Student Newspaper at University Scholars Program
NEWS
USP LIFE
ENTERTAINMENT
Volume 2, Issue 1 October 2021 1585 Paoli Pike, West Chester, PA 19380
OPINION
USP’s Church Era time and gave them the autonomy they desired. The year is 2004. Most Thus, in the fall of 2005, current students at USP USP was born. haven’t even been born The current Advanced yet. PALCS, however, has; Ideas Center wasn’t alits first successful school ways where USP met. year began that fall. USP It wouldn’t be until the and CPFA have yet to 2010-2011 school year exist in this small cyber that the school acquired charter school started by and renovated the forDr. James Hanak, but that merly IBM-owned office will soon change, as both building we use today. programs begin in the fol- Previously, the program lowing year. met on the lower level of Where and how did an old church building in USP start? The story be- West Chester, located at gins at Avon Grove Char- 200 S. Church Street. Stuter School, with a small, dents would be dropped close-knit group of teach- off in an alleyway, enterers and students. Look- ing a red door on the side ing to give the students a of the church. At first, more accelerated educa- only two classrooms were tion, one of the teachers, in use: the “Yellow Room” Mrs. Ferris, decided they and the “Blue Room,” would start their own both named after their underground education respective colored walls. program. After search- Even with such a small ing for a cyber charter space to meet, USP welschool in Pennsylvania to comed 5th-12th graders partner with, they land- from the start, though ed at PALCS, which had without any seniors in the best technology at the their first year. They used By: Henry Adams Financial Manager
Meet Mr. Wentzel By: Isabella Fontanes Staff Reporter PALCS has gone through a lot of changes in the past few years, and one of the most valuable additions to the staff has been Mr. Ryan Wentzel. Mr. Wentzel is a social studies teacher at the University Scholars Program, and he is already loved by the student body. Mr. Wentzel’s passion for teaching comes from his teach- ing experience at a Boy Scouts summer camp that he worked at for about seven years, start-
ing at age fourteen. As an instructor in the multi-week program, he would write lesson plans and instruct the scouts. “Being in that process and working with kids brought me into education,” he says, He believes that college prepares you for a very different atmosphere when teaching, so when he came to USP it was a new experience. Having classes on Monday/Wednesday/Friday is very different from most schools, and took some getting used to. “It’s been fun so far definitely, it has been an interesting style of teaching to get used to.” Continued on pg. 5
Photo By: Christ Church via Instagram
Christ Church in West Chester
the same hybrid schedule that is present today. Many of USP’s current traditions began in that church. The thanksgiving feast, for instance, has its roots in this era. Similarly, school trips, the first one being an Alaskan cruise, were held from the start. Even clubs like Drama, Interact, and AIC Council were formed back then.
Much of this was the work of Mrs. Ferris, USP’s assistant director (and later director), who had great ambitions for the school, and eventually earned the National American Pioneer of Teaching Award in 2009. It’s no surprise that USP grew, eventually taking over eight rooms in the church, and inevitably had to move spaces.
The only two teachers from USP’s early days that remain today are Mr. Sommar, who joined in November of 2005, and Mr. Stiles, who joined in 2009. Continued on pg. 5
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings: Is it Worth Your Watch? By: Erin Duffy USP Life Editor Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is the newest edition to the seemingly never-ending Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). It was one of the most highly anticipated movies of 2021, adding to the collection of shows and films that have been released by Marvel since the start of the year. We have already seen WandaVision, The Falcon, The Winter Soldier, What If…?, and Black Widow this year. 2021 has been a great year so far for Marvel, so does Shang-Chi uphold this status? Marvel’s latest mov-
ie is the newest addition to Phase 4 of the MCU. The movie tells the story of Shang-Chi, who goes by Shaun (played by Simu Liu), and is the son of Wenwu. Wenwu is the leader of the Ten Rings, an organization that has toppled and conquered powerful governments for centuries. Following his mother’s death, Shang-Chi was trained as an assassin for his father when he was only seven. When he turns fourteen, however, his father sends him on a mission for the Ten Rings, only for him to never return. Fast forward a couple of years and ‘Shaun’ is now living in San Francisco and working
with his best friend Katy. One day while the two of them are riding the bus on the way to work, Shang-Chi is attacked by the Ten Rings, who are attempting to get the pendant that his mother had given him. Panicking, he immediately rushes to Macau, China to warn his sister Xialing. There, they are once again reunited but then are suddenly kidnapped by the Ten Rings who take both of their pendants. Left with no choice but to reconvene with their father, the two siblings and Katy return home to the Ten Ring’s compound. Continued on pg. 9