The Standard - Issue 3 - 2018/19

the Standard

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NEWS 3-6 A blazing crisis

As the wildfires in California begin to die down, urgent questions are posed as to how the state can prevent such a crisis from reocurring.

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OPINIONS 7-11

Editorial: Overpoliticizing topics With growing political divides, the Editorial Board reiterates their goal to be a publication reflective of the various political leanings of the community.

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FEATURES 12-21 The complexities of inclusion Eleven percent of students are currently on financial aid. The school’s needsbased model aims to accommodate students of various socioeconomic backgrounds.

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CULTURE 22-24

Classic and contemporary film The legacy that the ‘golden age of Hollywood’ has had continues to not only shape film today, but also standards of beauty.

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SPORTS 25-28 Controversial societal standards Ongoing debate surrounding intersex athletes and transgender athletes competing in the gender category they identify in.

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Highlighting a tutoring culture In an increasingly competitive school environment, some students turn to external tutoring services for additional support and guidance. Other students, however, do not feel the need for these services, and instead rely on extra help from teachers and other resources available at ASL. Alexandra Gers | Deputy Editor-in-Chief: Online Christina Leonard | Online Director Phaedra Letrou | Deputy Editor-in-Chief: Print

Story on pages 20-21 December 2018 | Volume 44, Issue 3

FEATURES

Online

• Video Exclusive: Phone dependency in schools • Community partnerships teach valuable lessons, but place limitations for interested students

CULTURE

• Apple feigns innovation to promote sale of new iPhones, but pleasantly surprises with iPad design • Yayoi Kusama’s newest exhibition over promises and under delivers

PHOTO FROM APPLE

PHOTO COURTESY OF BRANDON BLOCK

Benjamin Perrin (’19) plays basketball with other ASL students and children at the Adventure Playground Community Partnership.

Read our online exclusive content... standard.asl.org SPORTS

NEWS

• Security concerns pose questions for future of food delivery been used • The process of PCA grants have for events and community projects such PCA grants as the Human Rights Symposium class keynote Rosalind Ereira • The ins and outs speaker.who started the organization Solidarity of Brexit with Refugees, spoke at

PHOTO BY QUINN WHITMAN

last year’s Human Rights Symposium.

• Tanner Hatzmann (’20) talks ice hockey and meeting new people

OPINIONS

• Modifying the college atmosphere • Aligning the repercussions of #MeToo

@TheStandardASL

2 Online

The Standard

News

A blazing crisis

As the wildfires in California begin to die down, urgent questions are posed as to how the state can prevent such a disaster from reoccurring.

SOPHIE ASHLEY

LEAD NEWS EDITOR

LEA GEORGE

NEWS EDITOR: PRINT

and satisfaction for the way not only the government, but also Californian citizens have reacted to the fires. “I think all the people, and every single citizen in California is trying their hardest to be in their strongest physical and mental state to get over the fires,” Lee stated.

Perfect has heard of the effect that the fires have had on the surrounding

Lee believes the frequency of the fires stems from the hilly nature of Northern California, which is often much too dry. “So if the heat is too intense, then [the trees will] light up, which would cause fires,” she said.

In regards to forest management, Wilson explained that it was the suppression of small forest fires

The most destructive wildfires to date ripped through California last month, damaging almost 1,700,000 acres of land.

According to the BBC, the fires Donnel Fire caused more than 150,000 people to evacuate their homes, leaving the state to fear that the already high rate of homelessness would increase. As of November Camp Fire 19, CBS reported 77 deaths and 993 people unaccounted for.

However, as the rainfall in mid-November helped control the fires, California will encounter a new challenge in Mountaineer Fire finding those who went missing.

Michele Lee (’21) moved to Lon- San Francisco don this year. Having lived in Northern California, some of her friends have been directly affected by the fires. “My friends in school are all wearing masks, and they are prepared to [have] school Nile Fire cancelled,” she said.

Lee’s brother also attends university in Malibu, the origin of some of the fires.

However, he has not been affected by Los Angeles them, stating that the air condition there Sierra Fire is better than in Northern California.

Harrison Perfect (’20) also moved to London this year after living in Northern California since he was Holy Fire eight years old. Although Perfect was not personally affected by the The pins represent the various locations wildfires have burned fires, similar events had happened through in California. near his house. “It’s so hazy from the fires down in Southern California,” he said. “We all knew we had to be environment. “I was never there [while that could be the possible cause of careful because we didn’t want that a wildfire happened], but I just heard the larger, more dangerous fires that starting [in Northern California].” the sky’s orange, there’s no blue in California is seeing today. When Whilst wildfires didn’t affect Per- the sky, which is pretty crazy to think extinguishing the small fires, pieces fect’s daily life, the risk was present about how out of control it is,” he said. of dry material are left unburnt and throughout his time there. “My parScience Teacher Marisa Wilson ex- accumulate. Therefore, when anothents would always tell me to be care- plained that there are five main factors er fire occurs, the dangers are much ful,” he said. “But it was never really that contribute or cause the emergence higher, as there is more material to serious until this year. I didn’t realize of wildfires, almost always initiated by burn, which allows the fire to spread

Climate change, an issue that has become more prominent in recent years, is the main factor that contributes to the dryness of the wildlands in California.

Over the years, California’s environment will increase in dryness, making the state more vulnerable and subject to wildfires such as the ones that have occurred recently. “We’ve got climate change, which is making things drier and hotter than they normally are, exacerbating everything else,” Wilson said.

The increase in dryness of land in California leads to human mistakes and the natural phenomena having more impact. Any action, from forgetting to stamp out a cigarette, to the natural phenomenon of lightning can now rapidly transform these dry lands into beacons for fire.

The location in which people are building homes, office buildings and stores in California are also affecting the impact of these fires. “One of the problems is that we are building in ecosystems that depend on fire to happen and we’re building on something called the Wildland Urban Interface,” she said. “You have people building on areas that are very close to wildlands. They’re not necessarily forests, they might just be areas that have a lot of dry vegetation,” she said.

Furthermore, Wilson believes the Santa Ana Wind has also acted as a catalyst for the dryness that has influenced the growing occurrence of wildfires in California. “You end up with [the wind] climbing the mountains east of L.A., and really drying [the land] out. It [the wind] gains a lot of heat as it goes across the desert,” Wilson said.

She also believes that more measures should be implemented to prevent the increase of wildfires in the future.

Prescribed burns are a method where areas of forest or dry land that have not been burnt in a long time are purposely burnt to avoid the possible accumulation of dry and dead material.

Moreover, Wilson feels that the

“EVERY SINGLE CITIZEN IN CALIFORNIA IS TRYING THEIR HARDEST TO BE IN THEIR STRONGEST PHYSICAL AND MENTAL STATE TO GET OVER THE FIRES.” MICHELE LEE (’21) it was that bad or that serious, until it happened.”

However, Lee does not believe that the fires will affect her family’s plans of returning home for the summer holidays. “California has been a place where we have endured a lot of fires before,” she said. Moreover, Lee expresses gratitude

December 2018

humans. “Forest management, Santa Ana Winds moving from the north of California, to the east, down to the south, and back to the west, urban interface, and then somebody making a mistake,” Wilson said. She further said that climate change was also a prominent cause to the wildfires.

to a larger size than the previous one.

“When you suppress a fire, what you do is you prevent small fires from happening. It’s these small forest fires that are really necessary to burn. If you let [dry material] accumulate too long without burning, it can lead to really hot crown fires,” Wilson said.

location of where buildings are being constructed has been detrimental to the prevention of wildfires. “We need to be smarter about the materials we use in the building that we’re doing, also the places we’re building,” she said. “And continue to improve our forest management.”

California Wildfire Statistics 2018 In 2018, California spent almost $800 million on wildfires.

Almost 90 percent of wildfires in the U.S. are caused by people.

In California during 2018, 8.5 million acres were burned.

More than two million homes in California are at risk of being lost due to wildfires.

Over the past 10 years, $5.1 billion has been spent on wildfires in California.

Statisitics from: fire.ca.gov and the Insurance Information Institute

News 3

National Climate Assessment In a 1,656-page report, the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) warns of the rapidly deteriorating environment, and the effects that global warming will have on future generations.

ANANYA PRAKASH | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

While many in America were out shopping the day after Thanksgiving on Black Friday, the second installment of the fourth National Climate Assessment (NCA), written by 13 federal agencies, was released.

As per the Global Change Research Act of 1990, the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), a federal program established in 1989, is required by law to write a report to Congress every four years on the environment, economic and health consequences of climate change.

The NCA thereby aims to assess the science of climate change and variability,

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and its impact across the U.S, now and throughout this century. The 1,656 page report issues a warning that global warming is a rapidly growing threat to human life, ecosystems, property and financial stability. Heat waves, extreme weather, sea level rise, drought and wildfires are predicted to increase dangerously in the following decades.

When reading the NCA, Sustainability Council member Anna Podurgiel (’20), felt a mix of emotions. “It’s something I guess a lot of people should have been expecting, but just reading it and having it be official is almost traumatizing,” she said. “The whole review talks

about everything that climate change is doing, all the horrible things that are happening to our everyday life that people don’t realize.”

Similarly to Podurgiel, Science Teacher Bill Kenney noted the findings of this report did not come as a surprise.

“It’s not unexpected. It’s just one more brick in the wall that’s clearly pointing to the fact that there is a human impact on climate,” he said.

Podurgiel believes that the importance of the report has been understated and ignored, both globally and within the school. “I don’t think people will read it and I think that’s a problem. People

should be more aware of what’s happening,” she said. “Maybe they acknowledge climate change, but they don’t really understand the extent.”

The report emphasizes that climate change has already had a devastating impact on the environment and health of many. Record-setting hot years are projected to be common place in the U.S.’s near future, as well as significant temperature rise, drying of land, extreme rainstorms, and polluted water. Amongst other things, all of these scenarios would impact agriculture, forestry, energy production and public infrastructure.

The Standard

“The capacity of ecosystems like forests, barrier beaches, and wetlands to buffer the impacts of extreme events like fires, floods, and severe storms is being overwhelmed.”

FOURTH NATIONAL CLIMATE ASSESSMENT Sustainability Council member Isabella Muri (’22) found the widespread impact of climate change that was reported in the NCA to be concerning.

“I knew generally the influences that climate change can have on communities, but just the extent to which climate change can impact people, the marginalized communities, energy demands, the economic aspect, all that stuff plays a huge role,” she said. “To physically see pages and pages [of the report] and the actual impacts [of climate change] is crazy.”

The escalating urgency for governments to act fast and reduce greenhouse gas emissions before the effects of climate change become irreversible is underscored throughout the NCA. Currently, neither the national or regional initiatives to mitigate the causes of climate change or adapt to its impact are even close to preventing long-term, permanent damage to the environment and human health.

of time. “To think the U.S. economy could take that kind of hit, they can’t afford it,” Kenney said. “We should be retooling the economy such that the technologies… are taking us towards a carbon neutral future, that is going to improve alternative sources, whether carbon capture is realistic. We should be leading the world in that, and we’re choosing to not be a global leader.”

However, Kenney acknowledges that change can be made if people take the initiative. “This is a forecast based on things not changing. I would like to think that one beauty in the U.S. system is that change can happen rapidly if the will is there,” he said. “Same thing with the economy, things can change if people see there is an opportunity.”

Although change is possible, according the NCA report, ecosystems are still being severely disturbed and altered by climate change. The report states, “many benefits provided by ecosystems... such as clean air and water, protection from

resources that are being affected,” she said. “I unfortunately think that’s a problem that won’t be as addressed because it’s a minority group and because it doesn’t effect the greater group.”

Muri believes that the global impact of climate change will also be noticeable by millions of lives across the world as trade, export and demand for resources are altered by a volatile economy. “I think of it as a hurricane, or something that starts out fairly small, fairly unacknowledged, but then becomes so big and uncontrollable, where you want to go back in time and think we should have stopped it when we could have.”

Kenney echoes Muris and is aware of the influence of climate change nationally and internationally. “We all live off the land. How are we going to be able to feed ourselves?

Now the U.S. is a global exporter of food and there are a lot of people around the world who are relying on

doesn’t really resonate as much with the kids here,” she said. “If everyone could see [the report] or connect with it in a way that makes them appreciate it more, it’s definitely a step forward, but there’s still a lot of work to do.”

Muri agrees and further stresses the importance of students taking initiative in order to see a change. “I think students for their own responsibility and their own footprint on the Earth, should take responsibility and start really understanding how their actions have an impact,” she said.

As a Sustainability Council member, Muri also recognizes the importance of her position to make a difference. “My role is to spread awareness and with Earth Week coming up next semester, I think that will be an opportunity to raise awareness about this,” she said.

Currently the Sustainability Council is also working on a pro-

“PEOPLE ARE RELYING ON THEIR LEADERS TO MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICES AND THEY ARE NOT.” SCIENCE TEACHER BILL KENNEY Similarly, with the mounting evidence that the NCA provides on the endless destruction climate change will have on the country, Kenney believes that not enough has been done by the U.S. to combat the issue. “People are relying on their leaders to make the right choices, make the hard choices, and they are not,” he said.

It is clear to Podurgiel that the insufficient national initiative to prevent climate change also trickles down into the public, and individuals need to be held more accountable. “People need to realize that although they think that ‘maybe I’m doing enough to help,’ that’s not nearly enough to help,” she said.

The economic consequences of climate change are specifically highlighted in the NCA. The report states that if greenhouse gas pollution continues to increase in predicted rates, the U.S. would per year sustain $155 billion in damages to labor, $118 billion in damages to coastal property, $118 billion from lives lost due to extreme temperatures and $26 billion from the consequences of worsened air quality.

In analyzing these numbers, Kenney is aware that the U.S. does not have the resources to bear the financial burden of climate change for an indefinite amount

coastal flooding, wood and fiber, crop pollination, hunting and fishing, tourism, cultural identities, and more will continue to be degraded by the impacts of climate change.”

These impacts include migration of native species to new areas and the spread of invasive species. If global greenhouse gas emissions are not reduced, extinctions and transformative impacts on the ecosystem cannot be avoided.

Alongside the impact of climate change on the economy and the environment, the NCA also notes that climate change impacts indigenous people in a unique way. The report states that “indigenous peoples have historical and cultural relationships with ancestral lands, ecosystems, and culturally important species that are threatened by climate change,” which compounds to mental and physical health issues. These difficulties force many to relocate, “presenting challenges associated with maintaining cultural and community continuity.”

Despite these concerns, Podurgiel doubts that many will take the warning into consideration. “[The indigenous community] I would say is probably the most affected because they rely so heavily on those natural

the productivity of the mid-west,” he said. “[If ] that dries up, how are those people going to feed themselves, let alone ourselves?”

Despite the information provided by the NCA and the visible environmental results of climate change, apparent through California’s deadliest wildfire on record and the thawing of permafrost in Alaska, many in the Trump Administration, including President Donald Trump, refuse to acknowledge climate change. In response to the release of this report by his own federal agencies, Trump has discredited it, stating he “doesn’t believe it.”

Kenney finds that this is a result of the disconnect between defining what is science and fact, and what is not. “I think it’s disturbing that the people that are in power are ignoring the evidence,” he said. “Saying ‘I don’t believe in this,’ they’re making it sound as if it’s some kind of faithbased doctrine, when it’s not.”

When considering the local impact of climate change, Podurgiel notices that many feel detached from the environment. “At ASL, you’re not like ‘oh, I can’t drink clean water today,’ that’s not a big problem so it

posal to install solar panels on the school’s roof. “It’s an important step to take at ASL, we use so much energy,” Muri said. “The solar panels will take away from the light usage and it’s something we’re trying to raise money for.”

Aside from the solar panel initiative, Muri is also creating a proposal for Starbucks to create proper bins to encourage recycling, and to switch from plastic straws to paper ones. “I think it’s important to start realizing the impact that Starbucks has. They waste 8,000 cups every single day around the world, which is a crazy number,” she said.

With the release of the NCA and the evident deadly consequence of climate change on a plethora of communities, Kenney knows that now is the time to act. Whether it be sending letters to Congress, utilizing the power to vote, or making smaller changes in everyday life, he believes it all matters. “Every time you open your wallet and you pay for something, you’re voting for products to be packaged a certain way, you are sending a message to an industry to produce certain products,” he said.

“I think that’s huge.”

CARTOONS BY SOPHIE ASHLEY QUOTE FROM: HTTPS://WWW.GLOBALCHANGE.GOV/CLIMATE-CHANGE/IMPACTS-SOCIETY

December 2018

News 5

London’s knifecrime epidemic

With an increase in knifecrime and gang violence in London, the question of where it stems from and how to prevent it is posed.

ZARINA CHOUDHARI -STEWART STAFF WRITER

JASMIN TAYLOR STAFF WRITER

Knife crime has gone beyond internal gang violence, and is now considered an epidemic by many news sources such as The Guardian and The Independent. According to the NHS, in the past two years the number of victims with life-threatening injuries treated by specialist trauma doctors has increased by 34 percent. As of November 2018, there were 118 deaths in London due to stabbings alone.

The offenders and knife-crime victims of knife crime are becoming younger as the epidemic continues. On November 2, a 15-year-old boy was stabbed in a chicken shop in South London. He is the youngest person to die from a stabbing this year.

As of March 2018, out of 21,044 disposals (charging someone of a crime that doesn’t require prosecution within court) for possession of a knife or an offensive weapon in England and Wales, 21 percent of the cases were juveniles ( aged 10-17). These facts have been recognized

by the police, yet they are unsure of the cause of them. In early October, Chief Superintendent Ade Adelekan, who is head of the London Metropolitan Police Violent Crime Task Force said, “People involved in violence are getting younger while the level and ferocity of attacks are getting worse, and I do not know why that is.”

Kieron Windless (’22) believes knife crime is “nonstop” because “when one gang does something to another gang, [the] gang will have the need to get back at them and kill one of their members.

This will continue and continue,” he sa id.

According to a March 2018 Evening Standard article, a decrease in the Metropolitan Police’s budget could be a key factor in the increase in crime. There has been a £600 million cut of the yearly budget since 2010. London’s Deputy Mayor for Policing Sophie Linden finds the budget cut to be a “real worry... if [the Home Office] doesn’t fund the police, we’re going to have real problems and real difficulties tackling not just violent crime but other crimes across London.”

However, in an interview for The Guardian, Metropolitan Police Chief Cressida Dick said the main reason for the increase in crime is “a whole series of social issues,” one of which was austerity.

Other social issues that may factor

into the increase of knife crime are gang activity, social media and music. “In different areas of London there are many different gangs that represent an area.

These gangs try to claim their so called ‘territory.’ This is a big problem because the gangs that are in a nearby area think they own the part where they live, if anyone steps foot on their territory, especially rival gangs they are so quick to stab them,” Windless said. “[On] social media, gangs will diss each other and send each other bad messages, which will spark a motive for the other gang to go after them and kill them. In drill music a type of rap from the South Side of Chicago, it’s very similar because a gang will make a song that will diss someone or threaten another person’s family in other gangs, [which] will cause the other gang to go after them and kill them.”

Director of Teaching and Learning and Designated Safeguarding Lead Robyn Chapel acknowledges knife crime as an issue that isn’t that prevalent in the ASL community. “In [our] community the rate of knife violence is really low when you look at where most of the more targeted crime or gang initiation [occurs],” she said. “Unfortunately, [knife crime] is really impacting particular communities, and in general those

aren’t communities that look like crime] is something that doesn’t this community.” immediately impact us, it’s someWindless agrees that knife crime thing we should know about and be doesn’t directly impact the St John’s aware of, and understand the kind Wood community. “Even though there of institutional structures of racism are some crime issues in St John’s Wood, and classism [that are involved] and I don’t think why that is the there’s a knife case,” she said. crime issue [beThe Metrocause of] the politan Police, socio-economic Transport for status of the London and residents in the the British area and just government the economic are taking acstate of the area tion to protect in general,” he the citizens of said.

London with A recent their six-step Designated Safeguarding Lead survey sent out plan.

Robyn Chapel to the High The plan School showed consists of taronly 38.6 percent of the 251 respond- geting lawbreakers, offering youth ents believe the knife crime epidemic ways to avoid crime, keeping deadly affects them, a further 34.3 percent an- weapons off the streets, protecting swered that they weren’t sure if it did. and educating the young, standing However 13.5 percent of students sur- with communities, neighborhoods veyed think London doesn’t even have a and families against knife crime and knife crime issue. supporting the survivors of knife Although Chapel believes the crime. Through this six-step plan, school community is slightly de- they hope to protect London from tached from the violence, she still the dangers of the knife crime epifeels that it isn’t something people demic and possibly end the violence should disregard. “Even if [knife occurring in the capital.

“

“Even if [knife crime] is something that doesn’t immediately impact us, it’s something we should know about. ”

Converting the cafeteria

Understanding the change in the bins and the pricing of food in the cafeteria.

ZAINAB ADIL STAFF WRITER

LABEENA HANIF STAFF WRITER

Recent changes in the cafeteria have not gone unnoticed by the school community. The price of lunch has risen from £3.15, three years prior, to £3.80, and it was made £4 at the beginning of the school year.

Helena Hansen (’21) feels frustrated by the rise in price. “If the quality of food or the amount doesn’t go up, why should the price go up?” Hansen said.

She believes that students should have been informed about the reasoning behind the raise in price in the first place.

Similarly, Eilís Kenney (’22) expressed concern for others that had commitments after school, such as sports, and the impacts that higher prices might have on their ability to buy lunch. “If [students] have sports after school or they’re staying late after school, they’re going to want to have something to keep them going. So if they don’t have that, then they’re going to suffer later,” she said.

Jack Barnett (’20) brought up another student group that might be adversely impacted by this change. “For freshmen, who are stuck here for the first half of the

6 News

year, they don’t have any other choice,” Barnett said. “I think it’s a little unfair that they’re having to pay a bunch extra.”

Kenney, Hansen and Barnett all believe that the price rise is driving students to seek other options. “A lot of people I know have started getting home lunches, just because it’s free,” Kenney said.

Hansen cited Tesco as an alternative lunch option. “It just makes people realize that staying on campus isn’t the cheaper option,” Hansen said. “I think people will probably opt to eat out more.”

However, Louisa Linkas (’21) believes that students who have work to do will find it difficult to go off campus to search for cheaper food options. “For people who are trying to do work during lunch, it’s kind of hard, because it’s a 10-minute walk there and back, when it could just be here,” Linkas said. “Having the low prices here is so much easier.”

Catering General Manager Christine Kent commented on the rise in prices. “I think any price increase inconveniences people.

Nobody likes prices going up,” Kent said.

She acknowledged that individually priced items might be a bit expensive, but said that the reasoning behind the rise in prices was “just keeping up with inflation...I can’t emphasize enough how the meal deal is always the best value,” Kent added.

Another recent change in the cafe-

PHOTO BY IMOGEN WEISS

The cafeteria recently added three garbage bins to sort trash as general waste, dry mix recycling or food recycling. teria has created a much more positive reaction. In the beginning of the school year, three colorfully labeled garbage bins were placed at the front of the Commons.

Large boards behind each one of them clearly show that they are meant respectively for general waste, dry mix recycling and a new addition: food recycling.

AJ Laurienti (’21) believes the bins are a helpful addition to the cafeteria. “The labelling system is good…

I think it’s making a difference [to the waste system],” Laurienti said.

Both general and recycling waste categories are widely available on campus, but food recycling is a new addition For the past year, the school kitchen has been using a single bin for recycling food, which is collected by Westminster.

Originally, there had been doubt about adding food recycling to the Commons. Operations Manager Cosmo Murphy explained that there was a worry of whether the system would work, as it seemed unlikely

that students would put their waste in the correct bins and not contaminate them. When either food waste or recycling bins are contaminated with the wrong items, the entire bag must be thrown into general waste rather than being recycled. “We had lots of doubt that we’d be able to get Middle and High Schoolers putting everything in the right bin,” he said.

Murphy said that though the bins had worked quite well during the first few days of installing them in the cafeteria, after about a week, however, people had begun mixing items. “We still find that people are putting the wrong bit of waste in the wrong bin, which is very frustrating,” he said.

However, even though there have been instances of students putting the wrong items in bins, Murphy still hopes that it will be possible for more food waste bins to be placed in the Commons and in other places around the school. The first phase in doing so was adding adapting the kitchen. The second step was the new bins in the commons, and should the second step work, the third would be to add more food waste bins in the Commons. “If that’s a success, which I hope it will be by that stage… we will probably put a food waste bin in additional sites, probably like the staff lounge,” Murphy said.

The Standard

EDITORIAL

Confronting the politicization of topics

CARTOON BY GABY IWEGBUE

The political divide both within the ASL community and broader society has intensified in the last few years. Disagreements between liberals and conservatives on topics ranging from gender equality, race relations, immigration and health care has grown, creating a polarizing political climate.

Numerous non-political issues are being politicized, often labelled as “liberal propaganda.” We believe that such labels only result in further divisions and close the door on discussions. While we do recognize certain topics have been politicized by the media and partisanship, discreditingThe Standards’ articles based on the topic they cover before reading them does not encourage discussion.

individuals within our school has an interest in facilitating unity and respect within our community. These two values work together to ensure that productive and courteous debate is possible.

These values come into play in many situations.

ANANYA PRAKASH Editor-in-Chief PHAEDRA LETROU Deputy Editor-in-Chief: Print ALEXANDRA GERS Deputy Editor-in-Chief: Online CHRISTINA LEONARD Online Director SOPHIE ASHLEY Lead News Editor LEA GEORGE News Editor: Print JONATHAN NOVAK News Editor: Online JONATHAN PHILIPS Opinions Editor JOHN TOWFIGHI Lead Features Editor MARTHA DUFF Features Editor ISABELLE LHUILIER Features Editor NAZ OZTURK Culture Editor: Print ROHAN HAARMANN Culture Editor: Online LILY WHITMAN Sports Editor: Print MICHAEL FLAHERTY Sports Editor: Online QUINN WHITMAN Media Director EMILY FORGASH Media Editor IMOGEN WEISS Media Editor

CARTOONISTS Gaby Iwegbue, Zainab Shafqat Adil

SHANNON MILLER Adviser

GUEST WRITERS & LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Send submissions to the journalism lab, room P-101, 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 or articles for length and AP/Standard style. All letters must be signed in order to be considered for publication.

This Editorial Board, along with many other

STAFF WRITERS Allegra Albanese, Taylor Anderson, Sal Cerrell, Houdah Daniels, Izzy Harris, Estee Jorgensen, Lena Levey, Lucas Romualdo, Anastasia Ruimy, Zainab Shafqat Adil, Aziz Ahmed, Didi Akintemi, Zarina Choudhari-Stewart, Polina Dashevsky, Vittoria del Balzo di Presenzano, Labeena Hanif, Raunak Lally, Micaella Lavi, Isabelle Laxer, Isabel Link, Gabriel Menzies, Helen Roth, Cameron Spurr, Rodolphe Stern, Jasmin Taylor, Maddy Whitman

December 2018

As a school, our source of unity is clear: students are all members of the ASL community. It does not matter if you are a Liberal or Conservative. It is essential that we “leave it on the field” and not politicize things that are entirely disconnected from politics. Only further ignorance and disconnect can result from this.

We believe that it is important to look at all topics not just The Standard with a “don’t judge a book by its cover” mindset, or in our case, with headlines. We have observed some students reading headlines in the print publi-

cation, before exclaiming that they know the article is going to be too liberal and putting it down. Before making generalizations, we urge students to read the article, especially as we work to provide an objective stance.

As a publication, we attempt to be inclusive and capture all sides of an argument. We strive to be unbiased and balanced in our pieces, interviewing a variety of sources for all articles.

All the feature articles The Standard publishes are not our personal opinions, but rather the opinions and thoughts expressed by members of the community we have interviewed.

Even within the Opinions section, we aim to provide multiple perspectives and balance the prevalence of certain viewpoints. That is why we hope the community looks at The

Standard

MISSION STATEMENT The Standard staff and adviser are dedicated to creating a collaborative, open forum that cultivates 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.

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Editorial 7

OPINIONS

Importance of awareness

ZAINAB SHAFQAT ADIL zainab_adil@asl.org

“

So many of us in the school live in a world of iPhones, and we seldom ever step out of it.

This past Halloween, I couldn’t help but notice the amount of extravagantly decorated houses in St. John’s Wood compared to the almost bare, plain houses that lined the rest of the city.

It’s no surprise that such an American neighborhood would be so festive on a holiday predominantly celebrated

by Americans. However, I hadn’t ever realized how separate ASL’s community is to the rest of London until I saw the difference between the houses in Kilburn and those in St. John’s Wood.

As indicated by its name, this school is an American school, and therefore, it’s only logical that it would be more American rather than British. The community’s American characteristics explain the differences between us and the rest of London. Many students use the word “dollar” rather than pound, wear American-branded clothing and

speak with an American accent even if they’re not American.

At this school, political conversations are almost always about American politics, rather than international politics. When talking amongst my friends, American states and geography are referred to as if they’re common knowledge, which for many students in the school, they’re not.

The shared culture of our community can sometimes create an atmosphere of cohesion. However, I think that there’s also a certain insularity that comes with living in a cultural bubble, and some of us see this more than others.

American culture is not the only defining factor of the ASL bubble.

Tuition at our school is expensive, naturally meaning that most students

who attend it are more privileged.

Many students who come from a privileged background lack the understanding that not all students at the school, or in the world for that matter, are as privileged as they are.

So many of us in the school live in a world of iPhones, laptops and expensive clothes, and we seldom ever step out of it. So many of us are blind to the rest of the world. So many of us simply don’t realize how privileged our bubble is compared to the rest of London and the world.

I recall a conversation I had with another student last year, where I explained how I was stranded in a part of the city and didn’t know which bus to take. The response I got from my friend was, “Why didn’t you just take a taxi?”

I had no idea how to respond to such an ignorant question. I

understand that for many students at ASL, a suggestion like that isn’t as shocking as it is for me. I understand that for many, taking a taxi would have been exactly what they would have done if they were stranded in the city. However, there are so many students at the school who wouldn’t, and the fact that that is not kept in mind is what bothers me.

Though there is no specific solution to this issue, I believe that we can still create a community that is American and privileged, yet open minded and aware. Like many problems, just acknowledging it can help. When you hear a comment that’s ignorant of other backgrounds, call it out. We as a community have to acknowledge that attitudes that are ignorant to the rest of the world aren’t OK.

Why I’m not a feminist POLINA DASHEVSKY polina_dasevsky@asl.org

“

I believe in a future where everyone is equal, not where women are dominating the rest of the population.

8 Opinions

I was introduced to feminism at the age of 12. Hearing about female empowerment and equal rights intrigued me. I proudly claimed the title of a feminist, without truly understanding its implications.

However, my perspectives on the movement began to change two years ago.

I remember it vividly: January 21, 2017. This was the date of the Women’s March in Washington, the protest against the inauguration of President Donald Trump. The march’s official aim was to send the message that “women’s rights are human rights.” While I did agree with this message, I didn’t understand the need to reiterate the obvious fact. I couldn’t understand why women were so driven to march for something that was already codified in law and was not in any apparent danger.

In addition to unclear reasoning, I was also disturbed by the way the protests were conducted. I didn’t feel empowered by women parading in so-called “pussy hats” on their heads or carrying inappropriate, vulgar signs. Rather, I felt degraded.

Feminism’s agenda in the Western world was profoundly different in the late 19th to early 20th centuries, when the movement first began. The first wave of feminism advocated for women’s suffrage, the equal right for men and women to vote in elections.

A second wave of feminism followed in the 1960s. During that wave, women’s role in society, family and the workplace was revolutionized.

As a result of these two waves, women were granted equal rights to men in respect to all spheres of human life in most developed countries.

After this was achieved, large scale movements began to dwindle.

It was revived in America in the early 1990s, when the third wave of the feminist movement started and evolved into the fourth wave in the early 2000s. In contrast to the previous two waves, the new feminist agenda was ambiguous, and remains so.

In explaining their goals, many modern feminists have adopted the motto “The Future is Female.” Such slogans leave me confused about the feminist agenda. I believe in a future where everyone is equal, not where women are dominating the rest of the population.

A popular area of focus for

wages of male and female workers is misleading. For example, according to the same article, women earn 98 percent as much as men do while doing the same job and working for the same company. Factors such as quality of work, type of jobs, hours worked and level of experience should be taken into account.

PHOTO BY ALEXANDRA GERS

While some women might have felt empowered by pussy hats such as this one, others may have felt degraded. modern-day feminists is unequal pay between men and women.

According to an Economist article from October 2017, on average women in most countries receive 85 percent of men’s pay. This is due to women outnumbering men in lower salary jobs. However, using just one number to explain the difference in

It is also worth noting that in the U.K., equal pay has been a legal requirement for four decades and breaking this law is punishable by fines, prison and possible seizure of company’s license. Thus, strong legal protections for equal pay already seem to exist.

Another major point of concern

for the new feminists is sexual harassment. It is obvious that sexual harassment and sexual violence should have no place in any society.

In most Western countries, sexual harassment is already considered an illegal offense, and sexual offenders are losing their jobs or are thrown into prison, in some cases even if falsely accused. However, the spectrum of what constitutes sexual harassment seems to constantly broaden to the point where I began to question it. Are so-called “catcalling” and “elevator eyes” reportable incidents of sexual harassment, or simply examples of silly immature behaviour that could be dealt with by confronting the “offender”?

Should I treat every compliment about my appearance as offensive and objectifying? Is it appropriate to claim sexual harassment that goes back 40 years without demonstrating any proof, as was the case in the recent Supreme Court Justice Kavanaugh controversy? Who bears responsibility for the righting the wrongs of falsely accusing people, which can hurt the accused’s reputations and families?

Due to human history and differences between the sexes, women are indeed more likely to be victims of sexual harassment and abuse than men. Yet, I believe that the current legal system, at least in the Western world, already provides strong protection to women’s rights. I also believe that all sexual harassment claims should be examined in a proper legal process, not in the court of the public opinion and social media.

I already feel equal to all other people in my community, both men and women. I don’t feel oppressed and I want to compete for good education and good jobs on the basis of my abilities, not on the basis of my gender. My rights as an individual are protected by a generally strong and fair legal systems. I am proud to be called a woman, but I don’t feel the need to call myself a feminist.

The Standard

OPINIONS

Democrats switch direction

LUCAS ROMUALDO lucas_romualdo@asl.org

“

Democrats have a better shot at long-term victory by embracing the center. The center prevailed in the ’90s. It prevailed in the first decade of this century.

After the U.S. midterm elections, many media outlets proclaimed the results as a victory for progressive Democrats. The New York Times went so far as to declare that Democrats could not win future elections as centrists, but must rather embrace progressive and socialist labels.

The results, in reality, tell a different story: whether it be in the southern sun belt of Arizona, Texas, Georgia, North Carolina, and Florida, or in the rust belt of Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Indiana and Wisconsin, establishment Democrats won their elections, while self-declared progressives lost.

Florida and Georgia are prime examples of this loss. Gubernatorial candidates Stacey Abrams and Andrew Gillum, widely perceived as progressive superstars and the face of the new Democratic Party, lost their elections, albeit by thin margins.

Gillum’s loss in particular was shocking for progressives nationwide, as he polled highly, and well outside the margin of error, leading him to be almost universally considered as the probable winner.

Abrams’ loss, however, was touted as a victory for progressive Democrats. In truth, Abrams did overperform Democratic candidates’ margins for the past 10 years, which is no small feat in Georgia.

Although all of these gains are quite meaningful, Democrats won statewide elections in Georgia by massive, although not unprecedented, margins.

Though Abrams did present a strategy for progressives to win in the south, this strategy failed, and it cannot be realistically construed as a victory for the left wing.

This same method was pursued

by Beto O’Rourke, an incredibly strong candidate for Senate in Texas.

Although O’Rourke came extremely close to winning an election in Texas, thanks to changing demographics, he is still another progressive Democratic loss in the south.

It is worth acknowledging that progressives are fairly new on the national political scene, and may therefore need more time to perfect their winning strategy, which is not impossible.

However, for now, especially leading up to the 2020 elections, Democrats should stick to their winning strategy.

However, in the swing states that really count in national elections, establishment democrats won, as expected, across the board. In the Midwest, gubernatorial candidates Tony Evers in Wisconsin, Gretchen Whitmer in Michigan, Tim Walz in Minnesota, and JB Pritzker in Illinois won their elections. None of these candidates were part of the “progressive movement”.

Despite this, all of them won in swing states with high margins, especially for Democrats in those states.

Meanwhile, other moderate Democrats won their elections, such as Senator-elect Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, Governor-elect Laura Kelly of Kansas, and Governor-elect Jared Polis in Colorado.

Sinema was recorded as voting with President Trump’s positions over 60 percent of the time in Congress. Polis was a member of the centrist New Democrat caucus in the House. Kelly ran on a moderate platform in a conservative state. All three of them won. Meanwhile, not a single self-described progressive has won a governorship in the last three election cycles.

This pattern was visible long before this years’ midterms. In 2008, Barack Obama, the more centrist candidate, defeated Hillary Clinton, the more liberal one. He was elected president in a landslide, and carried the Democratic Party to victories around the nation. In 1992, Bill Clinton, the first of many centrist “New Democrats” won the presidency, and, as a result, put Democrats in power across America.

Comparing the number of establishment Democratic wins to progressive wins, it is clear that Democrats have a better shot at long-term victory by embracing the center. The center prevailed in the 90s. It prevailed in the first decade of the century. It prevailed this year. Given the chance, it can once again prevail in 2020 and beyond.

Moving forward, with tangible election results, Democrats must recognize that embracing the far left will not succeed on the national level.

With a new bench of centrist candidates, there is no shortage of future leaders to bring the Democrats to national success.

U.N. climate change disaster LABEENA HANIF labeena_hanif@asl.org

“

Though it will be uncomfortable, and take Herculian amounts of effort from us all and seem like it won’t pay off, we must try.

December 2018

Twelve years. That’s the latest from top scientists on climate change – we have 12 years before the effects of our actions are too dire to reverse. Ocean levels are rising. Heatwaves in many highly populated areas instead of the relatively few today. Summers of no Arctic ice.

The most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, officially released on October 8, caused a flurry of articles about panic, hope and everything in between. Petitioners took to Instagram and Change. org, an online petition site, to express their opinions. Their ultimate goal is either to spread the word about how we need to change our habits or hope that enough people speak up for major companies to notice.

Veganism, renouncing plastic and breaking our bicycles out from their disuse. These are their suggested solutions.

I, too, know so many people who have panicked about the changing environment and have made adjustments to their lives. But the errands of daily life don’t always make it easy to implement these adjustments, which are frequently abandoned.

The report, leaked in the spring of 2018, details the issues we will face if major changes are not made. Even with the Paris Agreements of 2016, signed by 195 countries, a change in two de-

grees Celsius from pre-industrial levels of the world’s climate will bring about devastation. Scientists are already skeptical whether we can reach this- but the IPCC report suggests that it needs to be 1.5 degrees in order for most of humanity to live reasonably.

According to the World Resources Institute, over one third of the world will feel extreme heat should the difference be 2 degrees, as opposed to the current 14 percent of the world. The amount of summers that will be spent without Arctic ice will be ten times more common, and sea levels will rise by an extra six centimeters. The real kicker is that the world will lose virtually all of its coral reefs, which are

already declining. The question at the heart of the matter is about who is responsible in this day and age. Who

needs to take action? Those who argue that we, the masses, are the problem, try to bring awareness of actions that we can take in our personal lives. And it’s not a wrong ideal. Every little bit does help.

Changing our habits is necessary in the long run to prevent the destruction that scientists warn us about.

However, we’ve moved past the point where we can argue that only individuals’ habit changes will help us. Continuous Data Protection’s report from 2017, entitled Carbon Major’s Report, shows us that 100 companies are to blame for 71 percent of global emissions.

China, India, and Russia’s coal industries all rank in the top 10, with China pulling ahead as the highest producer on the list. National oil-drilling companies from Saudi Arabia and Iran are also in the top 10, in addition to American companies such as ExxonMobil, a privately-owned company. The most direct way to slow the increase in temperature is if these companies change their habits.

They need to take action by reducing CO2 emissions and harmful waste

products as well as increasing energy efficiency. But it’s our responsibility to bring more awareness to why they need to. One Change.org petition is not going to save the world.

Neither is one letter, or one rally, or one speech.

There’s no easy way to tell a country to halt a major industry, particularly if the industry makes most of the country’s money. It’s difficult for the United Nations to do this, as they must take into account the sovereignty of countries. It’s also difficult for us, as individuals with little sway over the actions of companies like these. But a lot of individuals with little sway can make an impact, which is recognized by those who petition for the masses to change their habits.

If these 100 companies help to reduce the change in climate from preindustrial times to 1.5 degrees Celsius, we can build from there.

Though it will be uncomfortable, take Herculian amounts of effort from us all and seem like it won’t pay off, we must try.

12 years. We, including these companies, have 12 years to do what we can to fix what we’ve created. Cleaner energy will provide an increase in energy efficiency. Drastically reduced carbon emissions, if these companies step up to what they owe the planet. And a future for the generation after us, and the one after that, and the one after that.

100 companies are to blame for 71 percent of global emissions.

Opinions 9

Pointless ‘war’ on Christmas JONATHAN PHILIPS jonathan_philips@asl.org

“

Being hypersensitive to all of these little ‘triggers’ constrains everyone and helps no one.

It is that time of year again. The familiar green fir and red decorations adorn the streets and halls of London, the music in shops becomes merrier, and the weather becomes inevitably colder.

Every year, as the holiday season begins, the same controversy seems to stir up. Some call it the “war on Christmas” others refer to it as “Christian cultural imperialism.”

One would expect an issue with appellations as serious as these to be equally consequential; an issue which people are passionate about is usually one that is important. If that is true then this must be the exception. This “war” is about the puzzlingly contentious greetings of “merry Christmas” and “happy holidays” and their return into our public lexicon. Let’s be clear, we are talking about a common salutation here.

The people who believe that a war on Christmas is indeed occurring reckon that politically correct leftists are trying to hijack their sacred holiday and manipulate culture to turn against them.

The people who espouse the doctrine of political correctness, the alleged warriors against Christmas, believe that since not everyone celebrates Christmas, it would be more appropriate to say “happy holidays” rather than the traditional “merry” –

or for those that way inclined “happy” – Christmas.” This is all in an effort to prevent anyone from being offended.

Like so many of our social discussions nowadays this seems to be an argument about avoiding offence: some say that using the traditional greetings will offend non-believers and others say that is ridiculous.

Supporters of “merry Christmas” say either their expression of choice carries little religious significance and should therefore be left alone, or that they should be able to say what they want and communicate how they please.

Starbucks has been embroiled in controversy since at least 2015 because of their holiday themed cups.

Before 2015 the coffee cups were overtly Christmas themed. The coffee house decided to switch to a more inclusive and subtle red color design. This elicited outrage from some Christians who saw the switch as an affront to Christian values. After foregoing red cups altogether in 2016 and switching to a more neutral holiday themed cup in 2017, Starbucks compromised and now offers four different holiday themed cups with both Christmas and non-Christmas colors available.

I am not a Christian. I am a devout, Torah-observant Jew. I never have

felt offended when someone wishes me a merry Christmas. Would I wish someone a merry Christmas? Maybe, maybe not. But my comment on this whole debate is not what I would do, but what I think. And I think that this whole thing is making a mount a i n out of a molehill.

I am an avid supporter of unhindered free speech and free religious practice. Therefore I believe that people should be able to say what they want. It appears that the people who are fighting against “merry Christmas” and advocating for the neutral “happy holidays” are fighting in vain. The alleged victims of “merry Christmas,” at least this one, really do not mind.

In fact, I encourage people of all

backgrounds to be expressive and interested in their faith and heritage.

This leads to fascinating conversations, a more lively society and ultimately a free exchange of ideas.

Everyone should just take a step back and a long deep breath of crisp winter air and realize that both sides of this divide are trying to wish people well, they just have different ways of doing that – and that is O.K. Perhaps it is ironic that the same people who are advocate for multiculturalism are suppressing a culture by attempting to accommodate others.

This annual controversy epitomizes the problem that many have with the political correctness movement.

Being hypersensitive to all of these little – and dare I say in the grand scheme of things insignificant – “triggers” constrains everyone and helps no one.

Everyone should just be like the weather and chill.

Racist mascots must change JASMIN TAYLOR jasmin_taylor@asl.org

“

A 2014 study reported that 67% of Native Americans find the Washington Redskins* name and imagery racist.

10 Opinions

Because I’m British, when I first came to ASL in Grade 6, I had no idea why some students wore clothing with cartoons of Native Americans on them. I was clueless that these were the logos for teams like the Washington Redskins* and the Cleveland Indians.

There didn’t seem to be any widespread outrage or discomfort about the student’s attire, so I concluded that these mascots and team names were normal American culture.

After speaking with Native American teens and adults living in the United States who feel discriminated against due to these mascots, I feel these team names and mascots are racist and completely unacceptable.

I am shocked that students were allowed to wear clothing from those teams in Middle School.

I believe that because team names (such as the Chiefs, Indians, and Redskins*) and mascots alike are racist towards Native Americans, all teams regardless of their level should cease to use them.

These mascots have proved to be detrimental to Native American teenagers’ mental health, indicative in a research study conducted by American Psychologist Stephanie Fryberg. The study concluded that when Native Americans aged 1421 were bombarded with Native American mascots, imagery and stereotypes of their people throughout their lives, they experienced lower self-esteem and fewer achieved goals compared to Native Americans primed

in a controlled condition. This proves negative representation of Native Americans within media and sports mascots negatively impacts the mental health of young Native Americans.

The root of this is Native American youth going to schools where they are the mascot, and their sacred cultural traditions used as nothing more than a pre-game ritual. It’s watching professional sports games on T.V. where their culture is appropriated by fans, and seeing demeaning caricatures of their race as mascots, logos and designs on memorabilia.

Low self-esteem is causing high rates of suicide among Native American youth, and team owners and school districts aren’t doing enough to change that.

Some claim these logos and names are celebrating and honoring Native culture, but there’s nothing celebratory about naming a football team a racial slur. There’s nothing honorary about selling clothing with a racist caricature of an oppressed minority on it. Fans aren’t honoring Native culture when they do the “Tomahawk Chop” in the stands, or plaster their faces in red paint.

There is also an argument that the names, mascots and logos are historic because they have been this way for decades, therefore implying tradition is more important than the current negative impact of the mascots.

However, Stanford University and Syracuse University are among many colleges that have changed their

names and mascots from offensive Native American references. From 1930 to 1972, Stanford’s sports teams were the Stanford Indians, but today they are easily recognisable as the Stanford Cardinal (based on their school colors).

Starting in 2019, the Cleveland Indians will remove the Chief Wahoo logo from their baseball uniforms.

Although the Chief Wahoo logo will still be sold on selected fan merchandise, and won’t be banned from stadiums, the Cleveland Indians recognize the red skin and toothy smile of Chief Wahoo isn’t a respectful representation of Native Americans and will be replaced with the capital letter C logo.

Life goes on when the name of a team and its mascot is changed, therefore all sports teams with racist sports mascots and names should be forced to change them because it’s clear there are no negative impacts from doing so.

However, Daniel Snyder, owner of the Washington Redskins*, said he would never change the team’s name, “Never, you can use all caps.” Snyder stands by the Washington Post poll from May 2016 that asked adults who identify as Native American if they were offended by the name: 9 out of 10 said no.

Although this may be accurate, it must be questioned whether this data is a true reflection of what Native Americans believe. The poll was asked to 504 out of 5.4 million Native Americans living across the

U.S., so can less than .01 percent of a race speak on behalf of all of its people? I don’t think so, therefore the Washington Posts poll cannot be used as justification to keep the name of a sports team a racial slur and have a Native American as its mascot.

This certainly isn’t a summary of all Native Americans’ stance on the mascot controversy.

A 2014 study by California State University, San Bernardino reported that 67 percent of Native Americans find the Washington Redskins* name and imagery racist. In contrast, 60 percent of white respondents didn’t find the name or imagery racist towards Native Americans.

The survey also found that only 17.8 percent of Native American respondents didn’t find the use of the term by non-Natives as racist, whereas 65.5 percent of Native American respondents did.

It’s 2018, people shouldn’t have to deal with issues like this anymore.

High school teams wouldn’t be called the n-words, or the slaves, yet people support schools and teams who have names like the Redskins*, the Indians and the Chiefs. How are they any different? There would be no controversy if teams would keep up with our changing culture and change their names and logos since many teams already have. *Please note that the author of this article understands the severity of the phrase ‘Redskins’ and apologizes for any offense taken by its printing.

The Standard

Censoring the truth LEA GEORGE lea_george@asl.org

“

The importance of knowing the truth and understanding the horrors behind conflicts such as the war in Yemen, is not a liberal or conservative issue, but a societal necessity.

The Vietnam war. The war in Yemen. The Lebanese Famine. Even the Sepoy Rebellion. These are all conflicts in history where the truth has somehow been hidden, shadowed or simply ignored. Facts were left out, stories ignored and lost lives undiscussed.

When seeing something disturbing or hearing about an event that makes us feel ashamed with humanity, our society – Western society– has a tendency of looking away. We bury our heads in our daily lives believing that such tragedies could never occur in our privileged environments. We ignore the screaming cries for help from across the world. When someone wishes to change such a stigma, we block them out, and prevent them from being seen.

On October 26, the New York Times published a painfully exposing article called “The Tragedy of Saudi Arabia’s War.” Incredibly written, the article reveals the starvation and mass malnutrition that has accompanied the war in Yemen. When first opened, the article shows a photograph of a partly nude young girl, suffering from starvation. Her ribs are visible

and her bones unprotected; the little girl lies covering herself. Frankly, the piece was hard to read, the article and the images that came with it were alarmingly eye-opening and acted as a slap to the face.

It is crucial to remember that the primary job of a journalist is to report and expose the “ugly truth” that the rest of society wishes to overlook.

However, only a few hours after the New York Times published the article Facebook blocked posts that shared it.

Their rationale was that they the published images exposed child nudity.

Although this sounds reasonable, when one looks at the image, the young girl is not completely bare. She covers herself, and the photograph cuts off the rest of her body. Facebook’s censorship is a prime example of society’s habit of covering our eyes. The importance of knowing the truth and understanding the horrors behind conflicts such as the war in Yemen, is not a liberal or conservative issue, but a societal necessity. We cannot conceal what we deem to be simply too shameful or alarming to show.

This is not the first time Facebook

has censored such revealing images. In 2016, the social media platform permanently removed a post that shared the well-known photograph taken during the Vietnam war of a young girl running away from the napalm bombs. This is yet another example where rather than acknowledging and accepting the tragedy of Vietnam, we chose to cover our eyes, and blame our shame of reality on the fact that an image was too revealing.

Essentially, when society chooses to overlook a conflict that needs to be addressed, there is a notion that the specific problem will be handled later.

We think that because we cannot feel the effects of the conflict, because it is so far away, it simply does not exist or is not in need of immediate attention.

Climate change, water contamination, mass famine and poverty. In our overwhelmingly privileged community, we are fortunate to not feel the direct effects of these issues. However, somewhere in our global community, there are people who face such challenges every day.

Our selfish views and habit of only thinking for our own benefit are pre-

Progress Report CHILLI

QUARTER 2

THANK U, NEXT

venting us from understanding that these troubles are in fact in need of immediate attention. With a world rapidly plummeting towards a void of war torn despair and environmental damage, we must accept the hard truths that we are faced with, and act accordingly. We cannot proceed to block measures that wish to enlighten others on the tragedies of our world, measure that strive to inspire and push an audience to make change.

So, I urge you to find and open a device and read. Read the news.

Take in the world’s news. Read the New York Times article on the war in Yemen. Understand and absorb the horrors that our world is facing.

However, remain optimistic. Remain open minded, and commence your thought and deliberation on how you should wish to aid the improvement of this issue.

If we were all able to read the news and embrace the fear of encountering a story that will instil a sense of embarrassment upon the human race, then we will be able to expose a censored truth. We cannot and should no longer tolerate a censored truth.

PHOTO 1 FROM US WEEKLY PHOTO 2, 4 FROM EMILY FORGASH PHOTO 3, 5 FROM IMOGEN WEISS PHOTO 6 COURTESY OF KENZIE MORRIS

CHRISTMAS CANDY STICKS

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This Editorial Board of 1.

The Standard gives the school its third report of 2. the school year

3.

Thank u, next Music Video: (A+) Such an iconic cast and plot line, Ariana Grande did not disappoint.

Emily Forgash Senior Year Quarter 2: (D) First quarter stress ending is fake news. Naz Ozturk

Winter Break: (A+) Presents and three weeks off school?

Sounds good to me. Martha Duff

4.

Candy Canes: (A) Love the change to the delivery price. I appreciate it. Phaedra Letrou

5.

School Chili: (A) Mmmm, mmm, mmm. Love me a bit of chili on a Tuesday afternoon. Can be a little bean heavy though. Jon Novak

6.

Winter Wonderland: (B+) It’s impossible for it to be winter without an iconic ride on the Wilde Mause, but the smell of fried food has started to sicken me. Lea George Post Scriptum: Filet Mignon

December 2018

Opinions 11

FEATURES

Supplementing health Multiple perspectives on vitamins, controversies surrounding the supplement industry and the changes one can make to sustain a healthy lifestyle.

Phaedra Letrou | Deputy Editor-in-Chief: Print

12 Features

neurons and increasing the frequency of energy boosts.

Despite not seeing immediate results from some of the vitamins she takes, Lambden has noticed magnesium has benefits in the short run. As a member of the performance crew team, she takes magnesium vitamins after races or hard workouts. “I notice that it helps me recover faster...

It helps with rebuilding muscles and recovery in general,” she said.

“

Everyone thinks you can stop a problem with a pill or a little gummy chewy thing, but it won’t make a difference.

Ludovico Barattieri (’20) Lydia Lisanti (’22) only takes zinc as a supplement periodically because she believes “you get tall from zinc.”

According to Medical News Today, deficiency in zinc can cause children to have growth impediments.

However, Lisanti doesn’t feel the need to take other vitamins because she is young and healthy. “I don’t think I need to because I’m healthy.”

She points to the fact that she believes

Vitamin C

PHOTOS BY EMILY FORGASH

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loise Lambden (’19) began taking vitamins because of the long-term health benefits she believes they offer. Her mother, a nutritionist, first introduced her to supplements when she was around 10 years old as a way to improve both her general well being. Lambden takes vitamin D, due to the lack of sunlight in London, and B12, to keep the body’s blood and nerve cells healthy, daily.

Lambden adds to her mother’s nutritional knowledge by “watching documentaries about [the benefits of vitamins] and occasionally reading articles about it.”

The documentary Forks Over Knives provided her with information regarding the benefits of plant-based diets and how specific foods can have a drastic impact on people’s overall health. Based on her research, Lambden chose to go vegan.

Lambden takes B12, as a supplement because of the limited amounts available in everyday foods naturally.

“Everything’s sterilized now, only animals get it because they actually eat dirt... that’s the only way you can get the bacteria [of B12],” she said.

While Lambden does not experience short-term benefits from the B12 supplement, she believes that in the “long-term if you don’t have them, you [could get] dementia.”

According to healthline.com, B12 can lead to a variety of benefits including red blood cell formation, improvement on moods, preventing the loss of

people should take them if they’re “lacking a certain supplement... But [doesn’t] think you need any if you’re healthy.”

Contrasting Lambden, Ludovico Barattieri (’20) has “never felt a difference taking vitamins.” He has taken multivitamins, vitamin A and fish oil, yet feels that “none of them work.”

“Not taking vitamins, taking vitamins, I don’t see a difference in my wellbeing... All of the stuff they say on the cover, that’s just propaganda,” Barattieri said.

He explained that vitamin companies often have skewed intentions. “I think they just want to sell something so they just whack on a label saying it’ll make you less tired,” he said.

As of a year ago Barattieri stopped taking vitamins because he believes they don’t have an impact on his wellbeing. “Everyone thinks you can stop a problem with a pill or a little gummy chewy thing, but it won’t make a difference,” he said.

While vitamins often appear to benefit individuals’ health, the reality is that they often contain ingredients that can be detrimental. According to Professor of Behavioral Sciences at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Bryn Austin, “consumers should expect nothing from [supplements] because we don’t have clear evidence that they’re beneficial.”

The $37 billion supplement industry has thrived due to the great availa-

bility of vitamins in health stores and statements promising improvements to health. Yet, according to Business Insider U.K., many supplements are being marketed without significant scientific research to support them due to the fact that they are not labelled as medicine. This includes Ginseng, Ginkgo biloba, fish oil, vitamin C and multivitamins, which are often found in health shops and marketed to have tremendous benefits including lowering blood sugar, reducing stress and decreasing anxiety.

While many take vitamins to prevent diseases, The New York Times reported that some people can often “reach high enough doses of certain vitamins and minerals to actually increase the risk of disease.”

Often vitamins and supplements do not come with specific instructions on how many one should take, but rather suggest a daily dose. This can lead to ambiguity and individuals can essentially ‘overdose’ and greatly exceed the recommended daily amount.

Despite there being some apprehensions regarding vitamins and the amount one should take, many health professionals and doctors worldwide stand behind them. Most professionals agree that individuals suffering from nutrient deficiencies should supplement their diet with what they lack in order to sustain their health.

The Standard

Inspiring a passion for learning

There are numerous aspects of ‘good-teaching’ that inspire students, one of the most prominent being a teacher’s passion for their subject.

With this comes engaged and motivated students who are eager to learn.

Zarina Choudhari-Stewart | Staff Writer

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nature with his students. Ringham finds that “when classes are going well, it feels like we’re together in the world of exploration.”

“I find my work with students really rewarding, honestly, because I’m learning with them, and it’s great,” Ringham said.

In class, Jordan said that when Ringham lets students try and fail, he doesn’t just learn that it doesn’t work, he also learns why it doesn’t work, and how he can make it work. “He has a very open way of figuring out things and that’s why I like his teaching so much. It’s not just do this and that, it’s do this, and figure out why it does that,” Jordan said.

For Destin, her World Civilizations I class sparked her passion for history.

Destin feels the teachers she’s had “go above and beyond” to help students understand topics and subjects both in and

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“With the two of us, we’ll figure it out, and I love them teaching me something, just as much as I share my knowledge with them.”

Along with West, Ringham feels that he learns a lot from his students.

Since his physics teacher introduced him to the world of science, he enjoys learning about the wonders of

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it makes her feel more committed and excited to learn the material. “You find yourself enjoying things that you normally wouldn’t be interested in,” she said.

Similar to Ringham, HS Yearbook/ MS Electives Teacher Rhiannon West didn’t begin her career as a school teacher. She initially worked as a blacksmith and as a high school water polo coach.

As a blacksmith, she would teach introductory blacksmithing classes. “Most of the students I had were older ones, but again, it was that experience of sharing what I knew with others, and so it was those two things that really drew me to becoming a teacher,” she said.

Connecting with students was a big part of West’s decision to become a teacher. “I love interacting with people, I love hearing other people’s stories, but also being able to teach them something new,” she said.

She found that connecting with students brought out her passion for teaching. “It’s all about the interactions; they’re what really drove me,” she said.

As West’s classes are electives, she finds that students genuinely choose to be there, and subsequently tend to be much more keen and excited because they want to learn about publications.

“They want to be there, they want to learn these new skills, they want to work collaboratively with the students in the class and with me, ” she said.

Destin believes the energy and excitement that teachers bring to the subject makes the students as excited as them. “[Passionate teachers] don’t just teach you, they motivate you to learn and to make you want to learn,” she said. Destin has seen that it creates a ripple effect of curiosity and knowledge that spreads from the teachers to the students.

However, it’s not just the students who learn a lot. West has learned much from her students. “I learn something everyday, and I think the thing that keeps challenging me is the students’ vision,” she said.

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lthough he is currently Science Department Head, Andrew Ringham hated science” as a child and it was his “least favorite subject in school.”

This changed when he took physics in high school. “A big part of why I got into teaching was that I definitely felt the impact that my teachers made in high school,” he said.

Ringham found that the way his teacher allowed him to “think about things and generate knowledge and understanding... activated an excitement about science, and about thinking and learning in general.”

Ringham’s physics teacher inspired him, and he now wants to provide the same experience and learning environment for his own students.

Ringham hadn’t initially thought about teaching until he was working on his physics thesis at the end of his time at the University of Minnesota, and found himself wanting to work with the other students from his teaching class, and not on his thesis.

Patrick Jordan (’21), who had Ringham as a Science 9 teacher last year, said that he is “definitely one of the best teachers [he’s] had.”

Jordan finds that the way Ringham gives students the opportunity to think their own way about a problem is something that has influenced him greatly. “When you ask him a question, and [Ringham] sometimes says ‘I don’t know’, it really makes you think about ‘what if’?” Jordan said.

Lina Destin (’21) believes that passionate teachers like Ringham are integral in making her the student that she is. “They set you up for success and they really care about your wellbeing and the growth in the class,” she said.

She feels that without her teachers, she wouldn’t be nearly as motivated or excited about

TOP: Social Studies Teacher Duncan Pringle works with a student to study for an upcoming test. MIDDLE: HS Yearbook/ MS Elective Teacher Rhiannon West working on copy edits with Yearbook staff. BOTTOM: Science Teacher Andrew Ringham teaches George Yardley (’21) in AP Physics 1.

When teaching, Pringle tries to focus on how particular students can learn the best, and how connecting with them allows him to do that.

“Most of my energy, both emotional

one relationship with each student,” Pringle said.

Destin thinks that if they have a passionate teacher, students become eager to apply what they’re learn-

WHEN TEACHERS REALLY WANT YOU TO ENJOY WHAT YOU’RE LEARNING, YOU START TO LIKE IT AND SOMETIMES START TO LOVE IT. LINA DESTIN (‘21) learning. “They don’t just want you to succeed and to learn, they want you to enjoy learning in their class,” Destin said.

When Destin sees her teachers showing passion for their subject,

December 2018

As West teaches yearbook design, the students’ vision can be anything from a simple design to a complex spread.

“They expect and think that I have all the answers, but with the classes I teach, I don’t have all the answers,” she said.

out of class. One teacher in particular who has influenced her is Social Studies Teacher Duncan Pringle. She feels that his expressive motions in class got her excited for World Civilizations I, and ignited a curiosity about history.

and physical energy, even when I’m planning, I try to think more of individual students and what they’re going to respond best to. I think that the single most important aspects of teaching is the personal one-on-

ing in the classroom, outside of the classroom, and in their daily lives.

“When teachers really want you to enjoy what you’re learning, you start to like it, and sometimes start to love it,” she said.

Features 13

Craving caffe

For many teachers and students, quick trips to Sta mornings without a cup can be sleepy and agitating and money easily spent, yet concerns for health Imogen Weiss | Media Editor

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of Americans over the age of 18 consume caffeine on a daily basis.

hat attracts Petra Yearley (’19) to caffeinated drinks is the quick energy boost it provides. “When I am at my laptop doing work, if I have coffee beside me, I feel like I have this energy next to me,” she said. “I can be energized to do my work even though [the coffee] may not be doing anything.”

Yearley believes caffeine helps her get through extensive amounts of work. “As I am a senior, I have so many essays to write, tests to study for and homework to do,” she said. “There is a lot more pressure, so you need that extra energy to be able to do all of that work.”

Daya Benami (’20) believes that the caffeine culture in the High School has become normalized because of the “very competitive environment that ASL cultivates. Drinking coffee helps you stay more focused and awake,” she said.

Health Teacher Bambi Thompson also believes that another factor in consumption of caffeine is that it is often associated with adults. “I suspect it is appealing for students to engage in

14 Features

something that is more adult; it is seen as a rite of passage,” she said.

With locations like Gail’s, Helter Skelter (known colloquially as Beatles), Starbucks, Pret-a-Manger and Panzer’s all offering coffee minutes away from school, Sean Collier (’20) believes that this cultivates a social norm surrounding coffee. “There will be groups that will go off campus to get coffee and come back but there are also some people who don’t care about it,” he said.

Thompson believes that the social aspect is a driving factor in encouraging people to drink coffee. “You always hear students talking about Starbucks, so the social aspect is always nice, and a café is a great place [to socialize],” she said.

Math Teacher Ray Blanch also suspects part of the reason why there has been an increase in coffee culture over the years is because of the accessibility to many cafés on the High Street.

Blanch enjoys going out to get coffee with his colleagues for the social aspect, but also to get

Quinn Whitman | Media D

“IT MIGHT START OFF AS SOMETHING THAT YOU DON NECESSARILY NEED ... BUT IT AN ADDICTVE QUALITY AND BECOMES A HABIT.” SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHER SANA SHAFQAT

some fresh air. “I think it’s important to take a break from the school day and get out of the building,” he said.

Consumption has observed that mainly juniors and senBnotlanch iors bring coffee to his classes. However, he does know whether this is due to age and workload, or if his observation is simply because he’s been teaching mostly junior and senior classes for the past couple years.

Benami started drinking coffee in Grade 8 because she liked the taste. However, with the onset of high school and “minimal hours of sleep,” she finds it helps her focus and feel less tired. “Usually I get coffee in the morning before school and then either during conference time or lunch or sometimes both,” she said.

While Benami does not consider herself to be dependant on coffee, she does believe it has be-

come somewhat of a habit. “I’ve become so used to functioning on coffee, it would be more of an effort to focus because I have a pretty rigorous schedule and I don’t get that much sleep, but I could definitely go without it,” she said.

Thompson believes that something that makes caffeine attractive is how it is advertized, specifically towards younger people through enticing seasonal flavors. “It is interesting to think whether we are being seduced by consumer advertizing,” she said. “They don’t care about health, they are about getting your money into their pockets.”

Yearley echoes Thompson in that seasonal drinks have attracted her to drinking coffee.

She specifically believes the Starbucks Christmas drinks influence her to buy more coffee.

Yearley thinks that her extensive consumption of caffeine has resulted in her building up a tolerance. “I don’t think caffeine works so much on me anymore. I think it still gives me a little bit of energy, but over the past year because I

The Standard •

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have been drinking a lot more, it has lost its effect,” she said.

Social Studies Teacher Sana Shafqat acknowledges that getting coffee, which can start out as something social, can quickly become a dependency. “It might start off as something that you don’t necessarily need, but once you begin having it, it has an addictive quality, and it becomes a habit,” she said. “Sometimes a social thing to go out with friends can turn into a desire for your body to have it.”

Yearley understands that her usage of caffeine is unhealthy and she notices its negative effects, yet feels it is still necessary to drink coffee. “After two or three hours I will get a major headache and I will be wondering ‘why did I do that,’ but it is because I just need the energy. It is definitely not healthy,” she said.

Similar to Yearley, Benami is aware of the negative side effects and acknowledges that “it’s bad to be dependent on any kind of substance even though caffeine doesn’t harm you to the extent of other substances,” she said.

• November 2018

On the contrary, Collier doesn’t drink coffee because “he doesn’t like the taste of it.” He said that if he needs energy, he “will drink Red Bull, which has caffeine,” although not often.

Like Collier, Shafqat dislikes coffee and prefers to drink hot chocolate instead. “I just never got into it,” she said. “I think I just love sleep too much.”

Thompson believes that caffeine use in general is contradictory – while students use it as a way to gain energy, the side effects caffeine provides does the opposite. “The side effects of caffeine are downplayed. It is linked with anxiety, headaches, jitters and lack of sleep, even though people may consume it for the purpose of alleviating those issues,” she said.

Health other drugs such as nicotine, painkillers and Likealcohol, the more caffeine someone consumes,

the more a tolerance builds. “Size of the beverage and the person matters as well, but the general rule of thumb is that [teenagers should] not have more than 100 milligrams [one to two cups of coffee] of caffeine a day,” Thompson said.

Through the Health curriculum, Thompson is making sure her students are aware of the effects caffeine has on the body. “I think that the students do forget that caffeine is a stimulant,” she said. “Because it is something that is so readily available, a lot of people don’t take into account that it is an addictive drug.”

Collier sees that students are frequently replacing sleep with caffeine. “I absolutely see that people substitute coffee for sleep. People will always say, ‘I didn’t sleep, but I have coffee,’” he said. “You can’t really stop them from using coffee as their only solution.”

Thompson believes that the easiest way to stop caffeine consumption is to gradually wean off. “It is important to see what effects [caffeine] has on you. Once you stop, you have withdraw-

al. If you want to stop, the easiest way is to wean yourself off,” she said.

Thompson believes that in order to mitigate the caffeine use of students, faculty must serve as a role model. “As teachers we should be modelling healthy behaviors,” she said. “Everything we do sets an example, so it is important to keep that in mind when drinking caffeinated beverages.”

Shafqat echoes Thompson in that excessive caffeine use is modelled by teachers. “So many of the adults in the building are also drinking coffee, so I can’t hold it against the students,” she said.

Shafqat believes that the use of caffeine should be replaced with more sleep. “More sleep is really the actual fix, rather than covering the issue with the band-aid of coffee,” she said.

Thompson agrees with Shafqat and emphasizes that students shouldn’t let caffeine be a driving factor in one’s life. “We want to see people thriving and living their lives, rather than surviving on caffeine,” she said.

Features 15

Uncovering unheard voices

Working long after the school day ends, the ASL maintenance staff spend much of their time behind the scenes.

Ananya Prakash | Editor in Chief

Sadia Hussein Living in Somalia and Ethiopia before moving to London, Sadia Hussein will always remain connected to her childhood home and culture.

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lancing down at her hands in thought, Sadia Hussein recalls her childhood in Somalia. After a few seconds, she looks up and grins.

Pulling her hand back as if throwing something, she searches for the word to describe her motion. “Marbles!

We played all the time,” Sadia said.

Growing up in Somalia, in the city of Mogadishu, Sadia was always out in the sun playing – occasionally studying too, she admits with a small laugh. Spending most of her childhood in Mogadishu, Sadia then moved with her family to Ethiopia, where she continued her education, with a focus on studying the Quran.

Her eyes are wistful, seemingly glazing over, as she reminisces about the previous chapter of her life where everything moved a little slower. The pride she holds for Somalia remains unwavering even with her distance away, clear from the passion in her voice when she says, “it’s my country, I love my country.”

Nothing can truly imitate what her life used to be like. It’s difficult for Sadia to find pieces of her home here in London. Although Sadia has found a Somali community here, she knows there’s always something missing. “It’s not the same, never,” she said. “It’s different, I don’t know how.”

as if tracing images when she talks about Eid. “We enjoy it, we eat outside, all my friends and all my family,” she said.

Aside from her home, there are two other topics that make Sadia visibly lighten: her family and Bollywood movies. As soon as Sadia brings up her older sister, she begins gushing with pride. Her sister is her role model: a source of hope and pride. She lists on her fingers all that her sister is, and evidently, all that she herself wants to be.

“She’s always happy, she’s smart, she’s everything,” Sadia said.

Sadia also adores watching Bol-

THE PRIDE SHE HOLDS FOR SOMALIA REMAINS UNWAVERING. “IT’S MY COUNTRY, I LOVE MY COUNTRY.” After a couple of years in Ethiopia, Sadia moved to London, which is where she has lived for the past five years. “After Somalia, we move everything, me and my family,” she said.

From studying English at Lambeth College, to working at Kings Cross, and now working at ASL, Sadia has experienced many changes over a short period of time. “I studied English for maybe three years, and after I finish, I start work.” It’s hard not to miss the thoughtful way Sadia searches for her words and articulates them precisely.

Even though Sadia appreciates the work opportunities London has brought her, it is clear her heart is still back home in Somalia. With the constant bustle and commotion of the city, life in London can get a little overwhelming. “Here is busy, Somalia is relaxed,” she said. “Here you keep going, keep going.” For her it’s a repetitive 3 p.m. – 11 p.m. job.

16 Features

Especially when trying to find Somalian food, Sadia exclaims with a sigh that nothing will ever taste authentic. “When you buy something, it looks like the same as [in Somalia], but I try it, it’s different,” she said.

“When I eat before, I enjoy it, but here I don’t enjoy it.”

Although Sadia bashfully admits she doesn’t know how to cook well, she immediately pulls up pictures of anjero, a Somalian specialty dish, something akin to spongy pancakes.

She excitedly points at the picture with a wide smile. “It looks like bread, but you mix flour and a little sugar, and little milk and egg,” she said. “With everything we eat it, we like it.”

While Sadia misses her home, there are still ways she tries to keep connected. One of the ways is through celebrating Eid, the Islamic holiday observed worldwide. Sadia’s eyes widen and she moves her hands

lywood movies. “The music, the action, everything – I like it,” she said. Whatever the reason may be, Sadia has watched so many Bollywood movies that she is essentially able to understand Hindi at this point. She’s pretty proud of that too. “I don’t speak [Hindi], I listen only. I can’t speak, I’ll look funny,” she laughs. “My brother doesn’t like it.” Sadia firmly opposes going to the cinema; she’s fond of watching movies on her phone or T.V. When she’s not working, Sadia is planning to surprise a friend in Bristol with a visit. Finding a community and people to connect with is what makes Sadia more herself. Even thousands of miles away from Somalia, if Sadia has people around her, she knows she will always be happy. “I have friends here, all of them are my friends. We enjoy it, we have fun all the time.”

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The Standard

THEY TRANSLATE WORDS FOR EACH OTHER WITHOUT HESITANCY, GIVE EACH OTHER SMALL SMILES, AND ARE SYNCED IN THAT UNCANNY WAY ONLY OLDER MARRIED COUPLES CAN BE.

José Diaz Castaneda & Elizabeth Marulanda Married for 36 years, José Diaz Castaneda and Elizabeth Marulanda have faced the ups and down of their lives together.

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lizabeth Marulanda rolls her eyes fondly at her husband José Diaz Castaneda as he begins to describe how they fell in love. It was at a bus stop in Cali, Colombia. Elizabeth worked in the same pharmacy as José and they took the bus home together every day. “We lived close. We met at my first company and she was working there. There was a bus stop, we meet to go home and we had chance to have conversation,” José said.

Elizabeth vehemently believes she liked José from the first time she met him. ”I liked him, he’s good… he’s good for me,” she said.

However, she shakes her head in disagreement when José presents a different perspective. “I tried to approach her, but she said no,” he laughs.

Married now for 36 years, Elizabeth and José have experienced all the ups and downs of their life together.

They are a unit – a package deal. “All the time together. Jose, Elizabeth and Elizabeth, José,” Elizabeth said, looking at José affectionately. Where Elizabeth goes, José goes, and where José goes, Elizabeth goes.

And so, together, they moved to London, 18 years ago. One deciding factor when choosing to relocate with their two children was the opportunities London could provide. “In Colombia, we have no welfare, nothing.

Your education, your health, this you need to pay,” José said. Moving to London, José knew would drastically reduce their cost of living.

Their two children, Sebastian and Sandra, are the cornerstones of everything Elizabeth and José are. “Sandra, the oldest, is now 31 years old. Sebastian is now 21 years old,” José said.

The second part of moving to London had to do with Elizabeth’s sister. “My sister studied here. She said come, it was an invitation. My sister lived here for long time,” Elizabeth said.

However, after moving, the couple found the transition chal-

December 2018

lenging. “At this time, we had difficulty getting full time job,” José said.

Elizabeth soon adds on, “Move here, nothing, no speak English, difficult for the family because we all speak Spanish. My daughter went to secondary school, my son in nursery.”

Despite the rocky beginning, both Elizabeth and José took English classes, and their children learned English at school growing up. Elizabeth proudly states Sandra went on to college to study psychology and linguistics in Bangor University in Wales. “Now she is working as an international teacher in Cairo,” José said, pride similar to Elizabeth’s shining in his eyes. “My son now studies [chemistry] in Bath University,” Elizabeth adds, almost seeming in awe of what her children have accomplished.

Elizabeth unabashedly admits she calls Sandra every day, and loves her children more than words can even begin to describe. Aside from Skype calls with them, she created a

WhatsApp group with her family to keep them connected. “We try to be a united family, harmonious,” José said. “We have the same family values like respect, love, more communication, tolerance.”

Elizabeth’s most proud moment

was attending the ceremony to see Sandra graduate college. “Me and my husband, my sister, my niece, Sebastian, family travelled to Bangor University. It’s very nice,” she said. “So proud moment for me.”

Elizabeth and José live together, and have always worked together over three different jobs in London before coming to ASL together 13 years ago. While they are often inseparable, they both recognize the importance of maintaining their sense of self.

“The relationship with a couple needs space to do different activities. We have

to be individuals,” José said.

Growing up, José has seen how stereotypes and toxic gender norms can harm relationships. He is firm about sharing chores with his wife and equally contributing. “When we started with the relationship it was difficult because in Latin America we have [machismo]… However, in our time it’s different... We do activities together like clean dishes or help prepare the food because I eat the same,” José said.

He knows his family is a team.

Immediately Elizabeth pulls out her phone and thumbs over her lockscreen.

She tilts her phone to show me what she’s looking at. It’s a picture of her two children standing by an Egyptian pyramid, grinning widely at the camera. She misses them everyday.

José talks loud fast, and a lot. Elizabeth talks quieter, slower, but José tries to give her space to speak. They translate words for each other without hesitancy, give each other small smiles, and are synced in that uncanny way only older married couples can be.

There’s a love that trickles into their voices when they talk about each other and the life they have shared. Even after sitting with them only for a short while, anyone would know they’ve always belonged with each other and always will.

Features 17

Feminist club hopes to bridge a divide

Established in the beginning of the school year, the Feminist Club hopes to provide a platform for all opinions regarding feminism.

Gabe Menzies | Staff Writer

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he Feminist Club, started by Jose Lecaros (’20) and Houdah Daniels (’20), aims to help members of the community better understand the intentions of the globally influential feminist movement through structured discussion. “I started the Feminist Club to create a safe space in the regard that it is a place where you can openly express your opinion,” Lecaros said.

“A lot of students feel intimidated to express their true opinions on feminism, or any political subject for that matter that’s controversial because they think it will impact their relationships.”

Jose Lecaros (‘20) This concept of being able to express opinions openly appealed to many students, as the club has had as many as 50 members sign up, both male and female from all grades.

For Xander Clare (’20), the creation of the club gives him a platform to discuss ideas about feminism in a way he had not previously been able to do. “I joined the Feminist Club partly since I am interested in voicing my opinion about modern feminism,” he said.

Both Clare and Lecaros believe that the Feminist Club is important as they believe students can often be criticized for sharing their dissenting opinions about social justice issues, particularly feminism.

“A lot of students feel intimidated to express their true opinions on feminism or any political subject because they think it will impact their relationships with friends and teachers,” Lecaros said.

As co-president of the Feminist Club, Lecaros plans to host regular discussions and bring in influential women who work in business to discuss the benefits of women in the workforce, such as his own mother. Lecaros believes these women will help teach students about the benefits of feminism, encourage respectful discourse on issues tackled by the movement and provide concrete evidence to empower their arguments.

Ava Crawford (’20), a feminist who has not joined the club, still thinks the club is a good idea.

“I would probably join, but I already have too many other commitments,” she said.

Hoping to combat this recurring theme of students overcommitting themselves to extracurricular commitments, Lecaros aims to only offer club meetings once a week.

Crawford believes the club provides an important platform to tackle the ambiguities regarding feminism. “It’s important for people who aren’t feminists to recognize the importance of gender

PHOTO BY IMOGEN WEISS

Presidents of the Feminist Club, Houdah Daniels (’20) and Jose Lecaros (’20), lead a meeting on Friday December 7 where they went through an introduction on civil debate.

equality,” she said. “For a while, if you were a feminist at ASL, there was a negative connotation to it, but it's gotten a lot better.”

Similarly to Crawford, Clare notices the necessity of having a club that tackles the issue of

sexism. “I think gender equality is one the most important movements right now,” he said.

For the average student, the Feminist Club supports not only feminism itself but is also an ongoing movement to support freedom of expression.

Living in a sibling’s shadow

The implications of straying from an older sibling’s academic and athletic legacy.

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ccording to a recent survey conducted by The Standard, 49 out of the 218 students who responded have older siblings currently at ASL. Eva Noel (’21) is one of them. Noel has two older sisters, Claire (’17) who is attending Cornell University, and Lily (’19).

Being the youngest sibling in her family, Noel feels pressure to be like her sisters. “It’s not like we each have our own individual path.

I’m morphed into the student they are, the athlete they are and everything. But that is really not who I want to be,” she said.

Similar to Noel, Darby Craig (’21) feels that there is a reputation set for him by his older brother Brodie (’18), and sister Carly (’15), but especially his brother who graduated last year. “There is definitely some pressure that comes with just trying to be my brother...he is a huge role model for me,” he said. “I want to be my own person, but there is pressure to be just like him.”

One source of Noel’s pressure is from her parents as she feels they often expect her to get the same grades in the classes that her sisters did when they took them. “I feel like I am expected to live up to this perfect being all the time,” Noel said.

In contrast to Noel, Alice Bake (’20) does not feel pressure because her parents don’t hold her up to the same standard as her siblings.

“My parents don’t expect me to do the exact same thing that my siblings did. They want me

18 Features

Helen Roth | Staff Writer

to her two older sisters. “[My sisters] left an impression on teachers that they always work hard, they always do well, they always excel in everything they do. That has been a challenge,” she said. “When speaking to my current teachers [and when they ask me about my sisters], it frustrates me because I know my sister is great.

I hear it all the time. Can we talk about something that I can relate to, rather than how great my siblings are?”

“It’s not like we each have our own individual path. I’m morphed into the student they are, the athlete they are.”

Eva Noel (‘20) PHOTO COURTESY OF EVA NOEL

Eva Noel (’21) with her sisters Claire (’17) and Lily (’19) at her Middle School graduation in 2017. to find my own passions and interests, rather than following the same exact footsteps as my siblings,” she said.

Although having older siblings can come with pressure for some students, for Leyth Sousou (’22), it also can also come with wisdom. “[Being the youngest sibling] is nice because I got all the wisdom from my older siblings [Mariam (’18) and Farid (’17)] about how to go

through high school. It was nice to hear from them about what they did, how they did better and I could apply that.”

Not only does Noel feel pressure from her parents, but also from her teachers. When Noel was in Grade 7, the first thing she heard from her teachers was, “there is another Noel.”

The focus of her teachers was not on herself as an individual, but rather comparing her

In contrast to Noel, the pressure Craig feels from teachers doesn’t necessarily have a negative effect on him. In fact, he believes it encourages him. “[Director of Student Life James] Perry always talks to me about how my brother had a lot of integrity, and how I should model myself after that,” Craig said. “It didn’t bother me though, I just use it as motivation.”

Bake feels similarly to Craig. “I think [my siblings and I] all have our different strengths and weaknesses...I more admire them and am proud of them,” she said. “They inspire me to do my best, because I can see that they are working so hard.”

The Standard

The complexities of inclusion Eleven percent of students are currently on financial aid, but that’s only the beginning of the conversation. Structured on a needs-based model, the school’s program aims to provide opportunity while growing the community.

Houdah Daniels | Staff Writer

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n a 1408-student school with an annual tuition cost ranging from £27,000 to £31,000, being a part of the 11 percent who receive financial aid comes with a range of rewards and disadvantages.

The system in itself is particularly rare as Head of School Robin Appleby explained that “very few international schools actually have financial aid programs … so people are unfamiliar with it in the international school world.”

Appleby describes ASL to be “half an independent school model in the States and half an international school model,” and says that financial aid is a “routine part” of how American independent schools and colleges run their models.

Malachy Doherty (’21), who is on financial aid, expressed his appreciation for the administration’s efforts in making sure his transition into the school has been a smooth one. “There’s nothing that the school, [the administration] could control, that they don’t already help with,” he said. They do as much as they possibly can.”

The financial aid program operates on a needs-based model, which awards applicants after a full analysis of the family’s financial situation to determine how much aid they need.

Associate Dean of Admissions Ken Craig explained that ASL does not consider merit scholarships. “Our financial aid is ... not tied to student’s performance in the admissions process; it’s needbased, so it’s means tested,” he said.

Dean of Admissions Jodi Warren has been at ASL for 31 years and is familiar with the financial aid program. The history of the program was directed towards students who “needed” an American education in London, such as families who were in London on a temporary basis and did not have the means to afford the full tuition.

The admission office used independent methods to analyze individual situations and back then the maximum amount the school could award families was 50 percent of tuition.

Around 2005, there was a transition to use the program School & Student Services (SSS) by National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS).

Using SSS allowed for the school to have an external, objective way of determining who would qualify for financial aid while also removing the 50 percent limit of granted tuition.

This galvanized the Board of Trustees’ plans

to increase the socioeconomic diversity of the student body. At the time, four percent of the tuition revenue was dedicated to financial aid; the goal was to increase to eight percent by 2015 - which it did - and is currently at 9.8 percent, with a target goal of 12 percent. “Any educational institution is only made stronger by bringing in students from a variety of different backgrounds, all sorts of different walks of life,” Craig said. “The hope and the mission of the school… [is not to] only serve the very privileged.”

To support the longevity of the financial aid program, the school has invested in the expansion of an endowment, which comes from donations.

In addition to offering financial aid to cover tuition costs, the program offers aid towards costs associated with student extracurriculars, for example, the Robotics trip to China. There are also instances where a parent’s employer may cover tuition cost. Approximately 20% of all students have their tuition fees invoiced to companies who then pay them. In these situations, the family can apply for financial aid for others situations where students are required to pay for something, like an advisory lunch. “Everybody pays to their capacity and then we also try and make it an equitable experience as much as possible for all the students,” Craig said.

Doherty recognizes that “in the everyday side of the school, [being on financial aid or not] doesn’t make much of a difference,” however,

“when it does [socially], it does make me, personally, feel like an outcast.”

For instance, Doherty attended a government funded school in Wimbledon prior to attending ASL and feels “quite annoyed” about his peers’ negative opinions on such schools, despite them never attending one. Doherty recognizes that due to public schools’ lack of funding, people may think they are of lesser quality. However, he believes “that doesn’t inherently make them bad schools.”

Unlike Doherty, Laura Boyle (’20) is not on financial aid, but she empathizes with students on financial aid who may not feel comfortable sharing that fact about them. “You don’t want to feel anymore different at ASL because I think a lot of kids already struggle with alienation [in other ways],” she said.

“You don’t even look twice if you see someone wear a Gucci shirt, so I think for kids who can’t afford that same lifestyle [some]ASL kids live, you [do] feel very different,” Boyle said.

Grade 10 Dean and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Leader Renee Green gives testament to Boyle’s beliefs with her experience attending Deerfield Academy in Deerfield, Massachusetts, which is an independent boarding, on financial aid. “I distinctly remember the experience of being on aid as being one that I felt like I always had to be quiet about,” she said. “To just stay under the radar, be grateful and just do what I had to do because I felt like I was indebted to the school and to the donors who gave the money for financial aid.”

While Green was grateful for having received aid to cover tuition, she felt that that often overpowered her ability to ask for additional resources, which in turn restricted her ability to take advantage of the school’s possibilities, such as study-abroad programs.

Boyle recognizes how the “air of assumption” of students having a disposable income is attributed to a lack of diversity. “The more we’re talking about diversity and having these discussions, the more that students as a whole are feeling more tolerant, more open-minded, more accepting of everyone’s difference,” she said.

Similarly, Appleby believes that students being open about being on financial aid, including providing feedback about their experience, is beneficial for the longevity of the program in terms of fundraising. “I think the higher visibility would actually further encourage our community, for those who have the means to be able to contribute to financial aid,” she said.

Appleby acknowledges, however, that this has to come from the student and families own will because from an administration perspective, “Everyone has the right to privacy so if someone doesn’t want to talk about it, they don’t have to,” she said.

Green puts forward the idea of an affinity group for those on financial aid to create a place where they can use each other as resources and as support. “Wouldn’t it be great that we could arrive at a space where this group of people could see each other and validate each other’s experience?,” she said. “I would be really happy and comforted knowing that there was a space, a safe space, a brave space for those people - if they wanted it.”

Appleby seconds Green as she too believes financial aid should be something people can talk about safely. “If we really are acting on what is a global perspective, that is about inclusion, and inclusion of people who are in all kinds of work, who have all kinds of purposes in life,” she said.

“Sometimes their chosen purpose in life might mean that their income isn’t huge but that doesn’t mean that their purpose is any less important.”

To read the extended version of the article, visit standard.asl.org

“THE HOPE AND MISSION OF THE SCHOOL IS NOT TO ONLY SERVE THE VERY PRIVILEGED.” ASSOCIATE DEAN OF ADMISSIONS KEN CRAIG December 2018

Features 19

Lending a helping hand

Despite many opportunities to receive academic support within the High School, many students search outside of ASL to hire a tutor.

Alexandra Gers | Deputy Editor-in-Chief: Online

Christina Leonard | Online Director

Phaedra Letrou | Deputy Editor-In-Chief: Print

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f the 217 responses to a survey sent by The Standard, 56 percent of students said they had been tutored before and more than 65 percent of students believe that tutoring for students is frequent and/or always happens at ASL. Prior to Ayse Yucesan’s (’18) experience with tutoring in high school, she felt there was a stigma associated with tutoring. “I didn’t want to seem like I needed extra help to succeed, however soon I found that tutoring is a nice way to ensure further understanding and success,” she said.

Yucesan began tutoring for the ACT in her sophomore year in preparation for the format of standardized testing.

“I was fortunate enough to afford tutoring, so I wanted a more structured and organized environment... rather than having to learn it on my own,” she said.

Following this introduction, Yucesan continued tutoring throughout her junior and senior years for her Advanced Placement (AP) heavy course load, of which she took 10 by the time she graduated. She explained that while her teachers were available for help, she took advantage of having the ability to go to tutoring as it helped her comprehend the material she was learning better. “Having that extra time with a professional in the subject really allowed me to further my understanding and ensure that

I could succeed in the class,” she said.

Similarly, in Andrew Shaffran’s (’20) sophomore year, he was tutored in English, World Civilization II and Geometry. “Those are the classes specifically I was struggling in so it just helps me stay on top of everything and stay organized,” he said.

While Shaffran did not see an immediate fix from tutoring, over time he noticed that not only his grades improved but also his relationships with teachers did because he would “get his work in more often.”

Yucesan noticed that when she missed her tutoring sessions her grasp on concepts decreased significantly. “[If] I didn’t have that extra time with a professional, one on one, to go over the topics, I wasn’t able to cultivate my understanding to the extent that it needed to be,” she said.

Comparatively, Lulu Rajguru (’19) does not use a tutor for any of her school subjects, as she feels more fulfilled when she achieves academic success without the help of one. “I like understanding things by myself... I feel more satisfied when I arrive at a good grade by myself,” she said.

However, both Rajguru and Yucesan attribute the common practice of using a tutor to the overall academic pressure at ASL with both the desire to do well and the increased pressure for college preparation.

In and Out of School Help of the ASL community, many Oist.utside tutoring and test-prep services exOne which is frequently visited by

students is Edvice, an educational consultancy company that works with international students who are hoping to pursue a college education in the U.S., started by former Director of College Counselling Lisa Montgomery (P’18).

Math Teacher Doug Poggioli currently works at Edvice on weekends and after school, and while some of the students he tutors are on a “word-of-mouth” basis, the majority is through Edvice. “Most of the time the tutoring that I do at Edvice is actually given to me by the counselors at Edvice. I have a deal with them that all my tutoring goes through them and they provide me with a space to tutor, they provide me with materials and all that other stuff there to tutor,” he said.

According to a recent survey conducted by The Standard, approximately 47.4 percent of 217 students who responded to the survey use an outside of school tutor, with math and science being the most common subjects.

20 Features

While Poggioli believes that the services offered by Edvice are extremely helpful, particularly to British students who are unaware of the ins and outs of the American college system. He urges students to first seek help in school.

“Students don’t take advantage of the fact that they can see their teachers often enough,” he said. “Most likely a student would say to me, ‘You know I can’t hire a tutor.’ Well that’s fine, but we have conference time and a free period before and after school. Most of the time I don’t see students during those periods.”

Sam Holzman (’19) has also noticed that students, particularly upperclassmen, don’t take advantage of opportunities to see teachers during school breaks. “The only time I would honestly [see a teacher] now is if I missed a class, if not I would probably ask somebody after school for a tip,” he said.

Grade 9 Dean Rodney Yeoh echoes Poggioli in that students should try and use the resources they have available before reaching out to a tutor. “It circumvents the whole process that we believe,

that ASL believes,” he said. Yeoh believes that before students hire a tutor, they should ensure that they have approached their teacher for extra help, worked with their friends, visited the peer tutoring center or expressed concern to their dean.

However, Poggioli does recognize that having a tutor helps students feel more secure in their knowledge, especially when they are missing a more fundamental concept. For example, Poggioli described a student in Algebra II who is potentially struggling with quadratics, but in reality doesn’t understand how to add and subtract like terms. Under these circumstances, among others, tutoring is beneficial. “A lot of times the students have a poor memory, and in that one hour structure time they feel ok, ‘At least I can sit down with a tutor and I can go through all this stuff that I need to,’ [tutors] give students another perspective on it,” he said.

Holzman similarly sees benefits in working with a tutor to solidify one’s knowledge. In Grade 8 he was tutored in geometry. “I started falling behind in the

beginning of the year and so I used a tutor to get back on top of my work,” he said.

Holzman does believe that, occasionally, students won’t receive help, either from a tutor or teacher, because they do not want to appear as if they are struggling.

Aside from tutoring, Rajguru, Holzman and Poggioli believe that services such as Khan Academy can help solidify one’s knowledge. Khan Academy, an organization which creates short lessons in the form of YouTube videos, has videos on topics ranging from Physics to Economics to U.S. History. Holzman used Khan Academy to prepare for his first SAT and found their videos helped him improve.

Poggioli agrees with Rajguru, but still believes that only so much can be learned from websites like Khan Academy. “Khan Academy is really fantastic, but it still is... a YouTube video.

It’s great but the skill in tutoring is being able to read a student’s mind and see because they’re saying this, that means that they’re seeing it this way, which is not correct, and I’ve got to get them to see it that way,” he said.

The Standard

Parental Input hroughout the years, ASL has tried Tternal to cut down on the amount of extutoring students receive by

asking teachers to register with the school. However, services such as the Peer Tutoring Center, which Learning Specialist Daniel Russell started, are available to students who need it.

While the Peer Tutoring Center was not started with the intention of offering free tutoring services, Russell believes that this is a nice “by-product.”

Holzman believes that tutoring is very much dependent on a family’s financial status. “If you can afford a tutor then you’re going to do way better, not that you’re inherently any smarter than someone who can’t afford it, but it’s just a game,” he said.

Yucesan said that her parents supported her desire to pursue tutoring.

“It was definitely a mutual decision among us,” she said. “I would say I was the one who initiated a desire for tutoring just because I felt

like it would ease my learning.”

In contrast, when Holzman asked his parents to get an SAT tutor, they were hesitant as he could use resources such as Khan Academy.

“My parents didn’t really believe that [tutoring] would work,” he said.

Assistant Principal Karen Bonthrone, who is also in charge of student scheduling, believes that it is necessary to include a student’s parents in the conversation of their child’s course load. “If there’s clearly something where there’s a disconnect... we can all have a conversation, we can bring the parents in, we can bring the dean in, what we want to always make sure is that everybody has the best schedule for them, and that isn’t always necessarily always pursuing everything to the highest level,” she said.

In fact, Bonthrone questions over tutoring a student as she believes at some point, “it may all crash and burn.”

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Having that extra time with a professional in the subject really allowed me to further my understanding and ensure that I could succeed in the class.

Ayse Yucesan (’18)

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Tutoring Culture teachers and students agree Mis aany that the tutoring culture at ASL direct result of the intense com-

petition amongst students and the academically competitive environment it facilitates. Math Department Head Mark Barsoum believes that this competitive culture isn’t healthy.

“The main driver is pressure that students put on themselves because they see other students performing better than they are,” he said. “So the answer to it is often, ‘well I’ll get some help in the form of a tutor’.”

Ambrose Vannier (’21) agrees that even as an underclassmen the intense, competitive culture has motivated student to look towards tutoring. “Everyone’s trying to get good grades, people are always comparing,” he said. Vannier mentioned that students often feel motivated to get a better grade than their peers next time. “People are definitely always going to try and get help from tutoring to boost their grades. I don’t think that’s a good motivation because I think it’s about learning, but I also believe that it’s okay to use tutoring … it’s just a bit of extra help.”

Poggioli believes college, in gen-

December 2018

eral, is becoming far more competitive. “It’s sheer numbers,” he said. “There’s the same number of spaces but there’s more people applying. Students feel more competitive there. They feel like they have to push themselves further.”

As a result students aren’t taking courses that might appear easier. Poggioli believes that while some students might need an Algebra with Foundations course, which ASL doesn’t offer, they would not take it in order to appear like a competitive applicant for university.

Yeoh said how some students sign up for too many challenging classes and expect to compensate for their inevitable struggle with tutors. “This creates the pressure... everything needs to be at the right balance, but there’s just something about the grade, the class or the school that perpetuates that [desire to hire tutors],” he said.

Agreeing with Yeoh, Bonthrone attributes students’ need for tutors to a poorly structured schedule. Bonthrone believes that when students are in Grade 11 and Grade 12, they should be pursuing their passions,

not just courses which they believe will look good. Specifically, Bonthrone believes that if students add more APs to their schedule, especially in areas where they aren’t interested in, it will increase their chances of overloading themselves and their grades will suffer. “You’re also trying to work at a very high level in an area where you may have absolutely no interest, and that doesn’t help you.

It’s far better that you take the best set of courses for yourself and for you to follow your passions,” she said.

Agreeing with Bonthrone, Rajguru adds that “the tutoring culture at ASL is more wanting to get good grades even if you don’t enjoy what you’re doing.” However, she believes that instead the culture should be focused on students “wanting to improve in what [they’re] doing and having that drive to succeed [even if that means] getting a tutor to help you on the way.”

In turn, this could lower the number of students who are tutored.

Echoing both Bonthrone and Rajguru, Holzman thinks “It would be good if people could take a step back and either only focus on classes

that they want to take, or work towards college to a certain degree.”

However, he realizes that this is easier said than done. “I honestly can’t really blame students for that because at ASL taking two AP’s is not a lot, maybe three is normal and four or five is a lot. I can’t blame people for wanting to challenge themselves, and in that way challenging yourself is good.”

Consequently, though, as Holzman is Co-President of the Student Faculty Disciplinary Board (SFDB), he noted that he has definitely seen a repetitive culture regarding students looking towards cheating because the classes they’re taking demand higher ability.

“Sometimes, we’ll hear from students who are just, no matter how smart they are, they’re just way in over their heads in classes. You need to make sure you don’t do something bad; [such as] cheating or plagiarizing.”

Bonthrone hopes that by reducing the assumption that an AP-heavy schedule is the best schedule, the need for tutors will decrease within the High School.

“By not taking that other AP hopefully that would mean that they don’t need extra support,” she said.

Features 21

Culture

London holiday survival guide Highlighting a few signature holiday attractions in the U.K. to make this December more festive.

Micaella Lavi | Staff Writer

Blenheim Palace

The Christmas market stalls at Blenheim Palace, selling holiday themed gifts and ornaments, is one of the many events that take place during the winter season, including a holiday fair and light show.

To read the rest of Staff Writer Micaella Lavi’s article see standard.asl.org

Southbank Christmas Market

One of Southbank’s excellent food spots, Jimmy’s Lodge lets customers eat in plastic igloos, creating a more festive dining experience.

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or me, the holidays revolve around food.

Good food not only makes you happy, but brings people together. If you are a foodie, then go to the Southbank Christmas Market. It’s not much of a market as it is a place for great food.

It’s a casual place that is fun to walk around.

There is a cinema and the museums nearby. If the food and attractions aren’t enough, then go to see the walls plastered with grafitti on nearby Leake Street and walk along the river to reach the Tate Modern.

The Tate Modern is arguably one of the most inspiring museums in London; if you haven’t had the chance to go yet, then definitely go be-

22 Culture

fore the new year. The walk will include several street performers that range from musicians to magicians.

The Southbank Christmas Market has all kinds of foods, ranging from Middle-Eastern falafel to Austrian schnitzel. If you would rather sit down and eat at a proper restaurant, then there is Mexican restaurant Wahaca. If you are craving a more wintery dish, then the Alpine - inspired restaurant across the way from Wahaca called Jimmy’s Lodge has excellent food that you eat in a plastic Igloo looking out at the river. Southbank is a short walk from Waterloo underground station, which is accessible from the Jubilee line.

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lenheim Palace, located just north of Oxford, is the perfect place to escape the city for a day. If you need some peace and quiet then the gardens and Blenheim Palace are just for you! Everything is decorated for the holidays including a Christmas themed market, a fair with a carousel, and a light show. The Palace is embellished with several Christmas trees of different colors, and they have a custom holiday gallery filled with music and lights.

Activities in Blenheim Palace include roasting

marshmallows over an open fire pit and wandering through a grand maze. My favorite part is walking around the grounds, as there is a lot to see and everything is decorated. I went on a very cloudy and rainy day, but everything was still so festive.

Blenheim does tend to be colder than the city so make sure you’re wearing warm clothes. If you are interested in going, than you need to take a bus or train to Oxford and then a bus going directly to the Palace. This is a lovely holiday excursion if you are looking for one.

Natural History Museum

ALL PHOTOS BY MICAELLA LAVI

Skaters at the Natural History Museum. Every winter the Natural History Museum installs an ice rink in front of the building. The destination is popular among Londoners. a myriad of winter themed things to Tis here’s do in London, and one of the most vibrant to go ice skating. There are many ice skating

sites around London such as Somerset House, Winter Wonderland, and the Natural History Museum. With quality hot chocolate, Christmas lights, a merry-go-round and, obviously, a great ice rink, The Natural History Museum gives skaters the full holiday experience. If you plan to go, book tickets in advance as time slots fill up quickly, student tickets only cost £9. Moreover, the attraction is a great site if

your friends and family are coming to London to visit. Each time slot is 50 minutes and the ice rink is large enough not to get bored of going around in circles. I recommend going with friends: seeing one another fall makes the ice skating even more fun and hilarious to watch.

There are other places, but the Natural History Museum is cheap and close. From the St. John’s Wood underground station it should only take about 20 minutes. If you want to spend an awesome day with friends before you all leave for the holidays, this is the best way to do it.

The Standard

From classic Hollywood to contemporary film The legacy of the ‘golden age of Hollywood’ has continued to shape film today.

Maddy Whitman | Staff Writer

December 2018

In the era of classic Hollywood films, there were beauty standards that developed in the media, for instance with Marilyn Monroe often regarded as the epitome of beauty. Berinati believes these beauty standards shaped societal expectations that people felt they needed to uphold. “Film is art and it imitates our lives but it also creates what we think is normal, [which] we aspire to,” Berinati said.

In classic film, both men and women played stereotypical roles: female actors needed to be sexy and often played the ‘dumb blonde’ while men were expected to be strong and smart.

Smith believes that films in the past were more about “pleasantry” for the viewer and maintaining what viewers wanted to see.

Smith believes that the characters and actors in film have changed to cater to a more diverse audience as the industry has developed.

She thinks that as audiences have grown, film has needed “to address more issues and opinions,” due to the amount of people watching.

Berinati agrees with Smith and also feels the societal expectations developed in 20th century film excluded people of color and other minorities, something that is being reversed in contemporary film. “We see a lot more people of color [and] we see a lot more non-binary [actors],” Berinati said.

Smith also feels that film is a representation of culture and through the projectin of cultural issues, there is more awareness that is spread. “Film plays such a big role in influencing people and I think there [is] more awareness for the responsibility of the film industry because it has such [a monumental] social impact,” Smith said.

Smith believes that there are many people who have inspired the development of the entertainment industry. “Stan Lee with Marvel

figured out the formula for commercial success,” she said. “To create this one large story that just draws so many people in, I think is really revolutionary.”

Charlie Chaplin is another filmmaker that Smith feels has had major effect on the film industry. “[He represented] the turn from when film went from silent film to becoming something that was experienced by so many more people,” Smith said.

While Smith also feels that the a lot of the directors who have helped the film industry develop are from the 20th century, Collier believes that directors of the modern era such as Steven Spielberg have had an influence on the future of film. “[Spielberg has] done a lot of good work and [has] created a lot of new ideas in directing and filmmaking,” Collier said.

Although film has undergone significant changes through the century, Berinati believes that classic film built a platform for the enter-

“Film plays such a big role in influencing people and I think there is more awareness for the responsibility of the film industry because it has such a monumental social impact.”

Katya Smith (’19) tainment industry to grow from. Film continues to develop and change as years go by and new stories hit the spotlight. “It’s an exciting time for film and a lot more interesting ways in which people tell stories,” Berinati said.

POSTERS FROM WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

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ince its birth in the 20th century, film has become a reflection of global culture. Classic Hollywood films were originally viewed as a way for people to escape the hard reality of conflict and death between World War I and II. Katya Smith (’19) believes this idea had a significant impact on the way film is interpreted in modern society and its effect on culture.

“You think of the 40s and the war effort, so it’s always been walking this line of both being a distraction but also being a way of reaching out to people,” she said.

Hollywood films moved into the spotlight and reached their golden age between the 1920s and the 1950s. “That was a time in between the wars, so we were thinking about recovering and wanting to escape from economic hardship, death and destruction,” English Teacher Eve Berinati, who teaches Literature and Film said.

“In many ways it was an escape.” Viewing films thereby had more of a communal purpose in the past than it has today; people came together to experience a brief moment of relief.

Lorenzo Collier (’22) feels that film today is about experiencing something new. “I think film represents a way for people to enjoy life and how they can’t enjoy it,” he said.

Collier also believes that contemporary film allows for new conversations to start as they deal with more complex issues.

Agreeing with Collier, Smith believes that problems become more acceptable to talk about as they are brought to light on high platforms. Smith specifically cites films such as Love Simon, Black Panther, The Help and Wonder Woman as films that have confronted topics that have often been ignored. “There’s so many movies that talk about taboo subjects and its because of those films that those subjects don’t become taboo anymore,” Smith said.

Culture 23

The curse of the Harry Potter franchise The Harry Potter franchise continues a trend of lacking diversity in the Wizarding World’s newest movie Fantastic Beasts: the Crimes of Grindelwald.

Naz Ozturk | Culture Editor: Print

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ince the release of the first book of the Harry Potter series in 1997, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, pop culture has been greatly impacted by the creation of author J.K. Rowling’s magical world. It is rare to come across anyone who hasn’t read the books or seen the movies of this $25 billion franchise.

From the age of 10, I was entrenched in the wizarding world that was brought to life by the Harry Potter series. I read all the books, frequently binge-watched the movies, took pride in my extensive wand collection, and even signed up for Pottermore– a website created by J.K. Rowling.

Nevertheless, through my fandom and awe for these stories, it made me feel uncomfortable when I came across the misrepresentation of characters of color and different cultures. With the release of the newest movie of the franchise, Fantastic Beasts: the Crimes of Grindelwald, it is clear that the lack of diversity still prevails.

It seemed strange how the only people of color or non-British descent in the books and movies were a total of 13 people: the most notable being Dean Thomas, Cho Chang and the Patil twins, Padma and Parvati. It was blatantly unrealistic, even more so than all the spells and flying broomsticks, that people of color were of such small significance to the plot of the Harry Potter series. This is especially true given the

stories were set in London and the greater part of Britain, which are places that house people from many different backgrounds. Moreover, these four characters seemed to add nothing more to the stories than their cultural background.

With each character, there was little development in their calibres within the seven books and 1,179 minutes of the movies. Dean Thomas, a British-African character, was merely the comical relief in the stories, the source of jokes - a persona that is often affiliated with people of African descent in Hollywood. The Patil twins only made an appearance in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, barely having any influence on the story and given only a few lines of dialogue: their primary purpose was to be the dates of Harry and Ron to the Yule Ball. Moreover, the Patil twins were clearly portrayed as nothing more than their cultural background as the only time the audience was ever instructed to pay close attention to the Patil twins was during the Yule Ball, when they were shown as wearing saris, a traditional Indian gown, further presenting a stereotype for women of British-Indian backgrounds.

As for Cho Chang, one of Harry’s love in-

terests, even her name was a stereotype on Asian culture. Her name is actually a compilation of two Korean last names, even though the book signifies that she is of Chinese descent. Moreover, similar to the Patil twins, Cho Chang was dressed in traditional Chinese clothes for the Yule Ball: wearing a cheongsam, a dress with substantial historic significance. It is not uncommon for people, even in the muggle world, to wear dresses from traditional ethnic dresses to balls and proms to honor their cultural heritage; however, it is a bit bizarre that within Harry Potter the only people who seem to put their cultural background on display are three female characters who are all from East-Asian or South-Asian descent.

Now, with the newest Harry Potter movie Fantastic Beasts: the Crimes of Grindelwald already in cinemas, the Harry Potter franchise still seems to follow a trend centered around lack of diversity and the misrepresentation of minorities.

After watching the movie intently, I was taken aback when I realized that the cast included a total of six characters who were portrayed by people of color: the most significant characters included Leta Lestrange (played by actress Zoe Kravitz) and Nagini (played by actress Claudia Kim). Primarily, I thought that it was a bit problematic to portray the two most significant people of color within the story as antagonists.

Although Leta Lestrange isn’t actually a villain of the story, her character is portrayed negatively as her sole purpose within the story is to break the heart of the protagonist, Newt Scamander who is played by Eddie Redmayne. Personally, I thought it was getting a bit old to see the few women of color within the Harry Potter franchise mainly por-

trayed as nothing more than the main character’s love interest. Maybe it’s just me, but it seemed as if the story is subtly conveying this underlying message about women of color, saying “you can’t be a hero, but maybe if you’re lucky enough you can date one.” Moreover, the back story created for Nagini in the movie only makes matters worse, as women of color within the franchise are further portrayed as the property or sidekicks of their male counterparts.

Originally, in the Harry Potter series, Nagini is the snake and horcrux of the dark wizard Voldemort.

However, Fantastic Beasts: the Crimes of Grindelwald exposes Nagini as actually being a maledictus – a witch who has a blood curse and therefore is forced to switch between an animal and human form. In some cases, others can control and trigger her transition, alienating her right of choice and diminishing her status as an independent character.

In a Twitter post, J.K. Rowling announced that the maledictus blood curse of Nagini is passed through birth “from mother to daughter” and therefore can only impact women – a point that I found as being too oppressive; after all, Nagini’s character is already more limited than the others due to the forced essence of her transformation. Both the sexist and racist nature associated with the characters of color within the Harry Potter series further proves that even in a fictional world, discrimination is not something that can easily be escaped.

Left to right: Leta Lestrange (Kravitz), Theseus Scamander (Turner), and Nagini (Kim) are all characters featured in the newest Wizarding World movie, Fantastic Beasts: the Crimes of Grindelwald.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF FANTASTICBEASTS.COM

Victoria Market Hall is a haven for innovative street food M

arket Hall Victoria is tucked in close to the Victoria tube station on Terminus Place. It is a collection of 13 small restaurant-stalls in a luxury food-hall setting. Since 1909, the space had housed an Edwardian shopping arcade, a restaurant and more recently an Ibiza–themed nightclub. Market Hall Victoria showcases a diverse and eclectic offering of food and drinks across three floors.

Some of the restaurants serve cuisines ranging from Malaysian to Italian to Asian fusion, including upscale street food such as Gopal’s Corner, Koya Ko, Nonna Tonda and Flank, and more.

Gopal’s Corner serves authentic Malaysian Tamil cuisine and is a product of Surgen Gopal, who has another famous restaurant called Roti King, which has been acknowledged as one of London’s “greatest cheap eats” by national news sources.

Koya Ko, created by John Devitt and Shuko Oda, the minds behind noodle bar Koya in Soho serves homemade udon noodles and daily specials.

Koya Ko focuses on classic, freshly made udon and dashi with other small dishes.

Nonna Tonda is a fresh pasta joint that serves traditional, handmade pasta inspired by self-trained chef James French’s extensive travels around Italy and apprenticeship at the Michelin-starred l’Erba del Re in Modena.

One of the more exciting restaurants, Baozi Inn, was created by Head Chef Francis Law: a celebrated Cantonese cook and dim sum expert. Law previously worked at the legendary restaurant Din Tai

24 Culture Commentary

Lily Whitman | Sports Editor: Print

Fung, which originated in Taiwan and specializes in dumplings and Huaiyang cuisine, which is known internationally for its xiaolongbao (soup dumplings). Law’s menu consists of regional Northern Chinese cuisine with Sichuan and Hunan influences. His signature dim sum includes ruby prawn dumplings in a beetroot dough, Northern Chinese pork baozi, custard baozi in a carrot juice dough and a variety of jiaozi dumplings.

Boazi Inn is one of the many stalls that offer high-end street food found at Victoria Market Hall.

Baozi Inn’s variety of flavors and dumplings were immediately interesting to me. Although Baozi Inn is located on the second floor, as I was walking around Market Hall Victoria, I instantly gravi-

tated towards the stall that had billowing clouds of steam and a fantastic aroma of pork, chicken and prawn. One of my favorite dishes was the Northern China pork baozi, which consisted of two small pockets of dough stuffed full with glazed pork and delicious vegetables with a perfect ratio of pork to the sweet doughy exterior. Also, the traditional Jiaozi pork dumplings were quite good as well, with a good proportion of pork to vegetables. The flavors were delicious, and the dumplings had the perfect balance of salty and acidic flavors.

Flank is described as “nose-to-tail” British cooking. Tom Griffiths, the creator of Flank, moved the Brighton-born residency to London last year in the Old Spitalfields Market, but Flank Victoria is the only place where they offer a full nose-to-tail menu. Some of their classics are the Pig Nugget, which uses the entirety of a pig served with pickles and apple jam. Another classic is a suet dumpling filled with braised beef cheeks and shin, and a Flank take on a British classic called Hunters Chicken.

Looking at the menu, the term “suet pastry” may confuse some, but because I am an avid Great British Bake-off fan, I wasn’t as quick to judge the pastry that is made out of self-raising flour, suet and water, boiled to make a delicious and flaky pastry. It was quite tasty, and well worth trying, although I was a bit afraid of what it was going to taste like. Overall, it was tasty and I was really impressed with the depth of flavors, even

though the dish was served quickly (and hot) and didn’t require much preparation.

The exciting and amazing blend of cultures and different amounts of food were impressive and delicious, and the Victoria Market Hall

PHOTOS BY LILY WHITMAN

All the food stalls can be found in an indoor arcade, where seating is also available. is an excellent destination for a variety of international options. I would definitely recommend visiting to eat authentic but upscale versions of street food, and also to try worldwide cuisine. It’s 100 percent worth the tube ride.

The Victoria Market Hall can be found at 191 Victoria St, Westminster, London SW1E 5NE

The Standard

New faces for the winter season Four new coaches share their experiences of how they started playing and coaching sports as well as their passion for athletics.

Michael Flaherty | Sports Editor: Online

PHOTO BY IMOGEN WEISS

PHOTO BY IZZY HARRIS

PHOTO BY IMOGEN WEISS

PHOTO COURTESY OF ALEXANDRU COCI

JJV Boys Basketball Coach

Assistant Swimming Coach

Swimming Head Coach

Assistant Swimming Coach

How did you get the coaching position for JJV basketball?

[Director of Athletics John] Farmer knew that I had played basketball in the past and he just mentioned it to me because he knew there would be a JJV team again and he asked if I had any interest in coaching. He actually asked last year, and I thought about it and ultimately I was worried that I was a little too busy and I regretted it, so I asked my boss, also my wife, and she supported it, so here we are.

Are you excited to get back into coaching?

I really miss it. In my old school I coached two or three sports a year and I grew up loving baseball and basketball for instance. I remember my first couple of years [at ASL] people would be yelling, “Hey Coach,” and I would turn around thinking it was me because I didn’t really coach anything, I just helped out a little with the golf team. So it’ll just be fun to get back into coaching in general.

How did you get into basketball?

I always loved sports, and I moved around all my life. My dad was in the Navy. I went to a new school every two years and so sports were always huge for me. Fortunately I was always decent at them from an early age and I hit my growth spurt earlier than some kids which is part of it. I could always pitch faster than other kids or I could shoot a basketball at an early enough age so that I could play these sports and play them reasonably well.

I was one of those kids that would go to bed in their baseball uniform and I had a basket nailed to a tree in my backyard and I would just go out and shoot in the backyard until dinner time. I played throughout high school and then ironically when I got to college I played more.

How did you get the coaching job at ASL? I came to ASL last year and before I came I had a discussion with [John] Farmer because I had done aquatics in other places I had been, but there wasn’t availability last year. He called me up at the end of last year when there were some people departing the program and he asked me … if I wanted to talk to him and apply and get involved.

What is your background in swimming?

I grew up swimming in age groups so I started on a swim team when I was six and then I went through the age groups until I was 18. I swam in high school and then USA club swimming in California before I switched to water polo. Then I went to university and did club water polo, and I still play today for a club in London.

How did you get into coaching aquatics?

I started coaching because someone asked me to coach 14 years ago. There was a program developing at a school I worked at. They were developing a pool and a whole aquatics program with the intention of having a whole schoolwide swim team. The athletics department director approached me and said, “I know you’re a swimmer, and I’ve heard that you have an aquatics background, would you be interested in being a part of this program.”

[When he asked] I hadn’t coached or been around swimming for quite a while, but then I revisited the idea since I was an age group like these kids and I was going through similar things to what they are. Then some parents approached me about it and I agreed to it.

How did you get the job coaching the swim team?

I moved to London two and a half years ago and I started being a full–time lifeguard two years ago.

I was a coach back in Greece in a competitive club for five years before I moved here. I’m a qualified PE teacher with a specialization in swimming. When the opportunity came up, Farmer had a conversation with me about my ideas and my perspectives for the swim team and we had similar ideas about the program so I was more than happy to open a new page in my ASL career and so I got the job.

How did you get into swimming?

I was seven years old when I first started. I was a competitive swimmer for almost 11 or 12 years. It has always been a part of my life. The last 20 years I have either been swimming or coaching. I was born in a small city next to the sea so from an earlier age, I loved water. That was my passion. You have your own goals but you also belong to a team and next to you there are other swimmers that are trying as hard as you which is something I really loved [when I was swimming]. I want to pass on my passion for the water and swimming to students and make them realize how important it is to be part of a team.

What was the transition like from swimming to coaching?

The transition was very easy because after high school, I was part of the college team, when I got to my third year, I slowly stopped swimming a lot and became an assistant coach for the college team. I swam two days and coached another two. Then I got a job as an assistant coach for a 9–to–12 year old age group and later got promoted to head coach, and became an assistant for the senior squad.

How did you get the job coaching the swim team?

I work with one of the coaches at Camden swimming and ASL was looking for a new coach. I went to school in America and I swam in college there so I kind of know the make and structure of athletics and academics, and I was asked if I wanted to work for ASL and I found it really interesting, so I emailed Farmer and he was open to have an interview. Then I got the job.

What is your background in swimming?

I started when I was five and I swam for 21 years. I swam internationally for Romania and I swam at the London Olympics [in 2012] so that was my first major swim meet, but at the same time I was competing in European and world championships as well. I retired two years ago and then I started coaching.

What was the transition like from swimming to coaching?

It was an easy transition because I started volunteering at Arizona State Unitversity after I finished my four years of eligibility. I was still around there for another year and, because I had a lot of spare time in my schedule, I felt that I should give it back somehow to the swim team. I started volunteering, which was easier because they were my friends and now I was coaching them. At the moment I am working with kids, here at ASL, with a range of skills and while the kids are growing up they are still in the learning process.

To read more about overcrowding and off-campus practices with ASL Sports, visit standard.asl.org.

James Perry

December 2018

Mark McVean

Apostolos Mikatros

Alexandru Coci

Sports 25

Societal standards spark controversy

The debate surrounding intersex athletes and transgender athletes competing in the gender category they identify in.

Maddy Whitman | Staff Writer

I

ntersex athletes have been in the spotlight for several years now, with arguments being made that they shouldn’t be allowed to compete in events corresponding to their gender identity. An intersex athlete is someone who does not always fit into gender binary categories that are apparent. There are many different conditions that could potentially identify someone as intersex, however, some could pose advantages such as high testosterone levels and chromosome variation.

If someone who is intersex has an advantage over their competitors, then they should not be allowed to compete in their gender category because it becomes unfair for their opponents.

Caster Semenya is a track athlete who has had to battle the media for being speculated as hyperandrogenic, meaning she holds higher testosterone levels than her other female competitors. Testosterone is a hormone that helps build muscle and helps to burn fat, and as a track and field athlete, the ratio someone has of fat to muscle can help improve performance. If Semenya is able to have a better fat to muscle ratio and build muscle more easily because of her condition, then this poses an advantage over the rest of her competitors. Athletes deemed to have an advantage because of high testosterone levels should still be able

to compete but in separate categories that would be made to assure fairness for all athletes.

In the past, women have been required to participate in hormone testing to regulate hormone levels. If an athlete’s levels were too high by being above ten nanomoles per litre, then they would have to take hormones to lower their levels and would once again become eligible. This rule was later taken away in July 2015 because there wasn’t enough evidence at the time for the International Association of Athletics Federation to require testing.

Many female athletes also felt that this process seemed invasive and discriminatory. Male athletes have never had to undergo tests to verify their hormone levels, so many women believed that they were bound to an unjust rule.

High levels of hormones for men could have an even bigger impact on competition because there is a larger range between male athletes, dependent on age and genetics.

In a situation where an athlete is deemed ineligible because being born intersex, I feel that an intersex category must be introduced. In order for this to be successful and fair for intersex athletes, athletic organizations must build various divisions to accommodate to different conditions. It isn’t fair for an athlete to completely be banned from

competing if they are unable to control what has ruled them out.

In July 2014, Indian sprinter Dutee Chand was dropped from the Indian team after undergoing many tests to verify her gender and hormone levels. In cases like this, there must be an alternative for athletes who have been found to have an advantage and are ruled out of competition. When athletes are barred from competing because they are intersex, they are not being respected. The training and hard work they have put in is being disregarded and athletes need an alternative in these situations.

If there isn’t a cut off limit for the testosterone levels of male athletes, and it could possibly provide an advantage, then it is making sport inequitable between the two gender categories by only enforcing women to be regulated.

Another athlete who has been impacted by rules is Mack Beggs. Beggs is a transgender male wrestler who under the rules of the Texas State University of Interscholastic League (UIL), is still required to compete in the female category, even after taking small doses of testosterone. The UIL’s gender eligibility rule states, “Gender shall be determined based on a student’s birth certificate,” and because Beggs is biologically categorized as female, he was required to compete in that category. Beggs was opposed

PHOTO FROM WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Intersex athlete Caster Semenya during the London Olympics in 2012 after she won gold in the 800 meters. She has faced controversy over her testoterone levels, and is speculated to be hyperandrogenic.

to competing in the female category, according to an article in The Guardian published in February 2018. This is not only discriminatory for Beggs, but can also be viewed as a disadvantage for the female wrestlers he is against.

Although being transgender doesn’t fit under the umbrella term of intersex, the treatment and discrimination of Beggs is similar to what many intersex athletes are experiencing at the moment.

An intersex category is long overdue in every sport and would help to keep sport equal among everyone. Not only would it allow more athletes to compete, but it would help to limit situations where athletes are ruled out of competition because of late and unfair testing.

Sports are growing and more are participating and becoming involved, so modifications are going to have to be made to keep up with an evolving society.

A significant sports culture

With a great portion of ASL’s culture revolving around sports, some students struggle to find a balance between academics and being dedicated team members.

Raunak Lally | Staff Writer

S

ports culture in the High School are everywhere, with flyers advertizing practices, games, tournaments, and the widely anticipated Interational School Sports Tournament (ISSTs).

With sports taking up hours at a time almost every day of the week, it can sometimes become difficult for students to be as committed to their academic life as they are to their sport, and even more so for those who participate in teams out of school.

It is not mandatory for students to be a part of a sports team, nor is it technically mandatory for anyone to join any extracurricular activity at all. However, due to the number of student athletes on each of the sports teams, sports are one of the most popular activities in school.

Despite the popularity of athletics, stresses are prominent in students who are occupied most days after school because of sporting commitments, or due to missing school as a result of playing in ISSTs or in other tournaments.

26 Sports

When missing school for sports, catching up on any missed work becomes as stressful as doing difficult work in the first place. Jackson Olin (’20) deals with going on competitions and tournaments for sports by focusing on schoolwork. For him, it’s crucial “to prioritize tests and quizzes and bulky homework for AP classes,” he said.

In some cases, students attempt to avoid the extra stress of missing and catching up on work or having less time to do homework by taking a break from sports teams. For instance, Sean Collier (’20) did not try out for the basketball team this winter season like he did last year, due to his workload increasing at the start of the season and the time he had to do his homework was not enough with the commitment of sports seasons.

Encouragement from peers often motivates students to join teams.

“When people knew that I was a swimmer when I first came to the

school, they obviously wanted me to try out for the team,” Olin said, as the encouragement from peers seemed as a sort of pressure to him to join.

Elena Stathopoulos (’21 identified a stigma behind sports teams even though she doesn’t participate in sports. “I sometimes think that sports are only for the people that are so good at this sport, if you’re not good at it, then it’s like ‘even if you try then you won’t make it because you’re not good at it,’” she said. This can evidently put students off from trying out for a sport at all, and has a negative impact on their self esteem.

The advertizement of certain sports act as a deterrent to those who are interested in some of the less-recognized teams. “It’s kind of a negative thing that they sort of make it focused on bigger sports like soccer and rugby,” Olin said. When certain sports are not spoken about as often around the school, some students could forget

that they have the opportunity to even join such other teams.

However, the students contributing to a sports team participate in athletics for their own, more positive reasons.

“The teams are very close together and that type of bond is something that I’m missing out, on the fact that they’re all so close.”

Elena Stathopoulos (’21)

Sports teams are popular and are made up of students with different interests, backgrounds and ways of enjoying their sport. In order to make the most of having different players on each team, students use sport as a way to get to know the community. Anna Kim (’21), who has played soccer since lower school, joined the girls varsity

soccer team as a new student. “I just figured that [joining the team] would be a good way to make friends when I first moved here,” Kim said.

Most students bond well with each other when they are on the same team, as this spirit is appreciated by their peers. “The teams are very close together and that type of bond I feel like is something that I’m missing out on, the fact that they’re all so close,” Stathopoulos said, as student athletes have many opportunities to bond with one another when playing games after school, or going on ISSTs and other competitions with their teammates.

Once a player gains more of a sense of team spirit after building a relationship with their teammates, participating in a sports team feels more like a group of friends doing an activity as opposed to a school-run extracurricular commitment. “I consider myself a fun, motivational part of the team,” Collier said.

The Standard

Balancing the boat Isabella Farina (’19) recounts her sailing adventure that started in 2013. From Miami to London, her journey has included sailing for both the U.S. and the Great British national team, and at the Sailing World Championships in 2016.

Isabelle Lhuilier | Features Editor

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liding with the wind over clear, open water, Isabella Farina (’19) describes sailing as “the closest thing to flying.”

“There are moments of pure joy.

I don’t think there is any other feeling such as sailing when you get the wind just right,” she said. “It’s the most amazing feeling in the world,” she said.

Picking up the sport when she lived in Miami, Florida, Farina has been sailing for five years. She sails two types of sailboats, the Club 420 and International 420. Farina’s position in the crew where she is in the front of the boat, attached by a harness, and hangs off of the side.

When there is a lot of pressure on the sail the boat can tip over so Farina balances the boat with her weight.

Farina started sailing during a summer program for beginners at the Coral Reef Yacht Club in Miami and picked up the sport quickly. “I signed up for another session and then the third session I was actually coaching as a counsellor in training,” she said.

Developing a strong interest in the sport, Farina started the year– round program at the club where she sailed from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday, and every Wednesday after school.

During a typical practice at the Yacht Club, the team had to have all of the boats rigged and put the sails on and up before a 9:45 a.m. when the coaches would describe what drills the practice would focus on.

“We would just work on drills and

sometimes battling the wind when it got really windy.”

Succeeding in the sport early on, Farina has sailed for both the U.S. and Great Britain national teams.

Farina described that in the U.S. qualifying for the national team is based on how teams place in certain regattas. Farina and her partner participated in a couple of events and received a “Wild Card” to go to the World Championship. “The Wild Card is if you’re a younger team and the coaches see that you have potential, they’ll just invite you if you didn’t have the time or points to qualify. So we got to go there as the U17 boat representing the U.S,” she said.

For Farina, the most challenging aspect of sailing is the unpredictability of the conditions. “I think sailing is the sport that gives you the most ups and downs because you are relying on mother nature, which is really tough mentally,” she said. “There are days when you go out there and you just have to wait around for the wind and that’s really hard.”

Farina recalls the Youth Championships in Texas, a regatta she participated in as a qualifier for the World Sailing Championships, where the wind changed dramatically each day. “We had days where the wind was really heavy and if you didn’t have much weight you were struggling. There were days we were out there all day waiting for wind and nothing would come,” she said.

Additionally, Farina often finds herself in a battle with the elements.

“Sometimes it’s really cold and we have

PHOTO COURTESY OF ISABELLA FARINA

Isabella Farina (’19) has been sailing since she was 12-years-old. She has competed internationally and has represented both the U.S. and the U.K. national teams.

Although Farina has competed in many memorable races, a particular favorite of hers was the World Championships in Italy where she sailed with the U.S. team. “I’m pretty tiny for my position and I was sailing with a very tiny skipper and there was just one day where the breeze was just right for us,” she said “It was the best feeling having the U.S. flag on our sail and being able to just compete against all these other countries.”

When she moved to London in

Weymouth during the weekend, Farina found it increasingly difficult to balance school work and other extracurriculars. “It was just hard because sometimes it was the tube, a bus and then a train and just a very long journey and it would take the whole weekend,” she said. “I’d have to be lugging textbooks around.”

Additionally, Farina sailed in reservoirs which she found very different to the conditions in Miami. “It was very new to me because back home in Miami I would either sail in Biscayne Bay

Although Farina now sails much less competitively than she used to, she feels that she will still continue to take part in the sport. “I think it’s always going to be part of my life.

I’m always going to go back to sailing,” she said.

Farina would encourage everyone to try sailing at least once in their life even if they find it nerve–racking at first. “You are gonna get out of your comfort zone a million times because when you flip over you are there in the water and battling with the ele-

“IT WAS THE BEST FEELING HAVING THE U.S. FLAG ON OUR SAIL AND BEING ABLE TO JUST COMPETE AGAINST ALL THESE OTHER COUNTRIES.” ISABELLA FARINA (’19) we would sometimes be there for hours on end. My longest practice was until the sun went down,” Farina said. “Just waiting for wind and

December 2018

to put on wetsuits and drysuits and other days you’d have the sun scorching down and you come home with sunburns,” she said.

2017, Farina found that, though she did initially continue sailing competitively, the sport was not as accessible as in Miami. Traveling 136 miles to

or even out in open water,” she said “[Sailing] in reservoirs was really bizarre to me and the wind shifts a lot more so it’s a bit more of an unstable breeze.”

ments,” she said. “I would say just try it and don’t be afraid to just let go because after a while it’s just the best feeling you can get.”

Sports 27

Sports

Balancing the boat

Isabella Farina (’19) sailing at the C420 Orange Bowl 2016 in Miami, Florida. Farina has been competitively sailing for over five years, including competing at highly esteemed events like the Sailing World Championships and the Youth Championships.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ISABELLA FARINA

sabella Farina (’19) has been sailing competitively for Itional five years. She’s competed on the Great British nateam and in the Sailing World Championships

in 2016. Sailing takes up a lot of Farina’s life, but that hasn’t stopped her from continuing her passion.

Coverage continues on Page 27

“

I think it’s always going to be part of my life. I’m always going to go back to sailing.

“

Isabella Farina (’19)

28 Sports

The Standard