lpahomov

Mr. Kay Writes A Book

March 7, 2017 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Tamir Harper

Staff Writer

English Teacher Matthew Kay does his best writing from the classroom to his house.

He gets distracted by his classroom and his home office, but zones out to his Beats headphones and go in while writing.

This writing routine is going to have a big payoff for Mr. Kay in 2017. Last fall, he announced that he will be publishing a book around race in the classroom. The working title is “Loaded Conversations.:

Before releasing the book, Mr. Kay held a well-attended online professional development on December 12th for whomever was interested in watching and participating. The conversation lasted an hour with people from all across the United States that is genuinely interested in improving race relations in their classroom.

Kay is not new to helping teachers improve race conversations in their classrooms. Kay started this specific line of work three years ago at EduCon with History Teacher Pearl Jonas. After seeing such success, he continued to hold sessions around race in the classroom both at SLA and in other venues.

When teachers at SLA were asked about his work, they all appreciated having Kay here at SLA.

Jonas stated that “his discussion rules, listen actively, police your voice and be patience.” Jonas also shared that Kay has been leading more professional development around the class.

Math Teacher Brad Latimer, who has been teaching for nine years at SLA but also is a Adjunct Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, shared that “Kay is probably the most talented the educator that I have ever in terms of setting classroom expectations and being consistent in terms of creating a learning space that is safe, comfortable for everyone in the room and consistently reinforcing that it is a learning process.”

Mr. Kay received news that he may be writing a book from SLA Founding Principal Chris Lehmann. Mr. Lehmann received a call from now Kay’s publisher searching for a teacher to write a book about race.

As Kay says, “I luckily happened to be in the office at that point just hanging around.”

Kay has provided SLA Media with an exclusive part from his book. “…that if we are training the next generation of teachers, entertainers, lawyers and politicians; if we are molding thoughtful citizens, wise counselors, and people of righteous passion; then our classrooms must be deliberate in their approach to conversations about race.”

What motivated Kay to write on this topic? After completing a PD with Ms. Jonas he saw how engaged people are really pushed him to write the book when the opportunity arose.

According to the Science Leadership Academy website, Kay is an alumni of the Philadelphia Public Schools and West Chester University. He is one of 5 founding teachers left at Science Leadership Academy and also serves as an Athletic Director and Varsity Boys Basketball Coach. Kay is not only a teacher at SLA, but is also the founder and coordinator of the PYPM Slam League.

The book is not the only arrival coming for Mr. Kay this year. As many students know at SLA, he and his wife, who is also an English teacher, are expecting a baby girl soon.

Concert Review: Panic! At the Disco

March 7, 2017 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Lauren Nicolella

Staff Writer

Going to see one of your favorite bands is the best feeling in the world. Screaming out the lyrics and admiring the presence of your favorite person is like no other experience. On February 25th, the Wells Fargo Center had the honor of holding a Panic! At the Disco concert. Philadelphia was the second show on the North American leg of The Death of a Bachelor tour.

Lead singer Brendon Urie is a fantastically talented man, having a very large vocal range. Panic! At the Disco formed in 2004. Brendon is the only original member remaining since the others have left. They are described as a rock band from Las Vegas, but every album of theirs contains a slightly different sound while retaining the same theatrical feel.

Their most famous songs are “I Write Sins Not Tragedies”, “Nine in the Afternoon”, and recently, “Victorious”. The band’s newest album, Death of a Bachelor, was nominated for a Grammy this year under the best rock category. Unfortunately, they lost to Cage the Elephant.

On The Death of a Bachelor tour, there are two opening acts, Misterwives and Saint Motel. Both have an indie pop sound but stay unique to their own styles. They put on a spectacular show, it was honestly mind-blowing. Having them on before Panic! was something that I didn’t know I needed, and now I have been listening to those bands ever since.

To sum up this concert in two words, all I have to say is Brendon Urie. His talent is unbelievable. His vocal range is absolutely insane. From start to finish, everything was perfect and definitely one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to. The atmosphere was very comfortable, and seeing that there were fans who were of all different ages shows how much the band has influenced so many people within their career.

A performance that particularly stood out to me was Girls/Girls/Boys, because the stage lit up with rainbow colors and had members of LGBTQ+ community featured on the screens. Brendon opened up the song with a brief message against Trump, and showed people that they could feel safe in their environment and that their favorite musician was on their side. Fans on the floor had different colored paper hearts and shined their phone flashlights through them to contribute to the support of gay rights during the song.

Panic! At the Disco has been covering Bohemian Rhapsody for years now, and this summer it basically became “official” and a studio version was recorded for the Suicide Squad soundtrack. That already was one of my favorite songs of all time, and I had told my cousin that either way if they did or did not perform it, I would freak out either way. Luckily, they performed it and honestly I was having the time of my life and didn’t even mind that my vocal cords were getting severely damaged.

I’m really glad that no one cared about my terrible singing and dancing. It was pretty embarrassing of how crazy I was going along with the music, but it was hilarious to see the girls in front of me doing the same thing.

Gabe Leeds Spotlight

March 7, 2017 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Aidan Williams

Staff Writer

“On the train headed home, sitting there all alone, with the piece of your pride you couldn’t swallow.” The title track of Boxcar, the short EP written between Gabe Leeds and Uriah Killinger, begins with an unapologetically blunt few lines about loneliness, heartbreak, and pride: themes that come up throughout the short album. “So, tell me one more time, how you feel so bad, and if I promise to make you mine, would you still feel sad?”

Gabe Leeds, a junior at SLA, is a prominent performer in the local Philadelphia “DIY” music scene. Among music known for ‘rugged’ surf-inspired guitar, Gabe’s music stands out as simple yet catchy and listenable with deep, emotional undertones. Punchy guitar riffs stand out over his jazz-inspired chords.

Gabe started playing guitar at the age of seven, “In the way that parents will sit their kid down in front of an instructor and throw money at them until they’re talented.” He didn’t really have a passion for it; it was something he felt he had to do. However, when introduced to the Beatles’ Eleanor Rigby, he found meaning in songwriting, and went on to write and perform songs with the bands Skyline(2014-2015) and Thanks, Mom(2015).

In freshman year, he was introduced to fellow guitarist/songwriter Alexei Mannino and joined Alexei’s band, Wasted America, which had run for a few years. They played shows fairly regularly and recorded many songs, such as Sharp Like Safety Scissors.

However, Boxcar was the beginning of the end for Wasted America. The EP was released under the band’s name despite only half of the band playing on it. It became much more successful than anything the band had released prior, even landing Gabe and Uriah spots in Wyoming, a much larger musical project. Soon following the release, tensions between members of the band rose, and ultimately the band dissolved in early 2017.

For the most part, Gabe’s music has met little negative feedback. “[Boxcar] energizes me,” says Matt Yemola, a fan and friend of Gabe’s. “It flows nicely. It’s loud and aggressive, but it touches me on a personal level. I can listen to it and not feel like I’m going to die alone.”

Gabe does have critics, however. “I didn’t know Tiny Tim was still playing music,” said Pablo Salvatierra, another friend, though maybe not a fan. “I didn’t know he was into that punk scene. Dropped the ukulele and picked up that electric guitar.”

Gabe’s music has touched, and continues to touch, many people. There is no question that, as time goes on, no matter who he works with, he will continue to write great, inspiring music.

Column: A New Approach To Trump?

March 7, 2017 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Chiara Nemati and Aaron Watson-Sharer

Opinion Editor and Sports Editor

On March 2nd, Madeline Albright, the former Secretary of State to President Bill Clinton. and Stephen Hadley, the National Security Adviser under President George W. Bush, visited the Franklin Institute to talk to the students from SLA about issues facing the Middle East.

Around 80 SLA students were in attendance. Although the session had a stated topic, it was run in a question and answer format, which resulted in the students straying away from the main focus and very quickly turned towards Donald Trump.

The level of frustration with Donald Trump was evident in the students’ voices. The morning after the national election, SLA had signs outside of the school showing we oppose all forms of hate and discrimination. Our classrooms held long discussion where students could exert their frustrations and concerns under a Trump administration. That discussion at SLA hasn’t ended it appears. We had an opportunity to hear from some of the best political figures today on issues in the Middle East but too often the discussion was led to America’s political discourse.

Albright and Hadley respectfully answered our question and gave us advice on understanding and combatting this new administration. They focused on how we talk about these issues and how we listen to others. They discussed the art of negotiation and compromise and its relation to Palestine.

In a few different ways, we feel that we disrespected both speakers. Instead of talking about the hard work they put into creating their report for the Middle East we focused on the Trump administration. While there are many comparisons to be made between the Middle East and Trump, the line of questioning did not follow the cross-overs. For example, one student asked about the implications of the previously imposed travel ban. Instead the student should have asked how the new administration should implement and use Albright and Hadley’s plan to maintain working relationships with the Middle East and to stabilize the turmoil, allowing the United States to feel confident in their vetting methods and let in immigrants and refugees.

We understand that all of the opinions need to be heard. We are in a tough time and we need to have discussions about the different issues that are arising in our nation. This was not the place for this discussion however.

The most memorable piece of advice we received from both speakers was in order for us to get through these next few years we must work together. We must talk and listen to the other side of the isle. We need to be open to make these deals and compromises. We need to come together to create a stronger nation that represents our ideals. We need to realize that the United States is still a superpower. Many other nations look to us for hope and relief. In order to maintain this deserved status, we must be aware of the issues that encompass the world. These issues are our issues as well.

SLA Poetry Club Starts Season, Cancels Slam

March 3, 2017 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Lauren Nicolella

Staff Writer

The first poetry slam of the year at Science Leadership Academy has been cancelled after being rescheduled twice. Originally slated for February 10th, It was rescheduled due to the snow day and then for the half days for report card conferences.

The final set date of the slam was supposed to be Thursday, February 23rd, but it just did not fall into place.

Sophomore Kimberly Gucciardi-Kriegh explained her feelings towards the cancellation.

“At first I was disappointed but I really do understand, we didn’t really have a lot of content, and it didn’t feel right to charge people three dollars for only 15-30 minutes of material. It wouldn’t have been enough. It was even more disappointing because of our work ethic, because the reason why we didn’t have the slam was mostly our fault since we didn’t have enough poems.”

Kimberly and students were looking forward to presenting, especially since SLA’s slam is a smaller crowd and is not the size of the PYPM slams that hold about 100 people. There were only about three group and three individual poems that were ready to go.

Previously, there had been at least 15 performances in our school-held poetry slam, so this development reflects a drop in activity on the part of the club.

Even though the event at school had been cancelled, that doesn’t mean you can’t go to see your friends perform and support SLA. Students contribute in the Philadelphia Youth Poetry Movement (PYPM). It is a non-profit and volunteer-run organization that allows different schools from areas all over Philly to compete in the poetry slams. The next citywide slam is on Friday, March 3rd at the Freedom Theater on Broad Street.

The slams are also now broadcasting on cable, on channel 52 if you have Comcast and channel 20 if you have Verizon. They are on a TV show where all of the slams will be. This is getting students of Philadelphia to be recognized and share their stories and pieces with those who watch.

Sophomore Nzinga Bey talked about how SLA should still have at least one more poetry slam before the season ends — and not just to share their art.

“We need the money. It would be interesting for everyone to show their talents and things like that.”

SLA has been fairly successful with gaining a champion title in the city, placing 2nd place last year, and holds the title of being a two-time division champion. The team hopes for a repeat this year.