flickr.com/republican conference, Flickr.com/

divaknevil, Flikr.com/coolrevolution, Flikr.com/FrankRiddick

two years so we can spend it over two years. So even though the government shut down, the State Department was still able to use money that it had in its accounts [to pay its employees and fund necessary activities],” Richter said.

Richter felt that a lot of the strain caused by the shutdown occurred behind the scenes. The State Department was forced to cancel many of its meetings but was still able to carry out consular services to those looking to apply for U.S. visas. “We cut back on the non-essential things. We knew we only had a certain amount of money left,” he said.

“It was a little bit like being in a life raft. You don’t eat all your food at once. You ration.”

Social Studies Teacher Becky Mason believes that the U.S. is in a cycle that will continue repeating itself until a long-term solution can be found. “They keep going through these deadlines. They agree on a new date, but they are just pushing [the problem] off and it never seems to be a longterm agreement where [Congress] will give themselves the time to work on a long term compromise,” she said.

Mason sees this recent cycle, that led to the shutdown, as a continuation of the general trend that has been in politics for the past several decades. “During the 90s there was a lot of partisanship. Then the George Bush years were also partisan because of the election with Gore and [the] Iraq war,” she said. “Modern U.S. politics is very partisan and [the parties] don’t work together.”

Social Studies Teacher Terry Gladis agreed with Mason’s sentiments and feels as if the U.S. government has done a disservice to all citizens by allowing the shutdown to take place. “The fact that the Republicans, the Democrats and Congress as a whole allowed it to get to that point is inexcusable. When the government can’t function it is hurting every single citizen of the United States,” Gladis said.

Gladis’ claim that the shutdown affected all citizens of the United States is supported by the facts. More than

800,000 government employees were furloughed through- lieves that Boehner and the other republicans were able to out the duration of the shutdown. Furthermore, according “win out” by convincing moderate Republicans to join their to an initial analysis from Standard & Poor’s, the 16-day cause. “The extreme faction has been able to manipulate so government shutdown took $24 billion many people that are in the middle to cut out of the United State’s economy. As the line and say ‘you know what, anya result of this massive loss, the U.S. thing that is going to help the Democrateconomy is also expected to gross less ic party or Obama, we are going to say no than originally expected and consumer to.’ It’s a first grade mentality,” he said. confidence is low. “Seventy percent of All in all, it took 16 days for a comprothe money that is spent in the U.S. is mise to be drawn out and passed by Conspent on consumer goods. If consumer gress. The Bill passed provided funding confidence is shot, where are you going for Obamacare, and was therefore conto go with that?” Gladis asked. sidered to be a victory for both Obama Additionally, Gladis feels as if the and the Democratic Party. This breakshutdown was detrimental for the Unitthrough was motivated by an announceed States’ image as a world power. “It ment made by the Treasury Department showed that we are a completely dysthat running out of money to fund existfunctional nation. I think that even ining government obligations was a possiternationally, people realized that we bility within the next day. On account of have developed extreme factions in our this, some Republicans, in order to avoid politics that are winning out,” he said. a global economic crisis, crossed party lines to support the Bill providing fundMason believes that any damage done ing for the government and ended the to the image of the United States abroad shutdown. will not trouble the government. “This Although the government shutdown reinforces some negative stereotypes Lawrence Richter ended several weeks ago, Gladis still people have about America, that [America] can’t get it together. Unfortunately ASL Parent and Minister Counselor has a very pessimistic mindset about this isn’t necessarily a large concern to for Management at the US Embassy the direction that the U.S. government is heading and does not believe it will the U.S. government,” she said. be moving in a positive direction at any The “extreme faction” that Gladis referred to is a small group in the Republican party. The Re- point in the near future. “The Constitution is an amazing publican party is lead by Speaker of the House John Boeh- document but it doesn’t work without the people that have ner. According to a poll conducted by CNN, more than 60 to apply it to the rest of the American public,” he said. “To percent of Americans now think that Boehner should be re- me, it’s broken. Washington D.C. and the U.S. government moved from his position as Speaker of the House. Gladis be- is broken.”

‘‘

We cut back on the non-essential things.

We knew we only had a certain amount of money left. It was a little like being in a life raft. You don’t eat all your food at once. You ration.

•••

Page 6

News

THE STANDARD | October-November 2013

Moving on Staff Writer Will Brummette sits down with Performing Arts teacher Keith Montgomery to discuss his departure from ASL

After 26 years as a performing arts teacher, Keith Montgomery will retire from teaching music at the end of this year. For his next job he will continue to pursue his passion for education and music as the Executive Director for the Association for Music in International Schools (AMIS).

According to its website, AMIS is an organization that “promotes excellence in all levels of musical education” Montgomery’s new position will include the responsibility of organizing and running the programs that ASL music groups attend every year. Each year the locations for these events vary. In the past students have attended AMIS events which have been held in Shanghai, China and Bucharest, Romania.

Montgomery has been involved with AMIS for over a decade and feels excited about his new opportunity. “This is an opportunity for me to head an organization that I feel passionate about. I have been involved with AMIS since it was created and I have been on the board for ten years,” he said.

Upon reflection Montgomery described his time at ASL as being very enjoyable. “It’s been a series of ups and downs but mostly ups.

Most of the time I loved being here,” he said. “I feel like I teach on the dream team.”

Photo by Jessica Haghani

photo by jessica haghani

News Briefs People of Color Conference

From December 4 - 8, six students will travel to Maryland to participate in the People of Color Conference. The trip will be led by Math Department Head Neil Basu. According to its website, the mission of the conference is “to provide a safe space for networking and a professional development opportunity for people, who, by virtue of their race or ethnicity, comprise a form of diversity termed ‘people of color’ in independent schools.”

Spring Break Shortened

In a new poll sent out to faculty, staff members and parents results showed the polled voted to shorten spring break over an early start for the 2014-15 school year. The majority (63%) of ASL faculty, staff and parents preferred shortening the spring break to an earlier start (37%). The existing 15-day spring break was cut to 8 days while three current teacher workdays, one in August and two in June, were also removed to maximize instructional days.

Pulitzer Journalists Visit

On Wednesday, November 20, Pulitzer Center journalists Esha Chhabra, who has been working on Crisis reporting in public health in India, and Sharon Schmickl, who worked on food security issues, will give a presentation on the Untold Stories of journalism in the School Center at 7 p.m. The Pulitzer Center has a dual mandate, where they research under reported areas around the world and then present their findings to schools such as ASL. To attend email speakers_series@asl.org with “Pulitzer” as the subject.

Rugby Match at Allianz

On Saturday, November 23, the varsity and junior varsity rugby teams will have matches at Allianz Park, home of the Saracens Rugby Club. ASL will play directly preceding a national team match between the United States and Russia at the park, which is located in Hendon. Rugby Coach Mat Jones says that all of the coaches are excited, and tickets can be bought at www.asl.org/rugbytickets

ASL Community Service

The winter season for community service begins on November 25, and a new community partnership will be available at the Westminster Academy. This partnership, which is available for eight students, is a culinary program that the students from Westminster are participating in to gain school credit. This partnership will take place on Mondays, and a bus will be provided from Waverley to Westminster Academy.

In addition to this, many of the previous fall community service partnerships will be available again for the winter term.

December Benefit Concert

On the evening of Sunday, December 8, the High School Performing Arts Department will host a concert to benefit the Central London Soup Kitchen. There is no entry fee, but donation baskets will be available throughout the performance. The concert will feature the high school choir, band and orchestra and will take place in the School Center.

Teachers Participate in Movember for Charity

Throughout November, teachers will be growing moustaches for the charity event “Movember”. Movember is a worldwide event that supports men’s health and heightens awareness of prostate cancer. By 2030, prostate cancer is estimated to be the world’s most common type of cancer. Donations can be made to the charity at the website http://www.virginmoneygiving.com/ team/ASLmovember.

Volunteers Needed

The St. John’s and Elizabeth Hospice are hosting their annual Christmas Fayre on Sunday, December 1 on the St. John’s Wood High Street. The event will require volunteers to participate from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. in three intervals of three hours each.

Volunteers will be asked to manage stalls, supervise rides, steward and sell tickets for rides and raffles. Interested students should email K-12 Service Learning Coordinator Tamatha Bibbo at tamatha_bibbo@ asl.org.

THE STANDARD | October-November 2013

•••

Page 7

Alternatives receive mixed reviews NADIA SAWIRIS Staff Writer After October Break, students expressed differing opinions regarding the return of Alternatives trips.

Dean of Students Joe Chodl sees Alternatives as having various positive objectives. “Alternatives has got a whole bunch of different objectives. One of them is to help integrate new students because it’s at the beginning of the year, one of them is to mix the students in the grades to try and build relationships, and another is to to try to have students learn something outside of a normal classroombased experience,” Chodl said.

He hopes that some of that has happened: that the relationships formed have now extended passed the trip and that the skills learned from the trip will transfer somewhere else for the students.

Principal Jack Phillips believes that there is “real value in getting outside your comfort zone and seeing something new,” and thinks that “powerful learning can happen” during that time period. Phillips said he is still getting familiar with the program and discovering whether or not that learning does happen.

Contrary to how most people view Alternatives, Philips believes that one of the objectives of the trips isn’t necessarily to have fun. “What I hope is,” said Philips, “that we provide fun experiences that provide X, whether that’s service learning, bonding, new experiences and new kinds of learning.”

Emily Gossett (’16) initially felt uneasy going on her Alternative because she had no close friends on her trip. However, she was amazed by how she developed strong friendships with her peers. “It was nice because I had some of them in my classes later, so then when I saw them in class again I knew them and it was like I got a chance to make good connections with them,” Gossett said.

While some students were fond of Alternatives this year, others believed that their time would have been better spent at school. “There was a lot of time during the Alternative where I felt that my time doing work would have been more valuable,” Tara Advaney (’15) said. She felt as though people on her trip were not happy during their trip. “About 75 percent of the day people are unhappy, or sad and willing to do something else on their Alternative while only about 25 percent of the time they’re happy,” she said.

In previous years, Alternatives usually ran during the fall; in the 2011-2012 school year, they ran in the spring. However, Chodl said that the administration saw that it created a disruption for the second semester. “It didn’t work very well with the flow of the second semester. It was in the days leading up to spring break so it meant that people were away from school for three weeks it was a difficult time to be away for three weeks,” Chodl said. This left students with only a couple of weeks until the Advanced Placement exams. This is a time where classroom time is needed, Chodl said. This led the administration to bring it back to the fall in order to help with the flow of second semester.

Both Adele Cohen (’15) and Advaney were not pleased with the timing of the trips and would prefer it if they occurred in the spring.

Cohen believes that “it was too long of a break from school,” as Alternatives directly lead to October break.

Advaney would also like to have Alternatives occur during the

PHOTOS BY ISOBEL SHEIL AND Alena Negasheva

“There was a lot of time during the Alternative where I felt that my time doing work would have been more valuable.”

Tara Advaney (’15)

spring as she believes that “kids are very stressed at the beginning of the year.”

The administration is planning on reviewing Alternatives in order to make a decision on the timing of next year’s trips. “We’ll see at the end of the year how the spring looked without Alternatives,” Chodl said. The administration have sent out a survey to students to try to improve next year’s trips. The survey will give them individual feedback about each trip in order to facilitate the process of planning Alternatives next year. The changes could range from tweaking and altering small trip details to completely replacing the trips.

News

Online blog created JULIETTE POPE Staff Writer

The start of the school year saw something different and exciting for the freshman class. Grade 9 has produced a studentrun blog called ENNEAD, which means a group or set of nine.

Designed to celebrate, connect, engage, inform, and support freshmen at ASL, the blog is the creation of Grade 9 Dean Samrong So, based on a suggestion by Director of Academic Advising and College Counselling Patty Strohm.

ENNEAD was envisioned by So as a project “created by students for students.”

Consistent with that vision, So assembled a team of 10 students with diverse backgrounds, gender and ethnicity to create the initial edition. Some students chose to volunteer, while others were asked by So to participate. Ruchi Ahuja (’17) was happy to say yes when asked to join team ENNEAD, but admitted, “at first I was not sure what I was getting into.”

Originally intended as a printed newsletter, ENNEAD was ultimately released in an online blog format, in order to make it more accessible to readers. The initial edition was released on October 9 and can be viewed at http://web1.asl.org/ennead/.

Sections in the first edition of the ENNEAD included an advice column, an interview with Head of School Coreen Hester, and recommendations for the best places to visit on the high street. Initial feedback shows that the blog was widely read by the Grade 9 student body, teachers and parents, and was well-received. “It was funny and informative, and I really liked the advice section,” said Gabriela Wilson (’17).

While the name is a clear reference to its Grade 9 creators, it also describes the form of the website itself. The initial ENNEAD featured nine different sections, all of which had to be written by its student contributors. Such an ambitious task was daunting for the team, and the early brainstorming sessions presented many difficulties. “Since we had to come up with all the sections and basically start from scratch, it was a slower start than I anticipated it being,” ENNEAD contributor Jackie Dishner (’17) said.

Contributors also felt the pressure of fulfilling So’s vision that the website should represent the entire ninth grade. “I had to really capture the emotion and goals of the people I was interviewing,” ENNEAD writer Michael Schmeltzer (’17) said.

Not only did creating content present challenges, but technology also proved to be an issue. Largely unfamiliar with even the basics of posting and adding pictures on the software, the ENNEAD crew faced the task of learning this before anything could go up. “The platform which we chose was very new to me, and I’m still learning how to use it,” ENNEAD writer, Martha Collins (’17) said.

Ultimately, the ENNEAD writers felt their efforts had paid off and were satisfied with the way things turned out.

So thinks the initial edition of ENNEAD was a triumph, and is proud of the way his team’s work. He hopes that the success of the first issue will encourage more students to participate.

Opinions •••

Page 8

SAT

AP System

THE STANDARD | October-November 2013

Globalization

Standard

the

CLAYTON MARSH Acting Editor-in-Chief THOMAS RISINGER Lead News Editor CHARLOTTE YOUNG News Editor IAN SCOVILLE Opinions Editor MINA OMAR Lead Features Editor ZACK LONGBOY Features Editor KATE KENNEDY Culture Editor GABRIEL RUIMY Culture Editor NIKOLAI BIRCH Sports Editor JAMES MALIN Sports Editor JESSICA HAGHANI Photo Editor ALEX PABARCIUS Design Editor WILLIAM MUOIO Online Editor SVENA BHASIN Copy Editor FARES CHEHABI HAMISH STEPHENSON

STAFF WRITERS Noah Abrams. Lynn Albright, Leila Ben Halim, William Brummette, Michael Carpenter, Lev Cohen, Dana Daly, Yarra Elmasry, Laura Galligan, Alexandra Harrington, Maya Jotwani, Sebastian Mayr, Ankit Mehra, Juliette Pope, Max Roth, Varun Sarup, Nadia Sawiris, Livy Scott, Tyler Skow, Maria Tavierne

CARTOON By caroline tisdale

Calling for a revised disciplinary process In an effort to be transparent, we would like to state the most rudimentary facts. Two members of our editorial board were, in addition to a multitude of other behavioral repercussions, suspended from their editorships on The Standard for differing lengths of time. The administration believes these punishments are justified because of the higher standards ascribed to leaders. We agree with the principle – albeit, with reservations. However, the process itself was a shocking, damning indictment of the school’s disciplinary procedures.

Firstly, this is a quintessential example of a perpetual, overarching theme – one that remains as one of ASL’s most elementary problems: The administration does not listen enough to the students. We can confirm through sources with direct knowledge of the situation that the SFDB did not recommend any sort of suspension from The Standard for either member of our editorial board. Was the SFDB’s suggested punishment deemed ineffective? Or, more importantly, is the SFDB more superficial as a governing body than one that has the power to implement any substantive changes? It is a disturbing question, but a valid one. Coming from students in positions of power, the SFDB’s recommendation would be the most empathetic recommendation possible – yet it was disregarded.

Furthermore, the treatment of the students during the process is an issue of concern. One editorial board member felt so alienated by the High School that he was forced to turn to a Middle School counselor for guidance. This is an example of the administration simply taking the wrong approach. The administration’s job is to help us – to support us in our most dire and bleakest of times. Rather, they victimized these students – making them feel powerless, reducing them to public shame and private despair. The school dragged its heels for two weeks before letting these

students know their punishments. In the meantime, they were threatened with expulsion. They had their character and integrity questioned, as unfair, baseless and deeply offensive accusations were leveled against them.

On the topic of public shame, the transparency of the entire process was utterly and irrefutably unprofessional.

By suspending these students from their public roles, the school has failed in one of its most basic disciplinary objectives – to keep punishments confidential. However, the administration failed to demonstrate transparency where it was most needed: One student’s parents were not informed of the student’s suspension until one day into the punishment.

This process disregarded the SFDB’s opinion and pitted the administration against the students rather than supporting them. In addition to being transparent in all the wrong ways, this process brought completely uninvolved students into the punishment. The administration has failed to give any consideration of the ramifications that such punishments will have on people and programs involved in the punishment. Perhaps the administration did take these into account, in which case, all the worse. Acknowledging and continuing to act is more flawed than disregarding these repercussions in the first place. In essence, this outside of school offense has absolutely nothing to do with The Standard, yet we are punished by the loss of their presence. We are unable to see the logic in this.

In light of this, we propose the implementation of an appeal process. Students should be able to contest their punishment fairly and systematically when fallacies like this occur. Hopefully, we will see disciplinary processes like these – ones that disregard the SFDB’s opinion, reduce the students to public shame and punish uninvolved parties – a problem of the past.

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Yarra Elmasry, Maya Jotwani, Alex Liederman, Kiran Rajguru, Trilok Sadarangani, Tania Veltchev CARTOONISTS Daniela Al-Saleh, Caroline Tisdale Shannon Miller Adviser MISSION STATEMENT The Standard staff and adviser are dedicated to creating an open forum that strives to promote productive dialogue within the School community by publishing exemplary student news media according to the strictest standards of journalistic integrity.

CONTENT The Standard covers news related, but not limited, to the School community. Issues-driven coverage that aims to explore ideas, themes, concepts, trends and recent developments beyond the campus that are relevant to members of the community are also included.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Send submissions to the journalism lab, room O-329, or to the_standard@asl.org. These must adhere to the same set of ethical guidelines that all staff content is held to, and will only be published at the discretion of the editorial board and the adviser.

The Standard retains the right to edit letters for length and AP/ Standard style. All letters must be signed in order to be considered for publication.

EDITORIALS Articles published without a byline and presented in the same location issue-to-issue represent the majority opinion of the editorial board. They are unsigned.

COLUMNS Articles with a byline and a photo of the author in the Opinions section of the newspaper are opinions articles. They represent the view of the writer only, and not necessarily the staff of the newspaper or any other individual or group in the community.

ENGAGEMENT WITH READERSHIP The Standard encourages all readers to submit their thoughts through letters to the editor, guest columns, online comments, and story ideas. Contact the appropriate section editor(s) for submissions.

ONLINE VIEWING The Standard can be viewed online at standard.asl.org.The Standard can also be viewed in PDF format on the High School page of the ASL website, www.asl.org.

Printed by Mortons Print Limited, 01507 523456

THE STANDARD | October-November 2013

•••

Page 9

Opinions

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Misrepresentation in Issue I To the Editor,

stephan potchatek

stephan_potchatek@asl.org

“

Girls are in the small majority here at ASL, but your coverage of their riches and successes is clearly in the minority

S

The StANDARD EDITORIAL BOARD the_standard@asl.org

“

However, we do have reservations regarding several of the specific instances you have identified

While there is much to admire in your first issue of The Standard, I am troubled by the overall impression the paper gives about gender.

The paper celebrates boys and men who are athletic (all seven pages of the sports section are about male athletes, with Nick Canavan (’14) receiving three full pages and four color photos as a kind of hagiography to his pain), “cultured” (the double page spread on shisha and the article on the television show “Suits,” the double page feature on tattooing and even Kate Kennedy’s (’14) engaging piece on Postman’s Park almost exclusively celebrate varieties of male achievement from rebellious to heroic), and academically successful (while English Head Meghan Tally gets the pull quote, the standout line of Zack Longboy (’16) and Charlotte Young’s (’16) article on the gender divide has to be “The average SAT score for girls was 1962 out of 2400, a noticeable 54 points lower than the average boy’s score if 2016.”)

To this, it is hard to ignore the fact that boys dominate the Opinions pages, taking on the issues of college, assessment and cheating, while the lone female voice there was about music lyrics.

Against this, consider the representations of women and girls. ASL Parent and Author Elaine Proctor-Bonbright is flanked by two men in the photo layout on the TEDx page.

Worse than that, she is introduced in the body of the article as “ASL parent” first, in contrast to Ian Goldin, a speaker from outside the community whose position takes precedence. Indeed, on that point, it is worth noticing that women in our community are “ASL Parents” first (e.g., “Elizabeth Dibble, ASL Parent and Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy” p. 4) where the men’s careers take precedence (“New York Times Columnist and ASL Parent Roger Cohen” p.5).

In the first 12 pages of your paper, I count only five instances of women given significant voice at all. In Mina Omar (’14) and Thomas Risinger’s (’14) “The Red Line,” your report on Syria, a significant voice about Syria, ASL Parent and Deputy Chief of Mission at the United States Embassy to the Court of St. James Elizabeth Dibble, is reduced to nostalgia and heartbreak, and her significant and informed assertion that the International Community needs to take seriously its responsibility is qualified by a male Social Studies teacher.

When significance isn’t being quietly qualified, it is simply inane. Young takes issue with

Editorial response Mr. Potchatek,

Firstly, we would like to acknowledge that many of your concerns are valid. The content in Issue I of The Standard inaccurately portrayed the school community, particularly with regards to females at ASL. These misrepresentations stem from an unfortunate inattention to the importance of achieving balance in our overall paper. As a staff, we made a collection of individual oversights that accumulated into a general trend of misrepresentation. For this, we apologize, and promise the community that we have always striven and will continue to strive towards producing a paper that accurately reflects the collective members of the ASL community.

However, we do have reservations regarding several of the specific instances you have identified. Firstly, let us look at the stories involving two or more pages – the stories which define each issue. In our cover story “The Red Line,” we followed standard journalistic practice by placing two interviewees who held the same opinion next to each other. Doing this adds weight and verification to the viewpoints. Placing ASL Parent and Deputy Chief of Mission at the United States Embassy to the Court of St. James Elizabeth Dibble’s remarks prior to Social Studies Teacher Howie Powers’ was no slight towards Dibble or a question of her significance, but rather an acknowledgement of her expertise and prominence in the

field. We felt it was important to introduce the reader to a figure of such authority as early as possible, with Powers’ remarks following as the result of common journalistic practice.

Nevertheless, we do take full responsibility for our error in placing Dibble’s title at the embassy prior to “ASL Parent” in the body of the article. The format in the pull quote is correct; it follows The Standard stylebook to place one’s ASL connection before any other title. We mistakenly did not follow our own style in the body text of “The Red Line.”

Our other three-page article of Issue I featured Nick Canavan (’14) and his athletic pursuits. It must be noted that in Issue VI of last year, an article profiling Emma Nealis (’14) was given the back page as well as another page inside, and while it was not three pages, we do feel it was a comparably prominent feature of a female athlete and an important truth to acknowledge. However, we do apologize for having seven pages of male-centric coverage.

Furthermore, our double page spread on shisha culture was, firstly, an article about a pastime which applies to both genders. But more significantly, of the two anonymous sources, which are indeed the focus of the article, one is male and one is female. In our other double page spread, which featured tattoos, there was no option to incorporate a female first-person voice, as no female students who have tattoos at ASL feel comfortable speaking publicly about their tattoos.

“being sweaty and looking ugly” in Progress Report, the only female voice assessing anything about the state of affairs in the school.

Where girls do feature, they are interested in style (“Street Style” in Features) or victims of cyber bullying. Simply put, women in your pages aren’t people worthy of emulation, like Harvey Specter, or cultural creators or athletes worthy of our attention. Girls are in the small majority here at ASL, but your coverage of their riches and successes is clearly in the minority.

Perhaps it is worth looking at the pull quote on page 10 from Young’s fine piece on music lyrics. Young asks, “is anyone else listening to the cross messages that are being sent in any of these lyrics?” I think it is worth modifying that a bit, to ask if you are aware of the cross messages you are sending as you produce a paper representative of the whole school community.

Because everything, including silence, is replete with meaning. This repleteness becomes evident the moment a work is revealed to an audience. The question we must always ask is whether the work being produced—work like The Standard—is replete with the meaning we intend.

Stephan J. Potchatek English Teacher

We do believe that tattoos are growing more prevalent within the student body, and therefore felt it was an article that was important to run.

We also do not concur with your point regarding the “standout line” in “The Gender Divide” article, as it is completely factual. The fact that it is a standout line is in no part because it portrays women as lesser; it is instead an important component in presenting the full story to the reader.

Regarding the Opinions section, we would like to emphasize that all students are equally encouraged to write for the Opinions section, both on staff and in terms of the general student body, but for whatever reason it is primarily young men who choose to do so. We would like to reiterate the point that if anyone is interested in writing for the Opinions section, please contact ian_scoville@asl.org. For interest in writing in any other section, please contact the_standard@asl.org.

We hope it is clear that we are taking your concerns seriously. Your letter initiated a thorough review of our last issue, and for this, we are grateful. We hope you, as well as our general readership, understand that we have always had the intention of producing a fair and balanced version of The Standard. If you have any other concerns, we are happy to have further discussion.

The Standard Editorial Board

•••

Page 10

Opinions

THE STANDARD | October-November 2013

Challenging rape media If someone was shot, they wouldn’t be blamed for being too permeable to bullets. If someone was mugged, they wouldn’t be blamed for carrying their wallet. So why is it seen as acceptable to blame victims of rape?

Unfortunately, that is the attitude expressed by many people in the wake of a widely publicized sexual assault. Whenever one of these tragedies occurs, masses flood social media with posts calling the victim a liar and blaming them for the assault. This reflects a general ignorance as to what actually constitutes rape, as well as a subtle source in biblical law.

To understand the origins of today’s acceptance of rape culture, one must look at the book that many people claim to live by. Yes, the Bible.

From Deuteronomy 22: 23-24 of the King James Bible, “If a damsel that is a virgin be betrothed unto an husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her; Then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that city, and ye shall stone them with stones that they die; the damsel, because she cried not, being in the city; and the man, because he hath humbled his neighbour’s wife: so thou shalt put away evil from among you.”

That mentality is still apparent today. It dangerously shifts blame away from the attacker

Lynn Albright lynn_albright@asl.org

“

What is perhaps worse are the reactions of people that blamed the victim of this heinous crime

Progress Report Grades

halloween

plays

moms

and onto the victim, making rapists into sympathetic characters.

In August of last year in Steubenville, Ohio a high school girl was raped by a group of American football players at a party. She was assaulted over the course of several hours in the basement of a house and was unconscious for most of the time.

As horrifying as that is, what is perhaps worse are the reactions of people that blamed the victim of this heinous crime. Hundreds of expletive-ridden tweets, comments, and posts flooded the web with highly disturbing opinions about the outcome of the trial.

“The Steubenville story is all too familiar. Be responsible for your actions ladies before your drunken decisions ruin innocent lives,” one Twitter user wrote.

This was a common sentiment expressed in social media, and it has several glaring problems. The first being that the victim of the Steubenville rape was unconscious. Any decision to sexually assault this girl was made by her attackers. The second being that the Twitter user states that the rapists were innocent. The attackers photographed and filmed the attack on their phones and posted pictures to Instagram, texted each other about it, and even referred to their ac-

Photos 1, 4, 5, 6 by Jessica Haghani, photos 2 and 3 by maya jotwani

1

2

3

4

5

6

Dramatic Literature and Performance Plays: (A) Who 1.

4. like seeing a great West-End production on a ThursThe Standard staff give doesn’t day evening instead of doing homework? Shout out to

ASL its first quarter Progress Report

tions as rape.

Perhaps most appalling is the fact that the victim was a high school student. The victim of this attack and subsequent social media onslaught could have been anyone at ASL. The attitude that rape is acceptable at parties was clearly displayed this year by the Phi Kappa Tau fraternity at Georgia Tech. An e-mail explaining in detail how to “lure your rapebait” circulated among members of the frat, and eventually leaked online, garnering national coverage.

The email, written by the Phi Kappa Tau social chair, explains with misogynistic language and copious exclamation points how to get a girl so drunk that she is incapable of making decisions and then sleeping with her. If someone is incapable of giving consent, that is indisputably rape.

This is not to say that women do not need to be careful. Being safe at parties is definitely a message to take from this awful event. However, that should not be the only thing people take away from this. In addition to telling girls to be more careful, there should be at least as much if not more of a call for telling people not to rape.

Obviously, rape is still viewed as a non-issue in some parts of American culture, and that is a major problem.

those students who didn’t have their phones on silent ... you know who you are. Jessica Haghani

Running Moms: (B+) “I hear [insert senior 2. Starbucks boy’s name here] is writing his application to Harvard on 5. his struggles with cocaine.” Yelling that to your friend in a crowded Starbucks full of 30 middle-aged woman who are getting their pre-run dosage of gossip and pumpkin spice is the highlight of my Monday (the term “pre-run” is used loosely as I am yet to see them run, or even walk, anywhere at all). Just to clarify for all those curious mommys out there: No one wrote their essay on cocaine, and Cole DeClaris (’14) is not applying early action to Yale. Thomas Risinger

Access to Grading: (D-) Apparently, the lack of ac3. Online cess to grades online is to facilitate conversation between students and teachers, but I don’t want to schedule seven meetings to calculate my GPA. Gimme my numbers.

Zack Longboy

6.

StuCo Halloween: (B-) As much as I loved the idea of High School students dancing while dressed as minions, the overall hype was not satisfactory. The inability to properly write down the number of people who dressed up was a let down too. Come on, StuCo, you’re better than this (or are you?) Will Muoio Seniors College Norms Discussion: (D) This was simply dreadful. The only product of the discussion was coming to the conclusion that a discussion wasn’t necessary in the first place. After all, as the administration has explained, it’s not the students who are the problem, it’s the parents. A simple announcement at parent grade meetings should be enough to get the message across. Clayton Marsh Mr. Sousa: (A+) = Math Teacher Frank Sousa is the man, plain and simple. Online grades, an up-to-date Haiku page and returning tests quickly. The importance of these skills is lost upon many teachers, but does not go unnoticed by his “students.” Love Sousa. James Malin Post Scriptum: Yes. Yes! YES! YEEEES!

•••

THE STANDARD | October-November 2013

Page 11

The AP System

Opinions

point counterpoint APs end up helping us, even if they are painfully difficult

I

have to admit that I am slightly surprised to find myself writing an opinion supporting the Advanced Placement (AP) system after having completed a fairly intense and painful set of IDs (a paragraph desribing the who, what, where, when and why of an event or person) for AP United States History. However, it is because of this – the intensive memorization and conceptual understanding – that I am a proponent of the system.

I understand and appreciate all the arguments against AP courses: Non-AP courses can sometimes be equally as rigorous and the classes can be less about practical application than they are about memorization for a big standardized test in May. But against those criticisms, I understand the fact that AP courses do tend to be the most challenging, intensive, and fast-paced courses in their subjects. It’s how they’re designed to be, and to be honest, that’s why I think they’re most beneficial to students.

High School courses are excellent at filling us with information and teaching us ways to use that information. But, from what I can tell, the four years following our high school careers and the lives after that will not be as simple.

We’ll have to teach ourselves more and more information, develop even more analytical thinking, and change the way we work.

AP courses are excellent at building these skills. Although they may be criticized for not providing students with enough preparation for the college-level courses they are meant to replicate, they do provide an extremely important “transition” course for students as they progress to college.

It cannot be easily challenged that the rigor provided by AP courses is incredible – it’s what they’re renowned for. Undertaking a challenging course, in which you are expected to teach yourself material and make sure you are ready for the final exam, comes very close to what many students experience in college. This is why the AP system is invaluable in our educational system.

I personally still believe that AP courses are good for all the reasons critics claim they are not, but at their worst, AP courses are

Ian Scoville

Will muoio

ian_scoville@asl.org

good preparation for a college-level course.

Sure, students may not learn quite as much as in the courses they’re supposed to be earning credit for in college, but they are undergoing a course that is similar to what they would experience in college, which at the very least, prepares them for the types of courses they will take.

This experience is incredibly useful to students. The rigor teaches rapid recall of important information and practice for a

crucial final exam. The pace of AP courses pushes students to radically change their study habits; the near constant analysis of concepts and events forces students to change how they think and the tests and essays force students to improve their testtaking and writing skills. Everything is designed to force improvement in the students that undertake these courses.

So, even though AP courses are criticized for the way they force students to learn information, this is one of their greatest aspects.

will_muoio@asl.org

A

common question that rings around the halls of ASL during any given school day is “how many APs are you taking this year?” Students always ask what their fellow classmates are taking. While it is intended to show genuine interest, the Advanced Placement (AP) system can definitely be improved.

While there are more than 30 possible AP classes available worldwide and 21 available at ASL, there is an incentive for students to pile on the amount of AP-level classes.

APs aren’t necessary in many circumstances

order to take something that I am not passionate about.

Students who take an AP are expected to take a final exam in May, and as a school we have very high results (90 percent of ASL students who take an AP score a 3 or higher, according to the school). That said, what is different from an AP exam to a regular grade is that once you receive your scores, you are unsure of what grade is seen as OK for the school that you are interested in applying to.

The purpose of APs is to prepare students for college-level courses. However, there is an ongoing debate saying that these courses do not actually help you once you get into college. For example, there is no AP related to the subject I want to study in college.

Many students do not know what they will be doing in college, so the idea of preparing for something they do not know is unhelpful. Not all colleges offer credit for AP classes, so it is not justified throughout the system.

Another issue with the AP program is that certain courses are taken in addition to the regular ASL curriculum, such as certain languages and English courses. An example of the “work on your own meet once a week” is the AP English Literature course. If you sign up for the Monday meetings you are instructed to meet during a lunch time to go over potential readings that may help you prepare for what would show up on an exam.

However, there was no real attendance requirement for the sessions, which I took last year. Sometimes students forgot to do a reading or sometimes there were better things to do than spend a lunch period working.

Many AP courses are made jguru Photo by Kiran Ra available for students to show However, at some point in what their interests are, but you do not need a student’s life they will feel impelled to take to take AP courses to raise your GPA or get as many AP courses as possible, especially in into your dream college. Unfortunately, there their junior and senior years. That additional is definitely a mindset within this commupressure will only hurt a student in the long nity that your transcript must be filled with run, possibly taking their overall interest excellent scores on AP-level courses. away from a class or subject because of all the I would put less pressure on those students work they think is involved in it. to take APs in order for there to be a genuine It is simply that in the long run you do not interest to take the class. Many students feel need to have four APs to graduate. I am an that they are forced to take many APs in coursexample of someone who does not load their es that they are not interested in. Students schedule with APs. I have additional interests should be interested in the subject whether such as extracurriculars within the school they have the advanced placement option or day, and I would not replace those classes in not, and I believe that is not the case.

•••

Page 12

Opinions

The SAT conundrum

O

ne thousand nine hundred and fifty pounds or approximately $2,925, could buy a plane ticket to the Caribbean, 292 mosquito nets for children in developing countries with high risk for malaria, or a year’s supply of Ben and Jerry’s. It could also pay for ten hours of tuition at a top SAT tutoring firm in London.

I know that I would rather go on a vacation, get involved in philanthropy, or eat ice cream, than have the opportunity to spend hours practicing for a test that won’t teach me anything in the long-term. But with the looming early action deadline having come and gone to a chorus of hushed college discussions reverberating throughout the halls, the decision to spend that money as an investment in the future is beginning to seem less and less crazy.

The SAT isn’t a direct reflection of one’s aptitude. While a student’s score usually does show some truth about their academic profile, it can be easily distorted.

THE STANDARD | October-November 2013

Culture Editor Kate Kennedy explains the problem with our competitive SAT culture

that could be spent doing something else, something more valuable. The academic pressure of high school is enough without adding weekly or bi-weekly tutoring sessions meant to twist your brain around and build up your endurance for a fatiguing test. Aren’t we all fatigued already?

When we spend our time getting rigorously tutored, or intensely studying for the SAT, we are not adding onto our schedule, we are supplanting it. We shouldn’t have to compromise on doing the things we love, even if the only thing we lose is a little bit of time to relax.

As I mentioned, it’s not just time tutoring takes, but arguably more importantly, the money. Although the plan may be affordable for those who take part, that still doesn’t change the fact that the large amount of money that’s being spent on tuition is money that can’t be spent somewhere else.

No one likes to waste time or money, so while SAT tutoring can be helpful, it can also perpetuate an intensively secret competitiveness. It’s no wonder that, with the competi-

rounding that score.

Mainly, I would advocate downscaling the use of private tutors. I think that ASL could take an active role in this by offering more in-school opportunities for preparation that are offered at discounted rates. I know that there are already in-school tutors available and group tutoring sessions, but I believe that these programs could be magnified.

One of the most advantageous ways this could be achieved is by expanding group-based sessions. To make the program more readily available to students, I believe the tutoring sessions could be held at discounted prices and be held on the weekends or at lunchtime so students who play sports or have after school commitments could be more involved.

These sessions could be held on more intimate as well as larger levels; maybe some could even be held like the junior AP English lunch time sessions. To make the program even more flexible, there should be an individually directed process that suggests a plan for preparation and a good prep

I simply believe that there are ways that the ASL community could palpably alleviate the pressure surrounding the process So, if the score can be distorted to show a bad test-taker as less able than they actually are, or a well-studied and good test-taker as more able than they are, why not learn the system and give our applications a little boost with a higher score?

While a logical premise, and largely effective on an individual level, I believe this can become dangerous when it becomes a culture. Not only does it hurt those who aren’t able to take advantage of the system and do not have enough income to hire a tutor or acquire an education that prepares them for the test, it also hurts those who have had the education and can finance the tutoring.

Every hour that is spent preparing for the SAT is an hour

tive culture of ASL and the amount of money and time that is being shelled out in honor of the future, the college process has become incredibly high stakes.

Being immersed in the culture, it’s easy for this to seem normal and natural, but I think that’s a part of the problem.

We have become too accustomed to this high stakes game and have accepted that the ultimate goal of adolescence is to gain acceptance to the most prestigious institutions of higher learning.

While there will be no way to completely rid ASL of the competition surrounding SAT scores, partly because they are concrete and empirical, I believe that as a community we could at least lessen this competition and the pressure sur-

The correlation between a sudent’s SAT score and their income.

Data from nytimes.com

book to use in tandem with that plan. I believe this would encourage a spirit of collaboration and openness that is missing now and could supplant the current mindset of fierce competition.

I’m not advocating that people stop studying for the SAT or being driven in their approach to the college process. I simply believe that there are ways that the ASL community could palpably alleviate the pressure surrounding the process, by encouraging students to work together and downscaling competition.

After all, in the end it’s about developing and growing as people and students and finding the place where we can continue in that process for the next four years of our lives.

•••

THE STANDARD | October-November 2013

Page 13

Opinions

We are the globalization generation Culture Editor Gabriel Ruimy explains how today’s students will lead tomorrow’s movements

I

n July 1799, French diplomat Louis-Guillaume Otto dispatched a letter to senior officials announcing that the French nation had entered the European-American industrialization race; in it was the first recorded use of the term “Industrial Revolution.” Historians debate the beginning of this epoch, but most will agree it had its first effects around the latter half of the 18th century.

A rural economy and society: Two casualties of the first universally-felt modernization of the world. Factories bloomed in cities, ports bustled with foreign trade, iron and coal out-valued human blood and human rights, and monetary currency became the common language.

It was the crude inception of globalization.

D

efined as “the process enabling financial and investment markets to operate internationally, largely as the result of deregulation and improved communications” in the Collins dictionary, globalization is the period of history in which we find ourselves today. It will be responsible for hurtling us to a radically different future, argues Professor Ian Goldin, speaker at recent TEDxASL and director of the 21st Century School at Oxford University.

Whether that future will be a polluted wasteland laden with sociopathic individuals or a vibrant individualistic era of exponential progress will be the result of our decisions - decisions in regulating the general people, containing progress, and controlling our course.

G

lobalization’s economic facet is reminiscent of the Age of Colonization: Established, leading economies take advantage of resources from lower-tier economies. The ensuing pattern of growth is not as polarized as that of imperialistic times for, even though Africa is still the resource cornucopia that feeds modern capitalism, developing economies will, in some way, develop.

But inequality still retains some face. Those who profit from these resources (the U.S. and China, primarily) take seven-figured GDPs per capita, whereas the first sub-Saharan African nation shows up in 28th place in world rankings.

Nations are growing, nations are stagnating, and, lastly, nations are dictating. Similarly to the Scramble for Africa in the late 19th century, today the world scours for resources. But they don’t only come in the form of material appropriation; the most valued resource of today and tomorrow is the skill.

T

he most important word here is ‘we’.

For when the calendar retorts 2030, we will be the pioneering generation:

1.08 billion smartphones

By convenience of birth date, our generation - those in middle schools, high schools, and universities today - will be the 1850 coalmines. And I don’t make radical statements here: It was fossil fuels that ignited and maintained the Industrial Revolution, it will be skills that harness and nurture the globalization revolution.

The impetus for innovation will be our education, the means for innovation will be our efforts. Goldin puts it forth this way: “The war on talent. The need to attract people of all skill ranges: To push us around in our wheelchairs, but also to drive our economies and our innovation, will be vital.”

Tomorrow, it is the students of today that will carry the world. As population trends change from pyramids (immense youthful generations) to coffins (immense aging generations), unprecedented responsibilities will be delegated to us. How will we provide the labor to support the pensions of hundreds of millions? To support volatile economies? To support a decaying atmosphere?

Efficiency, deriving from the application of our skills, will become the defining factor to our carrying capacity.

Without skills, the furnaces of globalization will stagnate. And that is the most daunting prospect: Where growth is expected but not realized, it is failure and chaos that follow - look at GDP trends, look at past financial crises.

To embrace our technology, to embrace our education, and to embrace a concept of limitlessness – that is the most expedient course of action from the generation that will be faced with carrying our world.

The answer, like many of the concepts and dangers of globalization, eludes us today.

But to let it continue running ahead of us would be to plunge in uncertainty, with the weight of approximately nine billion people.

Gravity would almost beckon us into oblivion.

T

oday, there are 1.08 billion smartphones in circulation, according to Strategy Analytics. Nearly all of them have greater capacities than the computers that landed the first manned spaceflight to the moon, Apollo

Capacity to destroy planet

Universal transparency

11. As everything gets smaller, everything becomes more accessible. Universal transparency, something we are approaching in today’s digital age, is itself a very daunting idea, as recent foreign relations crises regarding intelligence leaks can attest. However, it is not just knowledge people are attaining, it is the ability to realize this knowledge into consequential, possibly tangible objects.

Three-dimensional printing can be seen as a microcosm of the globalization controversy: Power is being given to the general, unpredictable public. Will some take the path of Cody Wilson, a 25-year-old University of Texas law student who envisages creating semiautomatic weapons using 3D printing, or the path of Anthony Atala, of Wake Forest Institute, who recreated the scaffolds for human organs using cells in 3D printing?

“An individual for the first time in the history of humanity will have the capacity, by 2030, to destroy the planet; to wreck everything through the creation, for example, of a bio-pathogen,” Goldin said.

And it goes beyond that as globalization is making our many nations an ecosystem.

Where symbiotic relationships will form, destructive ones will too. In an unprecedented step in history we cannot discern right from wrong yet. The possibility of weaving economies

and societies together is faced with the immutable possibility of conglomerate downfall: Will we introduce an invasive species or will we fill a necessary niche?

Globalization, by empowering the miniature, facilitating communication, and emphasizing collective work, is going to reshape the socio-political landscape of our world. And since no facet of civilization stands independent, we will see human society revolutionized into destruction and smog or revolutionized into a futuristic age of human semi-omnipotence.

T

he most likely of futures is one that strikes the balance between the two.

The power of the mobile will grow to a point where the individual and his instigated mobocracy will shape governments and foreign affairs as much as the decisions of our presidents.

Our world will be connected physically and virtually; freight and knowledge will move in masses on cyberspace, vulnerable to cyber pirates and cyber accidents. We will be at the mercy of our security.

Immigration and elaborate educational systems will nurture growing talent pools.

But, as tragic incidents like the Lampedusa shipwreck illustrate, we still do not have the capacity to promote and empower immigration without shortfalls.

Today and tomorrow we will need to walk precariously but assertively. On our path to radical innovation, many features of our society regulations, traditions, people even - will tumble over the edge. It is an inevitable condition of our society and our globe’s carrying capacity.

Victor Frankenstein, in Mary Shelley’s timeless piece, defines an honorable voyage: “Wherefore was it glorious? Not because the way was smooth and placid as a southern sea, but because it was full of dangers and terror.”

Shortfalls will mark our daily, but that is a marking feature of any exodus. For in the end, it will be to reach a ‘promised land’, promised by a culmination of centuries of philosophies and innovations.

The four capitals of globalization: (From top left clockwise) New York, USA; London, England; Hong Kong, China and Johannesburg, South Africa.

Graphic by Hamish Stephenson, Top left photo from flickr.com/b00NJ, top right photo from flickr.com/brostad, bottom left photo from flickr.com/Austinevan, bottom right photo from flickr.com/Oxborrow

77

237,868

the average amount the percent of Ameriof victims of rape and cans that believes that celebrities have sexual assault too much influence each year on young women data from rainn.org

DATA FROM 2007 NEWSWEEK POLL

PHOTOS FROM (LEFT TO RIGHT): flickr.com/CELEBRITYFASHION, mctcampus.com/Nancy Kaszerman, flickr.com/al7n6awi

T

SEXUALIZATION AWAKENING

While the sexualization of women based on clothing has been a contentious topic for decades, a current trend in popular culture has hit the younger generation. News Editor Charlotte Young looks into how women are perceived based on their choice of clothing

he topic of how women are perceived based on their clothing choices is being debated at ASL, in all aspects of the community, including extracurriculars and classes. English teacher Eve Ellis assigned her students, as per the English 10 curriculum, the short story “A&P” by John Updike, which is told from the perspective of a teenage boy watching girls wearing bathing suits in the supermarket where he worked.

When her students discussed the story at the Harkness Table, it soon became a heated conversation about the sexual observations he made about these young women, and whether it was unfair for men to think certain things about a girl based on what she is wearing.

Every day, the sexualization of women is becoming a more relevant and contentious issue. As public figures such as Miley Cyrus, Rihanna and Kim Kardashian set the tone of what is socially acceptable to wear, or in some cases to not wear, women’s clothing choice now evokes negative connotations.

en. Recently, one of the singer’s business ventures has been teaming up with River Island to create her own collection for the brand. Undeniably, women will be buying her clothing, leading to Rihanna’s own personal style to influence theirs.

While women like Cyrus and Rihanna have influenced women’s choice in clothing, whether it be in a positive or negative way, protection of women based on their clothing choices has now become a widely discussed topic. This is because rape victims are, unlike many other victims of crime, often blamed for their attacker’s actions.

In 2005, a poll by Amnesty International found that 26 percent of people believed that a woman is totally or partially responsible [for being raped] if she is wearing revealing clothing.

Cammie Rosen (’16) was one of the students who discussed “A&P” in Ms. Ellis’s English class. “I was really surprised about the comments that some people made,” she said. “I didn’t think that some people would be so offensive

At the same time, Phillips does not think that what women specifically choose to wear should impact their own personal safety. “I would really hope that we don’t have to be concerned about women’s safety [at ASL],” he said. “I know that there are issues with women’s safety around the world and I don’t know if that has any direct kind of relationship with the clothing they wear. I would imagine in certain places it does impact, but it shouldn’t.”

Omar Elmasry (’14) agrees with Phillips’ views on how apparel can distort perception. “I hope that everyone is aware that the way they dress is what people see you as.

People do judge each other based on that,” he said. “I hope though that we judge each other for our character instead of our clothes but that’s not always the case.”

Gareth Rees (’16) does think that what women wear affects men’s expectations of them. This in turn creates an issue with crossing boundaries due to their perceptions of the women’s clothing having a hidden meaning. “It’s like if you see someone dressed like a police officer, you expect

Men can have whatever expectations they want in their head. It only matters if the girl maintains her self-respect regardless of if her clothing represents that.

Torrey Coe (’14) Elizabeth Vann (’16) sees an issue with media affecting girls’ attire at social events. “I think the whole media culture and the ads of sexualization of skinny women has a play on our society for sure. Girls take what they see around them and just try to mirror it,” she said. “Nobody thinks it’s bad because its become such a norm.”

Miley Cyrus is a public figure who has recently undergone a transformation. Once praised as a role model for teenage girls, Cyrus has shed her clean image for a more provocative one. Cyrus’ showed her new identity through her recent VMA’s performance and photoshoot with Terry Richardson, a famous photographer recently under fire due to models he has worked with accusing him of sexual assault and using intimidation to get them to pose and dress more provocatively while being photographed.

Cyrus is a prominent example of media influencing the clothing choices of women, but R&B singer Rihanna is also met with criticism due to her choice in clothing. While Rihanna has never specifically cited herself as a role model or drastically changed her wardrobe over her years of fame, she does influence the choice of clothing for young wom-

towards women. It was shocking when some of my classmates said that they thought the three girls were ‘asking for it’ by wearing the swimsuits.”

Isabelle Preddy (’15) strongly disagrees with the interpretation that if a girl dresses provocatively she is inherently asking to be noticed. “I’m repulsed by the fact that people start to defend the idea that by what somebody wears they are asking for a certain thing to happen,” she said.

Preddy believes that a girl can dress as she pleases, and she shouldn’t be judged based on what she is wearing, or be met with unwanted sexual advances. “It’s horrible to say that because if somebody does want to go out and buy a certain skirt they are asking for attention,” she said. “In no way is that skirt asking for her to be raped, because the moment she says no, that skirt means nothing.”

While Preddy believes that dressing a certain way does not and should not produce unwanted attention, Principal Jack Phillips regards this idea otherwise, thinking that clothing does send messages to others. “I think it would be naïve to say that one’s clothes do not send some kind of message one way or another,” he said.

them to be a police officer; if you see someone dressed like a slut, you expect them to be a slut,” Rees said.

Torrey Coe (’14) sees clothing that young women like herself wear as creative fashion statements that are popularized and merchandized by different celebrities. “I do think there are girls that dress in a provocative way to up their self esteem and to feel self empowered,” she said.

“Not only is provocative clothing fun and gives a sense of thrill, but it also makes girls feel like they look good if they are shown attention for their outfit.”

Coe is proud of the statement her choice of apparel makes, but does see that men place expectations on women based on their style. “I definitely think that clothing choices can give men certain expectations about a woman’s character and values,” she said.

However, Coe doesn’t perceive what men think as being a problem. “I don’t think that this matters at all if in the end, the girl’s actions don’t go along with those expectations. Men can have whatever expectations they want in their head. It only matters if the girl maintains her selfrespect regardless of if her clothing represents that.”

Features •••

Page 16

Sexualization

THE STANDARD | October-November 2013

One Young World

Experiences in storytelling Lunch With The Standard: Fares Chehabi sits down with ASL parent and distinguished storyteller Elaine Proctor to discuss gender and diversity and her work in film and writing

Around two weeks prior to our conversation, Elaine Proctor delivered an illuminating speech on the power and importance of storytelling at ASL’s first-ever TEDx event. As an award-winning filmmaker (her 1993 film Friends earned the Caméra d’Or Special Distinction at the Cannes Film Festival), Proctor was certainly speaking from a position of authority. Moreover, her first novel, Rhumba, was published in 2011 to critical acclaim.

In our email correspondence, Proctor expresses humble reluctance to be interviewed, as she thinks that ASL has heard enough from her for the time being. As a compromise, she finds it apt to select a topic other than her achievements and future goals as the focus of our discussion.

One of her first suggestions is a discussion concerning gender and diversity. “There are obviously incredibly skilled men and women on the faculty and incredibly able students who are of all genders and ethnicities and religions and goodness knows what else,” she says of ASL. “But I do think that historical precedence

“Very often women who have families, who are very talented... actually pull back.” and our particular identity as a hybrid international school in this city requires us to be more self-aware about how we want to represent our global world in our student and faculty populations, and I think that we’re not quite there yet. I don’t think anybody would say we are.”

The issue of diversity for Proctor is longstanding. In the 1980s, she produced several anti-Apartheid documentaries in her native South Africa, an experience she called “a liberation from my white privilege.”

Following her work during the Apartheid, Proctor’s experiences within the film industry itself provided further exposure of diversityrelated discord, this time between genders, not races. “Film is a much more male world than books. I think it has to do with the fact that, when you write a book, you don’t need the sort of huge machinery that a feature film or a large film project requires, so you’re not having to convince vast numbers of people or maneuver huge resources.

“The other very real limitation for women working in film is that it’s a very time-consuming business and when you’re making a film, you seriously don’t do anything else. It’s extremely difficult to find any work-life balance, so very often women who have families, who are very talented and able and should be finding a way to continue to work, actually pull back,” she says.

Since the conclusion of filming of her 2000 film Kin, Proctor is yet to return to the director’s chair, although she is confident of doing

so in the future. “I’m sure I will make another film again one day,” she said.

When she was more active in film, Proctor was also dealing with the demands of raising her children. Nonetheless, she describes the experience of simultaneously raising her children and working in film as “pleasurable.”

She continues: “I think one has to accept that one is phenomenally busy all the time, which is invigorating and extraordinary and illuminating. And you learn constantly about yourself and about your work, but it does suit me much better to write books as opposed to making films because I can be at home and pick up my children from school, and I can engage in their needs, which is hugely important to me and them.

“But I also think that, for me, it wouldn’t be sufficient to only do that. Partly because I learnt that being a storyteller was just so primary in my life, so the need to do it doesn’t ever go away,” she says.

Recently, Proctor submitted the final draft of her second novel, The Savage Hour, which she expects to be published in March 2014.

As a creative, the process of writing a novel, she believes, allows her to delve deeper than the process of writing a film script. “You can invent in a much freer way, in fact. And you can also have much more of an internal voice.

So, in a film, the golden rule of writing a film script is that you never, ever write anything that you cannot then physically realize. So you can’t say ‘she feels afraid’ or ‘he’s full of anger.’

You have to say ‘he picks up the bottle and breaks it against the wall’ to show what you mean.

“But in a novel, even though it has its own demands of show and tell, you can actually talk about the inner world of a character or a series of characters or a situation. I think it allows you to go more deeply into the heart, of the inner life, of the story you’re telling,” she says.

It should be noted that Proctor’s Rhumba originally started as a film script before eventually being published as a book.

As a result of discussions which Proctor did not initiate, however, the book is set to be adapted into a film with production beginning in 2014. “I find myself not wanting to [adapt Rhumba into a film] myself and being ready to give it to somebody else, and I think it will become something very, very different, and I hope it does. Very different from the film I initially imagined, even,” she says.

Proctor cannot say the same for her upcoming novel, though. “But my new book I would quite like to make [into a movie] myself because I think that there’s a creative journey between the fact that it was written as a book and what it could be as a film. With Rhumba, I feel like I’ve kind of done that already, so I’m ready to say ‘it’s actually mature, it’s not mine anymore, you can take it and do what you want with it.’”

FILM AWARDS WON BY PROCTOR Caméra d’Or Special Disctincton (Cannes Film Festival)

Sutherland Trophy (British Film Institute)

Golden Dragon (Krakow Film Festival)

Friends (1993)

On The Wire (1990)

Palesa (1988)

Elaine Proctor is a renowned filmmaker and novelist. Her first novel, Rhumba, was published in 2011 to critical acclaim, while her 1993 film Friends earned the Caméra d’Or Special Distinction at the Cannes Film Festival.

Illustration by Caroline Tisdale

THE STANDARD | October-November 2013

•••

Page 17

Features

Seeing the world through a new lens Features Editor Zack Longboy sat down with Alex Liederman to discuss his experience at the One Young World summit in Johannesburg, South Africa

A

lex Liederman (’16), flanked by Vogue model and actress Lily Cole to his right and top Chinese news anchor James Chau to his left, walked through the halls of the Nelson Mandela archives, shell-shocked. “It was unreal being around these amazing people,” he said. “I didn’t know how to act.”

While the majority of the High School was on Alternatives, Liederman was attending the prestigious One Young World summit in Johannesburg, South Africa.

This annual event brings together delegates from all over the world drawing 1,250 participants from 190 countries this year, with the intention of discussing and formulating solutions to the worlds’ most pressing issues.

Liederman’s father, Carl, was recently appointed CEO of One Young World, a Londonbased charity whose goal is

than 1000 participants. “I felt more mature,” he said, “almost as if I was one of the delegates, changing the world. I was a part of it; I wasn’t just a spectator.”

Each day consisted of a main session where delegates presented a problem through their own experience, and then a discussion with questions from the audience. Speakers included entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson, astronaut Ron Garan, Editor-in-Chief of the Huffington Post Arianna Huffington, and chef Jamie Oliver.

For Liederman, the conven-

would describe it as intense,” he said. “They spoke openly about living with the disease and about their personal experiences.” Even though Liederman can only imagine living with HIV/AIDS, he learned that having confidence in himself was an important part of developing his character. “What I took away from that panel is to be who I am, and to have no shame,” he said.

After that, Liederman said, “I didn’t want to miss a moment.”

As Liederman walked through the restroom door on

[It was] almost as if I was one of the delegates, changing the world Alex Liederman (’16)

Above: The crowd observes a speech by former United Nations member Kofi Annan. Overall the summit drew 1,250 spectators.

Right: Delegates from 190 nations gather outside Soccer City arena, the site of the One Young World Summit opening ceremony. top: photo by Yarra elmasry all other photos by alex liederman

to create positive change, and decided to offer his son the chance to observe the summit even though he was under the required age of 18.

Despite being underage, One Young World gave Liederman a VIP pass to roam freely throughout the venue on the condition that he act as photographer for the organization’s Facebook page.

One of many different news outlets covering the conference, the Huffington Post, was also looking for a dedicated photographer. After seeing a selection of Liederman’s photographs, they asked him to represent the Huffington Post as their photographer for the remainder of the conference.

This opportunity as a photographer, and part time “water boy” for the delegates, helped Liederman forget that he was the youngest of more

tion was both enjoyable and eye-opening. “It was interesting to hear how they’ve accomplished what they have and really their life’s story and journey,” he said. Moments of realization as well as those of amusement filled his trip.

A speech by Amanda Dufresne, a victim of violent sexual assualt, especially resonated with Liederman.

“At that moment, listening to [Dufresne] talk about her experience, being raped at 16 years of age, I realized how serious the summit was and how many problems there are in the world that this conference was helping to solve.”Despite the humor that laced many of the speeches, there were striking moments like these which stuck out in Liederman’s mind.

On the second day of the conference, Liederman listened intently to the HIV/AIDS panel. “I

his first day, the only urinal left was next to Sir Richard Branson. Branson, one of Britain’s most renowned businessmen and entrepreneurs, was among the 1,250 delegates at the summit this year, but one that Liederman had especially been looking to meet. “People will probably laugh at this,” Liederman said, “but urinating next to Sir Richard Branson was a light bulb moment for me.”

It was a moment that Liederman will without a doubt, never forget. “I mean I see him on TV all the time, not really as a real person but superior in some way,” he said. “It was eye opening. I was there; among these incredible people, and they were human too.”

••• For more, see standard.asl.org.

Culture •••

Page 18

Video Games

ASL Radio

THE STANDARD | October-November 2013

Breaking Bad

Concerts: The Theater of Music Culture Editor Gabriel Ruimy explores the constituents of memorable concerts and their origins

T

he 18,000-strong O2 Arena erupts in a fist-pumping, wildjumping, screech-screaming mass. It’s the euphoria that’s induced by a cocktail of theatrical artists, like-tasted throng, and really, really loud music. “Allow me to reintroduce myself...My name is HOV!!”

“It wasn’t his theatrics, and it’s not that I’m a huge fan of his music; it’s just that it was JAY Z,” Eliza Moyle (’15) said when describing JAY Z’s Magna Carta tour that swept by the O2 Arena in mid-October.

Some artists have a natural charisma that goes beyond their music, beyond their theatrics, and beyond the venue where they are performing; they can literally wake up on stage and make an unforgettable night.

The five-figured audience was not a group that often congregates, explained Moyle. There were chil-

one-off shows and those daunted or disinterred to face a huge audience.

It boasts a carrying capacity of just under 4,200. These close quarters, Tariq Akrouk (’14) explained, creates a “community.”

Brixton, located across the river but still in southwest London, is often perceived as being a dangerous neighborhood. But, argues, Akrouk: “Inside the Academy, it’s safe, it’s small; there’s a friendly environment that survives through the night. I went to see Wiz Khalifa there, and the only time you actually have to worry is when you leave.” Akrouk, a rap fan, believes the Academy is the “authentic” and “toned-down” version of the Arena.

The audience is there for the music and only that; it creates a homogeneous audience of ardent fans.

It is the popular convention versus the pragmatic get-together; both

er that accrues the highest number of attendees is concerts. But beware: Concert music, as anyone who has attended a concert could testify, is not just music. It is a revival of the Athenian theatrics on a stage designed for the creation of vocal or instrumental music.

The popular amphitheaters of then have been replaced by the huge concert halls of today; the aforementioned O2 Arena becoming the most prominent in the world, ranking first, with 1.9 million ticket sales in 2011.

An amalgam of drama and music becomes the euphoric solution that are blockbusting concerts.

It’s not just sound anymore, it’s sight too.

T

here’s usually a trek there, then there’s a long queue, then there’s a bustling semi-stam-

An amalgam of drama and music becomes the euphoric solution that are blockbusting concerts. dren, there were teenagers, there were adults; there were boys, there were girls; some were black, some were white, and everything in between. “Rap and hip-hop are some of a genres of music that appeal to everyone,” Moyle continued. The semi-poetic lyricism, laden with references to sexualization, drugs, and lavish lives, seems to transcend any specific niche.

“I went to JAY Z a few days ago,” Alex Liederman (’16) began. How was it? “It was good.” So, did it go beyond your expectations of an average concert? “The crowd was fantastic; everyone was into the music.

The O2 [Arena] is a great venue for events like these,” he continued. A mixture of communicative ecstasy from close-proximity mosh-pitters’ demeanours and a spacious location did it for Liederman.

The artist performed, but so did the audience.

Forty minutes on the London Underground and you find yourself at another O2 venue (sometimes marketing goes beyond TV advertisements and posters), the O2 Academy Brixton, known for attracting

have their lures, both have their faults.

T

hen and now: Western theater originated from ancient Athens where masked men would sing, dance, and move; where masked men would perform drama.

It was described as “an arrangement of incidents” by Aristotle, first theoretician of the theater. Openair amphitheaters were the favored settings for plays, where ingenious acoustics acted as surrogates to today’s sound systems. Festivals then usually revolved around celebrating Dionysus, Greek deity of wine and fertility (who, unironically, became the celestial face of all things fun) most famed of these festivals was the Dionysia.

Celebrities back then were not the general performer, but the playwright; names to remember would be Sophocles, for his Theban plays; Aeschylus, for his tragedies; and Euripides, for his, well, many plays.

Drama, for the Athenian Greeks, was the most popular form of entertainment.

Today, though, the genre of theat-

pede to get back home. Who cares, you have your friends with you. It’s your favorite artists a few meters from you, it’s the music you revel in being blasted, and it’s the people who agree on your musical tastes that surround you. And it’s for an entire night.

Grammy-winning artists pass by every few months. From Coldplay to Justin Bieber, London is a necessary stop on every world tour.

Some use theatrics (refer to Justin Bieber’s angel suit, or, alternatively, will.i.am’s Tron Legacy-looking bike), and some just sing. Whatever happens, the social congregation that attends create the thriving atmosphere for music to work its chemical magic.

A study at McGill University showed that “good” music - as defined by the subjects - activates the same parts of the brain that fire up when ingesting food and drugs or having sex. Furthermore, music conducts excessive amounts of blood to the parts of the brain associated with rewards, arousal, and emotion.

No wonder concerts are such a turn-up.

Skepta performing live at NASS Festival in July 2013.

PHOTO BY HAMISH STEPHENSON

•••

THE STANDARD | October-November 2013

B 6

Guest Writer Ahmed Al-Ramly talks about the excellencies of Breaking Bad

Y

ou’ve probably heard about it. The series that fans can’t seem to stop going on about to the point where it’s probably irritating. The religious fanbase is ubiquitous: It’s present in the murmuring in the hallways, on your Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Instagram news feeds.

Breaking Bad follows the plight of Walter White, an overly-qualified 50-year-old high school chemistry teacher battling with his submissive and powerless approach to life.

He is often dealt the wrong cards, but does nothing to change them. Discovering he has terminal lung cancer, and that he has neither enough money for the treatment nor enough money to support his family if he dies, White begins to manufacture crystal meth.

Initially, White seeks the meth business as the only feasible way to provide for his family, utilizing his beyond-genius knowledge of chemistry. Soon, he finds himself drawn to a dark side, where human resolve and a longing to delve into darkness are displayed.

Giving himself a disguising alias, he uses “Heisenberg” as his powerful alter ego, filling his life with danger and thrill. White, the Albuquerque drug-realm know-nothing, becomes Heisenberg, king of the meth underworld.

The show seeks to answer three overarching questions, all framed by White’s perverse ambition to succeed in his new corrupt ambit: What’s right and wrong? Does sympathy for a character overpower our human ethics? Walter White has cancer, his son has cerebral palsy, he’s underachieved his whole life and watched his colleagues far surpass him, but does that excuse becoming a crystal meth manufacturing criminal? Unanswerable questions in society, and all that based in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

“Does our sympathy for him allow us to root for his rise to power as a drug kingpin?”

The series greatly challenges morals.

Throughout the series, White’s actions push and pull viewers, and the question remains, does our sympathy for him allow us to root for his rise to power as a drug kingpin?

Sure, White kills a man, but, come on, he’s a got cancer. White served a lifetime of “good”, teaching students, fathering a son with a disability, but never earning the money nor the power to show for his good deeds, so is it ok for him to ruthlessly take the drug-world by storm, and find success in manufacturing and selling crystal meth? I rooted for Walter, but I

Page 19

Culture

reaking d

question myself for it, and that’s why I admire Breaking Bad. The series revolves around power and how far one can go to acquire it, and remain admired - pretty far apparently. Breaking Bad answers questions like does sympathy overpower ethics.

And it answers yes, sympathy does overpower human ethics, but then, purposefully, leaves questions unanswered like what is right and what is wrong?

Breaking Bad is compelling because it accurately, and beautifully, hones in on the

human fascination with darkness. Perhaps you won’t go and cook crystal meth yourself, but you love watching someone do it. We love watching the ordinary man turn into the criminal, and we love seeing how he got there. Walter White is a 50 year-old chemistry teacher and family man, how did he turn into a drug lord?

Criminality, darkness; the unknown possesses a voyeuristic lure, and Breaking Bad plunges right into the heart of it and what do you know? It captures viewers. The same goes for The Sopranos, a TV series based around the life of a mobster in New Jersey, which was rated the number one written TV series of all time by the Writers Guild of America. Why do you think that is?

The development of characters in the series connects fans both sympathetically and empathetically. You either feel sorry for some characters, you can see yourself in their shoes, or you hate them so much you wish they would die.

Ultimately it creates an I-feel-like-I-know-thecharacter-personally kinship.

White experiences astronomical progression, or regression, as a character, but he isn’t the only character in Breaking Bad that breaks bad or grows good. Each character develops into something they were not initially, along the way showing their strengths and weaknesses.

Jesse Pinkman, White’s meth-manufacturing partner, Skyler White, White’s wife, Hank Schrader, White’s brother-in-law Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) agent and Marie Schrader, White’s sister-in-law nurse, all experience a turn in character that connects with viewers. Jesse, who introduces White to the drug world, started out as a criminal but grows into a character fighting to break out of the drugworld and into a better person, all this alongside White, who’s doing the exact opposite. You like characters, then you’ll hate them, then you’ll like them again, taking viewers on a fluctuating

“When you get home, watch Breaking Bad. You won’t regret it. For those of you who’ve already watched it: Rewatch it.” rollercoaster ride.

Breaking Bad rose from a lucky-to-air, low-budget television series on budding network AMC, and rose to the top-rated television series on IMDB. The series is based in tremendous writing and outstanding acting. As a dedicated fan, it’s my job to share my advice: When you get home, watch Breaking Bad. You won’t regret it. For those of you who’ve already watched it: Rewatch it.

•••

Page 20

Culture the

THE STANDARD | October-November 2013

gaming

Culture

Graphic by Jessica Haghani and Gabriel Ruimy

Features Editor Zack Longboy examines the changing role of the video game culture at ASL as it becomes more accepted and prevalent

THE STANDARD | October-November 2013

S

ol Khalaf (’16) faked a cough as he talked to his friends. “I’m sick,” he said, making air quotes with his fingers. “Let’s go back to your house and play video games.”

Khalaf admitted to, when he was in grade 9, skipping electives to play video games at a friend’s house.

“I would consider myself addicted,” he said. “When the new title of my favorite game comes out I see a dip in the amount of homework I actually do.”

A video game culture has grown at ASL over the past few years, a possible result of the rapidly evolving stereotypes attached to gamers. Ben Hewett (’17) believes that because “gaming has become a lot more accepted in society, the culture at ASL has grown stronger.”

Historically, students who

evision series, like South Park, do little to assuage these fears as they paint gamers as people “with no lives.”

Opposing its outcast label, many students like Christopher Vann (’15), believe there are important social factors when it comes to gaming. Multiplayer gaming, or playing online with players from around the world, is very popular. “A lot of people just talk about games with their friends,” Vann said.

Some games, according to Sam Fossum (’14), are created to be “good social games,” or games played “just because they are socially easier to play,” he said.

“Now, [my friends and I] Skype each other when we play so it’s almost like you’re having a phone call with your friends.” For him social games include “shooters” where the purpose of the game is

•••

Page 21

Culture

“As a gamer you have to build up a resistance or an immunity to that.”

From his personal experience, Costin has noticed in the more popular, mainstream games such as Call of Duty titles. “They’ll yell at you, curse at you, bully you really. But communities of other [lesser known] games like Battlefield, can be understanding and helpful,” he said.

Fossum believes the negative aspects of gaming can also be self-inflicted. He thinks that gaming in moderation is fine but sometimes it can go too far.

“Gaming is a good supplement to your social life, but it shouldn’t be the focus,” he said.

In the guide that all psychologists are issued, The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), there is no mention of video game addic-

‘‘There are a lot of people

different systems, like reward systems which make you want to come back and play,” he said.

At ASL more than 10 percent of people identified themselves as addicted to video games. This addictive pastime can create a distraction for many students, which includes an effect on academics. “Academics always come first, but I do know a lot of people that don’t feel the same way and put gaming in front,” Hewett said. Although, as every year becomes more academically challenging, with a larger volume of work to focus on, Hewett said he is trying to phase out his gaming habits so they don’t affect him later in his high school career.

Fossum agreed that games cannot consume as much of time for upperclassmen. “Junior and sophomore year we definitely played a lot more; now, with col-

fun of me or we bond over the fact we can play games together,” she said.

Oliver believes there are no benefits to playing video games, “none at all.” If this is truly the case, then why are video games so popular?

For Vann it is the knowledge that he absorbs from the games.

“Playing Total War (a game that includes real historical events), I learned an absurd amount about Rome which really kicked off my interest to pursue it,” he said.

Another self-labeled avid gamer Dhruv Sarup (’14) agrees with Vann. “I’ve read a lot about history and I can apply it to video games. That’s enjoyable for me,” he said.

For Evans, video games are a part of her life because of the influence of those around her.

I know that play video games way

more than I do but they just don’t want to be seen like that at school.

”

They think it will ruin their reputation David Costin (‘16)

play video games have been cast in a negative light, stereotypically classified as “nerds” or “geeks.”

However, Hewett feels ASL is different. “Gaming is often looked at as nerdy or something that outcasts do,” he said. “Now it’s more accepted.”

Although it seems ASL is an accepting community when it comes to gamers, David Costin (’16) disagrees. “A lot of people don’t want to be seen as someone who plays video games, because that’s not considered cool,” Costin said.“There are a lot of people I know that play video games way more than I do but they just don’t want to be seen like that at school.

They think it will ruin their reputation.”

Many popular films and tel-

to shoot your enemies.

In a survey conducted by The Standard, almost 20 percent of the 160 people polled, selected shooter games as the genre they most frequently play. According to Fossum, these games take little to no effort or thinking and that is what makes them so popular.

Riley Evans (’17) also finds that video games can be used for social purposes and to connect with friends that are even further away.“I use video games to interact with my friends in the U.S. by playing them online,” she said.

Unfortunately, despite the many positive aspects of multiplayer gaming, it has paved the way for a new form of cyber-bullying. “No matter what game you play you will come across teasing and bullying; gamers online can be pretty brutal,” Hewett said,

tion as an official diagnosis. Despite this, Guidance Counselor Stephanie Oliver has “seen people who spend countless hours on the games.” She added: “[It is] when people are losing interest in activities, and drawing away from other people, that’s what an addiction is.”

Many agree with Oliver about the severity of the issue. “I’ll admit I do find it hard to stop,” Costin said. “Certain games have elements where you feel you are really invested. It starts to become a habit and at a certain point you’re just going through the motions. It becomes so familiar you just can’t imagine not playing it.”

Hewett on the other hand, believes some games are intentionally created with addictive components. “Many actually have

lege [applications], we have a lot less time for gaming,” he said.

When Evans, who classifies herself as an avid gamer, was asked to do an interview for this article, many of her friends laughed at her. At ASL, just like in many other communities, female gamers are few and far between.

Vann believes this is because “the video games industry has been focused on teenage boys and young adult males forever. It’s not catered towards female gamers.”

A possible reason could be the lack of female developers in the industry. This year, a study from the Boston Globe found women make up only 11 percent of game developers.

For Evans, it is societal pressure that scares away female gamers. “When I talk about a game with my friends, they either make

“Growing up with two brothers is the reason I play video games, it’s what I’m used to,” she said. “Girls are raised to play with dolls, while for boys it’s ‘go build a fort out in the yard.’ The way most people are brought up influences their gaming,” she added.

For Costin there is a more subliminal reason why people play video games. “Playing a video game might mean you are trying to forget something in your life.

Maybe some people are looking to feel a sense of achievement and since they are not feeling it in their real lives, they look to a virtual world,” he said.

However, for many, including Fossum, the answer is clear.

“For me it’s all about fun,” he said with a laugh. “I just enjoy taking over the world, again and again.”

•••

Page 22

Culture

THE STANDARD | October-November 2013

ASL Radio set to surprise Staff Writer Sebastian Mayr looks into the mission and identity of ASL Radio

A vibrant and energetic buzz surrounds the table where members of ASL Radio propose innovative ideas and finalize previous ones. The group eagerly discusses the potential setbacks and consequences of one idea, as the excitement for the next release date gradually builds.

A month into the 2013-2014 school year, the ASL Radio team reconvenes after having sustained heavy casualties: Of the previous 13-strong team, seven are gone.

Filling the empty shoes left behind by last year’s leaders are captains Nicole Adams (’14), Maddie Briggs (’14) and Lucia Proctor-Bonbright (’14), who make up a newly dominant female dynamic present in ASL Radio for the 2013-14 school year.

With a freshly formed team consisting of three captains, four producers and 10 other remaining members, the captains hope to implement a system throughout ASL Radio where everyone is in charge of recording their ideas and contributing to the running segments featured in the podcasts.

Whether they participate in the odd interview or become full-time members, ASL Radio’s humorous and witty appeal has compelled many students to join the club since its establishment.

“This isn’t a club that you just sign up for and shouldn’t do anything

nity,” Proctor-Bonbright said. Proctor-Bonbright, who had previously collaborated with several members of ASL Radio on creative endeavours such as Writers’ Seminar last year,

“We are really trying to appeal to a broader audience, not any certain niche of the High School” Madeline Briggs (’14), Co-Captain of ASL Radio

PHOTO by TRILOK SADARANGANI ASL Radio Captains Proctor-Bonbright, Briggs, and Adams (from left to right) in the recording studio. for. You have the choice to actually make a difference and contribute,” full-time ASL Radio member Louisa Phillips (’15) said. Phillips, a two-year veteran of ASL Radio, was enticed to join the club by the participation of her older sister, Emma Phillips (’o9), in podcasts.

Media Services Coordinator and Advisor of ASL Radio Chris Clark mentioned an important aspect of the club: “The club is not attempting to change the world or be too high-

brow,” Clark said.

Clark emphasizes that the members don’t take themselves too seriously, but instead are simply running a student-directed group that is predominantly based around having fun. This concept has been a fundamental part of the club’s mission since its inception.“It has a kind of organic direction all on its own, and that is the joy of it,” Clark said.

“ASL Radio has become this sort of quirky part of the ASL commu-

Winter essentials

grew more interested in the club after realizing how fun the club and its members were.

ASL Radio’s comical recordings have received high viewership from the student body. “I’ve acted through FeedBurner which tracks how many viewers we get on every episode and I literally expected it to be about 20 when it was handed over to me last year. I looked and there were at least 100-200 viewers for every single episode,” Briggs said.

ASL Radio is in fact a lot more popular than the student body perceives it to be, and the members are trying to eradicate the image of ASL Radio not being taken seriously.

Despite this viewership, ProctorBonbright still notes, “People know

Culture Editor Gabriel Ruimy outlines the wardrobe necessities for this coming winter

Zara W

omen H

As winter approaches

£16.0 £25.0

£79.9

0

ben man

sher

Ben Sherman Gloves

9

£39.00

Zara

Wome

TOPSHOP Scarf

cJ ket a n

at

£19.99

0

, it’s beginning to get quite nippy outside. While really it’s the season to stay in, have some hot chocolate and sit by the TV watching How I Met Your Mother on repeat with your girlfriend or boyfriend, for those lacking a companion and who are daring enough to head out and about in the British weather, here is are some winter essentials.

ASL Radio exists, mainly because we talk about it at assemblies, but I don’t think it’s listened to as much as we would want it to [be].”

Proctor-Bonbright believes the club’s popularity could be increased and wants to get even more of a following and involvement from the student body. “We talk during assemblies and we’ve been trying this year by creating a Twitter, Instagram and Facebook page. We are trying to get it more out there in social media,” she said.

Proctor-Bonbright also believes the audience could be increased by featuring a wider range of students from different grades throughout the episodes. “We want people throughout grades that we’ve never spoken to before to be on episodes in order to properly represent the school,” Proctor-Bonbright said.

Looking towards the future, Proctor-Bonbright said, “We want to start showcasing a lot more of the ASL community this year, so we are going to be including a lot of student-generated music in our episodes and we want to start promoting other newslike segments. We also want to get in a lot of people to have discussions so that we just don’t script, but just give them a prompt and start talking.”

Briggs added: “We are really trying to appeal to a broader audience, not any certain niche of the High School.”

coat

£275.00 Olive

Images from: http://www.bensherman.com, http://www.albamclothing.com, http://www.cosstores.com, http://www.zara.com/uk/, http://www.topshop.com/en/tsuk/

ots

Palladium Boots

y Bo

£49.00

eene

r Sw

melange merino scarf

0

£169.0

THE STANDARD | October-November 2013

•••

unequal sports treatment

Page 23

Sports

BY THE NUMBERS Staff Writer Yarra Elmasry gathers interesting facts from the fall sports season

Cross Country:

Top Times (regular season) Zoe Barnes (’15): 19:59 Emma Abele (’16): 20:00 Isaac Semaya (’14): 17:03 Peter Skow (’14): 17:04 Most Improved (from first times of season)

Staff Writers Yarra Elmasry and Maya Jotwani look at the distribution of money throughout ASL sports

A

SL prides itself on providing an abundance of opportunities to all of its students, especially through the 40 high school sports teams that the high school offers throughout the year.

The school invests £380,000 into the athletics program, making up 8.64 percent of the school’s administrative expenses. The athletics department makes it their goal to divide this money to accommodate for each team’s differing needs and costs. “[I try my best] to ensure an equal experience for every athlete, whether a freshman or varsity player,” said Athletic Director Sandy Lloyd. However, there is some controversy over whether or not all teams are treated equally by the athletic department as well as the students.

Out of 60 students polled, 57 students feel that some teams have more resources than others. However, many of those students feel that there is sufficient reason. Some sports require expensive equipment or rental facili-

the opponents and have more away games due to those extra weeks.

Many students are taking this opportunity wholeheartedly. Anton Foy (’15), A returning varsity basketball player, thinks that the trip to Doha is “a great way to interact more with the international community.”

PE Teacher and Varsity Girls Basketball Coach Richard Harris worked at The American School of Doha (ASD) for three years and served as both a junior varsity and varsity boys basketball coach. The idea of interaction between ASL and ASD had been percolating in Harris’ mind since he arrived at ASL, and he has finally implemented it this year.

Chrissie Timbers (’14), also a varsity basketball and field hockey player, thinks that the amount of resources and opportunities that the team receives is due to the coach. “Coach Harris used to live and work in a school in Doha and I think he’s been trying to get this going, and he’s put a lot of effort [in]. I think

Ayesha Bhalla (’16), a cheerleader last year, believes that there is unequal gym distribution. “They prioritized the teams where the basketball teams were first, generally boys varsity and girls varsity after them. Cheer was last priority so we would have the latest time,” Bhalla said. Cheer team would have practice as late as 9 p.m. She thinks that the athletic department should implement a rotation for practice times in the gym.

“Girls sports are more thought of as a joke everywhere - field hockey especially. It’s not at Canon’s [Park] with everyone else, and there is no boys team that everyone can pair up with,” Timbers said. ASL is not alone in this situation, Timbers said, as her school in Colorado had similar problems.

In addition to resources, 95 percent of 65 students polled feel that some teams get more recognition and respect than others. The majority of the students who responded felt that basketball had the most student support, with

[I try my best] to ensure an equal experience for every athlete ties, which may result in a compromise for trips, uniforms, or coaches. Sports such as swimming exemplify this perception among students. “Renting Swiss Cottage is quite expensive I would guess, so [the] school must be allocating resources to our practice venue instead of gear, which makes sense,” Swimming Captain Omar Elmasry (’14) said.

Trilok Sadarangani (’16), a crew athlete, also thinks that the distribution of resources is proportional. “Crew needs to buy boats which costs thousands of pounds whereas the cross country team only needs singlets,” he said.

Multiple-season athlete Elizabeth Vann (’16) thinks that “everything balances out.” Vann participates in the soccer, basketball and softball programs and has heard complaints regarding the upcoming basketball trip to Doha, Qatar. She knows that some may feel that it is “extravagant” compared to usual sports trips to Brussels and Zurich.

Last year, the winter sports had a 14-week season as opposed to an 11-week fall season and a 9-week spring season. Vann thinks that the athletic department is obligated to mix up

Sandy Lloyd, Athletic Director it’s the effort put in that got us the trip,” she said.

Lloyd agrees with Timbers, stating that teams with more proactive coaches receive all the resources that they need and want. “In order to provide such opportunities to all teams we really push for in-house coaches, so they can advocate [for their teams],” Lloyd said. An example of this, she added, was the fact that MS PE Teacher and Crew Coach Nichola Bennet has pushed for crew spin classes in this upcoming winter season.

To provide resources such as transportation, uniforms, equipment, facilities and coaches, Lloyd has to determine a budget. The process “is the same as for all departmental budgets at ASL” Director of Finance & Operations Chris Almond said.

The Athletics Assistant Director John Farmer and Lloyd decide the priorities for each program and then discuss their plan with Principal Jack Phillips. Afterwards, they turn to the financial department to settle it within the school’s overall budget. Only after all of this is finalized, is the plan then sent to the Board of Trustees.

volleyball and soccer close behind.

Volleyball and softball player Isobel Sheil (’16) said that the sports that get the most student support are the ones that have “games that are convenient to come to.”

Lloyd agrees with Sheil in that teams with more “visibility” get more attention from the student body. She thinks that the basketball program has more recognition among students because it is played in the school’s gym, whereas field hockey and swimming are often regarded as secondary. Lloyd believes student recognition and support of off-campus sports, such as field hockey, would be much greater if such facilities existed at Waverley Place.

While there are no plans for a turf field nearby, swim team member William Rittenhouse (’14) thinks that the upcoming plans to build a new swimming facility on Waverley Place will increase student attendance.

Megan Stracener (’15), also a swimmer, said, “I don’t think it will be realistic, but I’m hoping somehow having a pool will bring more support to the swimming team.”

Emma Kollek (’15) dropped 5:18 Caroline Kopfler (’15) dropped 3:50 Doug Heynderickx (’15) dropped 5:10 Will Sayre (’17) dropped 3:45

Varsity Girls Volleyball:

5 underclassmen on team Game vs. FIS: won 6-0 in sets over 2 games In first game, 3 players served 10 or more points in a row No players have been on the team more than 2 years

Varsity Boys Volleyball:

Played a total of 39 sets: 21-18 record Played a total of 1614 points: 827-787 point record Longest match: 5 sets took just under 2 hours

Varsity Girls Soccer:

4 goals scored as headers 3 clean sheets (wins with no goals conceded) 6 seniors, 1 junior, 5 sophomores, 5 freshman on the ISST Squad

Varsity Boys Soccer:

28 goals scored in 12 games 15 goals conceded in 12 games 3 clean sheets (wins with no goals conceded) 13 different goal scorers 22 different players have appeared for the varsity team 6 seniors, 6 juniors, 3 sophomores, 1 freshman on the ISST Squad

Varsity Field Hockey:

27 goals scored in 10 games (most by ASL hockey in 20 years) 660 minutes played 6 wins (most by ASL hockey in over 20 years)

Page 24

Sports

•••

THE STANDARD | October-November 2013

Athlete Nikolai Birch Sports Editor

SAM ROONEY FENCING

S C

Due to the lack of attention on the sport of fencing at ASL, Sam Rooney (’17), who is ranked second in the U.K. in the un-s der 15 age range group, has flown under the radar. a “It’s not a sport that most people know. They don’t knowt the rules to it and how it functions, but most people know o what it is,” Rooney said. n “Fencing is a fun but complex sport which involves tech-t nical and tactical thinking, split second decisions, and a tre-o mendous amount of physical strength and endurance,” Roon-o ey’s fencing coach, Neil Hutchinson, said. m Of the three types of weapons used in fencing, sabre, foil, a and epee, Rooney prefers sabre. “Sabre of the three weaponsw in fencing is likened to the 100m sprint in terms of the energy he [Rooney] needs; short bursts and prolonged over a whole a day of competing,” Hutchinson said. g Rooney first picked up fencing in fifth grade at his FrenchA school, L’Ecole de Battersea, where participation in fencing p with the Escrime Academy club was mandatory. “It was a school activity, so you had to do it. It was part of the curricu-H lum, so that’s how I got into it,” he said. e It was at his previous school where Rooney first met Hutch-s inson. “He took to sabre naturally,” Hutchinson said. After only a few months, he was winning medals in regional events.s Since then he has won national age group events and twicet been a bronze medalist at the British championships. n Hutchinson was the top ranked fencer in Britain at one point in his career, and was an Olympic hopefuls for the British National Fencing team in 2012 but h didn’t make the cut, so he continues to coach g fencing to maintain his passion for the sport. f This competitive experience is an asset toI Rooney, as Hutchinson said, “As Sam’s coach, my objective has been to pass on mys experience to him. My very own coach heldw this same belief.” d Unlike many of the sports offered att ASL, fencing doesn’t have an establishedg season, but has several main competitionsc and tournaments throughout the year. This p makes Rooney’s practice regimen very im-m portant, as he cannot afford to lose a step in a order to maintain his form and fitness. “It’s alle year, four days a week, for about two and a half hours per session,” Rooney said.

S His usual routine consists of a warm-up, an u individual lesson with Hutchinson and then spar-h ring against the group that he fences with at Escrime Academy. a As a student at ASL, Rooney believes that the hoursp are very helpful to his training schedule. “You finish ats three o’clock every day, except Wednesdays when you gett out at two, so that makes it a lot easier to go to trainingd and still get your homework done,” he said. t Hutchinson says that Rooney’s dedication to the sportp maximizes his ability. “His work ethic in his club sessions as well as through the training camps he attended during schoolm holiday periods has certainly led to his success,” he said. Thisc season so far Rooney has successfully qualified for the GB Ca-O det (U17) men’s sabre team competing in Meylan, France. Atb 14 years old he is the youngest fencer on the team, yet he fin-m ished in the top half of a field of over 130 competitors. n Despite being only 14, Rooney has managed to climb toe the number 10 spot on the British Fencing Cadet Men’s Sabreh leaderboard rankings for the Under 17 category, as well as the number two spot at the Under 15 category, as of October 22. o Rooney firmly believes that he will continue in the future, v and has set goals for himself along the way. “I’d like to do wellt internationally, like in the European championships I’d liket to come maybe top 10. That would be a good goal for me,”g Rooney said. “Then there’s the Olympics, but that’s very far away.” s

THE STANDARD | October-November 2013

•••

spotlight Svena Bhasin Copy Editor The game is ASL versus the International School of Brussels (ISB), the score is already 5-0 to ASL, and the ISB defense are looking desperate. When Kjersti Anderson (’15) takes control of the ball in the center of the field, the ISB coaches yell out, exasperated, for someone to stop her but she dribbles nimbly through them on her way to the goal. When she scores the sixth goal of the match, the ASL field hockey team erupts once again with energy and vitality. “One of my favorite parts of playing field hockey at ASL is the goal celebration: That moment when you score a goal and everyone on the team realizes and it’s one big group hug. It’s the best feeling in the world,” Anderson said.

Anderson knows the feeling well; in the four matches against ISST teams this season alone, she has scored four goals and was the only ASL hockey player to be awarded the All-Tournament award at last year’s ISSTs, where the team placed fifth out of six teams. “[Anderson] is a huge asset to the team,” Varsity Field Hockey Assistant Coach Gillian Hourihan said. “As our center, she drives the ball forward and creates huge amounts of scoring opportunities.”

Not only is Anderson an integral part of the varsity team, she spends her free time playing for the Southgate ladies’ team where she takes on the role of midfield or forward as needed.

Anderson began playing for the first time in the spring of sixth grade for the Middle School developmental program and has continued through the competitive seventh and eighth grade and High School programs. “I was convinced by my friends to [join hockey]. To be honest, I never really thought I’d pursue it.”

In fact, much like many other students who begin a new sport during their middle school years, Anderson admits, “I was pretty lousy at it right away, but I knew that I liked it.” She decided to go to field hockey camp that summer, and on returning to London joined her Southgate ladies’ team and began playing regularly. It was through her experiences on her club team that Anderson realized she was beginning to improve but she “didn’t really care until the beginning of freshman year.” Hourihan stated that Anderson has come “leaps and bounds” to become one of the strongest and most experienced players on the ASL team.

Anderson attends Wednesday and Sunday practices at Southgate Hockey Club and plays matches regularly on Saturdays. Her experiences at Southgate have not only molded her playing style, but also her attitude.

Anderson notes, “The people who I play with at Southgate are usually women in their twenties or thirties and have been playing hockey their entire lives. They play a lot more aggressively.” As a result, Anderson is often told after her ASL games that she is a very bold and assertive player. “People don’t understand how intense [hockey] can get outside of ASL because the style of play is so different. At my club, I’m the most timid player of all of them.”

Southgate has also afforded her many opportunities she might not have had as an ASL hockey player. Two of the many coaches Anderson has met at her hockey club have played on Olympic teams, and last summer she had the opportunity to be a ball girl at the preliminaries for the hockey world cup, meet the U.S. national team, and watch teams from Argentina, South Africa, Italy, Spain and the U.K. compete. Anderson even managed to secure tickets for a London Olympic field hockey match.

She draws upon these experiences when working on her own skills as an athlete. She is currently working on her reverse chip shots. “The nice thing about field hockey is that there are a lot of trick aspects of it,” she says, “and having those tricks in your arsenal are really important for your growth and skill,” she said.

Anderson would watch videos online of people using trick shots that she could then recreate during practice. “The high-

er level playing you go, the more necessary it is to have those tricks, because the defenders just get better and better.”

Hourihan notes that Anderson “is always on hand to offer advice and push not only herself, but others around her to perform at their best.”

But so much time and energy put into a single activity can be stressful and exhausting. Anderson confesses she once felt very close to quitting field hockey altogether: “There was a point between seventh and eighth grade where I felt like giving up and I was just so frustrated because I wasn’t getting any better.”

When Anderson had to ride the underground for an hour and a half each way to get to practice every time, she remembers becoming upset. “One day we went all the way there and then just turned around because I was so mad. When I went home I realized that if I really wanted to do this I had to come to every practice. It was a turning point for me, when I realized I really wanted to continue playing hockey and get better so I started with a new mindset coming into practice.”

The change in Anderson is clear when she talks about managing her school workload through all of this.

The exercise, she says, helps her to focus her time and energy later, and provides a good distraction from schoolwork.

Outside of the ASL hockey season, Anderson balances her Southgate comittment with her track and field schedule in the spring.

While she enjoys the team atmosphere, and excels in her own events (last year placing first with her two relay teams in the 4x100m and 4x400m and placing second in the 400m hurdles), she sometimes views it as “training for the hockey season” where sprinting is very important to the game.

However, while she avoids long-distance events during the track and field season, Anderson recently ran a half-marathon (approximately 13.1 miles) along with friend Isabelle Preddy (’15) for the Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society. Anderson identified with the cause as she ran for a family member who has MS. Most of her training came from her field hockey interval training, but Anderson admits, “I couldn’t walk at all the next day.”

After successfully completing a half-marathon, she feels a marathon might be in the cards for her with “a lot more training.”

After a disappointing finish in fifth place at this year’s ISST tournament, Anderson earned an AllTournament honor after single-handedly scoring all four goals in the team’s final 4-0 win against ISB. As a junior, Anderson is looking forward to playing another season at ASL, but is unsure of what the future beyond that holds. “I’m definitely looking into the possibility of playing hockey in college in the states, but I don’t really know where it’s going to take me,” she said. “Field hockey is growing in the states, so even I don’t end up playing in college, club hockey is a very appealing idea.”

Page 25

Sports

Kjersti Anderson FIELD HOCKEY

•••

Page 26

THE STANDARD | October-November 2013

Sports Commentary

Keep ‘America’s game’ in America Online Editor Will Muoio reflects on the possibility of bringing American football to England

An idea that had been lingering for many decades around the National Football League (NFL) became reality in 2007, when the Miami Dolphins played host to the New York Giants at Wembley Stadium. Seven years later, there have been eight more NFL games played in the U.K., most recently the San Francisco 49ers against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

While this has increased the fanbase and popularity of American football in Europe, it has brought forth a completely new issue, that there could be a franchise in London in the future.

The potential move would not be beneficial to the sport.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has hopes that a franchise will eventually be located in London. The team would play their home games at Wembley Stadium. Goodell also believes that there is potential for the Super Bowl to be located in London.

The effect that this has had on the ASL community is significant. Many students have ventured out to Wembley Stadium to watch these games.

There are specialized NFL events that take place not far from St. John’s Wood, such as the NFL on Regent Street and the pre-game event around Wembley.

While the support at these events has been immense, bringing the idea of a possible franchise to London would be a big mistake, and the NFL cannot risk their reputation on an experiment such as bringing a team to a foreign country.

Over time, that would not work well for the franchise. The challenges that they would have to face such as getting used to a new life is some-

thing that most students here have experienced and it is definitely challenging for some.

While many current High School students will have graduated by the time anything will have happened, it would affect the future generations of High School students greatly.

Teams have travelled across the pond for the past seven years, leaving their families and friends behind, losing hours of sleep due to jetlag and problems settling in permanently. If

“

While the support at these events has been overwhelming, bringing the idea of a possible franchise to London would be a very big mistake a team is relocated, this would be a huge issue for the “hometown fans” because they could not watch their team like they used to.

One comparison is if all ASL sporting teams had to travel abroad for all of our sporting events. Spending weekends in Brussels or Paris or Munich may seem to be fun, but eventually it would become burdensome.

Every other week, we would have to spend a lot of time on the road, missing classes and not being with our families. That is how many professional athletes feel when asked about the possibility of bringing their respective team to London. Carolina Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith

BOYS VARSITY VOLLEYBALL (@STJ): Placed Second

W 11/07: 2-0 vs. British School of Netherlands

2-0 vs. Cairo American College

2-0 vs. American School in Paris

2-1 vs. St. John’s

11/08: 2-0 vs. Frankfurt International School

2-0 vs. American School in The Hague

L

11/08: 0-2 vs. ACS Cobham

11/09: 0-3 vs. ACS Cobham All-Tournament: Matt Tucker (’14), Omar Elmasry (’14)

Wembley Stadium has played host to eight NFL games.

PHOTO FROM FLickr/TSMultimedia said in an interview with ESPN that, team was brought over, which is dif“The relocation that is required with ferent from what happens now. the travel...the team that would have NFL fans assemble to celebrate to travel every week would be at a dis- any team that comes, but if London were to have an official team, these advantage.”

With an NFL franchise being fans would not have something to brought to London, they would play celebrate together. Fans of different their games at Wembley Stadium. teams would only show up to games The 90,000 seat stadium would make of their own favorite teams, and not it the largest capacity NFL stadium, the other 15 regular season games. with the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T staIf a team were to relocate, these dium in Arlington, Texas, which can “socials” would have to be a thing of hold 80,000 people, coming in at a the past. London would have to be beclose second. According to the NFL, hind this franchise and the chances of only 3 percent of the people who at- this are slim. England is very partisan tend the games are Americans living when it comes to sports. In London in London, with 60 percent living in alone there are 13 professional soccer teams - it is unlikely that the whole Britain.

With the eight games so far in Lon- country would support the same don, there has been an average attend- team.

But, unfortunately, this is not ance of more than 82,000 fans. Were a team to make London their home, the down to the decisions of the fans. The attendance would decrease as fans coaching staff of the franchise would would only be interested in whatever need to agree with that decision. The

players and their families would need to consider relocating more than 3,000 miles from their homes.

If one team were to relocate, a lot of coverage would be on that team and unnecessary distractions can be seen negatively by the coaches and players. I do not think that many players would be open to packing everything in and travelling more than 3,000 miles every other week.

The NFL would not expand the league to any additional teams, so there would have to be a team move from where they are now to London.

The team that would most likely move is the Jacksonville Jaguars, who are scheduled to play every year in London until 2016. After that, the possibility of them remaining in London as a franchise could become a reality.

But, the effects of that would be too severe, and could damage the league.

In the most recent game between the Jaguars and the San Francisco 49ers, a 42-10 blowout by the 49ers was not as competitive due to Jacksonville’s winless start to the season.

If a team were to come over, they would have to perform well week after week in order for fans to attend regularly.

So, Goodell, continue to bring teams to London because fans from around Europe will come. Three games or four games; whatever the commissioner decides the fanbase will support. However, as soon as a team of any sport, especially “America’s Game” becomes permanently international, the game will not be the same and perception of the game will change negatively. There’s a reason why it is dubbed “America’s Game”.

Keep the franchises in America.

FA L L i s s t s

GIRLS VARSITY VOLLEYBALL(@ATH): Placed Second

VARSITY FIELD HOCKEY (@BSP): Placed Fifth

11/07: 2-0 vs. Vienna International School

2-0 vs. Munich International School

2-0 vs. ACS Athens

2-0 vs. American School in Israel

11/07: 3-2 vs. British School in the Netherlands 11/09: 4-0 vs. International School in Brussels

W

11/08: 2-0 vs. ACS Hillingdon

2-0 vs. Zurich International School

2-0 vs. American International School in Vienna

W

L

11/07: 0-2 vs. International School of The Hague

L

11/09: 1-3 vs. Zurich International School

11/08: 0-1 vs. British School in Paris

0-1 vs. American School in The Hague

All-Tournament: Abby Jacoba (’14), Kaia Skillman (’16), Maya Matejcek (’17)

All-Tournament: Kjersti Anderson (’15), Phoebe Merrick (’15)

•••

THE STANDARD | October-November 2013

Page 27

Sports Commentary

Managers should not be scapegoats Sports Editor James Malin examines the blame culture of professional soccer In a professional soccer season, anything can happen­­– an underdog can go all the way, a ‘big team’ can flop, a hero can turn into a benchwarmer. Despite the unpredictability of the sport, there is one guarantee in a season: Managers will lose their jobs.

The manager is responsible for fielding a team that is capable of winning games. Should he fail at this, his fate lies with the owner and board of the team.

When a team’s form drops and they lose consecutive games, the manager is made culpable, pressure mounts on his job, and questions are asked over whether the manager will be sacked.

This, in my opinion, is an oversimplified solution. Yes, if a team lacks motivation and is tactically vulnerable, then the manager is at fault. If, however, a team loses a game because of missed chances, that is in no way the manager’s fault. The problem is that it’s rare for an owner to make the distinction between what is the manager’s fault and what is just individual error.

Chelsea, the team I support, is notorious for changing their managers, having gone through nine managers since 2004.

While some of their decisions to sack managers made sense, others didn’t. The firing of Roberto Di Matteo in 2012, in particular, was incredibly harsh from the Chelsea board.

Despite leading Chelsea to UEFA Champions League glory during the 2011-2012, he was out of a job by November of the following season.

ager, Arsene Wenger, the longest serving in the league at 17 years, the longest managerial term is that of Alan Pardew at Newcastle. Pardew has been Newcastle’s manager for just under three years. Consequently, 18 of the 20 managers in the league (90 percent) have served for under three years, despite the fact that most managers sign contracts at the start of their tenure which typically last four or more years.

This summer alone, six new

“

Roberto Di Matteo was fired by Chelsea Football Club.

Photo from flickr/thesportsreview While Chelsea had failed to qualify for the second round of the Champions League and their Premier League form was dipping, these struggles were not entirely Di Matteo’s fault.

The matches that were most heavily scrutinized by the press and the fans could easily have gone in Chelsea’s favor, if not for missed chances and individual mistakes.

Di Matteo’s last match before losing his job was a crucial Champions League game against Juventus.

If they lost, Chelsea would all but guarantee their own elimination.

Chelsea ended up losing the game 3-0, though the result could’ve been very different. Eden Hazard squandered several goal-scoring oppor-

tunities before Juventus took the lead. If he had scored his chances, Chelsea could’ve potentially gotten a better result. That wasn’t taken into account, however, and Di Matteo was fired the next morning.

If Chelsea’s board, and club boards in general, applied rational reasoning, then it would be clear that sacking a manager is not always the answer.

It is not only Chelsea that is guilty of this mistake, however. In England, there are 92 professional soccer teams, spanning four divisions. Of these 92 teams, 45 have a manager that has only held their job for under a year.

In the Premier League, the numbers get worse. Bar Arsenal Man-

In England, there are 92 professional soccer teams, spanning four divisions. Of these 92 teams, 45 have a manager that has only held their job for under a year. managers signed deals with Premier League clubs. That does not include the mid-season managerial changes, of which there were five.

When contracts are terminated by the club, the manager is due a severance fee. In some high profile cases, such as Rafael Benitez’s departure from Liverpool in 2010 the pay-outs can be astronomical. Benitez’s contract, worth £5 million per year, was terminated with four years remaining on it. Liverpool granted him a £3 million severance package.

Severance fees such as Benitez’s are commonplace with the revolv-

round-up

ing door nature of managerial jobs.

Clubs turn a blind eye to the fees, though; it’s seen as the price of potential success.

The fragility of managers’ jobs is indicative of a culture within soccer – there always needs to be someone at fault. Either it’s the press, or the referee, or the manager. This is an unhealthy habit to fall into, because, eventually, no one will have any sense of security in their job, and good results cannot be expected when one has no job security.

Without that sense of security, managers are less likely to take risks – after all, why would they when their career is on the line?

Given the freedom to make some mistakes, more expansive soccer would be played as there would be less fear of losing, younger players would be given a chance, as opposed to the deteriorating, experienced players. The opposite happens, though, as more managers are fired, it makes it less likely for any of them to take risks.

Should anything go wrong, they are scapegoated, regardless whether or not it’s their mistake or not. If supporters understood that there are certain aspects of the game that are out of the manager’s control, it would make it easier for managers to do their jobs.

A manager cannot, and should not, be expected to produce expansive, attacking football in the current climate. If given the promise of sustainability, that would allow them to take risks, which would potentially lead to better results in the future.

BOYS VARSITY SOCCER (@BSN): Placed Sixth

GIRLS VARSITY SOCCER (@ASL): Placed Fifth

CROSS COUNTRY (@ASP):

W

W

GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY: Placed Second

11/07: 3-0 vs. Zurich International School 11/08: 3-0 vs. Frankfurt International School

D

11/08: 0-0 vs. TASIS

L

11/07: 2-4 vs. British School of Netherlands 11/08: 0-1 vs. Munich International School All-Tournament: Bjorn Sigurdsson (’15), Alex Von Daehne (’15)

11/08: 1-0 vs. Zurich International School

5-0 vs. ACS Hillingdon 11/09 : 3-0 vs. Zurich International School

D

Top finishes: Emma Abele (’16) finished second, Maria Tavierne (’16) finished fourth, Zoe Barnes (’15) finished eighth.

11/07: 0-0 vs. TASIS

L

11/07: 1-2 vs. Frankfurt International School

BOYS CROSS COUNTRY: Placed Third

All-Tournament: Caroline Dibble (’16), Elizabeth Vann (‘16)

Top finishes: Peter Skow (’14) finished third, Isaac Semaya (’14) finished fourth

Sports •••

Page 28

Managers

Unequal Sports Treatment

US Sports in London

Sam ROONEY

THE STANDARD | October-November 2013

Sam Rooney (’17) is ranked second in the U.K. in the under 15 age range group for sabre fencing. A two-time bronze medalist at the British championships, Rooney has his sights set on the European championships. Sports Editor Nikolai Birch sat down with Rooney to discuss his plans.

Athlete Spotlight “

I’m definitely looking into the possibility of playing hockey in college in the states, but I don’t really know where it’s going to take me

Read more on page 24

Kjersti ANDERSON Kjersti Anderson (’15) is a two-time ISST all-tournament recipient who manages to balance her time between club and school field hockey.

Copy Editor Svena Bhasin looks into Anderson’s success and future in the world of field hockey.

Read more on page 25

“

I’d like to do well internationally, like in the European championships I’d like to come maybe top 10.

That would be a good goal for me.